Is Dr. Squatch REALLY Natural & Non-Toxic?

📧 “My sons love Dr. Squatch and I thought it was a good brand but now it’s everywhere and I’m not sure anymore. Is it fairly clean?”

I get some form of this question a lot these days.

Dr. Squatch is pretty well-known at this point, and they certainly want you to think their products are all-natural.

But as these sorts of brands make their way to the mainstream, low-tox living advocates start looking at them with their spidey senses turned up. Is this popular brand REALLY as ‘safe’ or ‘eco-friendly’ as they pretend to be? Or is this just more greenwashing?

There isn’t a super straightforward answer to that question (sorry!). Pretty much ALL brands have pros and cons, even the “cleanest” ones.

But don’t worry: in this article, I’m giving you the good, bad, and ugly on Dr. Squatch so that that YOU can decide for yourself whether you want to buy their products.

By the way, this article was originally written in December 2025. All of the information here is accurate at the time of publication, but be aware that Dr. Squatch does seem to be making some changes lately. So if you’re reading this in the future, you may want to confirm certain information by checking their website and/or contacting their customer service.

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Dr. Squatch in a Nutshell

You’re probably already familiar with Dr. Squatch. But just in case you aren’t, here’s an overview of the brand as a whole:

Jack Haldrup started Dr. Squatch in 2013 by making bar soap in his garage. He just wanted to offer a natural bar soap for men.

Although Dr. Squatch’s bar soap body wash is still one of their key products, the brand has since expanded to offer a wide range of personal care products, primarily targeted toward guys:

• Liquid body wash
• Hair care (shampoo, etc.)
• Shaving products (like shave butter and after shave)
• Deodorant and “Precision Deodorant” (which is their version of ‘whole body deodorant’)
• Cologne
• Beard oil
• Body lotion
• and more

One of Dr. Squatch’s strengths has been their branding. Not only have they established their own unique vibe, but they have capitalized on a lot of other well-known brands as well. They have sold so many different limited edition soaps featuring your favorite characters, from Harry Potter to Star Wars, Stranger Things, Elf, and more.

In early 2023, Dr. Squatch even launched a second brand called Jukebox, except this one is marketed toward women.

Some big box stores like Target have carried Dr. Squatch’s products for many years now, which has definitely helped make them more of a household name.

What Dr. Squatch Does RIGHT

Now let’s get into the nitty gritty.

First, let’s talk about the Dr. Squatch PROS:

– They make natural, non-toxic personal care attractive to the guys. I think this is a great thing! With their marketing & branding, they can compete with brands like Old Spice but offer safer and more eco-friendly products.

Not only that, but I think their use of popular franchises (like Harry Potter and Star Wars) makes their products attractive to people who may not otherwise care about buying natural products, which I can only see as a good thing.

(I see Dr. Squatch as like a gateway drug for non-toxic living! 😆)

– Their products are free from many of the worst ingredients that are often found in personal care products. They have a “Sh*t List”, which includes things like parabens, phthalates, artificial FD&C colors, and more.

– Their products are mostly natural. They say their products are over 98% natural origin.

– They use ingredients that work. Their star ingredients include things like shea butter (which is really good for dry or sensitive skin), kaolin clay (which is good for cleansing), and charcoal powder and pre/postbiotics (which are good for odor protection).

A few of their products are formulated specifically for sensitive skin. Take this Total Moisture Shea Butter bar soap, for example. It includes a very minimal list of ingredients (Saponified Oils of (Sustainable Palm, Coconut, Olive), Shea Butter, Kaolin Clay, Sea Salt) and does not include any added fragrance. This is a product I would have no problem recommending.

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Now for the Downsides…

– Dr. Squatch uses “naturally-derived” fragrance in almost all of their products. This is the biggest downside to this brand, in my opinion. It’s the biggest factor that prevents me from more strongly recommending Dr. Squatch as a whole.

