In everyday life, we are surrounded by a lot of things to which we are so accustomed that we do not think about their origin.
How often while washing our hands do we ask ourselves the question: “Where did the soap come from?”
And really, what is soap? Where did it first appear? How did our ancestors do it?
So, soap is a washing mass that dissolves in water, obtained by combining fats and alkalis, used as a cosmetic product for cleansing and skin care, or as a detergent for household chemicals. This definition is given by Wikipedia.
The word "soap" comes from the Latin "sapo", the British transformed into soap, the Italians - sapone, the French - savon.
There are several versions of the appearance of soap.
According to one of them, the first mention of the "soap solution" was confirmed on clay tablets dating back to 2500 - 2200 years. BC e., found by archaeologists during excavations in Mesopotamia. They contain a method of preparing a soap solution by mixing wood ash with water, boiling this mixture and dissolving fat in it. However, Egyptian archaeologists claim that the production of soap was established about 6,000 years ago. During excavations in the Nile Delta, papyri were found, which contain recipes for making soap by heating animal or vegetable fats together with alkaline salts.
According to another version, the invention of soap is attributed to the ancient Romans. On Mount Sapo, a ritual of sacrifice to the gods was held. After burning the victim, animal fat, mixed with ash, was washed off by rain into the Tiber River. After washing in this river, the laundry became clean much faster. Confirmation of this fact can be found in the treatise of the Roman writer and scientist Pliny the Elder "Natural History".
There is another curious version, according to which the composition for washing was invented by the Gallic tribes. They prepared an ointment from the ashes of the beech tree and tallow, which they used to wash and dye their hair. When combined with water, it turned into a thick soapy foam. Later, the Romans, after the conquest of the Gallic tribes in the II century AD. e., began to use this ointment when washing hands, face and body. And by adding the ashes of sea plants to it, we got a real high-quality soap.
Soap has long been invented, but many peoples continue to use lye, bean flour, pumice, and clay for washing and washing. And why?
The first reason: soap is a rather expensive pleasure that even wealthy people could not afford. And Scythian women made washing powder from cypress and cedar wood, which they mixed with water and incense. The resulting mass, which had a delicate delicate aroma, was rubbed all over the body. After that, the solution was removed with special scrapers, and the skin became clean and smooth.
The second reason: the persecution of the Inquisition, which raged in the Middle Ages. Special attention to one's own sinful flesh was considered seditious.
But still, the fashion for cleanliness moved to Europe along with medieval knights who brought soap as a trophy from the crusades in the Arab countries. The art of soap making was transferred from the Arabs to Spain. Here, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, people have learned how to make solid and beautiful soap by adding olive oil and seaweed ash to it. Alicante, Carthage, Seville, and Venice became well-known soap-making centers.
In the 15th century in Savona (Italy), soap was first produced industrially. Instead of ash, natural soda ash was used, which led to a decrease in the cost of soap.
It was only in 1808 that soap received its modern composition. It was developed by the French chemist Michel Eugene Chevreul at the request of the owners of a textile factory.
I would especially like to talk about the history of the development of soap making in Russia.
Since ancient times in Russia, people had the habit of regularly going to the bathhouse, where they took lye with them. even in the pre-Petrine era from potash and animal fats. Entire villages were engaged in “potash business”: cut down trees were burned in boilers right in the forest. From the ashes they made lye, which was evaporated to get potash. Soap began to be cooked not only by artisans, but also by ordinary people at home. Masters - soap makers appeared only in the 15th century. Valdai and Kostroma craftsmen were especially popular.
The industrial production of soap was established under Peter I.
In the 18th century, soap made at a factory in the city of Shuya was famous throughout the country - this is evidenced by a bar of soap located on the coat of arms of this city. It was cooked in almond and cow butter, with and without perfume, white and colored. This soap was considered the best after the Italian.
And at the famous Moscow perfume factory they made figured soap.
