SABON: From a Small Tel Aviv Soap Shop to 180 Stores Worldwide

“SABON was born from a love of textures and fragrances, the enjoyment and pleasure of body care, and the act of creating and listening. It came from a wish to offer people relaxation and magical moments amid their busy lives.”
— Avi Piatok, founder of SABON​

Basic Information

• Founded: 1997
• Founders: Avi Piatok and Sigal Kotler-Levi
• Country of origin: Israel, Tel Aviv
• Official Japanese website: https://www.sabon.co.jp/
• Pronunciation: “Sah-bon.” The name means soap in Hebrew, a Semitic language.

The Founders and the Brand’s Origins

Two Childhood Friends and Their Different Paths

To tell SABON’s story, we must begin with its two founders and childhood friends, Avi Piatok and Sigal Kotler-Levi.

Piatok grew up as an ordinary Israeli boy. “As a child, I wanted to be a pilot or a footballer. I was that ordinary a boy,” he has said. As he grew older, however, that ambition shifted toward succeeding in business. He often traveled with his parents when young and enjoyed collecting hotel soap samples in different colors and scents. This could be seen as the starting point of his later business.​

After completing his military service in Israel, Piatok felt a strong desire to open a shop. At first, he considered starting a candle shop with another partner. Then he learned that natural soaps made in large blocks were becoming fashionable in Europe and America. Seeing the unusual concept of selling soap by weight, he felt he had found his idea.​

Kotler-Levi, meanwhile, had been Piatok’s friend since secondary school. She was still a student when he invited her to start a business. With a strong visual and design sensibility, she later remarked that she might otherwise have become an artist or painter. Her talent for design would become an important pillar of SABON.

The Day Two Childhood Friends Opened a Soap Shop: Tel Aviv, 1997

After completing their military service, the pair approached an Israeli soap manufacturer and asked for soap to be made in large blocks rather than molded into small bars. In 1997, they opened their small first shop on Shenkin Street in central Tel Aviv.

The soap is said to have drawn on a traditional Australian recipe, passed down for at least seventy years, which they had discovered while traveling.

The concept was highly unusual in Israel at the time. Customers pointed to their preferred block of soap and indicated the thickness they wanted. Staff cut the soap on the spot, weighed it to calculate the price, and wrapped it to hand over. This style of selling by weight, rather like buying vegetables at a market, captured people’s hearts.

The name SABON derives from the Hebrew word for soap, from the Semitic language family. The name itself conveys a straightforward commitment to simple, authentic craftsmanship.​

A Culture of Giving and a Fateful Valentine’s Day

Recalling the early days, Kotler-Levi said, “We opened around Valentine’s Day, and when we wrapped the soaps beautifully and sold them as gifts, they sold very well.” The idea of carefully wrapping natural soaps and presenting them as gifts became the foundation of the brand’s gift-giving culture.​

When the shop opened, specialist body-care retail scarcely existed as a category in Israel. People were returning from overseas trips with high-quality natural cosmetics from brands such as The Body Shop, and SABON arrived to fill that domestic gap.​

After the first shop’s success, Piatok began developing body-care and cosmetic products. Around two years after opening, skincare products beyond soap appeared on its shelves. The brand then steadily expanded across Israel, eventually reaching seventeen shops.

Going Global: New York’s West Village, 2003

Once SABON had seventeen shops in Israel, Piatok decided to expand internationally. One impetus was the growing number of Israeli customers sending SABON products as gifts to friends and family abroad. Recognizing this international demand, the founders partnered with Sharon Hasson in the United States and opened their first overseas shop in New York’s West Village in 2003.

“Many Israelis were sending our products abroad. When it became clear that there was international demand, we decided to expand overseas.”
— Avi Piatok​

After New York, SABON continued into Chicago, Los Angeles, and cities across Europe. It arrived in Rome in 2006 and opened its first Japanese shop in Omotesando, Tokyo, in 2008. France and Spain followed in 2010–2011. From 2019 onward, expansion in Asia accelerated through South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.

Acquisition by Groupe Rocher and the Present Structure

In 2016, the major French cosmetics company Groupe Rocher acquired approximately seventy percent of SABON’s shares, although some reports put the figure at fifty-one percent. The acquisition was also reported to be worth ILS500 million, approximately US$129 million. At the time, SABON operated 175 shops in fourteen countries. Groupe Rocher explained that the acquisition would strengthen SABON’s global capabilities and accelerate its international expansion.

Piatok and Kotler-Levi remained in management after the acquisition. In 2018, Groupe Rocher bought the remaining shares, making SABON a wholly owned subsidiary. Both founders reportedly continued to contribute as consultants. Frenchman Joffrey Chartier became CEO in 2020.

