Short answer: Real Moroccan black soap has a very short ingredient list (olives or olive oil, potassium hydroxide, water, sometimes essential oil), a soft gel-like paste texture, and a dark brown to olive color. Fakes are often hard bars, artificially black, or full of synthetic detergents.
Signs of the real thing
- Ingredients: olive oil or crushed olives, potassium hydroxide, water. Scent from essential oils or natural extracts.
- Texture: soft, sticky, and paste-like, not a hard block.
- Color: dark brown or olive-green, not jet black.
- Smell: earthy and olive-like, or lightly scented naturally.
Red flags
- Long ingredient lists with sulfates or artificial fragrance.
- Hard bars sold as Moroccan black soap. African black soap is a different product.
- No stated origin or maker.
Moroccan versus African black soap
Moroccan savon noir is olive-based and used in the hammam. African black soap is made from plantain ash and palm oil. They are both good, but they are not the same.
Our Argan'It Organic Moroccan Black Soap is a traditional beldi paste, and you can compare scents in the Black Soap Trio Pack.