All over the world, for all of human history – and probably going back to our earliest hominid ancestors – people have found ways to try to keep themselves clean. But how did soap come about? 

Research:
“Soap, N. (1), Etymology.” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1115187665.
American Cleaning Institute. “Soaps & Detergents History.” https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/why-clean/soaps-detergents-history
Beckmann, John. “History of Inventions, Discoveries and Origins.” William Johnston, translator.
Bosart, L.W. “The Early History of the Soap Industry.” The American Oil Chemists' Society. Journal of Oil & Fat Industries 1924-10: Vol 1 Iss 2.
Cassidy, Cody. “Who Discovered Soap? What to Know About the Origins of the Life-Saving Substance.” Time. 5/5/2020. https://time.com/5831828/soap-origins/
Ciftyurek, Muge, and Kasim Ince. "Selahattin Okten Soap Factory in Antakya and an Evaluation on Soap Factory Plan Typology/Antakya'da Bulunan Selahattin Okten Sabunhanesi ve Sabunhane Plan Tipolojisi Uzerine Bir Degerlendirme." Art-Sanat, no. 19, Jan. 2023, pp. 133+. Gale Academic OneFile, dx.doi.org/10.26650/artsanat.2023.19.1106544. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
Costa, Albert B. “Michel-Eugène Chevreul.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-Eugene-Chevreul
Curtis, Valerie A. “Dirt, disgust and disease: a natural history of hygiene.” Journal of epidemiology and community health vol. 61,8 (2007): 660-4. doi:10.1136/jech.2007.062380
Dijkstra, Albert J. “How Chevreul (1786-1889) based his conclusions on his analytical results.” OCL. Vol. 16, No. 1. January-February 2009.
Gibbs, F.W. “The History and Manufacture of Soap.” Annals of Science. 1939.
Koeppel, Dan. “The History of Soap.” 4/15/2020. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/history-of-soap/
List, Gary, and Michael Jackson. “Giants of the Past: The Battle Over Hydrogenation (1903-1920).” https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=210614
Maniatis, George C. “Guild Organized Soap Manufacturing Industry in Constantinople: Tenth-Twelfth Centuries.” Byzantion, 2010, Vol. 80 (2010). https://www.jstor.org/stable/44173107
National Museum of American History. “Bathing (Body Soaps and Cleansers).” https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/health-hygiene-and-beauty/bathing-body-soaps-and-cleansers
New Mexico Historic Sites. “Making Soap from the Leaves of the Soaptree Yucca.” https://nmhistoricsites.org/assets/files/selden/Virtual%20Classroom_Soaptree%20Yucca%20Soap%20Making.pdf
“The history of soapmaking.” 8/30/2019. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-science-technology-and-medicine/history-science/the-history-soapmaking
Pliny the Elder. “The Natural History of Pliny. Translated, With Copious Notes and Illustrations.” Vol. 5. John Bostock, translator. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60688/60688-h/60688-h.htm
Pointer, Sally. “An Experimental Exploration of the Earliest Soapmaking.” EXARC Journal. 2024/3. 8/22/2024. https://exarc.net/issue-2024-3/at/experimental-exploration-earliest-soapmaking
Ridner, Judith. “The dirty history of soap.” The Conversation. 5/12/2020. https://theconversation.com/the-dirty-history-of-soap-136434
Routh, Hirak Behari et al. “Soaps: From the Phoenicians to the 20th Century - A Historical Review.” Clinics in Dermatology. Vol. No. 3. 1996.
Smith, Cyril Stanley, and John G. Hawthorne. “Mappae Clavicula: A Little Key to the World of Medieval Techniques.” Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 64, no. 4, 1974, pp. 1–128. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1006317. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.
Timilsena, Yakindra Prasad et al. “Perspectives on Saponins: Food Functionality and Applications.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 24,17 13538. 31 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/ijms241713538
“Craftsmanship of Aleppo Ghar soap.” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/craftsmanship-of-aleppo-ghar-soap-02132
“Tradition of Nabulsi soap making in Palestine.” https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tradition-of-nabulsi-soap-making-in-palestine-02112
“Soaps.” https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/soaps.shtml
van Dijk, Kees. “Soap is the onset of civilization.” From Cleanliness and Culture. Kees van Dijk and Jean Gelman Taylor, eds. Brill. 2011. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbnm4n9.4
Wei, Huang. “The Sordid, Sudsy Rise of Soap in China.” Sixth Tone. 8/11/2020. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006041

