Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint soap is something I’ve had in my shower since I was a kid (my mom’s been using it since 1975!), and at this point I can’t really imagine living without it. When I was researching my favorite eco-conscious brands for my Earth Day post (here), I was so impressed by this company that I decided to dedicate a separate post to them. They are doing so much from a local to a global level, it’s really inspiring.
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Dr. Bronner’s 18 in 1 Pure Castile liquid soap is like gold; you can use it for basically anything. The company recommends using it “for washing your face, body, hands and hair, for bathing, shaving, brushing your teeth, rinsing fruit, aromatherapy, washing dishes by hand, doing laundry, mopping floors, all-purpose cleaning, washing windows, scrubbing toilets, washing dogs, controlling dust mites, and killing ants and aphids.” It’s also extremely concentrated so a little goes a long way, or you can dilute it!
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MY FAVORITE CLEANSER FOR BRUSHES AND BEAUTY BLENDERS
Not only do I use their liquid soap everyday on myself, I’ve found that their bar soap is excellent for cleaning brushes and Beauty Blenders. As with all of their products, the bar soaps are organic, fair trade and natural. The soap is comprised of mostly oils so it conditions my brushes instead of drying them out. The cleanser that Beauty Blender makes works great to clean your sponges but it’s expensive and I go through it fast. I tried cleaning them with other bar soaps, and even shampoo but noticed it broke down the material and started to tear my sponges. Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar soap not only effectively cleans my Beauty Blenders but it doesn’t compromise the product whatsoever.. AND it’s only about $5.
ENVIRONMENTAL
All of Dr Bronner’s products are biodegradable and vegetable based, so they will decompose naturally. Their containers are made from 100% recycled materials and they are able to be re-recycled once you use them.
The company purchase their ingredients from certified organic growers and none of their oils contribute to deforestation. They are proving that palm oil does not have to be destructive to the environment and that sustainable options are attainable. Dr. Bronner’s has successfully built a fair trade program for this ingredient, and their palm oil is harvested from sustainable farmland in Ghana.
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CRUELTY FREE AND ANIMAL FRIENDLY
Dr Bronner’s is “leaping bunny” certified, meaning they are cruelty free. The company’s president is vegan, and animal welfare is one of the main issues the Dr. Bronner’s supports. Last year a portion of their sales went toward Compassion in World Farming, the world’s leading farm animal welfare organization. They ended up raising over £25,512 to support the work Compassion in World Farming is doing.
Their German and Australian partners recently teamed up with one of my favorite organizations, Sea Shepherd- a marine wildlife conservation organization. Dr. Bronner’s began working with Sea Shepard by supplying soap to three Sea Shepherd ships for 2015 Faroe Islands Pilot Whale Defense Campaign. Since then, they have continued to supply soap to Sea Shepherd ships docked in Germany, the US and Australia.
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INGREDIENTS
Dr. Bronner’s is not only good for the environment, but it’s safe for your skin as well! None of their products contain synthetics, detergents, thickeners, preservatives, dyes, whiteners or harsh chemicals.
FAIR TRADE
Since 2006, Dr. Bronner’s has been committed to sourcing their major raw materials from Fair Trade projects across the world and they are members of several Fair Trade advocacy organizations. By getting their materials from certified Fair Trade projects, it ensures fair prices, fair wages, fair working conditions and community benefits for the workers and their families.
Dr. Bronner’s gets their coconut oil from Sri Lanka, their palm oil form Ghana, their olive oil from Palestine and Israel. They go to India for mint oil, Kenya for avocados, tea tree and coconut oils, Ecuador for sugar cane alcohol, and to Zambia for beeswax.
An estimated 10,000 people around the world benefit directly from Dr. Bronner’s various Fair Trade projects.
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PHILANTHROPY
Charity is a huge part of the company’s mission. They work with and donate to many different organizations around the world, and according to their website, “almost all of our income that is not needed for growing the company is contributed to charitable, social and environmental causes, and to community development programs.”
Dr. Bronner’s advocates on organic and Fair Trade standards, agricultural hemp production, GMO labeling, cannabis policy reform, animal welfare, youth programs, as well as consciousness study & development. They support peace and human rights campaigns, anti-poverty initiatives, and they promote social justice and equality.
They also work on projects such as building schools in Mexico and orphanages in Haiti and China, they help organic farming projects. They’ve donated over 1,200 acres of land to the San Diego County Boys and Girls Club, and they support their local food bank and other charities in the San Diego area.
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ORGANIC INTEGRITY
Dr. Bronner’s has been a pioneer in USDA certified organic personal care products and they still actively fight for organic integrity in body care. Since there are no real regulations to prevent a company from using the word “organic” to describe their products, many take advantage of this loophole and will claim they are organic, when they are not 100%. Dr. Bronner’s has played a crucial role in making sure that body care products must be certified in order claim Organic when sold in Whole Foods Markets as well as cooperatives organized under the National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA).
As consumers we vote with our dollars and this is a company worth supporting. Check out their website to read more about their efforts and check out their amazing products while you’re there too.
www.drbronner.com
Disclaimer: I purchased this product myself and have not been contacted by the company to make a review. The Tried and True Review series is never sponsored.