After a few hours on the train, we arrive in Aix-en-Provence, then head to Villeneuve. Where are we going? To our soap factory, of course! When we arrive there, we look for parking for a while: stuck in traffic, to the sound of horns. Our arrival isn't exactly discreet.
With a suitcase under one arm, the camera and stabilizer under the other, the four of us arrive: Jinjii, Pauline, Inès and Antoinette.
Charlotte, our contact at the workshop, greets us and hands us white astronaut suits to wear inside (it's a real laboratory).
Here we are! First stop: the lab where the formulations take place. This is where the soaps come to life. The formulas are weighed, evaluated, and adjusted until the soap is perfect. That is to say: moisturizing, gentle on the skin (and the planet), and the fragrance is consistently dispensed.
Second step: once validated, the formula is weighed industrially in larger quantities.
Samson then resumes the tour and explains that he's about to take over the management of the family factory alongside his father. After a short stay in Paris, he's returning to his roots!
Step three: Once weighed, all the ingredients are mixed in a machine and then placed to be shaped into soap. The mixture first passes through the extruder (to form a sausage), and once the paste is compressed, it passes through a mold to take the shape of a rectangle. The sausage then passes over a conveyor belt and is cut into small rectangular soaps. Bad luck for the defective and poorly cut soaps... they immediately go back for a second round (starting with a regrouping process). Finally, the soaps are stamped with the Bon Parfumeur logo using a special press.
Last step: quality control and packaging. Once again, we check everything with a magnifying glass, everything is checked! We put the soaps (still warm!) in their little boxes and send them to your bathrooms or kitchens! There are currently 3 soap scents: 003, 101 and 801.
Find more information on YouTube in our video which retraces all the stages of this production!
