America’s top-selling natural soap brand, Dr. Bronner’s, celebrated the relaunch of its personal care products in Singapore, with an exclusive media event earlier this month set in the rustic Open Farm Community restaurant. Guests were treated to an all-vegan lunch in line with the brand’s philosophy and environmental ethics. 

The 160-year-old top-selling personal care brand is best known for its pure-castile 18-in-1 pure-castile liquid soaps which can be used in 18 different ways. 

Their multi-tasking liquid soaps, can be used to clean the face, hands and body, and can also be used in place of traditional toothpaste, shaving foam and pet shampoo too!

One important thing to note is that most of Dr Bronner’s soaps are infused with the goodness of various organic essential oils. While this may be great for our skin, the same is not true for cats. 

It is therefore recommended that cat-owners use the unscented baby soap with the baby blue label when showering their felines, as certain essential oils can be toxic to cats.

Zero-waste advocates will also be happy to know that Dr Bronner’s products are organic, fair trade certified, cruelty-free and packed in 100% post-consumer recycled (PCR). To make its plant-based soaps, the brand sources all of its major ingredients from organic certified, fair trade certified and sustainable sources. Other than the lip balms – which contain beeswax from sustainable sources- the rest of their products are all vegan-friendly. 

The family-owned brand’s president Michael Bronner (yep, it’s still a 100% family run business) was also at the launch and assured the media that no nasties are added to the brand’s products. 

The brand’s liquid soaps may be gentle, but are super concentrated so a little goes a long way. Although known to be mild and gentle, the liquid soaps are still really effective cleansers that can be used to clean just about everything in and around the house, from greasy dishes, to laundry, to dirty floors, windows and even as a vegetables/fruits rinse.  

Users can pre-dilute the multi-cleanser in a bottle, the soap to water ratio can be found here.

In the name of science, I decided to put the pure-castile liquid soap to test. Here are my thoughts:

First, I used it as a shower gel, which is also the most common way to use it. I then used it as a facial wash, shampoo and shaving foam. While it worked really well as a face and body cleanser, it didn’t work quite as well on my hair, which came away from it all looking slightly matted and rough to the touch. After checking with a brand representative, I was then told that it is recommended that I use a vinegar rinse post shampoo. While not hard to do, it is more trouble than it’s worth, at least for me personally, so I will probably skip using it on my hair.

It worked great as a shaving foam and provided a really smooth shave for my under-arms. While I initially balked at the thought of using it to brush my teeth, it turned out to be a really pleasant experience. And as an added bonus, my toothbrush was squeaky clean after brushing.

After using it in place of a toothpaste, I became braver and tried to find more creative ways of using the product, beyond the 18 listed uses. 

Since it worked well as a facial cleanser, I figure that it will make a good make-up remover. So I used a dampened cotton pad and added a few drops of the castile soap to it, created a light foam before wiping it over my face. While it did remove my base and non-waterproof makeup, I would recommend using a separate eye makeup remover to clean off waterproof eye-liner and mascara.

Dr. Bronner’s is exclusively available at all Watsons stores and the SG e-store. There are eight varieties of Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soaps on sale, namely the Peppermint, Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Rose, Citrus Orange, Almond, and Baby Unscented, along with other personal care products.

Expect to pay $14.90/237ml, $22.90/473ml or $34.90/947ml for their Pure-Castile Soap. Their Lip Balm retails for $7.50, a Pure-Castile Soap Bar retails at $8.90, their Peppermint Toothpaste is priced at $12.90 and the Lavender Organic Hand Sanitizer sells for $7.90.

Advertisement