Two cities. Two soaps. One ancient Levantine heritage.
Aleppo is in northern Syria — the city that gave its name to one of the oldest soap-making traditions in the world. Nablus is in Palestine — a city where olive oil soap production has been documented since at least the 10th century, using the abundant olive groves of the West Bank. Both cities are ancient. Both soap traditions are the product of generations of craft. Both soaps are, in their own right, extraordinary.
The difference is singular and decisive: Aleppo soap contains laurel berry oil. Nablus soap contains only olive oil.
Nablus Soap: the world's purest olive oil soap
The Avlia Nablus Soap is ivory-white — the colour of pure saponified olive oil without the dark green chlorophylls of laurel oil. It is unscented beyond the faintly clean, neutral scent of olive oil soap. Its texture is smooth and even, consistent through the bar without the green-to-brown gradient of an Aleppo bar.
Its benefits are singular but profound: pure olive oil moisturisation. Every property that olive oil contributes to skin — oleic acid for barrier repair, natural glycerin for humectant moisture, squalene for protective surface film — is present in the Nablus Soap at maximum concentration without any dilution by laurel oil.
This makes the Avlia Nablus Soap the gentlest soap in the Avlia range. More gentle than the 5% Laurel Bar, because even 5% laurel oil introduces antibacterial terpene compounds that a small number of the most reactive skin types might respond to. The Nablus Soap introduces nothing. It is olive oil. Period.
When to choose Nablus
Ultra-sensitive or reactive skin that responds to nearly everything: the Nablus Soap is the starting point.
Newborns and very young infants: the absolute minimum-ingredient formula for the minimum-risk wash.
Elderly skin with thinning, fragile barrier: maximum nourishment, zero active ingredients that might interact with medicated skin preparations.
Post-procedure skin (after laser resurfacing, chemical peels, or surgical healing): the period when the skin barrier is most compromised and most vulnerable to active compounds. Nablus provides cleansing without treatment, which is precisely what healing skin needs.
People who react to any level of laurel oil: rare, but genuine. The Nablus Soap provides all of Avlia's olive oil quality without the compound these individuals react to.
Pure moisture as the goal: for someone with no skin conditions, no acne, no dandruff, no bacterial or fungal concerns — who simply wants a natural, moisturising body wash with the simplest possible formula.
When to choose Aleppo
Any skin condition requiring antibacterial, antifungal, or anti-inflammatory action: Aleppo wins. The Nablus Soap cannot address acne, dandruff, eczema-related inflammation, scalp conditions, or fungal skin issues. Its olive oil base cleanses and nourishes; it does not treat.
Daily multi-purpose use (body, face, and hair): the Avlia 16% or 30% Bar serves all three functions effectively; the Nablus Soap is excellent for body and face but provides no scalp treatment benefit.
The Avlia advantage: both in one range
Avlia carries both — the Nablus Soap and the full Aleppo range from 5% to 75% laurel. Syrian and Palestinian artisan traditions, both made by Levantine hands carrying knowledge across centuries. This is a geography of resilience, preserved in soap.
For those who are unsure which to start with: begin with the Nablus Soap for one week to allow your skin to adjust from synthetic products, then introduce the Avlia 5% Laurel Bar and feel the difference the laurel oil makes.
Both available at avliahome.com.