Azul e branco soap


Azul e branco, also known as sabão Offenbach, and sometimes as Sabão macaco, is a type of soap used in Portugal. It is comparable to household soap, but it has a rugged texture, bulky shape, lack of odour and can generally be purchased in many convenience stores and supermarkets. In Portuguese "azul e branco" literally means "blue and white", which are the distinctive colours of the soap. It can also be found in red and white.
Given the size of a bar of soap, it must be cut to the desired size before use.
Formerly, azul e branco soap was popularly used to wash linen, carpets, floors and also for personal hygiene.
Popular brands include Clarim, Confiança and Solavar.

Uses

Being more effective than normal soap, it was formerly used to disinfect operating theatres. On the advent of the 2009 Influenza A virus pandemic, the Portuguese health minister advised the population to use it as a substitute for the alcohol-based hand cleaners that emerged at that time.
Its usage has greatly declined in recent years as more attractive soaps and detergents become more common, but around 6,000 metric tons are still produced every year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the novel SARS coronavirus 2, Azul e Branco soap is being put again into use by public institutions, namely in bathrooms. Commercial demand is also increasing as stocks are rupturing and prices increase, with schools and regular consumers being the main customers.