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Dr. Bronner's

Dr. Bronner’s For Newbies

Dr. Bronner's For Newbies

And a bit about our new toothpaste…

This past July I had the joy of sharing the Dr. Bronner’s story in the Land of Oz. My grandfather began distributing in Australia 25 years ago. However, it really began taking off there ten years ago when a new team launched Dr. Bronner’s Australia and have been an unstoppable force in spreading the magic.

But Australia is a big country, to say the least, and there are still masses of people who simply haven’t heard about it, poor souls. Getting to tell the soap’s story to a newbie brings a rare kind of joy. The first glance at the bottle with all that writing usually gets a polite nod, a half smile, and some raised eyebrows. They have no idea what they’re in for as I take them on the journey from Holocaust to hippies to hemp and they emerge a whole new enthusiast for the quirky blue bottle.

I’ve very much appreciated the articles that were published about my tour there, each with a different focus. I first want to share this article from the folks at Eco Beauty Editor Newsletter because it gives a great overview of the Dr. Bronner’s story. So if you’ve been thinking all along that we were just a soap company, check out some more of the story. And as for the part about royalty, I better start practicing my wave!

The rainbow of soap at David Jones department store in Melbourne. Dr. Bronner's For Newbies
The rainbow of soap at David Jones department store in Melbourne.

Dr Bronner Launches New Product Line + An Interview with Lisa Bronner

This article was first published by Shannon on Eco Beauty Editor on September 22, 2015.

It’s an iconic beauty brand that was ahead of its time — a natural line of soaps emblazoned with pure ingredients and messages for the greater good that have been read, shared and talked about for more than 150 years. In 2015, the product and its label are more relevant—and loved—than ever.

Dr Bronner Soaps have had minor changes over the years – a label tweak here, a slight ingredient ratio change there. Such consistency and efficacy has enamoured them with legions of fans, followers and loyal customers alike. Renowned for their quality, versatility and eco-friendliness, Dr Bronner as a company goes from strength-to-strength.

When a new product is introduced to the line, it’s a big deal. So is the case with the recent launch of Dr Bronner toothpaste range: Cinnamon, Anise and Peppermint.

I recently caught up with Lisa Bronner during her Australian visit to find out more about Dr Bronner past, present and future.

Lisa is natural-beauty royalty, as well as being a fifth generation member of the Bronner family soap makers. She also writes the blog Going Green with a Bronner Mom at lisabronner.com. Here, she guides consumers through the maze of the organic marketplace and simplifies the process of green living at home. She takes a very pragmatic approach to living an eco-conscious life which makes it all the more attainable for everyone.

 

How has the Dr Bronner label changed over the years and what did you do for the current refresh?

Not a lot about the label has changed, and yet it is better than ever. We call the latest refresh “Old and Improved” because it still maintains the purpose for which my grandfather intended it (see that story below), and yet it has become more legible and more durable and in general more useful to consumers.

My grandfather’s labels were paper. Imagine what that did in the shower. After a week or so, the paper was dissolving into a soggy mess clogging the shower drain. Worst of all, you couldn’t read it anymore.

We tried silk-screening, but that required too much lead time and a whole lot of inventory. The latest bottles are back to stickered labels, but they are a plastic, thereby impervious to water. The font is very cleaned up: we tried a serif font for a while and went back to sans serif. We have also streamlined the usage information on the bottle, although if you are brand new to the product, you’ll have to take my word for it that it is streamlined!

Clearly, we have never followed proper graphic-design recommendations for our labels. There’s not enough blank space and way too many words to satisfy any prescribed design technique. However, the label drives so much of what we do. It is not a contrived marketing gimmick. It is at the core of who we are as a company and very much governs the decisions we make.

drbronners-bottle-timeline-1024x662

What is the significance of the messages on the label? Why did Dr Bronner put them on the label?