At present, the process of making soap has not undergone significant changes. But in its production began to use artificially created components. The only good news is that making soap at home is back in fashion.
“Dirt is not fat, rubbed and lagged behind!” - said Mr. Pronka in a famous cartoon. And how many in our time there are willing to get rid of dirt in such an exotic way? Even if on such favorable terms that were offered to our hero? Today we cannot imagine our existence without soap. We come home and the first thing we do is wash our hands. Manufacturers of this valuable and necessary product for us offer us hundreds of types and varieties: with the smell of wild flowers and sea waves, spruce branches and oranges, in different colors and shades, with skin care additives, special for children, laundry. You can't list everyone. Yes, you yourself have seen this variety dozens of times in stores and supermarkets.
The debate about who humanity owes the invention of soap has not yet been completed, however, the honor of saving humanity from dirt is attributed to several ancient peoples at once.
The Roman scientist and politician Pliny the Elder claims that even the ancient Gauls (who inhabited the territory of modern France) and the Germans knew about the preparation of soap. According to the historian, these wild tribes made some kind of miraculous ointment from beech tree fat and ash, which was used to clean and dye hair, as well as to treat skin diseases. Later, at the turn of our era, the ancient Romans met the Gallic tribes. But the Gauls, apparently, taught their conquerors to use their soap only for fixing complex hair structures, i.e. use it like lipstick. The Romans used for this purpose solid balls of soap, imported into the capital from the northern lands they conquered. Only from 164 AD. The Romans began to use soap as a detergent. The doctor Galen, who lived at that time in Rome, described soap and indicated that it should be made from fat and a solution of ash with lime; it softens the skin and cleanses the body and clothing of impurities.
True, there is a reverse version, according to which soap was made by the Romans.
The Romans called soap sapo - according to legend, it comes from the name of Mount Sapo. On this mountain, sacrifices were made to the gods. A mixture of melted animal fat and wood ash from a sacrificial fire was washed away by rain into the clay soil of the banks of the Tiber River. Women who washed clothes there noticed that thanks to this mixture, clothes were washed much better. Well, gradually they began to use the "gift of the gods" not only for washing clothes, but also for washing the body. By the way, the first soap factories were also discovered by archaeologists on the territory of Ancient Rome, or more precisely, among the ruins of the famous Pompeii.
From the Roman word sapo later the English formed soap, the French - savon, the Italians - sapone.
The recent discoveries of scientists are poorly consistent with the above two versions. Not so long ago, the most detailed description of the soap-making process was found: on Sumerian clay tablets dating back to 2500 BC. The method was based on a mixture of wood ash and water, which was boiled and the fat was melted in it, obtaining a soapy solution. However, this solution did not have a specific name, evidence of its use has not been preserved, and what is considered to be soap was not made from it.
Egyptian archaeologists, after excavations in the Nile Delta, came to the conclusion that the production of soap was established at least 6,000 years ago. Some Egyptian papyri contain recipes according to which, in order to obtain soap, animal or vegetable fats should be heated together with alkaline salts, which are abundantly available on the shores of one of the lakes.
Although soap had already been invented, many peoples of the ancient world continued to use lye, bean flour, glue, pumice, barley sourdough and clay for a long time. For example, historians know that Scythian women made washing powder from cypress and cedar wood, then mixed it with water and incense. With the resulting gentle ointment, which had a delicate aroma, they rubbed the whole body. Then the solution was removed with scrapers, and the skin became clean and smooth.
Even the famous Arab physician Ibn Sina, who lived already in the 11th century, advised using soap only for washing lepers. He offered clay to healthy people. For a long time later (until the 13th century), soap was on a par with medical products and medicines.
There was no purity in honor even in the Middle Ages. Soap was used only by representatives of the first two classes - nobles and priests, and even then not all of them. True, it should be noted that the inhabitants of medieval Europe vegetated in the mud not at all because soap was not available. It’s just that special attention to one’s own sinful flesh was considered seditious from the point of view of the raging Inquisition.
