Alepeo

Alepeo is a French soap brand specialising in Aleppo soap, the traditional olive-and-laurel-oil soap that takes its name from the Syrian city of Aleppo. The company was created in France in 2001 by Riad Basmaji, who was born in Aleppo, to distribute the soap of his hometown [2]. It describes itself as the first maker of certified organic Aleppo soap in France [1], and today produces its soaps in Tunisia after the Syrian conflict forced the closure of its original factory.

The brand pairs an ancestral recipe with modern organic certification and laboratory control, and remains active, publishing how-to content and selling online into 2026.

Riad Basmaji is at the centre of Alepeo's story. According to the company, he completed a Doctor of Engineering degree in Applied Mathematics at the Paris Observatory in 1989, then taught himself the craft by working quietly alongside experienced soap makers in Aleppo [2]. In 2001 he and two friends set up a company in France to distribute Aleppo soap, the business that became Alepeo [2].

Sources disagree on when the venture began. Alepeo's own history page dates the company's creation to 2001 [2], while a Google search summary lists 1983 [8]; the brand-site account is the only one tied to a verifiable page, and the earlier figure appears without supporting documentation.

Alepeo moved from distribution into manufacturing within a few years. In 2003 Basmaji set up his first soap factory in the Aleppo region, at Kafar Naha [2]. That base did not last: in 2011, as the conflict in Syria escalated, he decided to move production out of the country [2]. He re-established the factory in Tunisia, near Mornag in the Tunis region, under the entity B'nature SARL, and expanded the Tunisian site to around 2,000 square metres in 2015 [2].

Organic certification followed the move. From 2016, B'nature began certifying its products in partnership with Ecocert Greenlife in France [2]. The company today operates as a France-based distribution arm, ALEPEO SAS, supplied by the Tunisian manufacturing unit.

Alepeo presents its work as preserving a thousand-year-old soap-making tradition while meeting modern organic standards. The company says it perpetuates the traditional making of Aleppo soap "cooked in a cauldron," and frames its mission as keeping that craft alive while integrating organic production "respectful of animals and the environment." Its stated values centre on tradition, careful raw-material sourcing, environmental respect and organic certification.

The brand sits at an accessible, indie price level, with bar soaps and liquid soaps sold directly through its multi-language website.

The core range is built around Aleppo soap, sold in several grades distinguished by their proportion of bay laurel oil — from a 4% bar up to a 40% Laurel version — alongside liquid soaps such as Orange Blossom and Rose of Damask, plus hammam, hair-care, body-care and household lines. Olive oil and bay laurel oil are the two hero ingredients.

Production follows a slow, traditional method that the company documents in detail. Olive oil is selected from regional producers to COSMOS standards and analysed before use; the soap is made by hot saponification with sodium hydroxide, then cut, stamped with the maker's seal and air-dried for at least nine months before finishing [3]. Each batch transforms roughly 3,000 kilograms of olive oil into finished soap [3]. The brand also states that its products are checked by a French analysis laboratory and that each carries a regulatory product information file to comply with European rules.

Certification is central to how Alepeo distinguishes itself. Its soaps carry COSMOS Organic and Ecocert Greenlife COSMOS Natural marks, and the company claims to have made the first certified organic Aleppo soap in France [1].

Alepeo's environmental commitments focus on packaging and sourcing. The company says it has eliminated plastic from its soap packaging, offers refillable 500 ml bottles for liquid soap and supplies 5-litre refill cans to cut waste [5]. It also commits to sourcing organic or natural vegetable oils, analysing them before purchase and favouring fair-trade partnerships, and describes its soap as fully biodegradable [5].

The brand is active. It runs an e-commerce site in English and French, maintains Instagram and Facebook accounts, and continues to publish editorial content — including a guide dated 2026 — indicating ongoing activity. No Wikipedia entry or mainstream beauty-press coverage was found, and Alepeo has not recorded awards or notable press; the brand remains a niche, founder-led soap maker rather than a widely covered name.