The History of Soap

The production of soap dates back thousands of years. 4,500 years ago, the Sumerians in the Euphrates and Tigris delta produced soap from ash and animal fats. It was used primarily to treat injuries. This recipe is also said to be the oldest recorded instance of a chemical reaction.

However, hygiene was not always taken for granted. It was not until the 19th century that attitudes began to change. The German chemist Justus von Liebig described soap as a measure of a nation’s prosperity and culture.

‘THE USE OF SOAP DOES NOT DEPEND ON FASHION, BUT ON A SENSE OF BEAUTY, WELL-BEING AND COMFORT, WHICH SPRINGS FROM CLEANLINESS. WHERE THIS SENSE IS TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT AND NURTURED, THERE IS BOTH PROSPERITY AND CULTURE.”

(Justus von Liebig, 1803–1873)

Following the advent of liquid soaps decades ago, bar soap led a life in the shadows for a long time. Soap dishes – and with them the bar soaps that had been a part of our lives – almost completely disappeared from our homes. We were won over by the mass-produced products in colourful plastic bottles: liquid soaps and shower gels.

The time is long overdue for a return to something tried and tested: our gently stirred natural soap is made according to a traditional Viennese soap recipe, which is based on the relatively ‘new’ cold-stirring method. This method was first mentioned in the ‘Brockhaus Encyclopaedia’ in 1895 and has been continually refined and improved by soap makers.

A master of refining and applying cold-stirring was Friedrich Weiss, the founding father of ‘Stadlauer cold-stirred coconut oil soap’. After realising that passion and dedication alone were not enough to compete with large corporations, he made quality, refinement and wonderful fragrances his top priorities.

This uniqueness was almost lost to oblivion following his sudden death in the spring of 2006. However, Sonja Baldauf was able to keep his legacy alive and founded the StoBa Soap Manufactory, now known as WIENER SEIFE GmbH.

“TRADITION IS NOT THE WORSHIP OF ASHES, BUT THE PASSING ON OF THE FLAME.”

(Jean Jaurès, 1859–1914)