In August 2025, Groupe Rocher sold the operating rights for SABON’s Israeli shops to Israel’s Golf Group under a franchise arrangement. The transaction was worth 6.5 million shekels, approximately €1.68 million, and transferred twenty-two shops and ninety-two employees. At the same time, the manufacturing plant and logistics center in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel, are scheduled to close during 2026, with production consolidated at Groupe Rocher’s factories in Brittany, France.

The Brand’s Commitments

The Essence of Pleasure

SABON has consistently upheld the philosophy of “The Essence of Pleasure.” Amid everyday bustle, it seeks to transform bathing from simply keeping clean into a ritual that recharges body and mind. This is the brand’s reason for being.​

Its official message states:

“Nothing has greater power than fragrance to transform your mood, boost your energy, and give you confidence. Fragrance has a profound effect on how you feel and experience your surroundings.”
— SABON’s official website​

These words show that SABON is more than a body-care brand: it designs a complete sensory experience.

The Gifts of the Dead Sea and Mediterranean Botanicals

Since its founding, SABON has consistently emphasized naturally derived materials, particularly those from the Dead Sea. Materials such as its salt, mud, and algae, containing at least twenty minerals, lie at the heart of its products. They are generously combined with Mediterranean olive oil, shea butter, and essential oils from various plants and fruits.

Its signature Body Scrub uses a proprietary method called the Salt-in-Oil formula. Precious botanical oils envelop each grain of mineral-rich Dead Sea salt, allowing gentle strokes over the skin to remove dead surface cells while supplying oils. According to the brand’s official figures, one jar is sold worldwide every ninety seconds.

On fragrance development, Piatok has said that he regularly looks for new scents in France and England. Matching fragrances are used across the scrub and other products, giving the whole experience a sense of continuity.​

Glass Containers and Packaging That Recall Soap Sold by Weight

Design is another major pillar of SABON’s identity. Kotler-Levi’s approach seeks a vintage feel and warmth. Clear glass containers, allowing the contents to be seen, are a favored form of packaging. Using glass rather than plastic reveals the texture and color of the contents directly, visually expressing confidence in the materials.

The shops follow the same philosophy. Simple interiors made with natural materials put the products at center stage, evoking the sense of abundance found in a street market. Each shop has a water stand made of Jerusalem stone, where staff invite visitors to try products on their hands. It symbolizes SABON’s emphasis on the comfort of home and warm hospitality.

The strong commitment to gift-giving is also noteworthy. Carefully wrapping products with satin ribbons, tissue paper, and stickers is intended to turn them into elegant art. SABON’s official concept presents gifts as symbols of love and gratitude.​

A Signature Scent Born in 1998

Patchouli Lavender Vanilla, introduced in 1998, is SABON’s signature scent. It combines the earthy depth of patchouli, the herbal character of lavender, and the sweetness of vanilla, evoking lavender fields in southern France and sweet powder applied before a ball.

The fragrance has appeared in Shower Oil, Body Scrub, and Body Lotion, as well as Eau de SABON. The same theme can accompany washing, moisturizing, and spraying perfume on the skin. The date 1998 marks the scent’s creation, not the launch of today’s Eau de SABON product in an unchanged form.

The Structure of the Fragrance Range

SABON’s perfumes for the skin include Eau de SABON, the eau de toilette line associated with its body-care scents, and five eaux de parfum introduced in 2026, alongside seasonal editions. Some scents appear only in body care: a shared fragrance name does not mean that a perfume exists in every market.

La Parfumerie: Five Fragrances Introduced in 2026

On 1 October 2026, SABON launched its first eau de parfum collection in Japan, La Parfumerie. Butterfly metamorphosis connects five settings: desert, garden, sea, starry sky, and forest. Milky glass bottles topped with golden butterflies give this journey a physical form. The Japanese launch offered 50 mL and 30 mL sizes.

Created in France, the collection also invites pairing with body care: the rose with Green Rose, the white floral with Delicate Jasmine, and the hinoki fragrance with White Tea. Perfume extends the scented experience beyond cleansing, exfoliating, and moisturizing.

Desert of Roses

Élodie Bernard’s fruity floral imagines roses blooming in the desert at dawn. Lychee, bergamot, and raspberry lead into centifolia rose, magnolia, and peony, followed by powdery musk and mineral amber.

Fruit brightens the rose petals, with lychee lending lightness to the opening and musk softening the floral outline. A faint honeyed aspect of centifolia adds to the rose’s character, balancing its radiance with a quiet, close-to-skin finish.

Le Jardin Blanc

Marine Ipert’s woody floral depicts a garden of white flowers. Floral tea and bergamot introduce jasmine absolute, gardenia, and ylang-ylang, supported by sandalwood and white cedarwood.

