sapone

Sapone is the Italian term for soap, a cleansing agent produced by the saponification of fats with alkali. It is used for personal hygiene, laundry, and general cleaning. Most soaps are fatty acid salts that act as surfactants, helping to disperse oils and dirt in water.

The word sapone derives from Latin sapo, meaning soap. Ancient civilizations such as Mesopotamia and Egypt used soap-like mixtures of fats with ashes for cleaning. In Europe, soap-making spread during the medieval and early modern periods, giving rise to regional variants such as Castile soap from olive oil and Savon de Marseille, a traditional hard soap from Marseille.

Soap is formed by saponification, a chemical reaction between fatty acids in fats or oils and alkalis such as sodium hydroxide for solid soap or potassium hydroxide for liquid soap. The reaction yields soap molecules and glycerol. Modern commercial soaps may include fragrances, colorants, moisturizers, and stabilizers; glycerin is sometimes retained in the finished product or sold separately.

Hard soaps are typically sodium soaps and are solid at room temperature; liquid soaps use potassium soaps. Transparent or glycerin-rich soaps are common for skincare. Personal and household soaps vary in pH and formulation, with milder bars or liquids marketed for sensitive skin.

Environmental and safety notes: soaps are generally biodegradable and less persistent than many synthetic detergents. They can still cause skin irritation in sensitive individuals or eye irritation if splashed. In hard water, soap scum can form; some formulations include additives to mitigate this.