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Introduction & Overview
Dr. Bronner’s soap is a staple in the eco-friendly community. The branding is iconic and immediately recognizable. So you might be wondering what’s the hype? I wondered this too, and as I searched for bar soap options in my local grocery stores and supermarkets, I kept seeing this one.
To review Dr. Bronner’s bar soap I bought 7 of the 8 scents available and tested them over the course of several months. So let’s take a look at how the Dr. Bronner’s bar soap measures up to my standards.
Dr. Bronner's Ratings
Overall Score
Function
Durability
Ease of Use
Appearance
Do I recommend this product?
Yes, I do! These are without a doubt Andrew Approved! The overall experience is enjoyable, there is very little waste with the end product, and the brand is exceptional when it comes to sustainability.
Does it get the job done? (Function)
Yes, it does. I don’t have any trouble or issues with this bar soap at all. The scents are wonderful and they’re light enough that they don’t linger or stick like artificial fragrances. But, the fragrance is present enough that you can have your own aromatherapy moment as you lather. I actually look forward to it when I shower (my current favorite is the almond one, it’s so subtle but still so sweet).
Is it durable?
It lasts just as long as any other bar of soap, for me. There’s nothing weird about this soap, it doesn’t break down in the shower over time or anything like that. The fragrance is consistent throughout its lifespan as well.
Ease of use?
This bar is no different than any others. It works just like any other bar soap out there! I do recommend that you have a soap saver though. Leaving your bar soaps on flat surfaces where water can sit will lead to them dissolving and breaking down much more quickly.
If you don’t have a soap saver already, then that is just one small thing you’ll want to invest in and get in the habit of using. You can find those at just about any store.
Do I want to show it off? (Appearance)
Eh. I don’t exactly foresee myself bringing these out to show my guests when they stop by for the day. But the Dr. Bronner’s branding is iconic in its own way and they are very aesthetic. I love the color choices for the paper packaging and I think the scents are great!
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Smells great
- Low to zero waste
- Great company to support
Cons
- Can be expensive if you’re just starting out with bar soap
What is Dr. Bronner's?
Dr. Bronner’s is a company rooted in soap making. They offer other products like toothpaste and hand sanitizer, but what they’re known for selling the most is soap products.
Dr. Bronner's Special Certifications
Dr. Bronner’s has a ton of certifications. They are:
- Regenerative Organic Certified
- USDA Organic
- Fair for Life Certified
- Oregon Tilth Certified Organic (OTCO)
- Leaping Bunny Certified
- Certified Vegan
- Non-GMO Verified
- B Corp Certified
What options do I have to buy?
Since this is just a review of the bar soap, and not the brand itself I’m just covering what bar soaps they offer here. I’ll first list what you can buy, and then I’ll follow up with my notes and personal experience if you’re interested in that too.
What You Can Buy from Dr. Bronner's
Dr. Bronner’s offers 8 different scents for their bar soap, each is a different fragrance.
They offer:
- Peppermint
- Baby Unscented
- Lavender
- Almond
- Citrus
- Tea Tree
- Rose
- Eucalyptus
My Thoughts On Those Scents
All of the fragrances smell like essential oil fragrances. In my experience, items scented with essential oils have a very unique and characteristic scent. These soaps are no different.
For example, the lavender might not smell like a lavender wall flower from Glade, but it does smell like a lavender essential oil. Keep that in mind as I talk about the fragrances here!
Peppermint
Full transparency, I’m not a fan of peppermint anything. But, I still tested this bar out and if you like peppermint then I say go for it. The soap smells very pepperminty and that’s all I have to say about that.
Baby Unscented
I like that they put “unscented” here. Sometimes companies will put “fragrance free” on products they haven’t added fragrance too but the truth is, everything has a scent even if scent wasn’t added. Dr. Bronner’s unscented bar smells just like a super generic bar of soap to me.
Lavender
If you love lavender, go for this one. It has a classic essential oil lavender presence. I think it smells lovely and it will be a regular purchase for me.
