Globalization of Soap

Nearly everyone on this planet uses soap. It has become an essential part of our lives, one that we have come to take advantage of. The first evidence of soap is in Ancient Babylon, around 2800 B.C. From this time to the early 18^th century, soap was not widely used by the common people because of the cost and the unpleasant smell. The industrial revolution came with a quick solution to the smell, as exotic ingredients were being imported from Africa and Asia, such as palm and coconut oils, soap and it’s smell became more appealing and more demanded among the wealthy.

The real turning point was in the mid-19^th century. It wasn't until the Crimean War, which was fought by the British (in which today is the Ukraine), when more deaths were due to illness than by battling. Florence Nightingdale, historic and celebrated nurse who tended to injured soldiers and founder of modern nursing, brought hygiene to the battling fields and the number of British deaths dramatically decreased. This idea spread to the soldiers battling the Civil War, who in turn brought their clean habits home to their families.

According to the World Health Organization, 2.4 billion people do not have access to proper sanitation. On average, 1.5 million children die every year because of weakened immune systems not being able to fight diarrheal and respiratory diseases spread by contamination. Places that lack proper hygiene today are the poorest regions in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South America, East Asia and the Caribbean. In recent years, we have begun expressing the importance of human hygiene to countries that have high poverty. Now there are more than 40 countries and regions that have started hand hygiene campaigns.