Some products show up everywhere: subway ads, Instagram, celeb endorsements. With this series, we're testing such products to conclude one thing: Does it live up to the hype?
What’s everyone talking about?
Dr. Squatch Soap, made with a combination of organic, sustainable oils, shea butter, and additional active ingredients like oatmeal, clay, coffee, and sand.
What’s the buzz about?
The entire Dr. Squatch line is dedicated to bringing soaps and other body products to the market that are free from harsh detergents that they claim can negatively affect your well-being, your mental health, and even your sperm count.
They worked to make sustainable formulations with eco-friendly, body- and mind-safe ingredients that still manage to get you clean and smelling fresh. The soaps come in “masculine” scents like Pine Tar, Gold Moss, and Grapefruit IPA. Each variety of soap also has its own unique formulation designed to suit a specific need — for instance, the Pine Tar soap is richly scented and deep-cleans impurities from the skin, thanks to the addition of charcoal, and the Cool Fresh Aloe is deeply hydrating with less fragrance for drier, more-sensitive skin.
And while it is marketed towards men as a “men’s soap,” both my husband and I tested them out for the purpose of this article — also because it smells freaking great and I don't care how it's marketed if I like how it smells. (Nor should anyone.)
Where's all the hype coming from?
- Reviews from The Adult Man and Trust Pilot
- Availability through Dr. Squatch and Amazon
- Over 354K followers on Instagram
So does it live up to the hype?
How’d we come to this conclusion?
I am a picky soap consumer. So much so that I am known to make my own if I am disappointed. I will pay big bucks for boutique brands and not think twice about it. I have hella sensitive skin that is prone to eczema and hives, and I’m also a marathon runner, so sometimes, I really stink. My husband also has sensitive skin, and while he’s not a marathoner, he is your typical smelly dude. Soap matters in our house, and after hearing and watching eleventy billion ads and reviews, I decided I needed to try it.
Both my husband and I showered with the Pine Tar soap for over a week, and after only a few days, I knew we'd need to try many, many more scents. The fragrances aren't overpowering, but they are strong enough to linger on the skin hours after you've showered. The Pine Tar is refreshing and hydrating, which surprised me because I haven't always had the best outcomes with charcoal soaps. The lather is luxurious in spite of the lack of sulfates, and the bar lasts far longer than I anticipated. (Going strong at 2 weeks, and yes, we shower daily.)
Dr. Squatch is dead set on marketing to young men who love scrolling through Reddit, YouTube, and TikTok. They're a consumer who loves memes, cares about the environment just enough to worry about ingredients and packaging, and they're worried about what they put in their body — to a point. And honestly, it's working for them. With thousands of perfect reviews on Amazon, and countless review videos on TikTok, it's clear the marketing has worked. Their soaps have developed a cult following.
Dr. Squatch's line of products — from their soaps, to their deodorants, to their toothpastes, and hair care — are all made with renewable resources, organic ingredients, with recycled and recyclable materials wherever possible. They are sulfate-, phthalate-, and paraben-free. The toothpaste is free of fluoride and aspartame — and includes interesting extras like green tea extract and vitamin B-12. Best of all, each product is made right here in the United States, and military, first responders, and medical workers get a 10% discount on their products thanks to their Hero Program.
I unabashedly love the soap and how it performs. Yes, I am annoyed with the bro culture of the ads and the extreme gendering that they do, but the product is a good one. They could drop the whole gender bit, and I might like it even more. They take it to the extreme. There is so much chest hair on their site and their Instagram that I feel badly for their shower drains. Personally, I don’t need to be told I’ll smell more like a man, and neither does my husband. My 13-year-old son, though, finds it quite humorous, so much so that he’s insisted on getting his own soap bundle to match ours. Or perhaps be even manlier. Dudelier. Squatchier.
Don't let the mandudebro ads deter you, though, because the actual product is heavenly. I honestly just went up to my husband a few minutes ago and leaned in to see if I could still smell the soap from his shower last night, and I could. He smelled fresh and clean, and his skin was soft and supple.
And the soap doesn’t leave your skin with that dry, squeaky feel that some soaps do, instead leaving a feeling of clean, moisturized comfort in its wake. I am eager to try out the aloe and goat’s milk soaps this summer after long trips to the pool and beach, since both tend to dry out my skin. I can only anticipate how nourishing their soaps will be on my parched flesh.
What’s the bottom line?
You can’t escape these ads or the reviews if you spend any time on YouTube or TikTok, or listen to podcasts. You know how silly they are, and sometimes off-putting. I tried it because I felt like I needed to know if the reviews were legit, or some scamallama run by a bunch of guys with an overactive interest in Bigfoot. It’s not a scam, and the soap is a darned fine soap that I am now quite enamored with using. I love smelling it on my husband probably more than what is normal, and I don’t think he minds.
Try it for yourself, and see what you think. They even have an online quiz to help point you in the right direction. I, for one, will keep buying it.
