Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps was founded by Emanuel Bronner, who was not a doctor. He was a Jewish immigrant soap-maker who emigrated from Germany in 1928. His family, who stayed behind, were murdered in the Holocaust. After escaping from a mental institution in 1945, Bronner went into business.{{cite news |url=https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/05/dr-bronners-magic-soap-david-bronner-gmo-hemp/ |title=How Dr. Bronner's Soap Turned Activism Into Good Clean Fun |last=Harkinson |first=Josh |date=May 24, 2014 |work=Mother Jones |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124003706/https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/05/dr-bronners-magic-soap-david-bronner-gmo-hemp/ |url-status=live }}

Bronner created his own syncretic spiritual ideology and originally distributed the soap to those who attended lectures on his 'All One' philosophy; however, he soon became convinced that attendees were seeking soap rather than spiritual enlightenment. After this realization, Bronner began to print key tenets of his teachings on the soap bottles as a way to proselytize.{{cite news |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3009080/is-dr-bronners-all-natural-soap-a-50-million-company-or-an-activist-platfo |title=Is Dr. Bronner's All-Natural Soap A $50 Million Company Or An Activist Platform? Yes |last=Zax |first=David |date=May 2, 2013 |work=Fast Company |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123201200/https://www.fastcompany.com/3009080/is-dr-bronners-all-natural-soap-a-50-million-company-or-an-activist-platfo |url-status=live }} The labels still include detailed monologues on the unity of humankind and the need to "unite spaceship earth". An 88-minute documentary film directed by Sara Lamm, titled Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox, was released in 2006,{{cite AV media |title=Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0881909/ |people=Lamm, Sara (Director) |access-date=November 23, 2018}} and in 2017, the company released a spoken word album of Bronner's spiritual teachings.{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/02/09/514365563/soapmaker-dr-bronner-releases-posthumous-album-of-his-own-words |title=Soapmaker Dr. Bronner Releases Posthumous Album Of His Own Words |date=February 9, 2017 |first=Andrew |last=Limbong |work=NPR.org |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123200927/https://www.npr.org/2017/02/09/514365563/soapmaker-dr-bronner-releases-posthumous-album-of-his-own-words |url-status=live }}

For a period of time, Bronner ran the company as a tax-exempt religious organization, but it was not in compliance with this designation and was levied $1.3 million in back taxes in 1985.{{cite news |url=https://www.inc.com/magazine/201204/tom-foster/the-undiluted-genius-of-dr-bronners.html |date=April 3, 2012 |title=The Undiluted Genius of Dr. Bronner's |last=Foster |first=Tom |work=Inc.com |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001170255/https://www.inc.com/magazine/201204/tom-foster/the-undiluted-genius-of-dr-bronners.html |url-status=live }} Following this, Emmanuel Bronner's son Jim started working, and in 1988, it was recapitalized as a for-profit business. In 1997, Jim Bronner's son, David, began working for the company.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/how-a-hemp-clad-hippie-turned-dr-bronners-magic-soap-into-an-unlikely-commercial-hit-9533377.html |title=How a hemp-clad hippie turned Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap into an unlikely commercial hit |last=Usborne |first=Simon |date=June 12, 2014 |work=The Independent |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123200947/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/how-a-hemp-clad-hippie-turned-dr-bronners-magic-soap-into-an-unlikely-commercial-hit-9533377.html |url-status=live }}

In 1999, the company rebranded as "social and natural." The soap had long included caramel coloring, but the company had never disclosed this ingredient. In the rebranding, David Bronner faced a choice: declare the ingredient or omit it. He decided to replace the caramel color with hemp oil. From then on, David Bronner also campaigned intensively for the legalization of hemp.