The first problem you have to understand when it comes to “naturally-derived” fragrance has to do with the ‘fragrance loophole.’ You can learn more about this here, but if you don’t want to take a deep dive right now, here is the short version:

Because of a loophole in labeling laws, companies are allowed to include over 3,500 different ingredients under the umbrella term of “fragrance” (sometimes listed as “parfum” or “aroma”) on ingredient labels, without actually listing out those ingredients.

This is how some ingredients can end up hiding in products.

Many of those 3,500 ingredients are perfectly safe, while others are not. The problem is the lack of informed consent; consumers are not given the opportunity to decide for themselves if they want to buy or use a certain product based on its full ingredient list.

“But the fragrance is naturally-derived, so it shouldn’t really be a problem, right?!”

Not necessarily.

The term “naturally-derived fragrance” can actually be a bit misleading. It means that the scent ingredients were made from natural starting materials, but they may have been chemically processed. This basically means that the fragrances could be all-natural OR they could be semi-synthetic. This can include “nature-identical” compounds that are made via chemical synthesis or biotechnology.

This is not necessarily a ‘bad’ thing, but there is a lack of transparency here. It’s making consumers think the products are all-natural, when they may not be.

(Also, keep in mind that “natural” does not automatically mean “safe.” There are certain natural ingredients that come with potential problems. Plus, anyone can be allergic to anything, so I just generally believe that all ingredients should be listed, wether they’re natural or not.)

– The Sh*t List is pretty short. I’m all about brands having a “no list” of ingredients they never use. But ideally, I would like to see a longer list.

– They are now owned by Unilever. The corporation bought the brand in June 2025 for a reported ~$1.5 billion price tag. While there are pros and cons to a smaller company getting bought out by a large corporation, the majority of low-tox living advocates see these buy-outs as a negative thing, as corporations tend to care more about profits than they do about sourcing high-quality ingredients or ensuring the safety and sustainability of people and planet.

– There’s some hypocrisy with their “transparency” claim. On one of Dr. Squatch’s About Pages, they say:

“We’re Serious About Transparency. At Dr. Squatch we’re not hiding behind false promises and we strive to be as transparent as possible with all of our products and ingredients. That’s why every single ingredient that goes into each product is listed on its product page.”

Buuuttt that’s not actually true. As I noted above, they do not disclose every single ingredient on their product pages because not all of the fragrance ingredients are listed.

Also! I found a couple of instances where the ingredients weren’t listed AT ALL. Take this limited edition Elf “Ninny Scrubbins” bar soap, for example. The ingredient list is nowhere to be found on the product page. Another example: they don’t list the ingredients in their wipes. Same with the lip balms.

Considering all of this, they really should remove their statement about being “serious about transparency.”

– They’re not as low-waste as they used to be. Dr. Squatch’s bar soaps are still packaged in paper boxes, but I’ve noticed that as they’ve expanded their collection, there’s a lot more plastic involved… From the liquid body wash to the shampoo, deodorant, and more, it all comes in plastic bottles that cannot be refilled.

– It’s still pretty expensive. $7-8 for a bar of soap is a bit steep for many consumers. Many people are willing to pay that much if they know that all of the ingredients are totally natural and safe, but the fact that Dr. Squatch’s transparency has decreased in the recent past might leave some conscious consumers to switch to a different brand.

– Some of their products are not suitable for sensitive skin. Dr. Squatch’s soap bars some with different “levels” of grit (zero, light, medium, and heavy), and some of they are very gritty! They use a variety of different ingredients for exfoliation, including sand, pumice, and walnut shells. If you have sensitive skin, some of these ingredients will be way too harsh for your skin and could cause irritation and/or microtears. (I personally have been scraped by their soaps before, especially on areas like my armpits.) So that’s something to be mindful of when shopping.

Additionally, just like with any brand, make sure to check the ingredients for anything you specifically make be sensitive to.

Does Dr. Squatch Use Any Other Sketchy Ingredients?

