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Marseilles |
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Brief history of soap-making in Marseilles during the 18th and 19th centuries. |
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1760: 28 factories totalling 126 boilers produce 9,000 tonnes of soap.
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1786: 48 factories totalling 192 boilers, giving production capacity of 34,000 tonnes in the nine authorised working months.
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1789: 65 factories totalling 280 boilers produce 22,000 tonnes.
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1793: Civil strife and downturn almost ruin the city. Soap industry, however, rallies and survives the French Revolution.
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1801: Peace returns, shipping redevelops. 73 factories totalling 331 boilers.
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1808: First soda factories open, using the Leblanc manufacturing process. Prohibition on the use of vegetable soda. Introduction of seed oils, e.g., nut, rape, poppy and linseed, cheaper than olive oil.
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1817: Soap shares crash, only 15 factories remain.
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1820: 88 factories totalling 420 boilers.
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1823: New oils available, such as palm and coconut. Chevreul publishes first definitive theory of saponification.
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1842: Number of factories stable, but increase in production capacity with the advent of steam heating (50,000 tonnes). Palm oil is used extensively for white soap with more lather.
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1863: Another growth crisis: Factories down to 52 for a production of 70,000 tonnes, although demand continues to rise.
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1885: 90 factories for 94,000 tonnes of soap, but lower quality due to production cost-cutting.
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