PRODUCT REVIEW: DR. BRONNER'S PUMP SOAP, PURE-CASTILE SOAP AND SOAP BAR

Today I am going to introduce you to Dr. Bronner's. I have to be honest and admit that I'd never heard of the brand before, yet it has been around for over 150 years, since 1858 in Germany, although it didn't take it's current form and name, Dr. Bronner's until 1948 in America. Still, where have I been.

The brand is still family owned and run, by the old-world time-honored simplicity tradition dating back to the family’s German-Jewish soap-making tradition.

Dr. Bronner's, to this day helps promote and social change, and also pioneered USDA certified organic personal care products, to creating Fair Trade projects across the world that ensure fair and just treatment of farmers and workers, to creating a socially responsible workplace in the U.S., all while devoting profits to worthwhile causes and charities worldwide.

I have put a selection of products to the test, including the Dr. Bronner's 4-in-1 Sugar Lemongrass Lime Organic Pump Soap, which is suitable for anything from washing hands, face, body & hair. The soap is contains no synthetic detergents or preservatives, but is made with organic shikakai, which comes from the seed pods of the small South Asian tree Acadia Concinna, which is then extracted in organic sugar and organic grape juice and combined with pure-castile liquid soap base. The soap also contains lover oil, help oil jojoba oil along with lemon grass oil, lemon oil and lime oil, and it is smooth and soft, and while I've not tried it as a shampoo, I have used it as both hand wash and body lotion, and I love how gently it cleans my skin. I also love the scent from the lemon grass and lime, which is so refreshing and uplifting, as well as the gorgeous bright lime green pump bottle looks great by the sink or in the shower.

Then there's the Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure-Castile Soaps, which is nothing short of the ultimate multi-tasking product. This Pure-Castile Soap can be used for just about any cleaning task from face, body, hair, to dishes, laundry, mopping your floor, even washing your pet!! Yup, how incredible is that. You could literally just have this in the house, and it would do everything for you, well perhaps except for the actual mopping of the floors or doing the dishes. The soap doesn't contain a single drop of synthetic preservatives, detergents or foaming agents, and as it is extremely concentrated and in fact claims to be 2-3x more concentrated than other soaps, you simply have to dilute, with anything from a few drops, a teaspoon-full, half a cupful, all depending on what you use it for. All the details and suggestions or use, clearly on the bottle. Personally love using this to clean my house, my sinks, my floors, and the Citrus version makes my house smell so clean and fresh, especially in the bathrooms and floors, but the Peppermint is great in bathrooms too. However, there are a massive 11 different varieties, so there is something for every taste and occasion.

Finally, there's the Dr. Bronner’s Bar Soaps, which are made with certified fair trade ingredients and organic hemp oil for a soft, smooth lather that won’t dry your skin. 100% biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper. I admit that I am not usually fond of bar soaps, for the one reason that I find that they very quickly become messy by the sink or in the shower, and hence preferring a liquid soap, but that said, these are divine. The soaps also go under the name All-One, as they are a true versatile multi-tasker too that can be used for anything from washing the body, face and hair. The soap bars contain no added organic oils and there are 11 varieties available so again, there's something for everyone. I've put the Cherry Blossom to the test, which has a gorgeous floral scent, but admit to only having used it on my hands and body, and not as a shampoo. We've also tested the Unscented Baby version, which suitable for sensitive skin as well as babies (although it doesn’t claim to be tear free, so be careful if using it your baby's hair), - and regardless of the type, the bar soap creates a lovely soft lather that leaves your skin clean without drying it out.

I love that the products come in a large variety of different scents, the product come in gorgeous brightly coloured bottles, which look beautiful out on display - although if I have to be negative, I do find that there is a tad too much writing on the bottles - yes, it is an interesting read, all about what the products can be used for, tips and tricks, what benefits the added ingredients have, company history, fair trade information etc etc etc, there is not a corner of the labels, wrapping around the whole bottle that is not covered with text, and it is all in such a very tiny writing, and to be honest, I struggle reading it all, and quickly give up. For me, while I love that the information is readily available, I % would have preferred if 75% of this writing had been omitted and instead to be found on the company website. But again, that's just my opinion.

And overall, I have really enjoyed putting these products from Dr. Bronner's to the test, with my favourites being the Pump Soap, but also loving the Pure-Castile soap for cleaning my house, without all the chemicals. But there are so many other products in the product range including lotions, hair care and lip and body balms, that I am also very keen on putting to the test.


Dr. Bronner's 4-in-1 Sugar Lemongrass Lime Organic Pump Soaps - RRP: $17.95 / 355ml
Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Pure-Castile Soaps - RRP: $5.95 / 59ml, $12.95 / 237ml
Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Bar Soaps - $7.95 / 140g

Available from Dr. Bronner's online, David Jones, select pharmacies and health food stores, as well as select online stores
* Products have been kindly provided for consideration, and have reviewed in accordance with my Disclosure Policy.

Twitter | Facebook | Bloglovin | Instagram |