Turn over a bar of Aleppo soap and you might read "sodium olivate, sodium laurelate, aqua, glycerin". It sounds like chemistry, and it is. But behind those names are just four things a soap maker in Aleppo would recognise: olive oil, laurel berry oil, water and lye.
This guide explains each ingredient, how the label names map to them, and what should not be there. If you want the basics first, read what Aleppo soap is.
Key takeaways
- Four ingredients go in: olive oil, laurel berry oil, water and lye (sodium hydroxide).
- Soap and glycerin come out. Lye turns the oils into soap and releases glycerin (Wikipedia, "Saponification").
- EU labels list ingredients largest share first (Regulation 1223/2009, Article 19), so sodium olivate leads.
- The two oils are close cousins, both rich in oleic acid.
- Fragrance, palm oil or colourants mean the bar has left the traditional recipe.
The short answer
Traditional Aleppo soap is made from olive oil, laurel berry oil, water and lye. After saponification and curing, a label usually reads sodium olivate, sodium laurelate (or laurel fruit oil), aqua and glycerin, sometimes with traces of sodium chloride. There is no added fragrance, colour, palm oil or animal fat.
How two oils become soap
Every true soap is made by saponification. Lye (sodium hydroxide dissolved in water) breaks apart the fats in an oil, called triglycerides. The fatty acids become sodium salts, which are the soap, and the glycerol backbone is released as glycerin. Sodium hydroxide gives a hard bar (Wikipedia, "Saponification").
In Aleppo, this happens in large cauldrons during the winter season, then the soap is poured, cut and stacked to cure. Our article on how Aleppo soap is made walks through each step, and why Aleppo soap is cured explains the long drying time.
Each ingredient, one by one
Olive oil
Olive oil is the base of the bar and its largest ingredient. Once saponified, it appears on labels as sodium olivate. Olive oil is mostly oleic acid, typically 55-83%, with smaller amounts of linoleic, palmitic and stearic acids (Wikipedia, "Olive oil").
Laurel berry oil
Laurel berry oil comes from the fruit of the bay laurel tree, Laurus nobilis. Traditionally the berries are boiled and the oil skimmed off the surface; one study of this method in Hatay found it recovered about 10% oil from berries holding about 20% (Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, 2001). That scarcity is why higher-laurel bars cost more.
Once saponified, laurel oil appears as sodium laurelate on some labels, such as Aleppo Soap UK's, while others name the oil itself. The percentage on the bar, from 0% to 40% or more, refers to laurel oil's share of the oils. Our guide to the laurel oil percentage explains what changes from one strength to the next.
Water
Water dissolves the lye so it can react with the oils. Most of it leaves during curing: Najel says its bars lose about 30% of their weight while drying for at least nine months (Najel).
Lye (sodium hydroxide)
No lye, no soap. Sodium hydroxide reacts with the oils and is used up in the process, becoming part of the soap itself. That is why some makers list it as a starting ingredient while others list only the finished soaps.
Glycerin
Glycerin is not added: it is released from the oils during saponification (Wikipedia, "Saponification"). In traditional making it is not separated out, so it stays in the bar and appears on the label.
Salt (sodium chloride)
Some makers rinse the soap paste with salt water to wash out excess lye, which leaves traces of sodium chloride in the finished bar (Najel).
Pro Tip: Count the oils. A traditional Aleppo bar has two: olive and laurel. If the label lists coconut, palm, shea or anything else, you are holding a different soap, even if it is a good one.
Olive oil and laurel oil compared
The two oils are more alike than you might expect. Both are dominated by oleic acid.
A 2021 analysis of laurel berry oil found 55.0% oleic, 13.7% palmitic, 10.6% linoleic and 1.2% lauric acid (Türkmen and Koçer, 2021). Olive oil's typical ranges overlap on every one of those. What laurel oil adds that olive oil lacks is its distinctive scent, which is why the laurel percentage changes how a bar smells far more than how it lathers.
Reading an Aleppo soap label
Under EU rules, a cosmetic label must list ingredients in descending order of weight, and imported cosmetics must state their country of origin (Regulation 1223/2009, Article 19). On an Aleppo bar, that means sodium olivate first, then the laurel ingredient.
| Label name | What it is | Where it comes from | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium Olivate | Olive oil turned into soap | Olive oil reacting with lye | The main body of the bar |
| Sodium Laurelate | Laurel berry oil turned into soap (some labels say Laurus Nobilis Fruit Oil) | Oil boiled out of laurel berries | Scent and the laurel share (the %) |
| Aqua | Water | Used to dissolve the lye | Most of it evaporates during curing |
| Glycerin | A natural by-product | Released when oils become soap | Not removed in traditional making |
| Sodium Chloride | Salt | The salt-water rinse of the soap paste | Present in traces only |
| Sodium Hydroxide | Lye | Added to the oils | Used up in the reaction; some makers list it as a starting ingredient |
Exact names and order vary by maker. Some list the oils and sodium hydroxide instead of the finished soaps; both approaches describe the same bar.
