How to Differentiate Authentic Marseille Soap from Counterfeits
November 13, 2026
Washing the dishes is such an ordinary part of the day that we rarely think about what our hands are exposed to in the process. Yet the same formula designed to lift grease from plates and pans also comes into direct contact with our skin, often several times a day.
If your hands sometimes feel dry or tight afterwards, your dishwashing liquid may be part of the reason. Surfactants are essential for removing grease, but formulas vary considerably in the types and concentrations used, as well as in the additional ingredients they contain.
Choosing a dishwasher soap is therefore about more than fragrance or foam. It is worth looking at what actually does the cleaning, what else is in the formula and whether environmental claims are supported by independent certification.
Surfactants allow water to interact with oils and grease so that dirt can be lifted from a surface and rinsed away. They are essential to effective dishwashing.
Our skin, however, also contains natural lipids that form part of its protective barrier. Frequent contact with water and cleansing agents can contribute to dryness, tightness and irritation, particularly for sensitive skin.
This doesn’t mean surfactants should be avoided. What matters is the complete formula. Added fragrance and colour do not make dishes cleaner, and abundant foam is not necessarily a sign of greater cleaning power.
For a product that regularly comes into contact with your hands, a simpler formula can make sense.
Terms such as “natural”, “green” and “eco-friendly” can be used broadly. Independent certification provides clearer criteria for assessing a product and its ingredients.
La Corvette Marseille Dishwashing Liquid is certified Ecodetergent by ECOCERT Greenlife. Its formula contains 98.4% ingredients of natural origin and is made without added fragrance, colourants or sulfates.
At the heart of the formula is genuine Marseille soap, produced in Marseille using the traditional cauldron process and combined with surfactants of natural origin to remove grease effectively.
It brings a centuries-old soap-making tradition into a product designed for the modern kitchen.
A gentler formula does not have to mean compromising on clean dishes. Surfactants do the essential work of lifting grease and dirt so they can be rinsed away; fragrance, artificial colour and excessive foam do not perform that job.
This is also why more foam does not necessarily mean better cleaning. An effective dishwasher soap needs the right formulation and dosage, not a sink overflowing with bubbles.
La Corvette recommends approximately 10 ml, or 2 to 3 pumps, for 5 litres of water. Using more product does not necessarily improve the result — it simply means more detergent is used and rinsed away.
For people who wash dishes frequently or have sensitive hands, choosing a formula without added fragrance, colourants or sulfates can also reduce unnecessary exposure to ingredients that are not needed for cleaning.
What happens after the dishes are clean matters too. Dishwashing liquid is rinsed into the wastewater system, while its packaging eventually becomes waste.
This is where ECOCERT’s Ecodetergent certification adds useful context, with defined environmental criteria relating to ingredients and production rather than relying on an undefined “eco-friendly” claim.
Packaging is another part of the equation. La Corvette Marseille Dishwashing Liquid comes in a bottle made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic, reducing the need for virgin plastic.
Using the recommended dosage matters here as well. It helps avoid unnecessary product use while still achieving effective cleaning.
Because dishwashing liquid is something we use again and again, small details in its formulation can matter. Effective cleaning does not depend on added fragrance, colour or excessive foam, and independent certification can make it easier to understand what sits behind environmental claims.
La Corvette brings these choices together with a principle it has followed for generations: effective cleaning doesn’t necessarily require a complicated formula.
