The YouTube ad that propelled *this* soap company to millions of customers
One hairy idea
Imagine working a 9–5, making soap in your garage to fix your psoriasis…
Fast forward 10 years — you sell that side hustle to a $110B giant.
Yesterday, Dr. Squatch was acquired by Unilever for tens of millions.
Yep, some garage dreams come true.
Here’s how it happened 👇
Dr. Squatch.
A handmade soap, started in a garage, with one big, hairy idea: Men deserve better soap.
Not the chemical-loaded stuff from drugstores. Not the nice-smelling stuff.
Just *real*, natural soap—for guys who care what they put on their bodies.
It’s such a simple idea, it makes you wonder why no one did it sooner (hindsight is a wonderful thing).
Here’s how it started—and what you can learn from how it blew up into a 9-figure brand:
🧼 The Timeline: From Shower Shelf to Super Bowl
2013:
Jack Haldrup launches Dr. Squatch. He’s frustrated with soaps that irritate his skin and decides to make his own—cold process, natural ingredients, made in small batches. Started in a garage. Sold online.
2014–2017:
Bootstrapped growth. Jack quits his day job. Builds a loyal base of guys who actually care about ingredients. Facebook ads start bringing in real traction.
2018:
Everything changes.
They launch a hilarious, no-holds-barred YouTube ad: “You’re not a dish. You’re a man.”
12M views. Massive bump in revenue. It goes viral.
Sales skyrocket.
2020:
COVID hits. E-commerce explodes.
Dr. Squatch hits $100M in revenue. Adds deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste.
The brand becomes the DTC men’s grooming brand.
2021:
They buy a Super Bowl ad.
Not because they had to—but because they could.
By now, millions of men know the name. Walmart and Target come calling.
2024—2025:
The end of an era (and the start of a new one):
Private equity puts Dr. Squatch up for sale.
Unilever steps in and acquires the brand—rumored at over $2 billion valuation.
All from one bar of soap.
🔥 What You Can Steal for Your Business
1. Solve one real problem—loudly
Jack didn’t try to be the next Dove.
He solved one simple thing:
“Men’s soap sucks.”
He didn’t just fix it. He turned it into a movement.
✅ Easy to explain
✅ Obvious pain point
✅ Emotionally charged (“you’re a man, not a dish”)
Takeaway:
Find one pain your customer feels deeply.
Don’t solve everything—solve that. Then say it louder than anyone else.
My grandad always used to say ‘Eve, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right’ and I buy that. If you’re going to do a thing, commit to it. Go all in, throw your heart into it.
2. Build a brand that people feel
Dr. Squatch is funny, bold, a little absurd, and unmistakable.
The bar soap space was boring. They made it fun.
The brand became a reason to buy, not just a wrapper on a product.
You’ve got to be KNOWN for something. You can’t be lukewarm and fade into the background. People will see you and look past what you’ve got to sell.
Takeaway:
Your tone, your story, your visuals—they all matter.
People don’t just buy the product. They buy the feeling they get from it.
3. Video ads are a cheat code (if they’re good)
That first YouTube ad didn’t just go viral—it built the brand (yep, literally the power of YouTube).
It was funny. Educational. Shareable.
It turned soap into entertainment.
And it printed money for years.*
*This literally is how Dollar-Shave-Club started.
Takeaway:
If your product is good, a great video ad can 10x your business.
Invest in storytelling. Humor sells.
4. The product has to deliver
Funny ads got people in the door.
But what made it last? The soap worked.
Natural ingredients. Unique scents. Great packaging.
People didn’t just try it—they kept coming back.
Takeaway:
You can market all you want, but if your product sucks, you lose.
Fix the product first. Then scale.
Final Thought
$400M. One idea: Soap.
No tech. No hype. Just a good product, a bold voice, and relentless execution.
If you’re building something:
Solve one problem, speak boldly, and make damn sure it works.
That’s how you go from garage… to global.
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That’s all for today
Much love,
Eve
Founder - Smart Growth Labs (BETA), Part-Time Creator Club