How Dr. Squatch Got Dudes to Level Up From 'Mamma's Little Man'

On May 21, 2018, a fledging, direct-to-consumer soap brand called Dr. Squatch gambled $18,000 on a YouTube video. Starring comedian James Schrader, the three-minute spot was more of an explainer than an ad, and the writing was more manifesto than marketing. “Listen up! The soap you shower with? It’s sh*t,” barked Schrader, standing in front of a rubber duckie shower curtain. “Most guys … are still using whatever bar their mommy bought for her little man. Is that what you want? To smell like mama’s little man?” OK, so it’s not the sort of monologue Procter & Gamble would put out there. But that was the point. Envisioned as a disruptive brand from the start, Dr. Squatch sells a distinctive core product—all-natural, cold process soaps—with an ambitious objective: getting everyday American dudes to care about the ingredients in their toiletries. “The mission for Dr. Squatch is to inspire and educate men to be happier and healthier,” CEO Josh Friedman told ADWEEK. “We fulfill that mission by creating high-performance natural products with amazing scents built for everyday guys.” Until recently, that quest would have been mission impossible. After all, for Gen X guys, personal care was pretty much a can of Right Guard and a bar of Coast. But the emergence of Axe body spray opened the door for millennial men to think more expansively about personal hygiene and, today, with skin care increasingly seen as a part of overall fitness, men’s personal care has exploded into a $30 billion segment growing at 9% yearly, according to Straits Research. In the space of 11 years, Dr. Squatch has morphed from a $5 million brand selling bar soap online to a $450 million colossus lining the shelves of Walmart and Target with a full line including shampoo, deodorant, cologne, and even emollients for the family jewels. What—aside from private equity funding—can explain that kind of growth? Even for guys who don’t care about all-natural ingredients, Dr. Squatch turns heads with a range of eccentric but mature scents like Spearmint Basil, Gold Moss, and Wood Barrel Bourbon. And then there’s the marketing. From the irreverent swagger of that first ad, Dr. Squatch’s "hey bro" message has stayed consistent through its 2021 Super Bowl spot and, most recently, ads starring Sydney Sweeney as the Body Wash Genie. “We use humor, irreverence, and disruptive tactics to get men to pay attention,” Friedman said. “Once we have their attention, we take the time to teach them the value of higher-quality products.” Cold Start Looking to start his own company, former IT guy Jack Haldrup was reading The Lean Startup when, visiting a farmer’s market, he came across some cold process soap. These bars are made by mixing oil or fat with sodium hydroxide (lye) at room temperature, which creates a more pH balanced product. Haldrup hoped it would work on his psoriasis. It did. “It was the first type of soap that didn’t make my skin feel tight, dry, and itch after the shower,” he later said in a Dr. Squatch Q&A. Nuts to That In a sign of just how much the men’s personal care category has grown (for better or worse), Dr. Squatch not only created a collection for a fellow’s dangly bits, it also signed Nick Cannon—and insured his testes for $10 million—to endorse it. In a spot with over 1 million views, Cannon (father of 12) invites viewers to “put your balls in our hands” with products including Beast Wipes and Ball Barrier Dry Lotion. COMING CLEAN: Founder Jack Haldrup taught himself how to make soap in his garage (1). Still a scrappy upstart in 2018, Dr. Squatch dug deep into its coffers to produce an $18,000 YouTube video starring James Schrader, which went viral (2). Dr. Squatch has since morphed into a full line of men’s personal-care accessories including lotions, shampoos, and colognes (3). Licensed, limited-edition soaps have been a big growth area for Dr. Squatch, which has introduced bars for Minecraft and Star Wars (4).

Perspective

How Dr. Squatch Got Dudes to Level Up From 'Mamma's Little Man'

A garage-made soap named after Bigfoot got dudes to care about how they lather up

Robert Klara

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