The Grandpa Soap Company

What The Grandpa Soap Company does

The Grandpa Soap Company is a family-owned natural personal care brand founded in 1878 and headquartered in Erlanger, Kentucky. The company manufactures and sells bar soaps, body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and curated bundles under The Grandpa Soap Co. name (previously Grandpa's Wonder Pine Tar Soap). Its product portfolio centers on a signature pine tar formulation made with 100% pure kiln-burned pine tar oil imported from Sweden, processed in a closed-vacuum high-temperature system, supplemented by other natural ingredients such as activated charcoal, witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, Epsom salt, oatmeal, and essential-oil-based fragrances. All products are formulated to be vegan, cruelty-free, sulfate- and paraben-free, and made with RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil; the company holds Leaping Bunny, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, RSPO, and Made in USA certifications.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model: the primary sales channel is a Shopify-powered e-commerce store at grandpasoap.com, with supplemental listings on Amazon and iHerb marketplaces to reach broader audiences. Pricing is unit-based and low-ticket, with bar soaps at $4.79–$6.79, body washes at $8.89–$10.49, haircare priced individually, and bundles offering 8–12% savings on combined products. Free shipping is offered on orders of $50+ within the contiguous United States; Alaska and Hawaii face shipping restrictions. Marketing is primarily digital — website content, SEO-optimized product pages, an email newsletter, and an Instagram presence — emphasizing heritage, natural ingredients, and sustainability.

The company employs 11–50 people, is privately held with no external investors or funding rounds, and has no management team, M&A, or restructuring disclosures. The only formal partnership is a 2020 alliance with the reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted, through which the company has helped plant over 30,000 trees. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company has no AI, API, or software products; its competitive differentiation rests on formulation heritage, certification stack, and direct distribution rather than technology.

Name

The Grandpa Soap Company

Legal name

The Grandpa Soap Company

Website

https://grandpasoap.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1878

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Grandpa Soap Company is a family-owned natural personal care brand founded in 1878, based in Erlanger, Kentucky, selling bar soaps, body washes, haircare, and bundles via a Shopify DTC store and Amazon/iHerb marketplaces to environmentally and health-conscious U.S. consumers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Personal Care (Bar Soap, Body Wash, Haircare)

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap, Cleaning Compound, and Toilet Preparation Manufacturing (3256), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (4561)

SIC

Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRADANAI

Hand Sanitizers & Antibacterial Personal Care

Consumer Products & Retail/Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Manufacturing & Brands/Consumer Fragrances & Personal Care Manufacturing (Non-cosmetic)

SECONDARYCRABAEAF

Intimate & Personal Hygiene Washes

Consumer Products & Retail/Beauty & Personal Care/Bath, Body & Personal Cleansing

Keywords

• Natural bar soap
• Pine tar body wash
• Vegan haircare products
• Sustainable personal care
• Herbal soap products

Headquarters

HQ city

Erlanger

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Direct E-commerce Sales: Revenue generated from direct online sales through their Shopify-powered website, including bar soaps, body washes, haircare products, and bundled offerings.
2. Marketplace Sales: Revenue from sales through Amazon and iHerb marketplace channels, expanding reach beyond direct e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Grandpa Soap Company manufactures and sells natural personal care products including bar soaps, body washes, shampoos, conditioners, and curated product bundles. The signature ingredient is 100% pure kiln-burned pine tar oil imported from Sweden, paired with certified sustainable palm oil, glycerin, coconut oil, and natural essential oil fragrances. The company sells direct-to-consumer through its own Shopify-powered e-commerce store and via Amazon and iHerb marketplaces, targeting environmentally conscious and health-conscious personal care users in the United States.

