Authentic Castile Soap — Traditional Extra Virgin Olive Oil Soap for Face & Body

Home of the only Authentic Castile Bar Soap formulated with 100% extra virgin olive oil.

The only soap legally entitled to the Castile name is made exclusively with saponified extra virgin olive oil. Nothing else qualifies.

True Castile soap is made exclusively with saponified extra virgin olive oil, not coconut oil, palm oil, sunflower oil, pomace olive oil, refined olive oil, tallow, any other vegetable oils or synthetic detergent blends, essential oils or synthetic fragrances. Any soap not manufactured with the ingredients required for this very specific type of soap cannot be sold under the Castile name.

Extra virgin olive oil soap for sensitive skin

Authentic extra virgin olive oil soap produces a mild cleansing naturally-occurring surfactant primarily composed of sodium oleate, known for its low-lather and reduced lipid-stripping profile. A lower-foaming, creamier lather helps cleanse without the aggressive stripping often associated with highly foaming cleansers, making it particularly suitable for dry, sensitive, and reactive skin.

What makes ours different?

What Is True Castile Soap?

True Castile soap is traditionally and must be exclusively made with extra virgin olive oil, a very small amount of water, the right caustic soda, and the correct process to manufacture it.

Originating in the Castile region of Spain centuries ago — modern day Castilla y León —, authentic Castile soap became known for its mild cleansing properties, dense and creamy low-foam lather, and higher compatibility with sensitive, tender and dryness-prone skin.

Authentic Castile soap should not be confused with general olive oil soap or vegetable soaps which abound on the market today.

What is and isn't Castile Soap: The olive oil grade difference matters

Different grades of olive oil — including extra virgin olive oil, refined olive oil, and olive pomace oil — produce substantially different soaps with distinct fatty acid compositions, unsaponifiable content, texture, color, oxidation behavior, and cleansing properties.

Historically, Mediterranean olive oil soapmaking traditions evolved differently depending on the quality and type of olive oil used. In parts of Greece, soaps made with olive pomace oil became commonly known as “green soap” due to their naturally darker green color associated with chlorophyll-rich olive residues and pomace fractions. These traditional green soaps were widely used as practical household and body soaps, but they differ significantly from true Castile soap made exclusively with extra virgin olive oil.

Olive pomace oil is a refined oil made from the leftover pulp after extra virgin olive oil is pressed, using a solvent extraction process to get the last bit of oil from the skin, pulp and pits of the olives, which is then refined for a mild flavor and high smoke point.

Historically, true Castile soap relied specifically on extra virgin olive oil and traditional slow-processing time consuming methods that produced a stable, long-lasting bar soap valued for mild cleansing rather than excessive foam production.

Why Most "Castile Soap" in the US Is Not Castile Soap

The United States has no legal standard protecting the name "Castile soap." Any product may use the term regardless of what it contains.

As a result, most products marketed as Castile soap in the US are formulated with coconut oil, palm kernel oil, or a blend of vegetable oils — with olive oil as a minor ingredient or absent entirely. Some contain synthetic surfactants. Others use pomace olive oil, a solvent-extracted oil derived from the residual pulp after extra virgin olive oil is pressed. Pomace olive oil produces a chemically and texturally different soap with distinct cleansing behavior, color, and skin compatibility.

These are not Castile soaps. They are multi-oil vegetable soaps or surfactant blends carrying a name they do not qualify for.

While these products may use the Castile name in the U.S. due to lack of regulations and standards for the manufacturing of this particular soap, these vegetable soaps are not considered true Castile soaps and do not posses any of the benefits Castile soap is internationally known for.

Authentic Castile soap naturally produces less foam than soaps formulated with coconut oil or synthetic detergents because extra virgin olive oil creates a denser, creamier, and milder lather. High foam production is not an indicator of superior cleansing quality and, in many cases, can correlate with increased skin dryness and barrier disruption.

By Valenti Castile Soap — Formulation Standards

By Valenti Castile soaps are produced following the strict ingredient selection and manufacturing standards that define this traditional soap. Extra virgin olive oil is the base oil in every formulation. No substitutions are made for less expensive oils. No synthetic detergents, sulfates, or palm oil derivatives are used.