Finally, the fashion for purity was instilled in medieval Europe by knights who visited Arab countries during the Crusades. Sometimes soap served as a gift. Crusaders in the 11th century brought the famous soap balls from Damascus and brought them as gifts to their loved ones.
Probably Arabs in the 7th century. AD learned how to treat a soap solution with slaked lime and thus began to make solid soap. From the Arabs, the art of soap making penetrated into Spain. Here they learned how to make solid beautiful soap from olive oil and the ashes of sea plants. Everywhere in the Mediterranean, where oil plants were grown, soap making began to flourish. The centers were Alicante, Carthage, Seville, Savona, Venice, Genoa, and from the 16th century also Marseille. Since that time, soap has been increasingly used as a detergent.
It is known that in the XV and XVI centuries. knights and merchants brought smelling balls from Venice. They were embossed with lilies, fir cones, crescents - the first, if I may say so, trademarks.
From the 13th century Soap making flourishes in France and England. The attitude to this craft was the most serious. In 1399 in England, King Henry IV founded an order whose special privilege was: washing in a bath with soap. In this country, for a long time, under pain of death, a member of the soap makers' guild was forbidden to spend the night under the same roof with masters of other crafts - so as not to betray the secret.
In 1424 in Italy, in Savona, solid soap began to be produced industrially. Fats were combined not with ash, but with natural soda ash, which was extracted from lakes. Beef, lamb, pork, horse lard, bone, whale and fish oil, fat waste from various industries were used for making soap. Vegetable oils were also added - linseed, cottonseed, olive, almond, sesame, coconut and palm.
17th century can probably be called the Age of Clay. By this time, soap was already quite common in Europe.
The first shampoo was a powder
Until the end of the 19th century, Europeans washed their hair with ash and soap, leaving a white coating on their hair. The invention of shampoo is associated with the name of the Englishman Casey Herbert. His shampoo was a dry powder: a mixture of powdered soap and herbs. This powder was called "Shaempoo". Herbert sold his shampoo right on the street near his home in London. And I must say, his trade was successful, but for real success there was not enough scale.
The very idea of Casey turned out to be contagious, and the shampoo recipe was simple. And soon, here and there, London barbers in barbershops and apothecaries in the cosmetic departments of their own pharmacies began to sell the same packets of Shaempoo dry powder.
The liquid shampoo consistency was developed by the German company Schwarzkopf in 1927. The powder, despite all its advantages, had serious drawbacks: paper shampoo bags got wet, and besides, powder dust sometimes caused an allergic reaction. Liquid shampoo foamed better, the level of hair cleansing from impurities became higher. And dosing liquid shampoo has become easier, which means it has become more economical.
History of Russian soap making
In Russia, the secrets of making soap were inherited from Byzantium, and our own master soap makers appeared with us only in the 15th century. It is known that a certain Gavrila Ondreev started in Tver "a soap kitchen with a soap cauldron and all the order", and in Moscow there was even a soap row.
In general, Russian soap making developed in an original way. There were very favorable conditions for this: large reserves of fat, huge forests. Entire villages were engaged in "carrying business". They cut down trees, burned them in boilers right there in the forest, and brewed the ashes, made lye, evaporated it, getting potash.
Such destruction of forests led to a rise in the price of firewood, and honey disappeared. However, in 1659 the potash business, as a profitable one, was transferred to the royal treasury.
Gradually, the process of soap making improved. A factory method for producing soda ash and caustic soda was discovered, which significantly reduced the cost of soap production.
The industrial production of soap was established under Peter I, but until the middle of the 19th century. they were only used to know. The peasants also washed and washed with lye - a mixture obtained from wood ash, poured with boiling water and steamed in an oven.
The city of Shuya was the main center of soap making, and even a bar of soap is depicted on its coat of arms. Moscow firms were also widely known - the Ladygin factory, the Alphonse Rale factory "Rale and K" and the Brocard perfume factory.
