Nearly a year ago, I did a series of reviews of bath soaps from shave artisans. You can find the last one here and it has links to all the rest. During that series, someone suggested I look at some artisan-adjacent and more hipster-popular bath products. So here we are.

Disclosures

• All bath soaps were purchased at full retail price
• My skin tends toward the dry side. If I don't moisturize regularly in the colder, dryer months, my skin gets into pretty rough shape pretty quick
• All soaps to be reviewed have been used daily for at least 4 weeks or until they died, generally for showers and with a soap net (purchased at full retail price from Amazon)

Criteria - What am I looking for in a perfect bath soap?

1. I want my bath soap to get me clean
2. I want my bath soap to smell nice
3. I want my bath soap to last long enough to justify the price
4. I want my bath soap to not leave my skin a horrible dried wreck

The Competitors

• Dr Bronner's
• Dr Squatch
• Pre de Provence
• Mitchell's Wool Fat

Dr Bronner's Bath Soap

Dr Bronner's was the first "hipster soap" someone recommended I review, so it gets to go first in my review schedule. It's Fair Trade and Organic and made with hemp. It's certified vegan, not tested on animals and non-GMO. What more (or less) could you want in your bath soap?

For the first couple of weeks, it felt like the bar wasn't getting any smaller. In fact, I thought maybe they'd included the second soap in the 2-pack as some kind of cruel joke. But early in week 3, the soap started disappearing fairly rapidly. By the end of week 4, there was probably less than an ounce of soap left (though I didn't weigh it, I just shoved it into my clown soap net with all the other slivers). I may have been able to get another week out of it if I'd cared enough to try. I paid $9.62 for a 2-pack of Dr Bronner's 5oz bath bars. That's $4.81 for one bar or about $0.14 per shower.

So how was it? Well, the scent was pleasant but weak. After the first few showers, it didn't have much scent left at all. It definitely foamed up nicely and did a good job of knocking off the dirt and stink. However, it also wasn't particularly kind to my skin. It wasn't so much that it was harsh, but when we got into a cold snap a week or so ago and the humidity dropped, I really noticed just how dry it was leaving my skin.

What does Dr Bronner's get right? Well, it's hard to argue with the price, especially if all the certifications matter to you.

Where does Dr Bronner's miss the mark? It would have been great if the scent had stuck around a little longer. Also, I found it to be drying enough that I can't imagine paying for another bar.

Scorecard

• Clean Soapy Goodness: 5/5
• Smelling Great: 1/5
• Soap That Lasts: 5/5
• Skin Food: 2/5

Total Score: 13/20

Editing to add: The soap was Dr Bronner's All-One Hemp Citrus Pure-Castile Bar Soap