They share a name and a colour, so it’s easy to assume Moroccan black soap and African black soap are two versions of the same thing. They’re not. They come from different parts of the world, they’re made from completely different ingredients, and you use them in completely different ways. Here’s how to tell them apart and pick the right one.
The short answer
Moroccan black soap (beldi) is an olive-based paste from North Africa, used in the hammam to soften skin before a vigorous scrub. African black soap is an ash-based cleanser from West Africa, used as an everyday wash. One is a once-a-week ritual product; the other is a daily soap.
What they’re made from
- Moroccan black soap: olive oil and crushed olives, blended with an alkali into a soft, dark paste. Our version adds laurel and pine for a clean, woody scent. It’s smooth and almost gel-like.
- African black soap: ashes from plant materials like plantain skins, cocoa pods and shea tree bark, combined with oils such as shea butter, coconut or palm. It’s usually a rough-textured bar (or a soft soap) that’s brown rather than truly black.
How you use them
- Moroccan black soap is applied to damp skin, left for a few minutes, then scrubbed off with a kessa mitt. It barely foams — it’s there to prepare the skin, not to lather. It’s a weekly exfoliating ritual. (See our home hammam guide.)
- African black soap is used like any other soap — lather it up and wash with it daily, on face or body. It produces a soft lather and is a general-purpose cleanser.
How they feel on the skin
Moroccan beldi feels rich and oily going on, thanks to the olive base, and the “clean” feeling comes afterwards from the scrub. African black soap cleans as you wash and can feel more stripping — some people find it a little drying, especially the more authentic, ash-heavy bars, so it’s often followed with a moisturiser.
Which one should you choose?
- Choose Moroccan black soap if you want a weekly deep-exfoliation ritual that leaves skin smooth — and you’re happy to use it with a scrubbing mitt.
- Choose African black soap if you want a daily, everyday cleanser you can lather and rinse like normal soap.
They’re not really competitors — they do different jobs. Plenty of people use one for daily washing and the other for a weekly ritual.
Want to try the Moroccan kind?
Our complete beldi guide walks through everything, and you’ll find our olive-based black soap in the hammam & exfoliation collection.