Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor08.24.22
Dr. Squatch— the burly personal care company named for the elusive legend of the Pacific Northwest, aka Bigfoot—released its second collection of bar soaps inspired by legendary Star Wars characters from the Skywalker Saga.
“Our mission is to entertain and educate men to live happier, healthier lives,” said Cody Griffin, senior director of marketing, Dr. Squatch. “We felt that our storytelling could combine well with Disney and inspire consumers’ own stories out of them.”
In-line with the Jedi vs. Sith theme from the company’s first Star Wars collection, which launched in 2021 with Lucasfilm, the brand is continuing its mission to make me time more meaningful with four new soaps. Each unisex bar is inspired by the heroes and villains from the most recent trilogy of the legendary saga: “The Last Jedi,” “The Rise of Skywalker” and “The Force Awakens.”
The bars are said to represent both sides of the “The Force”—the metaphysical power that plays a large role in the film saga.
“There’s always different elements you can identify with as a person,” explained Griffin.
Resistance Rinse, inspired by the strong, delicate beauty of Rey Skywalker, contains the gentle exfoliation powers of electric daisy with a floral, aromatic and refreshing scent. Legendary Lather, inspired by Luke Skywalker, features five finger grass imparting a breezy, grassy scent. For those feeling invincible and wish to channel the tall, dark and handsome Kylo Ren, there is Suds of Darkness, which features exfoliating rhyolite for a deep cleanse and skin softener topped off with smoothing love lies bleeding oil, which suffuses a steamy, musky scent. And while the character may come across as an old, rickety man, consumers will feel anything but when showering with Sinister Scrub, which is inspired by Emperor Palpatine. Packed with black currant, a raw fruit rich in vitamin C and polyphenols, bathers will relish the bar’s spicy aromas.
Universal Appeal
While the brand caters to men’s grooming, women purchased 25-30% of the previous Star Wars collection, according to the company.
The launch comes on the heels of the success of Dr. Squatch’s limited-edition Galaxy Collection. A “Black Hole” soap bar was added in May following the first-ever image of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy revealed by astronomers.
Since Dr. Squatch focuses its own marketing on genuine storytelling, the partnership with Disney was an opportunity for the brand to bring its best foot forward in offering a unique perspective to the product and the brand itself, Griffin said.
Since its inception, the men’s personal care company has amassed more than $200 million in sales with its hero products, inclusive of natural cold process bar soap, hair care, toothpaste, and most recently, deodorant to help men feel like a man and smell like a champion, per the brand’s tagline. In 2020, Dr. Squatch expanded into the deodorant category with an antiperspirant that absorbs and stops moisture without aluminum. The result was a core sweat absorber with probiotics and arrow root powder that mitigates bad odor with a robust profile of scents.
For fanatics of the iconic film and consumers just looking to add more oomph to bath time, the new soap’s collectible packaging shares a message similar to that in the timeless movie: “Your shower destiny awaits.”