I recently came across the Dr Bronner’s natural range in a local health store, and it’s cute and colourful packaging caught my eye! I’m trying to gradually switch to more natural products for skincare and beauty, so I was definitely keen to try out this range.
About Dr Bronner’s
Despite myself having just stumbled across it, the range is nothing new; it’s a family owned and run business which dates back to 1858! Yep, that’s 150 years of soap-making experience, so I think it’s pretty safe to assume that they’ve perfected the art by now! Dr Bronner’s products are known for both being high quality as well being natural and eco-friendly, something which the new generations running the company today continue to build on.
From USDA certified organic products, the creation of global Fair Trade products (to support the farmers and workers) as well as a local socially responsible workplace in their US headquarters they are definitely a brand which is not good for you, but the environment and world in general too!
Their mission, as shared on their website:
Dr. Bronner’s is a family business committed to honouring the vision of our founder Dr. E.H. Bronner by making socially and environmentally responsible products of the highest quality, and by dedicating our profits to help make a better world. ALL-ONE!
The range
The heart of the Dr Bronner’s range are their Pure-Castile Liquid and Pure-Castile Bar soaps. I’m sure you all know what soaps do by now, so let’s look at what makes these ones different!
First up, for Pure-Castile Liquid soap – these bad boys have “18 in 1” uses, but really – it’s limitless! Face, hair, body, pets, floors, laundry, dishes…yup – if it needs cleaning (and safely with no synthetic preservatives, detergents or foaming agents) then this soap will do it. Plus as a liquid too it needs to be diluted, so even a small bottle will last quite a long time!
Click here for an awesome dilution cheat sheet/guide/recipe from Lisa Bronner too!
And what about the ingredients?
They mention on their site that the science behind quality soap-making involves getting the right proportions of the right oils. Coconut oil can apparently be lathering but also drying and olive oil gives a soft and luxurious lather, but only in small amounts. So both of these oils are combined in ideal ratios, along with other natural oils such as hemp and jojoba oils (which both also mirror our own natural oils in our skin).
How else is the range different?
Here’s what they list on their site:
- Unlike most commercial soapmakers, who distill the glycerin out of their soaps to sell separately, we retain it in our soaps for its superb moisturizing qualities.
- We super-fat our bar soaps for a milder, smoother lather.
- We use natural vitamin E from sunflower seeds and citric acid from fermented tapioca to protect freshness.
- We do not add any chelating agents, dyes, whiteners or synthetic fragrances.
- We use pure and powerful high-quality certified organic essential oils.
- Our liquid soaps are three times more concentrated than most so-called “liquid soaps” on the market, and they are only a few percent away from being a solid, which saves on packaging materials.
- Our soaps are a superb value, costing less than less-concentrated, inferior detergent body-wash “liquid soaps.”
- Our soaps are most popular for at-home washing, but they are also the soap of choice for many campers and hikers, as they are biodegradable and nature-friendly.
- We also use better packaging; our plastic cylinder bottles are made from 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic.
Aside from soaps, they have more natural personal care products such as lip balm, multi purpose balm, hand sanitiser, hair care, shaving soap, toothpaste and a sal suds household cleaner.
My thoughts
I was kindly sent a bottle of the Pure-Castile Liquid Soap in Green Tea to try (after I reached out to the brand and expressed interest – this isn’t a paid article!*) and I also decided to pick up a Cherry Blossom bar soap and All-One toothpaste.
The liquid soap I tried out first and have so far tested on my skin, face, my French Bulldog Monty, floors and laundry – all a success! I love the green tea scent and it just leaves everything feeling super clean, and without the worry of any added chemicals too (which is also a concern for me with Monty as well). This is definitely a must pack for my upcoming trip to Japan too, as a body-care product and also for a mid trip laundry wash!
The soap I’m also loving, it feels super rich and smooth and the scent is also amazing. Finally the toothpaste I’m also loving too. This is my second “natural” toothpaste I’ve tried and although neither have lathered as much as traditional ones, they still do the job and again – I prefer that they’re natural.
Note they do use palm oil in their products, which obviously first concerned me when I looked at the ingredients list. It seemed odd to me though that a brand which was so concerned with being both natural and eco-friendly would use the ingredient, so I decided to check it out. On their website they address this point (as I’m sure it’s a concern for lots of others too) and explain that the palm oil they source from a sister company, Serendipalm, which is a fair trade and organic palm oil project. It’s definitely worth a read to learn more about the project, which can be found here.
Overall I’m so glad I came across this range, and look forward to seeing what other uses I can find for the liquid soap as well as trying more of the scents and products in the range. The Sal suds cleaner is definitely next on my list! I not only love that the products are natural and eco-friendly but also that the liquid soaps and cleaner are multipurpose; with limited apartment space (and also trying to cut back on general clutter and “waste”) I love that I can just have one or two things for multiple use.
*Occasionally brands will send me products to review, however any product I share on this site I genuinely love and use, and wouldn’t share if I thought otherwise.
Connect
Website: drbronner.com.au
Facebook: @DrBronner
Instagram: @DrBronners_Australia
YouTube: @DrBronnersMagicSoaps
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