By the way, the equipment of the latter at first consisted of only three boilers, a wood-burning stove and a stone mortar. But Brokar still managed to become recognized as the "king of perfumery", releasing cheap penny soap for all segments of the population. In addition, he tried to make inexpensive products attractive. For example, his soap "cucumber" looked so much like a real vegetable that it was bought even out of sheer curiosity.
In 1839, by the highest permission of Emperor Nicholas I, a Society was established for the manufacture of stearin candles, olein and soap. In the same year, the St. Petersburg Nevsky Plant, owned by the Society, began the production of these products, and therefore 1840 is considered the date of birth of the famous Nevskaya Cosmetics cosmetic line, which was very popular in pre-revolutionary Russia.
Soap was a profile and strategically important product for the plant. The equipment of the soap factories was constantly modernized, only the most advanced technology was used, which ensured the excellent quality of products. And in 1843, at the All-Russian Manufactory Exhibition, the plant received the right to depict the Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire on its products - such a sign at that time was awarded only to goods of the highest quality.
In 1868, the Nevsky Stearin Association was created, which, thanks to the excellent quality of the products, quickly became known not only in Russia, but also in the world. Suffice it to say that the products of "Partnership" were awarded 10 Emblems of the Russian Empire. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century. "Nevsky Stearin Partnership" was a solid enterprise: it produced 40 varieties of candles of excellent quality, glycerin, stearin, and, of course, toilet and laundry soap. The real glory for the Russian soap makers was brought by the Nestor soap, which received international recognition and a Gold Medal at the Paris Exhibition.
During the First World War, the Nevsky Stearin Partnership supplied soap, candles, dynamite glycerin to the front. After the revolution and the decree on nationalization, the enterprise was “mothballed” for a long time. Restoration of production began only in 1925. In the late 20s and 30s the assortment of soap expanded, such brands as "Leningrad", "Neva", "Peterhof", "Chipr" appeared, which quickly won the love of customers. The quality of products remained traditionally high: in 1937, at the World Exhibition in Paris, soap "Neva" was was awarded a Gold Medal and a Diploma.
Experts are unanimous in their forecast for the development of the soap market. The times when the buyer purchased inexpensive funds are gradually passing. Consumer preferences are shifting towards more expensive brands and segments that offer a clear concept, high quality, attractive packaging and a whole range of additional features.
With the growth of incomes of the population and the increase in purchasing power, trends will increasingly mix in the direction of a selective approach to hygiene products for each family member.
Solid bar soap is in no hurry to lose ground. Specialists of the Western perfumery and cosmetics market are talking about the repositioning of solid soap. Today, some other, for example, therapeutic tasks, have been added to the original hygienic function of soap. Today, soap is used to treat acne, for sensitive skin, to relieve tension, as an aromatherapy product, and to combat skin aging. Experts believe that the future belongs to soap with aesthetic qualities, when color, shape, aroma become the most important criteria for choosing products of a particular brand. It is safe to say that Russia is developing approximately according to the same scenario. Thus, according to the analysts of the Staraya Krepost EMG, a new category for the Russian market is gaining momentum - handmade solid soap, which is produced using a different technology than mass-produced soap.
Can you imagine life without soap today? Mankind has been using soap for many centuries. Soap is in every home today, and few of us think about the history of its invention. How did it become the main means of hygiene in our lives? To answer this question, we must go back in time.
According to some sources, the history of soap began six thousand years ago. For example, there is information that the ancient Greeks wiped their body with fine sand, which was brought from the Nile. The ancient Egyptians washed their bodies with beeswax, which was previously dissolved in water. These are just some of the cases where history records the use of "soap".
But it is also interesting that in addition to such use of various mixtures for hygiene purposes, fresh litter, brain bones, and ox bile were used for washing. As disgusting as it sounds, there have been cases of decomposed animal urine, which foamed well due to the presence of ammonia in it!