The bar soap follows a traditional European process. The liquid Castile soap — a more modern format — applies the same formulation standards and ingredient integrity to a liquid base, without replacing or diluting the core ingredients that define authentic Castile soap.

Who these soaps are formulated for

Dry skin and very dry skin — Extra virgin olive oil soap cleanses without disrupting the skin's lipid balance, making it suitable for skin that reacts to conventional soaps and cleansers.
Sensitive and reactive skin — Minimal ingredient lists reduce exposure to potential irritants. No sulfates, no synthetic fragrance, no palm oil.
Face and body cleansing — Authentic Castile bar soap is mild enough for daily facial cleansing and effective enough for full-body use.
Fragrance-sensitive skin — Formulated without added synthetic fragrances or essential oils.

What authentic Castile soap does not do

It does not produce a high-foam lather and does not have 18-in-1 uses.

High foam in a soap or cleanser is typically the result of coconut oil, palm oil or synthetic surfactants — ingredients chosen for fast action surfactant performance, not sensorial or skin compatibility. The dense, low-foam lather of extra virgin olive oil soap is a characteristic of the oil itself, not a formulation limitation. Cleansing efficacy is not determined by foam volume.

Frequently asked questions

Authentic Castile soap is made exclusively from saponified extra virgin olive oil, water, and lye (sodium hydroxide for bar soap, potassium hydroxide for liquid soap). No other oils, synthetic detergents, or additives are used in a true Castile formulation.

Yes. Castile soap made with extra virgin olive oil is one of the oldest and mildest soap formulations used for sensitive skin. Its fatty acid profile — high in oleic acid — makes it less likely to disrupt the skin barrier than soaps formulated with coconut oil or synthetic surfactants, which are more aggressive cleansers.

Most commercial soaps are formulated with coconut oil, palm oil, tallow, or synthetic detergents. These produce high foam but can strip the skin's natural oils. Castile soap uses only extra virgin olive oil, which produces a milder, lower-foaming lather that cleanses without aggressive stripping — particularly relevant for dry, sensitive, or compromised skin.

Yes. Authentic Castile bar soap and liquid Castile soap are mild enough for daily facial use, including for dry and sensitive skin types. Because they do not contain sulfates or high-foam surfactants, they cleanse without the tightness or dryness often experienced after washing with conventional cleansers.

Foam volume in soap is largely determined by the lauric and myristic acid content of the base oil. Coconut oil is high in both and produces abundant hot foam. Extra virgin olive oil is high in oleic acid and low in lauric acid, which naturally produces a denser, creamier, colder lower-foam lather. This is a property of the oil, not a sign of reduced cleansing performance.

Dr. Bronner's Castile soaps contain coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and other vegetable oils in addition to olive oil and in some formulas without it. By the original formulation standards of Castile soap — which require exclusive use of extra virgin olive oil — Dr. Bronner's soaps do not qualify as authentic Castile soaps nor pure Castile soaps, but a multi-oil vegetable soap.

By Valenti is manufactured following the strict formulation and process standards that define traditional Castile soap: extra virgin olive oil as the sole base oil, no synthetic detergents, no palm oil, no substitutions. The formulation combines Italian and Spanish family soapmaking traditions with a minimalist ingredient approach focused on skin compatibility.

Liquid Castile soap is a more modern format — historically, Castile soap was produced only as a bar. However, when manufactured with the same ingredient standards (extra virgin olive oil, no substitutions, no synthetic surfactants), liquid Castile soap shares the same cleansing profile and skin compatibility as the bar. By Valenti's liquid Castile soap uses the same formulation standards as the bar.

Castile soap can be used as a shampoo, though results vary by water hardness and hair type. In soft water, it rinses cleanly. In hard water, it may leave a film. A diluted apple cider vinegar rinse after washing can help restore hair's natural pH and improve rinse-out.

Not all olive oil soap is Castile soap. Castile soap specifically requires extra virgin olive oil and traditional manufacturing standards. Soaps made with refined olive oil or pomace olive oil share the same base ingredient in name only — the fatty acid profiles, unsaponifiable content, and skin behavior differ substantially. Castile soap is the highest-grade expression of olive oil soap.