The Grandpa ‘pine tar’ soap is a product that is well worth a mention on this blog, as it has now become a regular purchase for me and is used by the whole family. The Grandpa Soap co, established in 1878, is as old as the hills and appears to have been manufacturing pine tar products for a long time.

In addition to pine tar, the company now produces a vast array of soaps, such as Thylox, Witch Hazel, Oatmeal, Epsom Salt and Charcoal. I am eager to try some of these, but for now, I will focus on pine tar, which is the most popular.

The first thing that strikes me about this soap is the name, which is very appropriate for what the company is all about, and that is a good thing. Grandpas are precious; we look up to them and learn from their experience and wisdom, I have great memories of my grandfathers, and I miss them both dearly. I would consider it an honour to smell like either of them, so let’s see what this soap offers.

Where to buy

So where to buy it? This American company doesn’t appear to be all that popular here in the UK. I say this because I have yet to see any of their products sold in high street shops, so if you don’t live in America, you’ll have to buy online as I did. I picked up 3 bars on Amazon for around £15.00, which isn’t cheap, but worth every penny, in my opinion.

Appearance

I do like the overall presentation of this product. Although the cardboard box packaging isn’t anything special, the bar itself has sort of a Cowboy feel to it, which wouldn’t look out of place in the bathroom of an old Wild West saloon. I like this style; it’s very cool and, most importantly, very manly.

Ingredients

It looks as if only natural ingredients have been used here, which is excellent news if you have allergies or sensitive skin. I have heard that pine tar does help with all sorts of dry, itchy, flaky or inflamed skin conditions. I don’t know if this is scientifically proven, but I can tell you that it seemed to help reduce my wife’s pregnancy rash to some extent, which is funny because we discovered this entirely by accident.

As I enjoy a good scrub, one of the things I feel is missing from this soap is some grit. There does not appear to be any, which is a shame for me, and perhaps anyone else that finds themselves particularly dirty and greasy at the end of the day. Nevertheless, the soap makes up for it in other ways, so I will try not to be too critical here.

The scent

Many products out there claim to smell of pine tar but actually don’t, and I am happy to say that isn’t the case here. The pine tar is very prominent and will hit you in the face before even opening the box. It is very smoky and woody; the best way to describe it would be to try and imagine a strong-smelling campfire, and I do love a campfire.

Performance

I can’t emphasise enough that this is strong-smelling stuff, and it will linger around in your bathroom long after you’ve used it, so you do really have to like the smell, or it will just drive you crazy.

There will undoubtedly be polarising views on this soap, you’re either going to love it, or it will make you want to puke. If you ask my humble opinion, this has got to be one of the manliest soaps I have ever come across, and I would easily place it in my top 5.

My only other critique is the soap is average in size and melts away quickly, generally within 2-3 weeks of daily usage. I think they could make the bars a bit bigger, which isn’t an unreasonable ask, given the price.

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Quality

Regarding quality and value for money, I still say this soap is a solid buy, and I am a happy customer. If you prefer something more modern and subtle, you may want to avoid this, and if it were, you probably wouldn’t be reading a review of a product called ‘The Grandpa Soap’ anyway.

If you DO want something more contemporary, I suggest the Thistle & Black Pepper soap bar made by the Fine Scottish Soaps Company; you can check out my full review here.

READY TO GRAB THIS FRAGRANCE?

If you’re ready to add this to your collection, here are two reliable places to check:

• FragranceX – usually the best prices, discount codes, and a wide selection. They also ship worldwide.
• Amazon – great if you prefer Prime delivery speed, just make sure to buy from a trusted seller.

👉 Pick the option that works best for you.

No matter where you’re reading from, smell good, spend smart.

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