All over the world, for all of human history &ndash; and probably going back to our earliest hominid ancestors &ndash; people have found ways to try to keep themselves clean. But how did soap come about?&nbsp;
Research:
<ul>
<li>&ldquo;Soap, N. (1), Etymology.&rdquo; Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, June 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1115187665.</li>
<li>American Cleaning Institute. &ldquo;Soaps &amp; Detergents History.&rdquo; https://www.cleaninginstitute.org/understanding-products/why-clean/soaps-detergents-history</li>
<li>Beckmann, John. &ldquo;History of Inventions, Discoveries and Origins.&rdquo; William Johnston, translator.</li>
<li>Bosart, L.W. &ldquo;The Early History of the Soap Industry.&rdquo; The American Oil Chemists' Society. Journal of Oil &amp; Fat Industries 1924-10: Vol 1 Iss 2.</li>
<li>Cassidy, Cody. &ldquo;Who Discovered Soap? What to Know About the Origins of the Life-Saving Substance.&rdquo; Time. 5/5/2020. https://time.com/5831828/soap-origins/</li>
<li>Ciftyurek, Muge, and Kasim Ince. "Selahattin Okten Soap Factory in Antakya and an Evaluation on Soap Factory Plan Typology/Antakya'da Bulunan Selahattin Okten Sabunhanesi ve Sabunhane Plan Tipolojisi Uzerine Bir Degerlendirme." Art-Sanat, no. 19, Jan. 2023, pp. 133+. Gale Academic OneFile, dx.doi.org/10.26650/artsanat.2023.19.1106544. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.</li>
<li>Costa, Albert B. &ldquo;Michel-Eug&egrave;ne Chevreul.&rdquo; Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michel-Eugene-Chevreul</li>
<li>Curtis, Valerie A. &ldquo;Dirt, disgust and disease: a natural history of hygiene.&rdquo; Journal of epidemiology and community health vol. 61,8 (2007): 660-4. doi:10.1136/jech.2007.062380</li>
<li>Dijkstra, Albert J. &ldquo;How Chevreul (1786-1889) based his conclusions on his analytical results.&rdquo; OCL. Vol. 16, No. 1. January-February 2009.</li>
<li>Gibbs, F.W. &ldquo;The History and Manufacture of Soap.&rdquo; Annals of Science. 1939.</li>
<li>Koeppel, Dan. &ldquo;The History of Soap.&rdquo; 4/15/2020. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/history-of-soap/</li>
<li>List, Gary, and Michael Jackson. &ldquo;Giants of the Past: The Battle Over Hydrogenation (1903-1920).&rdquo; https://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/publication/?seqNo115=210614</li>
<li>Maniatis, George C. &ldquo;Guild Organized Soap Manufacturing Industry in Constantinople: Tenth-Twelfth Centuries.&rdquo; Byzantion, 2010, Vol. 80 (2010). https://www.jstor.org/stable/44173107</li>
<li>National Museum of American History. &ldquo;Bathing (Body Soaps and Cleansers).&rdquo; https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object-groups/health-hygiene-and-beauty/bathing-body-soaps-and-cleansers</li>
<li>New Mexico Historic Sites. &ldquo;Making Soap from the Leaves of the Soaptree Yucca.&rdquo; https://nmhistoricsites.org/assets/files/selden/Virtual%20Classroom_Soaptree%20Yucca%20Soap%20Making.pdf</li>
<li>&ldquo;The history of soapmaking.&rdquo; 8/30/2019. https://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/history/history-science-technology-and-medicine/history-science/the-history-soapmaking</li>
<li>Pliny the Elder. &ldquo;The Natural History of Pliny. Translated, With Copious Notes and Illustrations.&rdquo; Vol. 5. John Bostock, translator. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/60688/60688-h/60688-h.htm</li>
<li>Pointer, Sally. &ldquo;An Experimental Exploration of the Earliest Soapmaking.&rdquo; EXARC Journal. 2024/3. 8/22/2024. https://exarc.net/issue-2024-3/at/experimental-exploration-earliest-soapmaking</li>
<li>Ridner, Judith. &ldquo;The dirty history of soap.&rdquo; The Conversation. 5/12/2020. https://theconversation.com/the-dirty-history-of-soap-136434</li>
<li>Routh, Hirak Behari et al. &ldquo;Soaps: From the Phoenicians to the 20th Century - A Historical Review.&rdquo; Clinics in Dermatology. Vol. No. 3. 1996.</li>
<li>Smith, Cyril Stanley, and John G. Hawthorne. &ldquo;Mappae Clavicula: A Little Key to the World of Medieval Techniques.&rdquo; Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, vol. 64, no. 4, 1974, pp. 1&ndash;128. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1006317. Accessed 18 Aug. 2025.</li>
<li>Timilsena, Yakindra Prasad et al. &ldquo;Perspectives on Saponins: Food Functionality and Applications.&rdquo; International journal of molecular sciences vol. 24,17 13538. 31 Aug. 2023, doi:10.3390/ijms241713538</li>
<li>&ldquo;Craftsmanship of Aleppo Ghar soap.&rdquo; https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/craftsmanship-of-aleppo-ghar-soap-02132</li>
<li>&ldquo;Tradition of Nabulsi soap making in Palestine.&rdquo; https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/tradition-of-nabulsi-soap-making-in-palestine-02112</li>
<li>&ldquo;Soaps.&rdquo; https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/ethnobotany/soaps.shtml</li>
<li>van Dijk, Kees. &ldquo;Soap is the onset of civilization.&rdquo; From Cleanliness and Culture. Kees van Dijk and Jean Gelman Taylor, eds. Brill. 2011. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbnm4n9.4</li>
<li>Wei, Huang. &ldquo;The Sordid, Sudsy Rise of Soap in China.&rdquo; Sixth Tone. 8/11/2020. https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006041</li>
</ul>

Join Holly and Tracy as they bring you the greatest and strangest Stuff You Missed In History Class in this podcast by iHeartRadio.

Stuff You Missed in History Class

All over the world, for all of human history – and probably going back to our earliest hominid ancestors – people have found ways to try to keep themselves clean. But how did soap come about? 

A History of Soap

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/bbd9ca7d-580b-45a2-9450-b3500006c616/transcript

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