The label and the product were inseparable to my grandfather. He saw the label as the message and the soap as the messenger. The story of his message, which he called the Moral ABC, takes some time to tell. His family were German Jews living in southern Germany. They were very successful soapmakers, owning three soap factories. Although my grandfather had already decided for personal reasons to immigrate to the U.S. in 1929, his family was still in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party. His sisters recognized the danger of the time and both left Germany, one to Israel and the other to the U.S. However, his parents refused to believe that their homeland would betray them. Unfortunately, they were wrong. The factories were Aryanized and they perished in Hitler’s concentration camps. This background of personal and national tragedy profoundly impacted my grandfather.

Instead of spurring him on to bitterness and hatred, however, it fueled a passion to spread a message of world peace. This is the core of the label – uniting “Spaceship Earth” and encouraging each person to see his or her value and connection with each other. He would speak on his philosophy in Pershing Square in Los Angeles to whomever would listen, and to thank people for coming, he would give them a bottle of soap. Eventually he noticed that people were taking the soap and not waiting to hear him speak. So he wrote the message on the bottle, and that is how the label was born.

Why are Dr Bronner products more relevant now than in the past?

I think consumers have been the ones to catch up to what Dr. Bronner’s has been doing for decades. My grandfather was tremendously ahead of his time. He was passionate about environmental issues long before anyone else was. One of his hottest topics was fluoridation of the water supply. He would speak against this in the 1940’s, and everyone thought he was crazy. He was even arrested after a particularly impassioned speech about it and put in a mental hospital. However, in the 1960’s, he was moreorless “discovered” by the counter-cultural movement, who realized he had been saying what they believed, but for a whole lot longer.

He became a bit of a hero to them and the soaps took off. As the general consumer market has become more and more aware of the need for purity in personal care products, Dr. Bronner’s has emerged as the preeminent trustworthy source.

8 bar soaps. Dr. Bronner's For Newbies

Is the formula the same as it was in the beginning? If not, how has it changed?

The fundamental formula and the process has not changed one bit since my grandfather’s day. The only changes we have made have been a slight alteration in the ratio of coconut to olive to palm oils, and the addition of hemp seed oil around 15 years ago. Hemp seed oil greatly mimics the naturally occurring oils in our skin, and so when it became available, it paired beautifully with the jojoba oil to give a fabulous afterfeel to our soaps. Also, we replaced the preservative in our soaps – taking out the rosemary extract, which had a very dark color, and adding tocopherols (vitamin E), when they became available. Tocopherols are clear and more effective.

How often does Dr Bronner launch new product lines?

Not very often – about every four years. We are very careful in launching new products and really don’t respond to market trends quickly. It takes a lot to keep our product line going at the caliber of excellence we demand of ourselves – the organic and Fair Trade sourcing of materials, as much as possible. We want to be very sure that whatever we add to our product line maintains the integrity and excellence of the product line and Dr. Bronner reputation.

Why toothpaste?

Toothpaste had been a customer request for years. You’ve always been able to brush your teeth with our soap, and you still can. If you’re going backpacking and want to bring along as few things as possible, our Pure-Castile soap is still the bar-none best option out there for keeping body and gear clean. However, it does taste like soap.

Dr. Bronner's For Newbies

What makes Dr Bronner toothpaste great?

The toothpaste feels and tastes better than any toothpaste on the market. The Peppermint has that iconic Bronner tingle, and the Anise and Cinnamon are awesome additions to our flavor line-up. It is also SLS and fluoride free, making it an excellent option for adults and children alike.

What is your hope for the natural beauty and personal care industry in the coming years?

I hope customers continue to educate themselves by grassroots movements – word of mouth, bloggers, third party research organizations. For too long we have trusted “others” to make decisions for us with no oversight and no questions asked. Now we need to ask the questions, to find out what is in the products we use daily on and in our bodies, what is best for us and our families. We can’t trust corporations, governments, or anyone else to be making the best decisions for ourselves. That is our responsibility. I hope to see greater transparency in the consumer/manufacturer relationship.

What are your favourite Dr Bronner products and why?

