Black Soap" is a new name for an age-old product of West Africa, as has been named that because of its color. One of its original names is Alata Samina (as it is known in Ghana). This natural soap is produced by combining Palm Kernel and either cocoa pods or plantain skins and water. Its natural color ranges from a light brown to dark brown to jet black. Some companies are packaging what they call "Black Soap", but are using chemicals and dyes, in order to produce their soap.