David Bronner's brother, Michael, began working for the company in 2000. Michael Bronner assumed the presidency of the company in 2015 and promoted his brother David Bronner to the position of CEO, which stands for Cosmic Engagement Officer at the company.{{cite web|title=Mike Bronner Media Profile|url=https://www.drbronner.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mike-Bronner-Media-Profile.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123200901/https://www.drbronner.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mike-Bronner-Media-Profile.pdf|archive-date=November 23, 2018|access-date=November 23, 2018}}

In June 2022, Dr. Bronner co-signed an open letter expressing concern over B Corp certifications awarded to multinationals with documented histories of unethical practice. In January 2023, a private letter was sent to B Lab, the nonprofit organization responsibile for the B Corporation program, warning that without meaningful reforms, Dr. Bronner’s would likely withdraw from the program.{{Cite web |last=necessary |first=“We hope our exit will prompt |last2=Action” |first2=Overdue |date=2025-02-11 |title=Dr. Bronner’s Drops B Corp Certification Over Integrity Concerns - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine |url=https://vegconomist.com/company-news/dr-bronners-drops-b-corp-certification-over-integrity-concerns/ |access-date=2025-04-09 |website=vegconomist.com |language=en-GB}}

In February 2025, Dr. Bronner announced it would not renew its certification with B Lab. David Bronner and Michael Bronner said that “The integrity of the B Corp Certification has become compromised ... Sharing the same logo and messaging ... with large multinational CPG companies with a history of serious ecological and labor issues, and no comprehensive or credible eco-social certification of supply chains, is unacceptable to us"

The major ingredients (mainly vegetable oils, lye, and essential oils) in Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps products are organic and fair trade.{{cite news |url=https://www.drbronner.com/about/ourselves/the-dr-bronners-story/ |title=150 years and 5 generations of family soapmaking |work=Dr. Bronner's |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016165145/https://www.drbronner.com/about/ourselves/the-dr-bronners-story/ |url-status=live }} The company has developed a number of fair trade and organic production systems in Ghana, Sri Lanka, Samoa, India, and Kenya through its sister LLC, Serendiworld.{{cite news |url=https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-dr-bronners-cleaning-its-agricultural-supply-chain |title=How Dr. Bronner's is cleaning up its agricultural supply chain |last=Gaeta |first=Ana Christina |date=August 13, 2018 |work=GreenBiz |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016165244/https://www.greenbiz.com/article/how-dr-bronners-cleaning-its-agricultural-supply-chain |url-status=live }}

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps has championed a number of causes related to drug policy reform,{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dr-bronners-marijuana_us_57e1695ee4b08cb140983ef3 |title=Dr. Bronner's Just Made A Dank Donation In Fight For Legal Weed |last=Kaufman |first=Alexander C. |date=September 20, 2016 |work=Huffington Post |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214183721/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dr-bronners-marijuana_us_57e1695ee4b08cb140983ef3 |url-status=live }} animal rights,{{cite news |url=https://vegnews.com/2017/10/dr-bronners-donates-600k-to-animal-rights-causes |title=Dr. Bronner's Donates $600K to Animal-Rights Causes |last=Starostinetskaya |first=Anna |date=October 26, 2017 |work=VegNews.com |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123201010/https://vegnews.com/2017/10/dr-bronners-donates-600k-to-animal-rights-causes |url-status=live }} genetically modified organisms{{cite news |url=https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/10/read-dr-bronners-gmo-ad-thats-too-hot-nature-and-science/ |title=Why Did Top Scientific Journals Reject This Dr. Bronner's Ad? |last=Philpott |first=Tom |date=October 20, 2014 |work=Mother Jones |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124003631/https://www.motherjones.com/food/2014/10/read-dr-bronners-gmo-ad-thats-too-hot-nature-and-science/ |url-status=live }} and fair trade practices. The company has self-imposed caps on executive pay, with executive salaries not to exceed five times the wage of its lowest paid workers. Roughly a third of the company's profits are dedicated to charitable giving and activist causes annually.{{cite web |url=https://qz.com/quartzy/1374780/dr-bronners-soap-is-a-trendy-120-million-company/ |title=70 years after its founding, Dr. Bronner's Soap is a trendy $120 million company |last=Stolzoff |first=Simone |date=September 4, 2018 |publisher=qz.com |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123201034/https://qz.com/quartzy/1374780/dr-bronners-soap-is-a-trendy-120-million-company/ |url-status=live }}