I could maintain my entire beauty regimen with only the Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile soap (Citrus is my current favorite) and the Dr. Bronner’s Coconut Oil. The soap keeps me clean from head to toe. It keeps my adult-onset acne well in-check and makes my hair very soft and healthy. The coconut oil is what I use for nearly everything else – a moisturizer, a shaving gel, make-up remover, hair masque, deodorant ingredient, sugar scrub ingredient. And you can eat it. I could probably be stranded on a desert island with it and do just fine.

Find out more at www.drbronner.com.au.

* * * *

That website is perfect if you’re in Australia, but if you’re States-side or elsewhere, start with www.drbronner.com.

Further reading

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D. A. says:

Recently, I was gifted the Hemp Castile Soap. I am not able to read the label. I used my glasses and a magnifying glass and still could not make out the print. I was looking for a list of ingredients and to know if the label is online somewhere I can read it. Please help. Thank you.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi D.A.- Here are the ingredients for the Peppermint Castile Soap. The only difference between scents is essential oils: Water, Organic Coconut Oil*, Potassium Hydroxide**, Organic Palm Kernel Oil*, Organic Olive Oil*, Mentha Arvensis, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Mentha Piperita, Citric Acid, Tocopherol.
*CERTIFIED FAIR TRADE INGREDIENT **None remains after saponifying oils into soap & glycerin.
As for the small font on the label (5.5 pt. to be precise – very tiny indeed!), my grandfather, Dr. Bronner, created the label and wanted to include as much of his deeply personal, life mission on it as possible. In a nutshell, the label is what started the whole company now known as Dr. Bronner’s. If you’d like to read more about the history of the label, read my blog post, “How the Label Was Born.” https://www.lisabronner.com/how-the-label-was-born/

dee says:

I LOVED dr. bronners soy boullion—-I used to put it on everything ——will
you ever bring it back ?

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Dee- I have many fond memories of the food products myself. Unfortunately, my grandfather didn’t pass on his expertise of the food products like he did with the soap and we won’t be bringing them back.

Gloria Delucia says:

I just purchased a bottle of your sugar scrub soap but I cannot open the cap. I have turned it counter clockwise and every way to try to open it with no success. Please give me some tips so I can use the soap. Thank you.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Gloria – I’m sorry to hear that. Every so once in a while this happens to me too. The trick in this case is to be sure the collar of the pump (the part closest to the bottle) is tightened. AFter that, try to move the pump to the “open” position. If you still have difficulty, let me know and we’ll send you a new one.

dee says:

i would like to thank you for such beautiful and simple products.
I started using dr bronner soap when I got a horrible perioral dermatitis. A women online suggested stopping all products and only use dr bronner baby mild soap to wash and jojoba oil to moisturize. That’s it. It healed my perioral dermatitis and I kept this skin regimen ever since. ( I also use dr bronner peppermint lipbalm).

My favorites are the baby mild, peppermint and tea tree. I use it for everything and I now have a VERY minimalist beauty regimen thanks to dr bronners.

I would also like to thank the dr bronner family for not changing the product formulas all the time. This has been such an irritating problem for me with other brands in the past. I would love a product, than they come out with an NEW and IMPROVED formula that my skin cannot tolerate.
Dr Bronner products are perfect. Please dont change a thing! EVER!

Rashelle says:

Hi there! Did you happen to use the liquid or bar form? Thank you!

Kent says:

I wish the original formula was still available. I’ve been using this soap since the mid 70’s I didn’t notice the formula change to include hemp until having skin problems. I had started using the soap to help remove oily and waxy soap deposits on my skin from using other soaps and hard water among other reasons. It was great for removing the grease that plagued my adolescent skin. When the formula changed I started getting greasy buildup in various paces on my body followed by opportunistic skin fungal and bacterial infections. I always diluted the original concentrate but I guess some people adding water to soap is too complected a process for some people so we have to protect them from themselves. Now formula is now too safe and reminds me of all the safety measures to ensure that we can’t harm ourselves like a chain link fences around the grand canyon so no one can fall in.

I also miss the old label.

