Dr. Squatch
Dr. Squatch is an American personal-care brand known for natural-positioned men's grooming products and highly distinctive direct-to-consumer advertising.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Dr. Squatch is an American personal-care company founded in San Diego in 2013 and later headquartered in Los Angeles. The brand initially built its business around bar soap marketed toward men, presenting everyday grooming as a more distinctive and entertaining alternative to conventional mass-market products. Its branding emphasizes natural-sounding ingredients, assertive product names, humorous advertising, and a deliberately masculine visual and editorial style. The company’s early business model centered on online sales and subscriptions. A 2016 Kickstarter campaign helped generate funding and attention during its development. By late 2021, the brand was primarily associated with direct-to-consumer commerce, although it subsequently expanded into physical retail distribution. Its product range broadened beyond bar soap to include items such as toothpaste, deodorant, perfume, and other personal-care products. Dr. Squatch’s brand identity is built around the idea that men’s grooming can be both functional and playful. Product names such as “Eucalyptus Greek Yogurt” and “Grapefruit IPA” use familiar natural or food-related associations to make the products memorable, while the company’s communications contrast its positioning with ingredients it characterizes as unsuitable or insufficiently natural. The name “Dr. Squatch” refers to Sasquatch, the mythical Bigfoot figure in popular culture, reinforcing the company’s outdoors-oriented and humorous identity. The brand became particularly visible through digital advertising. In 2021, it targeted younger consumers, including Generation Z audiences, through TikTok advertising and expanded its mainstream exposure with a Super Bowl commercial. The commercial used exaggerated “manly” situations and family humor, including a man opening a pickle jar and another having his hair braided by his daughter. The campaign attracted attention but also criticism for its juvenile humor and deliberately over-the-top tone. Dr. Squatch’s marketing claims later attracted industry scrutiny. In 2023, Unilever identified the company as a meaningful competitor and initiated an intra-industry dispute-resolution process concerning Dr. Squatch advertising that used a skull-and-crossbones symbol to emphasize the absence of ingredients the brand considered non-natural in competing products. In late 2023, the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs determined that the symbol-based practice should be discontinued, while allowing Dr. Squatch to continue making supported claims that its products contained no harmful ingredients. The brand received further public attention in 2024 through an advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney as a “body wash genie.” In June 2025, Unilever announced an agreement to acquire Dr. Squatch from Summit Partners for $1.5 billion. The transaction was described as subject to regulatory and shareholder approval and was reported as completed on November 16, 2025, after customary closing conditions were satisfied. Following the transaction, Dr. Squatch became part of Unilever’s broader personal-care portfolio while retaining its recognizable brand positioning.
History
Dr. Squatch was established in San Diego in 2013 as a personal-care business focused on men's grooming. Its initial proposition centered on bar soap and a more expressive alternative to conventional men's toiletries. Rather than presenting soap as an undifferentiated household necessity, the company used unusual product names, natural-ingredient associations, humor, and a Sasquatch-inspired identity to create a recognizable lifestyle brand. The company used a direct-to-consumer model during its early development. In 2016, it ran a Kickstarter campaign to generate funding. Online distribution and subscription purchasing became important parts of the business, allowing Dr. Squatch to communicate directly with customers and support recurring sales. By late 2021, the brand was still primarily sold online and through subscriptions, although it later added physical retail distribution. As the company developed, its assortment expanded beyond bar soap. It added products including toothpaste, deodorant, perfume, and other grooming items. These products continued to be marketed as natural or naturally oriented, with naming conventions that linked ingredients to familiar foods, beverages, plants, or outdoor imagery. The brand’s name references Sasquatch, the mythical creature commonly known as Bigfoot, which helped establish an informal and outdoors-oriented personality. Marketing became a major source of the company’s growth and public recognition. In 2021, Dr. Squatch used TikTok advertising to reach younger consumers, including Generation Z. It also purchased a Super Bowl advertisement that used a deliberately exaggerated portrayal of masculine behavior. The commercial showed “manly” activities alongside family-oriented humor, including opening a pickle jar and having one’s hair braided by a daughter. The campaign increased visibility, although commentary criticized its juvenile jokes and heavily engineered masculinity. The company’s scale also drew attention from established personal-care corporations. In 2023, Unilever cited Dr. Squatch as a significant source of competition. The two companies became involved in an intra-industry dispute-resolution process initiated by Unilever. The dispute concerned Dr. Squatch advertising that used a skull-and-crossbones symbol to communicate that the brand’s products did not contain ingredients it characterized as non-natural in competing products. In late 2023, the National Advertising Division of BBB National Programs recommended that the symbol-based practice be discontinued. At the same time, it allowed Dr. Squatch to retain claims that its products contained no harmful ingredients, provided those claims were appropriately supported. Dr. Squatch continued to use entertainment-led advertising in the following years. A 2024 campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney as a “body wash genie” brought the brand additional attention and extended its use of celebrity and playful fantasy concepts. The campaign reflected the company’s broader approach: transform routine grooming products into humorous, memorable cultural content. In June 2025, Unilever announced that it had agreed to acquire Dr. Squatch from Summit Partners for $1.5 billion. The announced transaction was subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. It was subsequently reported as completed on November 16, 2025, after customary closing conditions were satisfied. The acquisition placed Dr. Squatch within Unilever’s personal-care portfolio while preserving the value of a brand built around men's grooming, natural-positioned products, direct digital marketing, and unconventional creative execution.