In 2018, the company joined Patagonia, Inc. and the Rodale Institute in promoting the development of the Regenerative Organic Certification label, a more stringent certification than 'organic' that requires companies to utilize only ingredients that have been produced under conditions that foster workers' rights, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability.{{cite news |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40541750/regenerative-organic-certification-wants-to-be-the-ethical-label-to-rule-them-all |title=Regenerative Organic Certification Wants To Be The Ethical Standard To Rule Them All |last=Anzilotti |first=Eillie |date=March 14, 2018 |work=Fast Company |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123200840/https://www.fastcompany.com/40541750/regenerative-organic-certification-wants-to-be-the-ethical-label-to-rule-them-all |url-status=live }} In 2013, the company donated $1.8 million to the campaign to pass a proposition requiring the labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms in Washington State.{{cite news |url=https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/11/dr-bronners-soap-gmo-labeling-washington/ |title=How Dr. Bronner's Got All Lathered Up About GMOs |last=Harkinson |first=Josh |date=November 4, 2013 |work=Mother Jones |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123200946/https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/11/dr-bronners-soap-gmo-labeling-washington/ |url-status=live }}

In 2017, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps donated $600,000 to animal rights causes. Notably, the company purchased a boat for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society operations in Germany, the MV Emanuel Bronner. For the company's national and international experience in sustainable development, and eco-friendly products, the Environment Possibility Award conferred the "Award of Earth Defender" to Dr. Bronner's in 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ep-a.org/medal-2021/en/dr-bronners-organic-sugar-soaps|title=ORGANIC SUGAR SOAPS won the 2020 Award of Earth Defender |publisher=A.A. Environment Possibility Award|language=en-US|access-date=2020-12-27|archive-date=2021-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202104349/https://www.ep-a.org/medal-2021/en/dr-bronners-organic-sugar-soaps|url-status=live}}

CEO David Bronner is a critic of drug prohibition and an activist for the legalization of a number of psychoactive substances.{{cite news |url=https://psychedelictimes.com/podcasts/podcast-with-dr-bronners-ceo-and-visionary-activist-david-bronner/ |title=Podcast with Dr. Bronner's CEO and Visionary Activist David Bronner |date=August 21, 2018 |work=Psychedelic Times |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016165242/https://psychedelictimes.com/podcasts/podcast-with-dr-bronners-ceo-and-visionary-activist-david-bronner/ |url-status=live }} In 2004, the company sued the Drug Enforcement Administration with the goal of changing rules regarding the importation of hemp oil. A federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs.{{cite web |url=http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1485 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050217222826/http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/1485 |archivedate=2005-02-17 |url-status=dead |title=U.S. Hemp Industry Wins Battle with DEA |last=Chepesiuk |first=Ron |date=February 16, 2005 |publisher=newstandardnews.net |access-date=November 23, 2018}} David Bronner has been arrested twice for civil disobedience protesting limitations on the domestic production of hemp. In 2004, he planted hemp seeds on the lawn of the Drug Enforcement Administration headquarters, and in 2012, he harvested hemp while locked in a metal cage in front of the White House.{{cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dr-bronners-magic-soaps-ceo-arrested-in-hemp-protest/2012/06/11/gJQAhwLwUV_story.html |title=Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps CEO arrested in hemp protest |last=Ely |first=Margaret |date=June 11, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016165335/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dr-bronners-magic-soaps-ceo-arrested-in-hemp-protest/2012/06/11/gJQAhwLwUV_story.html |url-status=live }} In 2015, he was named Cannabis Activist of the Year by the Seattle Hempfest.{{cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/david-bronner-cannabis-activist-of-the-year |title=David Bronner, Cannabis Activist of the Year |last=Heyward |first=Anna |date=February 29, 2016 |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016222039/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/29/david-bronner-cannabis-activist-of-the-year |url-status=live }}

