"The Olive" Nabulsi Soap Bar

ANCIENT, 100% OLIVE OIL SOAP

Nabulsi soap is pure olive oil, with zero fragrances, additives, or chemicals of any kind. Mild and hypoallergenic, with a light lather, Nabulsi soap cleans almost anything without harming it. We love using this type of soap with our brushes, because there's no risk of any residual effects on the delicate fibers. It's equally good on your hands, so Nabulsi soap is a studio all-star.

The name "Nabulsi" means that this soap originates in the city of Nablus, in Palestine's West Bank. Olive oil soap has been made in Nablus for more than a millennium, through an ingeniously simple process that was copied worldwide after crusaders swept through the region around 1100 AD. Castile soap, which is much better known in Western countries, is a descendant of the original Nabulsi process.

"THE OLIVE" (AL-ZAYTOON)

Al-Zaytoon is the oldest operational soap factory in the world — they cut their first bars in 1611. "The Olive" is their most famous product, a pure bar of Nabulsi soap with organic and halal ingredients. Al-Zaytoon is run by the Tbeleh family, who are so well-known for their soap expertise that they're often hired by other producers to handle the intricate cutting process. Locals even refer to the person performing the cutter job as "the Tbeleh guy."

ABOUT PALESTINIAN SOAP COOPERATIVE:

Palestinian Soap Cooperative is the United States distributor for eight different brands of Nabulsi soap — an ancient product that has been made with essentially the same formula and process since 950 AD. Producers in the city of Nablus have passed the traditional methods from generation to generation, despite the immense difficulty of operating small, family businesses in this volatile part of the world.

Palestinian Soap Cooperative aims to support these traditional manufacturers by bringing their products to the global market at a fair price. The company is owned by its members, both Palestinian and American, and it maintains dual offices in Berkeley, CA and Sebastia, in the West Bank.