It’s basically a story of a product which appealed to a small counterculture riding the wave of that becoming mainstream with a commodity product which got to keep the weird in a way which didn’t offend the sensibilities of the median culture.
In other words they very gently sold out without sacrificing much.
The bottles I buy still are
As for what makes it so good? I think its a combination of it being REAL soap and not some alternative amalgam of desurfecants and that they don't remove the glycerine. Sure, it makes it so you can't use it in handpumps (gums them up) but its also why their soap manages to clean so well without drying your hands out.
Lastly, the use of essential oils for the scents just makes it a luxurious experience.
All they had to do was get it in front of more people. anyone who tries it gets hooked.
Over a decade ago I bought the cool aid and tried it and it is wasn’t very nice. I really don’t get it.
Seeing it pop up again makes me wonder if they are the original Astro turfing ad campaigners.
The original astro-turfers probably go back to caveman days. Ads and propaganda aren't new.
Finally, I would bet your life that the mega-corp soap makers have been involved with literally hundreds of times more astroturfing than Dr Bronners, not to mention intrusive advertising, PR campaigns, aggressive advertising making people feel ashamed of their bodies, etc... Dr. Bronners take no part in that style of bullshit, and that's worth remembering.
I've been using bronners for a decade and have recommended it to more people than I could count. I've never had anyone tell me they downright disliked the soap - with the exception of peppermint, some folks don't like the chilling sensation.
Follow the instructions on the bottle for dilution as well, makes like easier and spreads out the soap.
Your hair gets that stiff feeling that shampoo doesn’t leave you with. I think it was the mint one I got, as recommended, and it left strong sensation on my balls - the kind you can’t tell if it is burning or freezing. And generally skin dry.
So what exactly does it do that the cheapest store brand bar or liquid soap doesn’t? It’s obviously full of residue given it’s scented, and even if it wasn’t full of non soapy things you’d still need to use body lotion and conditioner afterwards to not feel completely dried out.
Bronners cleans dirt and washes away sweat and grease, sure. But I’ve never encountered a soap or detergent in a super market that didn’t.
The cheapest liquid hand washing soap leaves your skin feeling softer and just as clean and just as scented as Bronners. Although I’m not really sure why being scented is a selling point.
Personally I can’t see why you shouldn’t go for a no perfume, certified safe for people with astma and allergies and certified environmentally friendly. In some markets (like Denmark) even the store brands has these certificates and you can scent yourself with the perfume or cologne of your choice instead of having a mix of cologne, body wash and shampoo fight it out.
I will use it for housekeeping but I don't let it near my body anymore.
Anyway, I find it's very good on the skin, I guess that them selling somewhat fancy soap as overpriced floor cleaner just adds to the mystique.
There are other routes to the place that copy comes from. Mysticism can take you there more slowly. Madness takes you there without any working context to what’s happening, or any tools to deal with it.
I think it's well know that Emmanuel Bronner suffered from some mental illnesses - the man lost his family to the holocaust and was sent to a mental asylum upon arriving in America. Life was not necessarily kind to him but he seemed to do alright with the cards he was dealt.
I know when I first learned about the soap, I had a similar sentiment as you. As I have learned more about the history of Dr. Bronners, I have come to see that it is hard for me to imagine some of the trials that the generations before us have faced.