I had hoped that the company would bring back the original formula but I guess that its just a sign of the times and I’m the last person in the world who still has oily skin and enjoyed the original formula.

I’m now searching for a hemp free peppermint Castile soap similar to the original strength Doctor Bonner’s Peppermint Castile Soap but I see even the Walmart Equate version has hemp. I guess I’ll have to make it myself.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Kent – It is awesome to hear about your longevity with our soaps! I love hearing from people who knew Dr. Bronner’s back when it was just my grandfather and two office staff in a bedroom/office of his house. If you had called the number on the bottle back then, my grandfather would have answered. Now if you call the number on the bottle, you can talk to Myrna. She’s lovely. You can tell her I sent you.

Thanks for sharing your honest feedback. The viscosity of the soap is a little different because of a higher olive oil content, but the soap is just as concentrated as it was before at 39% solid. Absolutely no dilution has occurred. You can determine this by pouring similar quantities of our older conventional and newer organic liquid soaps into separate cups, and observing that exactly the same amount of solid soap is left behind when the water evaporates. (You can accidentally do this by leaving the cap open, too.) Regarding the hemp oil, once it became commercially available (imported, since it’s illegal to grow hemp in the US), we found that it is a near mirror to the lipid make-up of human skin. It pairs beautifully with the jojoba oil, which together superfat the soap, nourishing the skin and not stripping the naturally occurring oils out. I wrote more about hemp oil in bodycare here: https://www.lisabronner.com/9-ways-to-use-hemp-oil-in-body-care-and-why-youd-want-to/

With the labels, we have tried to keep as much of my grandfather’s writings as possible on there while still complying with the ever changing legal requirements. We have compiled all of my grandfather’s writings in a booklet that’s a little easier to read: https://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/MEMO/WRMORABC.html

All the best to you.

Leon says:

I just love how you respond to your comments; detailed, informative, authentic, thorough, upbeat and a delight to read.

Debbie Johnson says:

I have been using the soaps for about a year now. I have found the label to be very interesting but difficult to read for those of us with poor vision. Is there anywhere on the website that has the label in larger print? l would like to read it all Thank you.

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Debbie – I hear you. I think it goes a long to explain the tight squeeze of the label if I tell you that my grandfather was blind.

For the rest of us, there are a couple options for you on this portion of our website: https://www.drbronner.com/our-story/timeline/read-the-moral-abcs/. You can view the labels and zoom in on them. You can also check out a booklet we’ve compiled of all his writings, including the labels. This booklet is viewable online, by download, or you can even buy it at our webstore.

Lisa Harris says:

Great article! I’m so happy to have discovered that Dr. Bronner’s may help my adult-onset acne…for which, I’ve tried nearly everything known to man! I will definitely keep you updated! Thanks so much!

Chelsey says:

Hi Lisa!
When I first heard about the new toothpaste, I was very excited… And then quickly disappointed. I’ve only ever heard glycerin is horrible for your teeth. I understand it coats the teeth, and doesn’t let them rematerialize and that it’s hard to rid your teeth of.
Why not make a tooth powder instead?

Lisa Bronner says:

Hi Chelsey – Thanks for checking out our toothpaste! I, too, have heard many of the swirling statements about glycerin. However, there have been no significant scientific studies done on the effects of glycerin on tooth enamel (although one can find many unsupported claims to that effect on the internet). Even if it were true that glycerin has the potential to wear off tooth enamel, we believe that the alkalinity of our toothpaste would counteract any such effects. Our soap solubilizes any and all glycerin so that when you rinse your mouth and spit the soap out, none remains in the mouth. I hope this helps clear things up!

Leon Oziel says:

What a wonderful article. Thank you for sharing it with us. Wishing you much success with the new toothpaste line, and everything Bronner. It’s the only soap I use, and I make most of my bodycare products with it. It’s the best product on the market, thank you.

About Lisa Bronner

My grandfather was Dr. Bronner, my family makes soap, and I share ways to use it plus tips on greener living.

Learn about my book, Soap & Soul!

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