Almond
This one is currently my favorite! If you’re imagining a bag of almonds, don’t. This one gives me subtle vanilla vibes and if I think hard enough then it reminds me of cupcakes. Barely. I love it and I can’t get enough of it!
Citrus
Not lemon, not orange, just a very good generic citrus scent! This one is very energizing and refreshing. If citrus is your thing, again, this is for you! I usually stick to more relaxing fragrances, but if you like to be energized in the shower then check this one out (perhaps if you shower in the morning).
Tea Tree
This smells just like any other tea tree oil product you could buy. It’s a very vitalizing and energizing scent to me so it’s not a go-to but it does feel perfect for a bathroom relaxation moment. I picture this soap with a nice face mask, a great tea tree or eucalyptus candle, bubbles, and wine.
Rose
I love this one too! I was hoping it wouldn’t be super floral and flowery and it isn’t. It definitely has a floral flowery scent, as you would hope but it’s not overpowering. The scent is a perfect balance of rose, Goldilocks would be very happy. You wouldn’t be able to give this to your man without him picking up on the rose scent, but I would still recommend the men out there give it a shot because it is a very appealing scent.
Eucalyptus
This is the only one I haven’t gotten around to trying just yet. So sorry y’all!
Cost and Comparability
For reasons I’ve also covered in my Spring and Vine Shampoo Bar Review, bar soap is a little challenging to compare. That’s because, if you’re converting from a liquid body wash, the units I would normally compare like volume (oz), cost per ounce, and such don’t work anymore.
I’ve found Dr. Bronner’s bar soap online at Walmart for anywhere from $3.50 to $4.00. At Target, I usually spend somewhere between $4 and $5. And finally, Dr. Bronner’s website sells the soap for $4.79 per bar plus shipping (as of 10/20/2021).
Compared to what I’ve used for the past several years, $4 is a lot. I’ve been using Dove’s bar soap and that cost me $1 per bar. Moving to Dr. Bronner’s is 4 times as expensive. But, if you’re coming from a bottle then you might already be spending upwards of $4 per bottle.
If that’s the case for you, then the part you have to figure out is how long a bar of soap will last you compared to a bottle of body wash. If the bar of soap lasts half as long as a bottle, then to compare the costs you would want to multiply the bar cost by 2 before you compare.
For example, let’s say a bottle of X soap costs you $4 and lasts 2 months. Y bar soap costs $4 too but only lasts 1 month. Then the total cost over two months for each is X bottled soap = $4 and Y bar soap = $8 (2x$4). That means the bar soap is twice as expensive for you.
That’s kind of a lot of work to do, but it’s up to you to determine what makes the most sense for you and your budget. If Dove bar soap is what you can afford, then that’s still saving on plastic consumption by a lot! If you can afford Dr. Bronner’s bar soap then I fully recommend! And if you’re somewhere in between, then maybe Dr. Bronner’s is just a treat-yourself item.
Beware of Subscriptions?
When I check for subscriptions I check the company’s website and I also check Grove Collaborative. Sadly, Dr. Bronner’s doesn’t seem to offer these on a subscription basis and Grove doesn’t even have the bar soap listed. But, you can order online directly from Dr. Bronner’s website or you can also get them at your local Target (or online) like I do.
What makes this a sustainable choice?
For starters, it’s bar soap. Just like any other bar soap, you’re saving on plastic if you’re converting from a plastic bottle. To top it off, Dr. Bronner’s bar soap comes in 100% post-consumer recycled paper that you can recycle or biodegrade. That means this final product has the potential to yield 0 waste for you.
Beyond the product, the brand itself is a sustainable choice. Dr. Bronner’s portrays great transparency with easily accessible company principles (like values, see this post to find out why those matter), waste reports, plastic reports, and so much more.
They have a ton of certifications by third party groups that confirm the claims they make about their products, ingredients, and processes. There’s so much more I could talk about here, but I’ll save that for another time.
The point is, the bar soap is a sustainable choice and the brand is a great brand to buy from and support!
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In case you didn’t catch my review of Spring and Vine’s shampoo bar, you can check it out here.
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