All this became an impetus for soap making, because all kinds of vegetable components and animal fat were additionally used. So, now let's look at the chronology of the appearance of soap in the form in which we are used to seeing it.
In ancient times
According to one of the versions, the first soap was made in Sumer in the 4th-3rd centuries. BC e. Evidence of this are found tablets dating back to 2500 BC. e. The tablet described a recipe that is very similar to soap making: wood ash was mixed with water and boiled, and then the fat was melted in it.
The Sumerian tablet did not indicate exactly how this solution was used!
According to another version, soap comes from Ancient Egypt, and its age is 6 thousand years. There is also evidence here, as ancient papyri have been found. They specifically indicated what soap was obtained from. Soap was made from vegetable and animal fats, which were heated with soda and alkaline salts.
However, if we start from real facts, then Ancient Rome should be considered the place where the first soap appeared. According to legend, it had the name "sapo". In ancient Rome, there was Mount Sapo, on which sacrifices were made. In the process of burning, the fat was mixed with the ash from the fire. After the rains, this liquid flowed into the Tiber River. Residents who washed their clothes in it noticed that the washing process became much easier. As a result, it was from this word that the word “soap” itself came from:
- soap - in English,
- savon in French
- sapone in Italian.
It is noteworthy that the historian Pliny the Elder spoke of soap making in Rome. During the excavations of Pompeii, rooms were found in which the process of making soap was carried out. But in those days, this mixture was used for washing. It was only in the second century that the physician Galleon pointed out that soap could be used not just as a laundry detergent, but also as a personal hygiene product.
After some time, the profession "saponarius" appeared - a soap maker. This is mentioned for the first time in the work of Priscianus in 385 AD. e.
In the middle Ages
When the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages began in Europe, only the upper classes of society could have soap: the clergy and the nobility. However, the church persecuted those who used soap for personal hygiene, and the Holy Inquisition was preparing for them, since the clergy demanded more attention to the soul than to the body. How then did soap get to Europe?
The Spanish Queen Isabella of Castile used soap only twice in her life: at birth and before her wedding.
The history of the appearance of soap in its modern form began in Western Europe. Crusader knights brought soap balls from Damascus for their beloved beauties. So, gradually the fashion for cleanliness returned, but this was already closer to the 17th century.
For example, in England there were several large soap factories. Given the seriousness of the use of this product, Henry IV even founded a special Order. Moreover, the Soap Guild was created. It was not allowed for its employees to sleep under the same roof with people of other trades. Why? It was feared that the secret of the soap-making recipe would be revealed. And this has borne fruit. Soap was patented in 1662 in England.
Another European center of soap making was France in Marseille. In the 14th century, the leadership in the production of soap passed to Venice. And just in Italy, the production of solid soap began. Here they figured out how to reduce the cost of the product by combining fat not with ash, but with soda ash.
The wave of fashion for cleanliness and hygiene gradually spread throughout Europe and reached Germany. In this country for the production of soap used:
- beef lard,
- lamb fat,
- lard,
- horse fat,
- whale oil,
- fish fat,
- bone fat.
Various vegetable oils were added to the mixtures.
The evolution of soap making
In the 17th century, soap making techniques improved significantly. French physicist Nicholas Leblanc opened a production facility in which soda ash was obtained from soda. This made it possible to completely abandon expensive potash. This discovery paid off, as the cost of the soap making process was greatly reduced.
As early as 1808, another French chemist, Michel Eugene Chevrel, established the specific composition of soap. Soap making just got a whole lot easier. But the evolution of soap making did not stop there. Every year the technology of this process improved and more and more new ingredients were added.
Already closer to our times, a large number of soap manufacturers take old recipes as a basis. Particular attention is paid to the product, made by hand from natural ingredients. Handmade soap today returns to past centuries, where it was appreciated in noble families.
As for our days, handmade soap is a special exclusive work. In its manufacture, natural extracts and essential oils are used.
