Marius FabreMarseille Soap Olive Oil 7.1 OuncesCompact by Design (Amazon-developed Certification)

I bought this a long time ago but had purchased other soap around the same time so I am just getting around to using it. Since it is the smaller size I didn't cut it and just put the cube in the shower as is. It is a little unwieldy but not like the larger sizes. I have seen remarks about scent in some reviews for this brand but I have no problem with the smell. It is not perfumed but has a natural soap smell. If you open the soap when you receive it and store it in a dry closet or even drawers it will last a long time when you are ready to use it. Soap needs to breathe. Take the plastic off right away. It is probably the plastic that is causing the smell. Now that I have finally tried this I think I like this brand best.

Love, love this soap and lasts much longer than other soap bars (handmade or mass produced). Has a lovely subtle scent and leaves skin clean yet moisturized. Very gentle too.

This product is everything it says it is. Wonderful lather, leaving your hands really soft. The problem is, as stated in other comments, the soap smells like rubber tires. The smell permeates the house when the soap is left in a dish. I had to get rid of it. :-/ I imagine this would be a good soap for a workshop or garage, where its tire smell doesn't matter much, but clean hands that don't crack does.

I purchased the Savon de Marseille soap for decorative purposes in my laundry room. The imprinted design is really nice looking. Be aware if you're buying for the same reason (that the square soaps look perfectly beautiful in pictures) - in real life they arrive with chunks out of the sides, no matter how careful the shipper is with packaging bubbles. (Even though this was extremely well protected in bubble wrap in shipping, I got a palmful of soap residue when I opened the plastic. You can see the flaking in the picture I took with the packaging still on.) There's nothing I can do to get rid of the white marks on the sides of the soap where it flaked off. I turned side with the biggest chunk out of it toward the back.I almost didn't buy the soap because others mentioned the burnt rubber tire smell. When I opened the soap out of the plastic packaging, it was extremely overwhelming. I almost threw it away right away because it was so offensive. The smell seems to have concentrated in the plastic though because after it sat out exposed in the laundry room overnight it's much better. I think the plastic is what makes it worse. (Note: I have never wet the soap so I can't say how it smells wet and drying). I can only catch a slight whiff of burnt rubber every now and then but it's bearable- and I have a really good sense of smell. My immediate instinct was to dispose of it but I'm glad I was patient. If the strong awful smell hadn't gone away, I would have tossed it even though 13 bucks is a lot to spend on a single cube of soap.I love that this soap is made from 600 year old method of mixing sea water, oil, and ash from sea plants in a big cauldron. If you're willing to overlook a few blemishes as "character", this is a neat soap.

I bought this under recommendation for cleaning makeup brushes, but as I started to learn about Marseille soap and read more reviews decided to try it on my face and body too, and I AM OBSESSED WITH IT. I've never liked soap as a body wash because of the strange residue feeling it leaves, and I can never seem to find the right balance of too dry/too moisturizing. But this soap does none of that. It easily creates a nice smooth lather, rinses clean, and my skin instantly feels soft and smooth without overdrying. I've tried every face cleanser under the sun, from drug-store faves to all-natural products to luxury brands, and this is right up there with some of my all-time favorites, PLUS there is no plastic bottle to make me feel guilty about killing the whales. I'm even thinking about using it as shampoo. Seriously, that's how much I love it.The smell is... unusual. But not in a bad way. It just smells natural, and there isn't really any scent left on your skin. (read: I was a little freaked out by the reviewers who thought there was something "terribly wrong" with it -- there is nothing wrong with it. It's just not an over-processed perfumed bath product like most of us are used to.)Highly recommended. I'll keep using, and plotting new ways to use it...

Like other reviewers mention (sorry I didn't pay attention before ordering) the smells is absolutely horrible - like burnt rubber. Had to wash my hands several times before I could get that odor out. Wrapped the bar (which, by the way was smaller than I had expected) in a thick plastic bag so it wouldn't smell up my garbage and threw it out. Stay away!

When I visited France years ago, I really liked the Marseille soap. On returning, I found a source, and got it for several years, until the source stopped carrying it. That soap was outstanding. THIS soap, on the other hand, is not even close! The soap provides very little lather; its square shape makes it difficult to use; it is just not what it should be. Buyer beware! "Marseille Soap" is a generic term, but all soap with the name is not the same! NOT recommended!

I use this olive oil soap for washing dishes, and it does a great job on most all surfaces. Only plasticware can be left a bit cloudy, but then towel-drying removes any residue. I use one of those bamboo handle round scrub brushes. There is a very strong odor when the soap is first opened. Some people are saying burnt rubber. I smelled something clinical like Band-aids. But after being aired out for a day or two, the scent then became much more earthy and tolerable. Pleasant even--like moist clay. The soap cube lasted us exactly 4 weeks of everyday dishwashing use. Which makes the $10 price tag a bit high, but I now see other listings for similar traditional French olive oil soap a few dollars less. Will continue to buy!