Looking at the 4 Marseille soaps recommended by Marco , I see way too many Amazon customers complaining of " putrid " " rancid " " new tires " smells.... No doubt these soaps have been sitting in a warehouse way too long , and the olive oil has turned rancid.......Is there an American source for FRESH Marseille bars , Fer a Cheval , La Corvette , Marius Fabre and Le Serail ????
Online source for Marseille soaps ?
- Thread starter malocchio
- Start date
Marius Fabre seems controversial, but the other three should be fine.
I haven't yet tried the cube of Marius Fabre I got from Amazon, but I will say it was quite strong, and not in an appealing way, when I first opened the box. From what everyone says about the gaminess of (I guess some) boar brushes, I thought what I was smelling might be the Omega 10066 brush, but it wasn't. We'll see.
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Interesting thread!
I hope to be in Marseille area later this month and will be on lookout!
I hope to be in Marseille area later this month and will be on lookout!
I took a whiff of my Fabre brick again tonight. It flat out stinks. There's no other word for it.
Does anyone know if it mellows out after using it awhile?
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Does anyone know if it mellows out after using it awhile?
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- Thread starter
- #6
And it should not stink, this is the problem with olive oil soaps with no preservatives, natural or chemical in them. By the time they get shipped here and sit in someone's garage for months before getting sold they turn rancid.
So, does this mean the soap is no good, or just stinky? It's not a lot of money, but I hate to throw something away if it's still useful.
Of course, when I unwrap this thing and my wife's sensitive nose gets a whiff of it, this discussion will all be academic. Pretty sure it will be in the trash.
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Of course, when I unwrap this thing and my wife's sensitive nose gets a whiff of it, this discussion will all be academic. Pretty sure it will be in the trash.
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- Thread starter
- #8
I don't think it could be harmful , just stinky..Why don't you use it to wash your hands several times and see if only the outer layer has putrified ?...and you're correct, a lot of money for soap that has sat too long...
I bought two different batches off ebay. The first was fine but the second didn't seem quite right. They both shipped from Italy. I then saw it on Amazon and bought it there even though I was a little skeptical. I was pleasantly surprised, the soap is fine and lathers very well. This is amazing soap if you get it fresh. It moisturizes and softens your skin and I use a lot less lotion in the winter.
Fer à Cheval has an online shop.
(La Corvette/Maître Savon has an online shop but doesn't ship to NA afaik.)
Smell of a Savon de Marseille ranges from mildly nutty to mildly smoky/toasty, but not rancid, ime.
(La Corvette/Maître Savon has an online shop but doesn't ship to NA afaik.)
Smell of a Savon de Marseille ranges from mildly nutty to mildly smoky/toasty, but not rancid, ime.
I used it last night and again this morning. Agreed, it is a really good soap. Too soon to tell if the bad smell fades with use / time. I would pay more for a much higher confidence that I'm not going to receive a cube that's foul-smelling though. As long as this cube will last, I hate to keep rolling the dice on Amazon.
<emphasis in quoted post added by me>
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