Although we have evidence of Egypt having soap most English documents refer to Pliny the Elder (DOD: 79 A.D) as the author of the earliest soap recipe available and being manufactured by the Gauls, whose soaps were made of: Caustic alkali being proudced from wood ashes and natural earths, presumably lime, usually made from tallow and ashes, the best being made from goats' suet and beechwood ashes. He was further acquainted with a lead soap or plaster, and its use in the healing art (Lant 1).

Fullers' earth, which was first spread upon the surface of their closed, and then stamped in by the feet, was thought to be used prior to Roman time and was used in wool production. (Watt 1)

In the 8th century we have many soap manufactories in Italy and Spain (Watt 1), with most of their quality being attributed to the abundance in olive oil and crude carbonate of soda, called barilla that was produced in Spain. As the French soap production flourished in the 14th century, was attributed to the ample supply of maritime plants, from which crude soda was obtained by calcination. (Watt 2)

Mass production in of soap was primarily produced through the hot process, meaning that they would cycle lye through fats, boiling them down until the lye lost most of their alkali, and would then cycle new lye in, which would happen multiple times until such time that sufficient saponification took place.

From English sources, the first cold compress patent was obtained in 1622: "The misterie, arte, way, and means of making of hard sope, comonly called by the name of Venice or castile soape, without the vse of anie fire in the boyling or making thereof, and with a materiall comonly called or known by the name of berillia, and The art, misterie, way and means of makinge of softe soape without the vse of fire in the boylinge and making thereof." (Watt 2)