Product overview

The Grandpa Soap Company is a family-owned personal care brand established in 1878, offering a portfolio of bar soaps, body washes, haircare products, and curated bundles. The product line centers on pine tar-based formulations (imported from Sweden) alongside other natural ingredients like charcoal, witch hazel, apple cider vinegar, and various botanical extracts. Bar soaps include Pine Tar, Charcoal, Epsom Salt, Witch Hazel, Oatmeal, and Thylox Acne Treatment variants. Body washes encompass Apple Cider Vinegar, Pine Tar, Cotton Seed, and Charcoal formulations. Haircare consists of shampoo and conditioner duos in Pine Tar, Rosemary, Rose Clay, Witch Hazel, and Buttermilk variants. The company offers four bundle options that combine complementary products across categories at discounted prices. All products emphasize certified sustainable palm oil, natural fragrances from essential oils, hydrating glycerin, and cleansing coconut oil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pine Tar Bar Soap Signature bar soap made with 100% pure kiln-burned pine tar oil imported from Sweden, suitable for all skin types, sold in SMALL (3.25 OZ) and FULL (4.25 OZ) sizes from $4.79.
• Charcoal Bar Soap Activated charcoal and organic hemp oil bar soap ideal for oily skin, vegan and cruelty-free, sulfate-free and paraben-free, priced at $5.19.
• Epsom Salt Bar Soap Vegan bar soap enriched with cleansing Epsom salt, sulfate-free, paraben-free, and free from artificial fragrances, priced individually.
• Witch Hazel Bar Soap Organic witch hazel bar soap for gentle cleaning, certified organic, vegan, and cruelty-free, priced individually.
• Oatmeal Bar Soap Soothing oatmeal bar soap for sensitive skin, contains gluten, priced individually.
• Thylox Acne Treatment Bar Soap Acne treatment bar soap containing Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, with a 4-year shelf life, priced at $6.79.
• Apple Cider Vinegar Body Wash Revitalizing body wash with apple cider vinegar for all skin types, free from artificial fragrances or colorants, priced at $8.89.
• Pine Tar Body Wash Enriched with cedarwood oil, dermatologist-recommended skin therapy formula, free of sulfates, phthalates, parabens, and artificial fragrances, priced at $10.49.
• Cotton Seed Cleansing Shower Oil Nourishing cleansing shower oil with cotton seed extract for gentle skin care, priced individually.
• Charcoal Cleansing Shower Cream Activated charcoal cleansing shower cream for deep cleansing, suitable for all skin types, priced individually.
• Pine Tar Shampoo Scalp therapy shampoo with pine tar for all hair types, rated 4.6 out of 5 stars from 121 reviews, priced individually.
• Pine Tar Conditioner Scalp therapy conditioner with pine tar, with 70 reviews, priced individually.
• Rosemary Shampoo Purify shampoo rejuvenating with rosemary oil, refreshes and restores balance, suits all hair types, vegan and cruelty-free, rated 4.9 out of 5 stars from 17 reviews.
• Rose Clay Deep Conditioner Deep conditioner with rose clay for nourishing hair treatment, rated 5 out of 5 stars, priced individually.
• Witch Hazel Shampoo Clarifying shampoo with witch hazel, lavender cleanser, and nourishing coconut oil, with 48 reviews, priced individually.
• Witch Hazel Conditioner Clarify conditioner infused with witch hazel to replenish moisture and add body, vegan, cruelty-free, suitable for all hair types, with 16 reviews.
• Buttermilk Shampoo Gentle buttermilk shampoo for soft and smooth hair, with 19 reviews, priced individually.
• Buttermilk Conditioner Nourishing buttermilk conditioner for silky smooth hair, with 20 reviews, priced individually.
• Pine Tar Bar Soap and Haircare Bundle Curated bundle including Pine Tar bar soap, shampoo, and conditioner for comprehensive scalp therapy, priced at $23.91 (regular $27.17).
• Witch Hazel Bar Soap and Haircare Bundle Bundle featuring Witch Hazel bar soap, clarify shampoo, and clarify conditioner for all hair types, priced at $20.21 (regular $22.97).
• Pine Tar Collection Bundle Complete Pine Tar collection including body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and bar soap for full body and hair care, priced at $33.14 (regular $37.66).
• Pine Tar Body Wash and Haircare Bundle Bundle combining Pine Tar body wash, shampoo, and conditioner for scalp and skin therapy, priced at $27.69 (regular $31.47).

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 trees planted through reforestation partnership

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• One Tree PlantedcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020One Tree Planted is a non-profit dedicated to global reforestation. The Grandpa Soap Company partners with One Tree Planted since 2020 to support tree planting initiatives. The company has helped plant over 30,000 trees through this partnership. Every April, efforts focus on reforestation activities, with a portion of sales donated to support the cause and partnerships with local organizations supporting native wildlife.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Dr. Squatch: DTC natural bar soap and personal care brand selling primarily through a Shopify site with strong e-commerce positioning around natural ingredients and distinctive brand storytelling—closely aligned with The Grandpa Soap Company's DTC bar soap and body wash model.
• Dr. Bronner's: Family-owned natural soap manufacturer (bar soaps, body washes, lotions) sold direct-to-consumer and through natural-product retail, sharing the same natural-ingredient, vegan, and cruelty-free positioning as The Grandpa Soap Company.
• Duke Cannon: Heritage-inspired bar soap and men's personal care brand with premium DTC positioning, comparable to The Grandpa Soap Company in bar soap focus and storytelling-driven e-commerce.

Broad incumbents

• Tom's of Maine: Large natural personal care brand (owned by Colgate-Palmolive) operating broadly across toothpaste, deodorant, soap, and body wash—overlaps with The Grandpa Soap Company on natural-ingredient bar soaps and body washes but at much greater scale.
• Burt's Bees: Established natural personal care brand (owned by Clorox) with broad DTC and retail presence across body care, lip care, and cleansers—competitively adjacent to The Grandpa Soap Company's natural-personal-care positioning.
• Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day: Natural household and personal care brand (owned by SC Johnson) selling bar soaps and body washes with garden-inspired scents at mass retail, a broader incumbent comparable to The Grandpa Soap Company's natural bar soap portfolio.
• Dove (Unilever): Mass-market bar soap and body wash incumbent that competes for the same personal care shelf; relevant as the dominant scale player in bar soap and body wash categories The Grandpa Soap Company addresses.

Emerging players

• Kirk's Natural: Heritage-inspired natural bar soap brand with a small DTC e-commerce footprint and focus on simple, naturally derived ingredients—closely comparable to The Grandpa Soap Company's bar soap and heritage-brand approach.
• Chagrin Valley Soap & Salve: Small-batch natural bar soap and personal care producer with strong direct-to-consumer e-commerce and ingredient-driven positioning—an emerging niche peer comparable in category and values.

Others

• iHerb: Health and wellness marketplace where The Grandpa Soap Company already distributes; included as an ecosystem/partner reference rather than a direct competitor, given its role as a sales channel for natural personal care brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thegrandpasoapcompany
• Xx.com/grandpabrandsco
• Facebookfacebook.com/grandpasoap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grandpa-soap-company

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Grandpa Soap Company