Bronner is a member of the Board of Directors of the organization Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies,{{cite news |url=https://maps.org/about/board |title=Board of Directors |publisher=Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115215827/https://maps.org/about/board/ |url-status=live }} and at his behest the company has pledged to donate $5 million to the organization between 2017 and 2022, principally for their work in support of the therapeutic use of MDMA for posttraumatic stress disorder.{{cite news |url=https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a-soap-empire-burning-man-and-bitcoin-riches-mdmas-unlikely-shot-at-legalization-073118.html |title=A soap empire, Burning Man, and Bitcoin riches: MDMA's unlikely shot at legalization |last=Martyn |first=Amy |date=July 31, 2018 |work=ConsumerAffairs |access-date=November 23, 2018 |archive-date=October 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181016165211/https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/a-soap-empire-burning-man-and-bitcoin-riches-mdmas-unlikely-shot-at-legalization-073118.html |url-status=live }} In 2019, David Bronner pledged company contributions of $1 million to Oregon's statewide ballot initiative to legalize psilocybin-assisted therapy, alongside nonprofits like SPORE and ERIE.{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/09/30/dr-bronners-magic-soap-company-supports-the-2020-legalize-psilocybin-initiative/ |title=Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap Company Supports The 2020 Legalize Psilocybin Initiative |last=Somerset |first=Sara Brittany |website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2019-10-05|archive-date=2019-10-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191005150517/https://www.forbes.com/sites/sarabrittanysomerset/2019/09/30/dr-bronners-magic-soap-company-supports-the-2020-legalize-psilocybin-initiative/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2019/12/dr-bronners-support-psychedelic-therapy-drug-policy-reform/ |title=Dr. Bronner's Support of Psychedelic Therapy & Drug Policy Reform |last=Bronner |first=David |date=2019-12-05 |publisher=Dr. Bronner's |language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-13|archive-date=2020-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200113205942/https://www.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2019/12/dr-bronners-support-psychedelic-therapy-drug-policy-reform/|url-status=live}} By the time Oregon Ballot Measure 109 was approved by voters in November 2020, legalizing psilocybin in therapeutic settings, Dr. Bronner's had donated more than $2 million in support of the measure.{{cite news |last1=Acker |first1=Lizzy |title=Oregon becomes first state to legalize psychedelic mushrooms |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/11/oregon-becomes-first-state-to-legalize-psychedelic-mushrooms.html |accessdate=2020-11-06 |work=The Oregonian |date=2020-11-03 |archive-date=2020-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115222446/https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2020/11/oregon-becomes-first-state-to-legalize-psychedelic-mushrooms.html |url-status=live }}

In 2022, Dr. Bronner's began promoting psychedelic therapy on their bottles.{{Cite news |last=Jacobs |first=Andrew |date=2022-02-28 |title=Dr. Bronner’s, the Soap Company, Dips Into Psychedelics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/28/health/ketamine-bronner-bros.html |access-date=2025-02-08 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} In December 2024, the family of an employee filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company for allegedly providing their loved one with an unlicensed "ketamine massage" appointment where the masseuse allegedly distributed a lethal dose of MDA (no ketamine was found in her system), accusing the company of fostering a drug culture at the workplace.{{Cite web |last=Rodd |first=Scott |date=2025-02-06 |title=Family claims Dr. Bronner’s fosters a risky culture of drug use that led to employee’s accidental overdose death |url=https://www.kpbs.org/news/public-safety/2025/02/06/dr-bronner-overdose-death |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=KPBS Public Media |language=en}} The case was settled in March 2025, with the company issuing a statement that while the company does provide benefits for Ketamine-Assisted Therapy, the masseuse in question was unlicensed and not a valid provider for the benefit, and stating that neither David nor Mia Bronner recommended the victim receive a "ketamine massage" in particular.{{Cite web |last=Place |first=Leo |date=2025-04-09 |title=Family pursues lawsuit against Encinitas healer in ketamine massage death |url=https://thecoastnews.com/family-pursues-lawsuit-against-encinitas-healer-in-ketamine-massage-death/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=The Coast News Group |language=en-us}}{{Cite web |last=Bronner's |first=Dr |date=2025-03-19 |title=Lawsuit Resolved: Statement by the Lozano and Bronner Families |url=https://info.drbronner.com/all-one-blog/2025/03/lawsuit-resolved-statement-by-the-lozano-and-bronner-families/ |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Dr. Bronner's |language=en-US}}

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Category:Companies based in San Diego County, California

Category:Companies established in the 1940s

Category:Personal care companies of the United States

Category:1940s establishments in California

Category:American cannabis activists

Category:Soaps

Category:B Lab-certified corporations