Aleppo (laurel) soap is believed to have been developed in Syria some 2,000 years ago. There are  many references to the royalty of antiquity, like Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Queen Zenobia of Syria, who used Aleppo Soap as their beauty secret.

Aleppo Soap is classified as a Castile soap insofar as it is a hard soap made from olive oil and sodium hydroxide. What distinguishes Aleppo Soap from all other Castile soaps, is the inclusion of laurel oil in its formulation.

Modern Soap Business in Syria 

Business in Aleppo, which was a cosmopolitan trading hub on the ancient Silk Road, has declined since the Baath Party took over Syria nearly 50 years ago and imposed Soviet style economic policies that drove its leading business families into exile.

Restrictions on private enterprise have eased in the past years, contributing to the city's architectural rejuvenation, a rise in tourism and efforts to market the trademark soap.

Aleppo soap artisans now export most of their production, estimated at 600 tonnes a year, to Europe, South Korea and Japan, especially the high end soaps containing 16%, or more, of laurel oil.

Aleppo soap is made by the "hot process".