What is not in a traditional bar
- No added fragrance. The scent is the laurel oil itself.
- No colourants. The green interior comes from the oils, and the tan crust from oxidation during curing (Wikipedia, "Aleppo soap").
- No palm oil and no animal fat. The only fats are olive and laurel, so the recipe is vegan and palm-free by design.
- No synthetic preservatives. A long cure leaves a hard, dry bar.
Imitations exist. Back in 2010, a Syrian exporter told The National that industrial copies used chemical colouring and sold for a fraction of the price of traditional soap (The National, 2010). Our guide on how to spot fake Aleppo soap has seven quick checks, and Aleppo vs Marseille vs Castile soap compares the recipes.
Pro Tip: Liquid "Aleppo" soaps are a different product. They are usually made with potassium hydroxide and often contain other oils. See our guide to liquid Aleppo soap before you compare labels.
Alepo's label
Alepo bars contain only olive oil and laurel oil, saponified and cured. We make four strengths: Pure Olive with no laurel, 10% laurel, 20% laurel and 40% laurel. The laurel percentage is stated on every bar, so you always know what you are buying.
Four ingredients, four strengths. Traditional Aleppo soap with nothing added. See all Aleppo soaps
Frequently asked questions
What is traditional Aleppo soap made from?
Traditional Aleppo soap is made using olive oil, laurel berry oil, water and sodium hydroxide, which reacts with the oils to form soap. ALEPO also offers a pure olive oil bar with no laurel oil. The oil blend describes the starting oils; ingredient names such as sodium olivate describe the soap formed from them. Check the ingredient information for the specific formula you are buying.
Why is sodium hydroxide used to make Aleppo soap?
Sodium hydroxide is the alkali that reacts with the oils during saponification to make hard soap. A label can list the starting ingredients or the resulting soap ingredients, such as sodium olivate. Seeing sodium hydroxide on an ingredient list does not by itself tell you how much free alkali remains. Product safety depends on correct formulation and testing, not on the length of curing alone.
Does the ALEPO oil blend contain animal fat or palm oil?
The declared oils in ALEPO bars are olive oil and, in the laurel blends, laurel berry oil. Animal fat and palm oil are not part of those oil blends. An ingredient-based statement is different from independent vegan or organic certification; we do not imply either certification here. Always check the full ingredients of the specific product.
What do 10%, 20% and 40% laurel oil mean?
The percentage describes the laurel berry oil share of the oils used to make the soap. A 20% bar uses 20% laurel oil and 80% olive oil; a 40% bar uses 40% laurel and 60% olive. It does not mean that 20% or 40% of the finished bar is raw laurel oil. Our pure olive bar contains no laurel oil.
Does 100% natural mean Aleppo soap is suitable for everyone?
No. Natural ingredients can still cause irritation or allergic reactions, and a short ingredient list is not a guarantee of suitability. The laurel percentage describes the recipe, not a medical benefit or a recommended skin type. Follow the product’s directions and avoid ingredients you know you react to. ALEPO does not claim to treat skin conditions.
The bottom line
Real Aleppo soap is one of the simplest products in any bathroom: olive oil, laurel oil, water and lye, turned into soap and glycerin and cured for months. Its label looks technical only because EU rules ask for chemical names.
Read it from the top: sodium olivate first, a laurel ingredient second, then water and glycerin. If anything else appears, ask why. To go further, read about the history of Aleppo soap, the craft recognised by UNESCO in 2024, and where to buy real Aleppo soap.
Compare strengths side by side. Our soap collection puts all four laurel percentages side by side. Free EU shipping over €50.
Related reading: the best Aleppo soap brands, Aleppo soap benefits: what the evidence says and Aleppo soap side effects.
Sources
- Wikipedia. "Saponification." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saponification
- Wikipedia. "Olive oil" (fatty acid composition). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil
- Türkmen M., Koçer O. "Variation of components in laurel (Laurus nobilis L.) fixed oil extracted by different methods." International Journal of Chemistry and Technology, 2021. https://openaccess.mku.edu.tr/items/33f7e399-2530-4ebe-b6c1-59db5670f418/full
- Hatay Mustafa Kemal University. "Defne meyvası yağ veriminin arttırılması ve bileşiminin gaz kromatografi cihazı ile belirlenmesi" (Increasing laurel fruit oil yield). 2001. https://openaccess.mku.edu.tr/items/c8cfe679-1e0e-47d1-a641-3fa218b1cadb
- European Union. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, Article 19. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32009R1223
- Najel. "Fabrication du savon d'Alep Najel." Accessed 4 October 2026. https://najel.net/en/pages/fabrication-du-savon-dalep-najel
- Aleppo Soap UK. "Online shop." Accessed 4 October 2026. https://www.alepposoap.uk/online-shop/
- Wikipedia. "Aleppo soap." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleppo_soap
- The National. "Market awash with imitations." 30 October 2010. https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/money/market-awash-with-imitations-1.512005
- UNESCO. "Craftsmanship of Aleppo Ghar soap." 2024. https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/craftsmanship-of-aleppo-ghar-soap-02132
