Pafion – Old Aleppo Soap

“Box o’ Wonder”

I excitedly bought this box of soap as a grand mystery, which it is, and since I can’t solve it, I’ll just revel in it, but also enjoy the soap, which is a dark green, dense, fragrant, olive oil soap—excellent on my skin and pleasant to use. See, I bought this at a local Middle Eastern grocery store—I think it was about six dollars (a good deal—three bars inside!) —thinking I’d figure out exactly what it was once I got home. I still haven’t, but here’s what it says on the box, at least the English translated parts. “PAFION”— which is the company, I believe. “Made in Syria,” and “Hand Made.” The front of the box says: “Available in 5 types” (I won’t list them all!) so I thought there might be 5 inside, but it turns out those are just possibilities, and there are three bars inside, all the same, but which one? Well, on back, it also lists ingredients: “Olive oil, Black seed oil, Perfeum, Alkali” —so maybe that’s it. Could it be the Nigella sativa, or a translation error? That’s not one of the 5 choices on front! So, I don’t know. The box is excellent, by the way, brown cardboard with green, brown, and gold printing. There’s a small map of Syria. In English, the box also says: “Like us on Facebook,” “Sinc 1982,” “Of The Bounties Of Nature,” “Hair and skin axis Ahtmanna care for more than 40 years,” and “How to use: Wash the hair & body well with soap & leave it for a while. Minute then wash with lukewarm water. Avoid getting soap into the eye. In the event of his arrival, the eye shall be washed with lukewarm water.” Ideally… he will not arrive.

Soap Review No. 249