The Romanian version describes the tea as a chrysanthemum-tea accord and also lists neroli. The progression from transparent tea to full white flowers and creamy sandalwood suggests a morning garden, with tea and woods shaping the floral heart.

Idyllic Sea

Laurence Leon’s marine woody fragrance begins with bergamot and lemon petitgrain before sea salt, cardamom, and violet. Cedarwood and a driftwood impression add a dry wooden texture to its breezy seascape.

Mineral salt meets spice and flowers as citrus brightness gives way to wood. The French description connects the driftwood impression with cedar and fir balsam absolute, adding a calm woody presence to the light coastal setting.

Incense of Stars

Leonardo Luchese’s ambery woody fragrance evokes a desert beneath the stars. Cypress, jasmine, and pink pepper lead to vanilla absolute and cardamom, then frankincense and cedarwood.

Vanilla’s enveloping sweetness meets the depth of frankincense. Cypress and pink pepper keep the opening airy before warmer sweetness develops. Resins, spices, and vanilla carry this nocturnal composition rather than a prominent floral bouquet.

Hinoki Woodland

Also created by Leonardo Luchese, this aromatic woody fragrance depicts a Japanese forest shrouded in dawn mist. Mandarin peel and geranium precede a hinoki accord and elemi resin, finishing with sandalwood and patchouli.

Citrus brightness and leafy green tones introduce the trees. Hinoki and elemi lend a clear resinous character before the composition settles into wood and earth. Within the collection’s sea and desert landscapes, this fragrance gives the central role to hinoki and the forest.

Names and Formats in Different Markets

In November 2026, the Japanese and Romanian ranges listed Le Jardin Blanc. The French product listing and individual white-floral page used Le Matin Blanc, while the feature page still included Jardin Blanc. The reason for the naming difference and whether the formulas are identical have not been established. Individual 8 mL bottles exist overseas; the Japanese launch offered 8 mL bottles of the rose, white-floral, and marine fragrances together as a discovery set.

From Body-Care Scents to Perfume

SABON distinguishes scents shared across products such as scrubs and shower oils from perfume lines sprayed onto the skin. It has proposed both layering a matching scent and pairing different scents. A body-care fragrance is not necessarily available as a perfume in every country or period.

Eau de SABON launched in Japan on 6 June 2019 as five 80 mL eaux de toilette: Patchouli Lavender Vanilla, Green Rose, Delicate Jasmine, Citrus Blossom, and Musk. Familiar body-care scents became fragrances to wear with everyday clothing.

A portable 30 mL format followed in 2021, with nine scents including Ginger Orange, Lavender Apple, White Tea, and Rose Tea. The main launch date was 1 July, with an August date indicated for Lavender Apple and some Musk distribution channels. Corn-derived alcohol was another feature of the line at this time. The nine scents below follow that launch history rather than presenting a current Japanese sales list.

Patchouli Lavender Vanilla

One of the original five in 2019, this eau de toilette brings SABON’s signature scent into a wearable perfume. Lavender leads into amber, patchouli, and lavender blossom, with vanilla and labdanum in the drydown. Clear herbs meet resinous, earthy depth and sweetness, carrying a familiar body-care scent beyond the bathroom.

Delicate Jasmine

Also among the original five, the Japanese eau de toilette launched with bergamot, a bouquet of ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, and lily of the valley, and a vanilla-and-musk finish. Several flowers surround jasmine, framed by citrus and gentle sweetness. This describes the composition at its Japanese eau de toilette launch.

Green Rose

One of the original five, Green Rose combines lemon, bergamot, and citrus zest with tea, rose, and ginger. The Japanese 2021 version has white musk, white flowers, and dry woods in its base. Citrus peel, greenery, and tea accompany the rose, suggesting spring foliage and newly opening flowers.

Lavender Apple

Green apple and lavender meet the fruitiness of tangerine before mandarin blossom, musk, and white woods. Included in the nine scents announced in 2021, it pairs fruit with herbs. The lively green apple gives lavender a different expression from its deeper setting in Patchouli Lavender Vanilla.

Rose Tea

Pomegranate, raspberry, blackcurrant, and orange introduce iris, May rose, and violet, followed by vanilla, cedarwood, and musk. Tart-sweet fruit and powdery flowers frame the rose rather than emphasizing the astringency of tea leaves. It appeared among the nine fragrances in 2021, and a Romanian 30 mL perfume page remains available.

Ginger Orange

An 80 mL eau de toilette joined the Japanese range on 1 August 2019. Lime and Sicilian orange introduce Indian ginger and cardamom, ending in guaiac wood. Spice and calm woods temper the sweetness of the fruit. The scent also extended through scrub, moisturizing, and hand-care products, allowing it to accompany both bathing and going out.