Mankind has been using soap since time immemorial: the history of soap making goes back at least six thousand years. At the time of Homer, soap was not yet known. The ancient Greeks cleansed the body with sand - especially fine sand brought from the banks of the Nile. The ancient Egyptians washed their faces with beeswax paste dissolved in water. For a long time, wood ash was used for washing.
The honor of the invention of soap is attributed to several ancient peoples at once. The Roman scientist and politician Pliny the Elder argued that humanity owes its acquaintance with detergents not to the highly civilized Egyptians, and not to the resourceful Greeks or Babylonians, but to the wild Gallic tribes, with whom the Romans “got to know better” at the turn of our era.
According to the historian, the Gauls made some kind of miraculous ointment from beech tree tallow and ash, which was used to cleanse and dye hair, as well as to treat skin diseases. color 
means - red paint - was obtained from clay. They smeared their long hair with vegetable oil, to which dye was added. If water was added to this mixture, a thick foam formed, which washed the hair cleanly.
In the second century, this "ointment" began to be used for washing hands, face and body in the Roman provinces. The ancient Romans added the ashes of sea plants to this mixture, and real high-quality soap came out. And before that, the ancient peoples had to “get out”, as they were lucky: someone used ash brewed with boiling water for washing, and someone used soapwort juice, a plant that became famous for its ability to foam in water.
However, recent discoveries of scientists do not coincide with this version. 
Not so long ago, the most detailed description of the soap-making process was found on Sumerian clay tablets dated to 2500 BC. The method was based on a mixture of wood ash and water, which was boiled and the fat was melted in it, obtaining a soapy solution.
Another version of scientists says that soap was still invented by the Romans. According to legend, the word soap itself (in English - soap) was formed from the name of Mount Sapo, where sacrifices were made to the gods. A mixture of melted 
animal fat and wood ash from the sacrificial fire was washed away by rain into the clay soil of the banks of the Tiber River. Women who washed clothes there noticed that thanks to this mixture, clothes were washed much easier.
So, gradually they began to use the "gift of the gods" not only for washing clothes, but also for washing the body. By the way, the first soap factories were also discovered by archaeologists on the territory of Ancient Rome, or more precisely, among the ruins of the famous Pompeii. During the archaeological excavations of Pompeii, soap factories were found. Soap at that time was semi-liquid.
Soap has long been a luxury item and was valued along with expensive medicines and potions. But even wealthy people could not afford to wash their clothes. For this, various clays and plants were used. Laundry was a difficult job, and it was mostly men who did it. So, the debate about who humanity owes the invention of soap is still 
not completed.
Nevertheless, it is known that the production of detergents was put on stream in medieval Italy. A hundred years later, the secrets of this craft reached Spain, and from the 11th century Marseille became the center of soap making, then Venice. It was only at the end of the 14th century that Marseille soap gave way to Venetian soap in international trade. In the XV century in Italy, in Sevona, for the first time they began to produce solid soap industrially. At the same time, fats were combined not with ash, but with natural soda ash. This significantly reduced the cost of soap, and, consequently, transferred soap-making from the category of handicraft production to manufactory.
True, it cannot be said that the medieval inhabitants of European countries abused cleanliness: only representatives of the first two layers used soap - nobles and priests, and even then not all of them without exception. The fashion for cleanliness was brought to Europe by knights who visited Arab countries during the Crusades. That is why from the 13th century the production of detergents began to flourish, first in France, and then in England. The business of soap making was treated with excessive seriousness.
When this craft was learned in England, King Henry IV even issued a law that forbade the soap maker to spend the night under the same roof with other artisans: a method of soap making 
kept a secret. But on a large scale, soap making developed only after the development of industrial production of soap.
Since the XIV century, soap factories began to appear in Germany. Beef, lamb, pork, horse lard, bone, whale and fish oil, fat waste from various industries were used for making soap. Vegetable oils were also added - linseed, cottonseed.
