Black soap

African black soap, or black soap (also known by various local names such as sabulun salo, ose dudu and ncha nkota), is a kind of soap originating in West Africa. It is made from the ash of locally harvested African plants and dried peels, which gives the soap its characteristic dark colour. Black soap has become a popular toiletry product in North America due to its benefits on oily and acne-prone skin. In West Africa, especially Nigeria and Ghana, black soap is often made by women using traditional recipes and is often exported through fair trade groups.