Claus Porto

Everyone has his or her own personal preferences when it comes to soap. There are those who prefer a foaming gel and those who still shower with a bar of soap as their father and grandfather did; there are those who are loyal to a childhood scent and those who are loyal to a colour; there are those who keep the bars of soap from hotels in their underwear drawers; and there are those who have no habits at all... And there are soaps, and then there are the Claus Porto.

Two Germans, Ferdinand Claus and Georges Ph. Schweder founded this first soap and perfume factory in Porto in 188, at a time when such products were imported and considered a privilege of the wealthy classes.

The factory got off to a good start, but the First World War forced the two founders into exile and its closure... For the time being. Their Portuguese ally, Achilles de Brito, and his brother, took over and founded a new company on the same premises, Ach. Brito & Co., and continued to produce soaps under the same brand name " Brito & Co.Claus Porto".

This new company soon grew and gained fame for the innovation, quality and packaging of its products; they even created their own lithography, so that all the labels could be hand-painted. In the 1940s it managed to consolidate its position in the national and foreign market, and since then, after a bump in the 1980s, it has continued to grow and strengthen, and is considered the brand of "the soap artisans".

And with good reason. Claus Porto produces the best soaps you can imagine, following the same method for more than 120 years and almost all by hand.

The soap paste is ground seven times, as this removes all the air and results in a creamy texture, long-lasting scent and durability.

The tablets are then rolled and sealed, one by one, with the same pedal-powered machines used more than 70 years ago, and left to "mature" for three weeks, for better consistency.

Finally, each bar of soap is wrapped by hand, following a meticulous and delicate process.

And the packaging... it's the icing on the cake. Each soap range has its own distinctive branding and packaging, and each of the Art Deco designs and labels is inspired by the lithograph models the company created in the 1950s.

Claus Porto are more than soaps, just as Harley Davidsons are more than motorbikes... Small works of art that bring a dose of luxury to everyday life.