In Western Europe, the craft of soap making was finally formed only by the end of the 17th century. important 
The geographic factor played a role in the development of soap making. Soap making ingredients varied by region. In the north, animal fat was used to make soap, and in the south, olive oil was used, thanks to which the soap was of excellent quality.
As for Russia, here the secrets of making soap were inherited from Byzantium, and their own master soap makers appeared only in the 15th century. It is known that Gavrila Ondreev opened in Tver "a soap kitchen with a soap cauldron and with all the order", in Moscow there was a soap row. The industrial production of soap was established under Peter.
In the 18th century, the Shuya factory became famous for its soap. Even the coat of arms of the city depicts a bar of soap. The Lodygin factory soap was very famous, it was considered the best, after the Italian one. It was cooked in cow, almond butter - white and colored, with and without perfume. 
Tar soap was also offered - "from bestial ailments."
Craftsmen learned how to make soap from potash and animal fats. Thus, in every house, the production of this product, which is so necessary in everyday life, was established. The number of small soap-making workshops was expanding, especially since Russia had all the resources necessary for this, and primarily wood, since ash was the basis of potash.
Potash has become one of the main export products, which has led to massive deforestation. By the beginning of the reign of Peter I, the question arose of finding a cheaper substitute for potash. The problem was solved in 1852 when the French chemist Nicolas Lebmann was able to obtain soda from table salt. This excellent alkaline material has supplanted potash.
Due to the special economic conditions, the first soap factories began to appear in Russia only in the 18th century. At that time, two were known in Moscow: in the Novinskaya and Presnenskaya parts. By 1853, in the Moscow province, their number had grown to eight. Numerous cloth, cotton-printing and dyeing factories became consumers of soap factories. In 1839, at the highest wish of Emperor Nicholas I, the Union was founded for the production of olein and soap.
The famous Moscow perfume factory "Volya" was founded in 1843 by the Frenchman Alphonse Rallet. The factory was then called "Ralle and Co" and produced soap, powder and.
Children are very fond of soap in an unusual form: vegetables, fruits, animals. It turns out that such a fancy soap was produced already in the 19th century. The Brocard factory produced it in the form of cucumbers. The soap looked so much like a real vegetable that it was hard for the buyer to resist the fun purchase.
The founder of the factory, Heinrich Afanasievich Brokar, was the king of perfumery in Russia, and he started his business from scratch. The original equipment of his factory consisted of three boilers, a wood-burning stove and a stone mortar. 
At first he made cheap, penny soap, but the trade went so fast that soon Brocard began to produce expensive perfumes, colognes and soap. the factory largely replaced manual work.
At the beginning of the 20th century, soap making acquired an industrial character almost everywhere. The cost of industrially brewed soap became more and more affordable to consumers, and gradually homemade soap making became rare. In recent years, soap as a cosmetic product of mass use has been increasingly used in liquid form.
Many buyers were happy to buy soap that does not sink in water. It kept afloat well due to the air cavity inside the soap bar.
Since ancient times, people have paid attention to washing the body, washing clothes and laundering all kinds of objects from pollution. The peoples of the Earth went in different ways to the invention of soap, gradually discovering the washing abilities of substances from the environment.
History of soap in ancient Greece and Egypt
In ancient Greece, the role of soap was played by the smallest river sand. Sand absorbs grease and is a good abrasive. Whoever tried to wash greasy and smoked dishes with river sand after a picnic in nature will understand the ancient Greeks. Sand is better than any soap will clean and wash the dirt.
Fine sand can sometimes replace body scrub. It exfoliates and exfoliates the skin. This is what people used in ancient times.
Closer to the invention of soap were the ancient Egyptians. For washing and bathing, they used the ashes from the fire. A solution of wood ash in water is similar in its properties to a soapy solution.
For washing their faces, rich Egyptians prepared a mass of water and beeswax. They probably added essential oils to the mixture. The finished substance was similar to modern soap in color and useful properties. Wax disinfected the skin and nourished it with useful substances. But such soap did not foam and did not dissolve grease and dirt well.