Musk

One of the original five in 2019, Musk opens with bergamot and aldehydes before rose and jasmine, then vanilla, musk, and amber. Floral brightness meets a soft, enveloping sweetness. Flowers play a larger role than the simple name might suggest, and SABON’s pairing suggestions used it to add depth and sweetness to other scents.

White Tea

Fig, lemon, and jasmine lead to nutmeg, cardamom, and white tea, finishing with violet, cedarwood, and thyme. Citrus, spices, and herbs surround the tea. Following limited editions, the White Tea collection became part of the regular Japanese range on 26 December 2020, with nineteen products including an 80 mL eau de toilette.

Citrus Blossom

Among the original five in 2019, Citrus Blossom begins with bergamot, mandarin, and petitgrain. Orange flower and jasmine lead into patchouli, vanilla, and musk. Its citrus-peel freshness develops into white flowers and a sweet base.

Mango Kiwi: A Limited Summer Eau de Toilette

Mango Kiwi appeared in summer body care and as a limited 30 mL Eau de SABON. Pear and lychee lead to kiwi and mango, softened by musk. Ripe tropical fruit is central to the scent. In the collection’s four-step routine, perfume supplied the final scented step after washing, exfoliating, and moisturizing. This was a separate seasonal release, not one of the nine fragrances announced in 2021; the Japanese feature page now marks it as discontinued.

Patchouli Citrus: The Gentleman Care Range

SABON in the United States presents Patchouli Citrus as Gentleman, with bergamot, white flowers, and sandalwood. At the November 2026 check, its collection page listed a face moisturizer and face polisher. The materials checked did not establish an eau de toilette of the same name, so it belongs here as a body-care scent rather than a confirmed perfume.

Seasonal Additions to Eau de SABON

Seasonal scents have continued to join Eau de SABON. Lily Palace, a 30 mL holiday release launched on 17 October 2024, drew on Parisian palaces and Art Nouveau decoration. Its scent, Floral Fantasy, combines green ivy, white lilies, and soft musk to evoke garden flowers and light entering a palace.

In November 2026, the Japanese site listed Lily Palace and the 30 mL Sunny Cocktail, a citrus-floral-musky scent. Romanian pages included Lavender Apple 80 mL and Rose Tea 30 mL. Fragrances and sizes differ by country and period; the nine scents announced in Japan in 2021 are not an unchanged list of what is currently sold there.

The Dead Sea Collection

Dead Sea is a body-care collection incorporating salt and black mud from the Dead Sea. Five new products launched in Japan in June 2024: Body Scrub, Body Mask, Body Cleanser, Body Moisturizer, and Bath Salts. Their distinction lies in their care functions rather than perfume concentrations or bottle formats.

A salty, aromatic, green scent runs through the collection, moving from sea-salt notes to eucalyptus and cedarwood. Salinity, cool leaves, and woody depth evoke the Dead Sea landscape. The black-packaged products connect bathing with moisturizing afterward through a shared scent.

The Three-Step Body-Care Ritual

The three-step ritual combines SABON body care in the order cleanse, exfoliate, moisturize. Shower Oil cleanses, Body Scrub combines salt and oil for exfoliation, and Body Lotion or another moisturizer completes the routine. Products can share one fragrance or pair different scents.

The Delicate Jasmine three-step kit, for example, combines Hydrating Shower Oil, Body Scrub, and Body Lotion. Patchouli Lavender Vanilla and White Tea also allow the same scent to be used across three products. These are stages of care, not the name of another perfume collection.

Eau de SABON can match these body-care scents or add a different one. Both a coordinated scent across care and perfume and combinations of contrasting fragrances are part of SABON’s approach to pairing.

By the Way…

• Ninety-four percent of customers were women: During the brand’s early-2000s development in Israel, SABON’s distinctive design and warm atmosphere reportedly earned particularly enthusiastic support from women, who made up ninety-four percent of its customers at the time.​
• The world’s first SABON l’Atelier SPA opened in Japan: On April 13, 2022, the brand’s twenty-fifth-anniversary year, SABON’s first permanent spa, SABON l’Atelier SPA, opened in Nakameguro, Tokyo. It also included a flower shop created with RIN, an organization that gives new life to flowers otherwise destined to be discarded. The Shenkin shop in Tel Aviv subsequently adopted the same concept.
• A French CEO with Jewish roots: Current CEO Joffrey Chartier is French and speaks French, English, and Spanish, but has also said that he is Jewish according to halacha, Jewish religious law. His family history reaches back to Spain during the Inquisition. The family story of an ancestor who was Napoleon’s traveling tailor is too fascinating to recount fully here.​