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Backfill · 2023

#207 of 420

Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap

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SensualistEstablished brand analysishealth_wellnesspositive
social belongingheritage legacy
NoticingWho to Listen To2/9
Dr. Bronner's
ImagePersonal photo

Personal photo: a bottle of Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Peppermint Soap on a shower shelf, the densely text-covered label visible with blue and white typography, water droplets on the bottle surface.

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My grandmother kept a bottle of Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap in her shower for as long as I can remember. First thing I noticed as a kid was the label, every inch of the bottle covered in tiny text about cosmic unity and moral philosophy. I used to stand in the shower trying to read it all before the hot water ran out. Soap itself is a concentrated liquid that foams when you rub it between your hands. Peppermint oil gives your skin a tingling cold sensation that wakes you up more effectively than coffee. The smell fills the entire bathroom with a sharp clean mint that lingers on your skin for an hour. I like that the formula has not changed since the 1940s and the ingredient list is 8 items long, all organic oils. After trying dozens of body washes with synthetic fragrances that irritated my skin, going back to Dr. Bronner's felt like a correction. At 18 uses claimed on the bottle, including body wash, shampoo, dish soap, laundry detergent. Floor cleaner, I have tried most of them and they all work adequately though not as well as a dedicated product. A single $16 bottle replacing 4 or 5 products for a month of light use is genuinely practical.