The invention of soap by the Gauls and Romans
Ancient historians attribute the invention of soap to the Gauls, a people who lived in part of the territory of modern Europe from the 5th century BC. The Gauls are considered the ancestors of the French.
Although we call these people barbarians, they had a knowledge of hygiene and made soap very similar in composition to modern soap.
There is evidence that the Gauls mixed animal fat, beech tree ash, and some other additional ingredients. The resulting mixture was used simultaneously as a soap, as a hair dye and as a therapeutic and disinfectant for the skin.
Another soap recipe, or rather a coloring shampoo, was made from red clay and vegetable oil. The mixture was applied to the hair, then lathered with water and washed off. Hair acquired shine and a reddish tint.
Later, the ancient Romans began to use this soap recipe. They supplemented the mixture with dried algae ash, which brought them even closer to the invention of real soap.
One way or another, peoples discovered an interesting effect of combining ash and fat: if you boil wood ash with fat of animal or vegetable origin, you get a foaming solution that dissolves fat, washes away dirt, cleanses the face and body. And this was the main thing in the history of the invention of soap.
Sumerian tablets
Life itself led people to the invention of soap. It was only necessary to learn how to make a fire, make the simplest pottery and cook fatty meat or fish on a fire. Already at this stage of evolution, the ancient man first combined ash and fat. So the history of the invention of soap may be more ancient than is commonly believed.
In support of this theory, Sumerian clay tablets found from 2500 BC are found. On the tablets, the Sumerians wrote down the same recipe of ancient soap from fat and ash from a fire.
What does the word "soap" mean in different languages
The origin of the word meaning "soap" in different languages is interesting. According to the origin and antiquity of the word, one can draw conclusions about the time when soap appeared among different peoples. The word "soap" is pronounced in Russian in the same way as in Ukrainian, Belarusian and some other languages of the Slavic group. Consequently, the word for soap has a common Slavic origin. The meaning of the word "soap" is what they wash with, similar to the word "awl" - what they sew, or the word "snout" - that, they dig.
Soap in Italian is sapone. The history of this word for soap goes back to Ancient Rome, where sacrifices to the gods took place on Mount Sapo. The remains of fat, mixed with ash, flowed from the sacrificial fire to the river, where it was customary to wash things. People have noticed that washing in this place is more efficient and have started using the soap mixture for washing and bathing. Later, in ancient Rome, the first soap factories appeared, in which soap was brewed for sale. Premises for soap making were discovered during the excavations of Pompeii, buried under a layer of volcanic ash.
History of soap in Europe
In the Middle Ages, water treatments were unpopular and people were reluctant to use soap. Soap factories began to open in England and France only from the 13th century. The soap was extremely liquid. In the middle of the 15th century, bar soap began to be produced in Italy. Only the nobility could afford to bathe and wash with soap. The common people washed and bathed in the old fashioned way with ashes, soapwort root, infusion of herbs and berries, and other folk remedies.
The history of the invention of soap followed different paths depending on the region. So the northern peoples made soap from animal fats, and in the south they used the third pomace of olive oil. Mediterranean soap makers followed the path of cooking soap from olive oil and soda. Replacing ash with soda ash resulted in lower production costs. Soap became cheaper and became more widely available to the population. Small craft workshops for the production of soap in Italy, France and Spain began to be replaced by large factories.
Soap making in Russia
Until the 15th century, Russia did not have its own soap factories. People themselves prepared a kind of soap at home from ashes or from a decoction of beans and lingonberries. Soap, if it was, was imported from Byzantium. The first soap recipes were also brought from Byzantium to Russia. Historical chronicles tell that the first soap factories appeared in Tver and Moscow. Under Peter I, soap began to be produced on an industrial scale.
For example, the Lodygin factory produced various types of soap made from animal and vegetable fat, with the addition of aromatic and coloring agents. The soap of the Russian manufacturer was only slightly inferior in quality to the most expensive - Italian soap.
