Dr. Bronner's Concentrated Pure Castile Soap 2020 Review | Gentle and Sustainable All-Purpose Soap
The Top Line: It’s a BUY.
The OG in the sustainable cleaning products world is an oldie and a goodie. We’ve always kept a bottle around the house for over 10 years now, and use it for everything from cleaning floors to cleaning jewelry!
We break it down for you:
Cost & Products Included: $15.99 for a regular 32oz bottle on Amazon, but we also see $57.59 for a gallon sized bottle on Vitacost.
Coupons: None.
How ‘Clean’ Is This? Three times more concentrated than traditional soaps, so you can dilute with water. While it does come in a plastic bottle, because of the all-purpose nature of the product (we use it to clean floors, wash hands, body wash, clean jewelry), you can purchase in bulk and cut down on all the overall packaging you use in the household. Made with organic oils, certified for fair trade ingredients, and fully biodegradeable.
Packaging: While it is a plastic bottle, it is packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
Purchasing & Shipping: Easy — available through Amazon, Grove Collaborative, and many other retailers.
What’s Your Impact? Dramatic reduction of plastic wrap usage, as well as aluminium foil and ziplock bags.
How well did the products actually work?
We started using Dr. Bronners over 10 years ago now, and have slowly incorporated it into many aspects of our cleaning — from floors, to hands and body, to even adding it into our jewelry cleaner!
We assume that the average household uses four 32oz bottles a year:
While not the most inexpensive option, Dr. Bronner’s is very comparable with the other brands of Castile Soap available on the market. We also have a particularly loyalty to the brand given their leadership in this space and their amazing scents!
What We Liked:
✔ 3X more concentrated than normal liquid soaps
✔ All-purpose (dishes, floors, pets, body, hands, and more) - you can buy in bulk and really help cut down on plastic across your household
✔ Plant-based ingredients, no synthetic preservatives, thickeners or foaming agents
✔ Packaging is 100% recycled post-consumer plastic
✔ Certified fair trade ingredients, meaning ethical working conditions and fair prices
✔ Non-toxic, biodegradeable, child/pet-friendly
✔ Incredible array of gently scents (we like rose and lavendar)
What We Didn’t Like:
✗ It is still in a plastic bottle (though we appreciate it is post-consumer recycled!)
Our Recommendation:
Overall we believe Dr. Bronners is a BUY — especially if you can use it across household and purchase in bulk. It is a little more expensive, but we appreciate Dr. Bronner’s early leadership in sustainable household products and fair trade practices.
We're on a mission to reduce our personal carbon footprint with small, hopefully easy, changes in our home to fight against climate change. This means we're looking for products that may be all natural, ideally zero waste, reusable or compostable -- while still being affordable!
