When Multani Mitti has discovered thousands of years ago, no particular mineralogical name was given to this mineral.
It is now considered a part of MONTMORILLONITE group of minerals. Montmorillonite was first
described in 1847 for an occurrence in/ near Montmorillon village in France, more than 50 years
before the discovery of bentonite in the US. It is found in many locations worldwide and known by
other names.
Bentonite, consisting mostly of montmorillonite is also a part of Montmorillonite group of minerals.
It was named by Wilbur C. Knight in 1898 after the Benton Shale near Rock River, Wyoming, USA.
Fuller’s Earth is a mineral which has many characteristics of Bentonite and Montmorillonite and is
used for finishing wool and woolen products and for many other industrial purposes after different
processes.
People mistakenly think that Multani Mitti is Fuller’s Earth or Bentonite or Montmorillonite, but
MULTANI MITTI is a unique mineral which has many unique properties which are not found in any
of the above minerals.
Many unscrupulous traders take out whitish/ yellowish clay from some local dry ponds and sell it
as Multani Mitti. Such clay is NOT Multani Mitti and it may contain many unwanted elements
which may not be good for use on skin.
Therefore it is important to buy and use only GENUINE PURE AND NATURAL MULTANI MITTI from
a GENUINE source.