Soap Makers in Lebanon: Tripoli Laurel and Modern Cold-Process
AdvisorLB Team
Tripoli's Khan al-Saboun has produced laurel-oil soap for over five centuries. The classic green-skinned cube cures for nine months before sale. Today, alongside heritage producers, a wave of small-batch makers in Beirut, Batroun, and the Chouf are reviving Lebanese soap craftsmanship.
The Tripoli laurel soap tradition
- Ingredients: olive oil, laurel berry oil (10–40%), water, lye.
- Process: hot-process in copper cauldrons, hand-cut, stamped, then cured for 6–9 months.
- Identification: green crust, beige interior, stamped with the maker's mark.
- Higher laurel content = pricier but better for sensitive skin and hair.
Modern cold-process makers
- Use olive, coconut, castor, shea, and essential oils.
- Cure for 4–6 weeks at room temperature.
- Variations: charcoal, goat milk, honey, herbal infusions.
- Often sold at souks (Souk el Tayeb) and concept stores.
How to recognise quality
- Hard bar that lasts 4+ weeks of daily use.
- Clean lather without skin tightness.
- Honest ingredient list — no "fragrance" without specifics.
- pH around 9–10 (alkaline but gentle on skin).
Where to visit
- Khan al-Saboun, Tripoli — buy direct from producers in the old khan.
- Bashir Effendi Sharkass: heritage Tripoli brand.
- Senteurs d'Orient: Beirut-based premium gift line.
- Weekend farmers markets across Beirut and Mount Lebanon.