Using Olive Oil for body cleansing is nothing new. As per the historians, the ancient Egyptians used to spread olive oil on their bodies in pursuit to cleanse them. They probably knew the concept that olive oil will stick to the dirt on their bodies, which could be removed with the oil. The civilization of Mesopotamia was the first to make olive oil soap by mixing soda ash with olive oil. So olive oil has been one of the main ingredients of soap making for thousands of years now. However, apart from the cleansing and healing properties of olive oil soaps, what makes them so popular nowadays is the fact that they can be environment-friendly.

Natural, chemical-free olive oil soaps are as natural as they can come because they can be manufactured with no artificial substances in them. In fact some manufacturers do not even add any kind of perfume or fragrances in them and use only soda, sea salt and of course naturally extracted olive oil. Given that no chemicals etc. are used, the manufacturing or soap making process itself is environment friendly and there are no harmful residues or leftovers when making these soaps. At places like the Patounis Soap Works Factory in Greece olive oil based soaps are handcrafted with traditional methods so there is no heavy machinery or pollutants at work that could potentially harm the surrounding environment.

Apart from the soap, some manufacturers are also extremely cautious about the raw materials they use. For instance it is ensured that the olive oil used in making the soaps is not processed with any chemicals (like when trying to reduce the acidity of highly-acidic olive oils). Some soap makers also opt for no-added-perfume soaps (whether a natural fragrance or an artificial perfume) and instead prefer to make pure olive oil based soaps as the aroma of fresh raw olives releasing from them gives soap a smooth and full-bodied raw scent.

The soaps made by Greek manufacturers are made of olive oil which has been grown under the rules set by Greek and European authorities that are responsible to govern the cultivation, harvesting, processing of olives and olive oils. Also made from non-toxic and biodegradable constituents, these soaps help in reducing pollution and reduce wastage as well.