We talked about the “naturally-derived fragrance,” which is used in nearly all of Dr. Squatch’s products and is, in my opinion, the biggest red flag when it comes to their formulations.

So other than that, does Dr. Squatch use any other potentially toxic ingredients that we might want to know about?

Honestly… not very many!

They do use alcohol denat (listed as SD Alcohol 40-B) in their colognes and scented Precision Deodorant. You can read more about why that could potentially be problematic here.

They also use hydroxyapatite in their toothpaste, which you can read more about here. The thing with hydroxyapatite is that its safety depends on several factors, including shape and size.

I couldn’t find anything on Dr. Squatch’s website that gives more details about what specific type of hydroxyapatite they use, but I did reach out to them and ask. First, they informed me that their hydroxyapatite is indeed nano-sized. When I asked for more information about the sourcing and shape, they said “Unfortunately, we’re unable to share the exact components or sourcing details of our hydroxyapatite, as that information is proprietary.”

Considering this, I personally would not recommend Dr. Squatch’s toothpaste for longterm use. There are way too many other toothpaste brands that are more transparent about their hydroxyapatite.

People who prefer to use ALL natural products will want to bear in mind that despite their ‘natural’ branding and marketing, Dr. Squatch does use some synthetic and semi-synthetic ingredients. Not a ton, but their products are not 100% natural.

Other than that, Dr. Squatch’s formulations really are not bad. I went through the ingredient lists for a LOT of their products and I did not find any other red flags outside of what I’ve explained above.

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My Personal Dr. Squatch Review

I have used several Dr. Squatch products over the years, including their bar soap and deodorant.

(Anytime a brand gets this popular, I like to try it out to see if it lives up it the hype from a user standpoint!)

My thoughts on the scents: They’re really good. There is a reason Dr. Squatch has become so popular among guys because they really do come with relatively strong, conventionally “manly” scents.

As someone who is sensitive to strong smells, I have not found their scents too be too strong for me personally. That said, I have not tried all of their products, including the cologne and/or after shave. Those types of products tend to be the ones that are more difficult for me to handle.

The bar soap and liquid body wash: These are the products I’ve tried the most. My husband, nephews, and I have tried several of their scents. As I mentioned above, some of their “high grit” bar soaps are a little much and have caused little scrapes on my skin, but besides that, I they work well and lather nicely.

The deodorant: It works. Again, it’s a very ‘manly’ scent that lasts a long time and can hold up well throughout the day.

For me, the thing is: there’s not really another brand like it that appeals to guys. SO I think that it’s a ‘choose your battle’ situation. Is Dr. Squatch perfect? No. Is it better than pretty much all of the other mainstream ‘man brands’ out there, and something you/your son/husband/boyfriend/whatever will actually use? Yes. Which is great!

Personally, although it’s not my go-to brand, I still feel fine about my husband and nephews using it when I consider all the factors.

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Is Dr. Squatch…

Cruelty-Free? 👉 Yes.

Vegan? 👉 Some products, but not all. Their Deep Sea Goat’s Milk bar, Eucalyptus Greek Yogurt bar, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Deodorant are NOT vegan. (They use ingredients like beeswax, honey, and goat’s milk.)

Antibacterial? 👉 No. (But you probably don’t need antibacterial soap.)

Made in the USA? 👉 Yes.

Biodegradable? 👉 Yes, most of their products do appear to be biodegradable. You can always check the individual product to make sure. (Most of the packaging, however, is not biodegradable.)

Deodorant antiperspirant? 👉 No. Their deodorant is aluminum-free, which means it’s not an antiperspirant.

Sold in Stores? 👉 Oh yeah. This is one of the main selling points, IMO. Dr. Squatch is available at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Whole Foods, Kroger, and a lot of other stores.

Only for Men? 👉 No way, José. Soap is soap and skin is skin.

Phthalate- & Paraben-Free? 👉 Yes.

I’m curious to know your thoughts on Dr. Squatch. Have you tried it before (or has someone in your household?) Do you like it? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!