The leaf that crowned the victors and the oil that made Aleppo soap famous — from the same tree.

What is bay laurel?

Bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an evergreen tree of the Mediterranean, of the Lauraceae family, with leathery, glossy leaves and small black berries. Cosmetics use two very different products of it: the essential oil of the leaves, with 1,8-cineole, linalool, eugenol and pinenes, and laurel berry oil, a green, buttery fat rich in lauric and oleic acid. The leaves also contain flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones. The Romans called it laurus nobilis, “noble laurel”, and from it come the words laureate and baccalaureate.

What are the benefits of bay laurel?

Bay is one of the oldest hair-care herbs of the eastern Mediterranean. Applied topically it:

• Cleanses the scalp and skin deeply
• Has a toning, slightly astringent action
• Offers flavonoids with antioxidant activity
• Laurel berry oil gives a rich, creamy lather
• Scents with a warm, spicy, slightly camphorous note

Aleppo soap

In Syria, for at least a thousand years, olive oil has been boiled with lye and laurel berry oil added at the end; the soap is cut by hand and matured for six months to a year, until the outside turns golden brown while the inside stays green. The more laurel oil it contains, the “richer” it is considered. The Crusaders brought it to Europe, and from it, they say, the soaps of Marseille and Castile were born.

Where does it come from?

Bay laurel is native to the Mediterranean and grows wild all over Greece, from the slopes of Pelion to the gorges of Crete. Laurel berry oil is traditionally produced in Syria and southern Turkey (Hatay), while the leaf essential oil comes from Turkey, Bosnia and Greece.