- 2025
Unilever acquires Dr. Squatch
[1]Unilever announces and later completes the acquisition of Dr. Squatch from Summit Partners for $1.5 billion.
- 2024
Sydney Sweeney campaign gains attention
[1]Dr. Squatch promotes body wash through a campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney as a body wash genie.
- 2023
Advertising dispute leads to National Advertising Division determination
[1]A dispute concerning skull-and-crossbones advertising and natural-ingredient comparisons results in a recommendation to discontinue that practice while preserving certain no-harmful-ingredients claims.
- 2021
Digital advertising and Super Bowl exposure accelerate visibility
[1]The brand targets younger consumers through TikTok and expands mainstream awareness with a Super Bowl commercial.
- 2016
Kickstarter campaign supports company development
[1]Dr. Squatch uses Kickstarter to generate funding during its early growth period.
- 2013
Dr. Squatch is founded in San Diego
[1]The personal-care company begins operations with a focus on products marketed toward men, initially centered on bar soap.
Products and positioning
A digitally native men's personal-care brand positioned around natural-sounding ingredients, humorous masculinity, distinctive product names, and direct-to-consumer convenience.
Bath and body · 2013
Bar soap
Bar soap was Dr. Squatch’s original and defining product category. The brand uses natural-sounding ingredient references, distinctive names, and masculine humor to differentiate its bars from conventional mass-market soap. The products are presented as part of a broader grooming identity rather than simply as basic cleansing goods.
Bath and body
Body wash
Body wash extends Dr. Squatch’s original soap proposition into liquid cleansing products. It is marketed through the same natural-positioned language and entertainment-led brand voice used across the company’s wider assortment. Body wash became a prominent category in later advertising, including the 2024 campaign featuring Sydney Sweeney.
Oral care
Toothpaste
Toothpaste represents Dr. Squatch’s expansion from body cleansing into oral care. It forms part of the company’s broader effort to offer a fuller set of men's personal-care products under one brand identity.
Deodorants
Deodorant
Deodorant broadens the brand’s grooming range into odor-control products. Like its soaps and body washes, it is associated with natural-positioned messaging and a humorous, masculine presentation.
Fragrance
Perfume and fragrance
Perfume and fragrance products extend Dr. Squatch into scent and personal presentation. Their inclusion reflects the company’s progression from a single soap category toward a more comprehensive men's grooming portfolio.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Sydney Sweeney body wash genie campaign
United States
Actress Sydney Sweeney appeared as a “body wash genie” in a playful campaign promoting Dr. Squatch body wash.
Outcome. The campaign brought the brand significant public attention.
- 2021TikTok Generation Z advertising
United States
The company used TikTok advertising to increase awareness among younger consumers, including Generation Z audiences.
Outcome. The campaign helped raise the brand’s visibility before and alongside its broader mass-media efforts.
- 2021Super Bowl commercial
United States
The commercial presented exaggerated examples of masculine behavior, combining grooming humor with scenes such as opening a pickle jar and having one’s hair braided by a daughter.
Outcome. The advertisement generated broad attention and some criticism for its juvenile humor and exaggerated tone.
- 2016Kickstarter funding campaign
United States
Dr. Squatch used Kickstarter to generate funding and support its early development as a men's personal-care company.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to the company’s early financing and visibility.
Brand decisions
2025
Sell Dr. Squatch to UnileverM&ABackground
Unilever sought to acquire a fast-growing, digitally recognized men's personal-care brand, while Dr. Squatch had been owned by Summit Partners.
Action taken
Unilever agreed to acquire Dr. Squatch from Summit Partners for $1.5 billion and subsequently completed the transaction on November 16, 2025.
Aftermath
Dr. Squatch became part of Unilever’s personal-care portfolio. The announced deal was subject to regulatory and shareholder approval before completion.
Acquisition price. $1.5 billion transaction value (Announced June 2025; reported completed November 16, 2025)
2023
Adjust comparative natural-ingredient advertisingStrategyBackground
Unilever initiated an industry dispute-resolution process over advertising that used a skull-and-crossbones symbol to distinguish Dr. Squatch products from ingredients the brand characterized as non-natural in competing products.
Action taken
Following a National Advertising Division determination, Dr. Squatch was advised to discontinue the symbol-based practice while retaining supported claims that its products contained no harmful ingredients.
Aftermath
The determination narrowed the company’s comparative advertising approach but did not eliminate its broader natural-positioned messaging.
- Unilever — Unilever initiated the intra-industry dispute-resolution process and identified Dr. Squatch as a significant competitor.
2021
Invest in TikTok and Super Bowl advertisingOtherBackground
The brand sought to increase awareness among younger digital audiences while also reaching a broader national audience through premium broadcast exposure.
Action taken
Dr. Squatch used TikTok advertising aimed at Generation Z and purchased a Super Bowl commercial built around humorous masculine stereotypes.
Aftermath
The strategy increased visibility, although the Super Bowl creative received criticism for juvenile humor and an overly forced presentation.
Recent events
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