Cedar Citrus Natural Bar Soap

If you ask a Dr. Squatch devotee which bar to try first, the answer is almost always Cedar Citrus. This matters, because Dr. Squatch's scent lineup spans an unusually wide range — from the apocalyptic campfire of Pine Tar to the speakeasy warmth of Wood Barrel Bourbon to more polarizing releases that come and go with seasonal drops. Cedar Citrus has been in continuous production since the mid-2010s, which is practically forever in the DTC grooming category, and it's earned that longevity by being the scent that almost nobody actively dislikes. That's not the same thing as being the best — but it's a genuinely useful piece of information if you're standing in front of a display of bars wondering which one to pick up.

The scent itself is a pretty straightforward idea executed cleanly. Orange peel oil up top for brightness, cedarwood essential oil grounding the middle and base, and a whisper of peppermint and rosemary adding a subtle herbal lift. Together they read as fresh-outdoorsy in a way that works for spring and summer mornings but doesn't feel out of place in December. The scent throw is moderate — you'll smell it for two or three hours on your skin after showering — but it never crosses into cologne territory the way some of the heavier Dr. Squatch bars can.

Under the fragrance story, the formulation is the brand's standard cold-process oil blend: sustainable palm, coconut, and olive oils saponified into actual soap, with shea butter added for emollient survival past the saponification reaction, and kaolin clay for dense lather. Nothing revolutionary here, but nothing lazy either. The olive oil inclusion is what separates this from the cheaper coconut-oil-heavy cold-process bars that strip the skin uncomfortably; the shea butter is what keeps the wash from feeling squeaky. You can tell this was made by people who've been doing cold-process soap for a while and understand the tradeoffs.

The texture in the shower is pleasant. The bar lathers quickly into a dense creamy foam with warm water, rinses cleanly without the weird film that budget natural soaps sometimes leave behind, and delivers a finish that feels clean rather than tight. First-time cold-process users sometimes describe it as 'soap-ier' than what they're used to from body wash, which is accurate — this produces more lather and a different sensation than a syndet liquid cleanser. Some people love that. Some people find it old-fashioned. Neither opinion is wrong.

Where Cedar Citrus — and the entire Dr. Squatch cold-process lineup — runs into its honest limitations is skin chemistry. Traditional cold-process soap sits at a pH around 9 or 10, considerably higher than the skin's natural 5.5. That's fine for normal, resilient body skin used daily with follow-up moisturizer, but it's a real problem for sensitive skin, eczema, or a barrier that's already compromised from climate or other irritants. The essential oil fragrance in this particular bar adds another layer of consideration: limonene and linalool are two of the most common contact allergens in the cosmetics industry, and they're unavoidable in a cedarwood-and-orange formulation. If you have a history of reacting to fragrance — even natural fragrance — Cedar Citrus is not the bar for you.

The value conversation is similar to every other premium natural soap. Seven dollars for a five-ounce bar is a lot by drugstore standards, and if you're comparing strictly on cents-per-ounce of cleansing, you're not going to win this argument. What you're paying for is the scent quality, the transparent ingredient list, the plastic-free packaging, the brand experience, and the knowledge that the shea butter and oils are actually there in meaningful quantities rather than listed as trace ingredients for marketing copy. Whether that's worth it depends on how much you enjoy the ritual of your shower — and how many other places in your life you're willing to spend $7 on a small pleasure.

Who's this for? Normal, combination, or oily skin types who want a fresh masculine scent for daily showers and appreciate the traditional bar soap format. First-time Dr. Squatch buyers looking for a crowd-pleaser that won't be too polarizing. People who care about plastic-free packaging and transparent ingredient disclosure. Who should skip? Anyone with sensitive skin or fragrance allergies. Anyone with eczema, psoriasis, or an active skin condition. Budget-conscious shoppers who need effective cleansing at the lowest cost. And anyone who prefers unscented products — this is many things, but subtle is not one of them.

Formula

The Science

Cedar Citrus uses the same basic cold-process chemistry as the rest of the Dr. Squatch lineup: saponification of sustainable palm, coconut, and olive oils produces sodium fatty-acid salts that function as surfactants, with glycerin retained as a byproduct and shea butter contributing unsaponifiable lipids that survive the reaction. The resulting bar sits at an alkaline pH around 9-10, which is typical of traditional soap and notably higher than the skin's natural acid mantle pH of approximately 5.5. A body of dermatological research — including work published in journals like Contact Dermatitis and the International Journal of Dermatology — has consistently documented that alkaline cleansers cause more disruption to the stratum corneum than well-formulated syndet cleansers at skin-compatible pH, especially with repeated use on sensitive or atopic skin. The essential oil fragrance content is where Cedar Citrus needs the most scrutiny from a dermatological perspective. Cedarwood essential oil contains cedrol and thujopsene; orange peel oil is dominated by d-limonene; both oils contribute to a bar that's on the higher end of the fragrance-allergen spectrum under the EU cosmetics ingredient labeling rules, which require individual disclosure of 26 specific fragrance allergens. Limonene and linalool — both present here — are among the most commonly reported contact allergens in patch-test registries. The shea butter and kaolin contributions are well-documented as skin-friendly in wash-off applications; neither causes concern. For a healthy, non-sensitive body skin user who applies lotion afterward, Cedar Citrus is an acceptable choice. For anyone with a history of fragrance reactions, the ingredient profile is a clear warning.

Dermatologist Perspective

Dermatologists generally recommend syndet cleansers at skin-compatible pH for patients with dry, sensitive, or compromised skin, while traditional cold-process bar soaps like Cedar Citrus are typically considered acceptable for body use on healthy, normal skin types with good barrier function. The essential oil fragrance content is worth flagging — dermatologists frequently note that patients with suspected or confirmed fragrance allergies should avoid products containing bergamot, cedar, citrus, or peppermint oils regardless of whether they're labeled 'natural' or 'synthetic.' For a middle-aged adult with normal body skin and no contact dermatitis history, using Cedar Citrus as a daily body cleanser and following up with a ceramide-based body moisturizer is a reasonable routine and commonly considered a low-risk choice. Dermatologists also generally note that this type of bar should not be used on facial skin, where the alkaline pH and fragrance load are more likely to cause problems, especially in acne-prone or rosacea-prone patients.

Guidance

Cedar Citrus was one of Dr. Squatch's earliest scent releases after the brand's 2013 founding and has remained in continuous production ever since — a rarity in a category where scents frequently rotate. It's widely cited as the gateway scent that introduced many Dr. Squatch customers to the brand through their early YouTube ad era.

About Dr. Squatch Established Brand (5–20 years)

Dr. Squatch launched in 2013, and Cedar Citrus has been one of the original scents in the brand's lineup since the early years. The brand is not dermatologist-developed but has built substantial market presence with transparent ingredient lists and a consistent cold-process formulation approach.

Brand founded: 2013 · Product launched: 2014

Myth vs. Reality

Myth

Citrus bar soaps will cause photosensitivity

Reality

Furocoumarin-related phototoxicity is primarily a concern with bergamot oil applied and left on the skin. Rinse-off cold-process bars with orange peel oil rinse away before any meaningful exposure, though sensitive users should still apply sunscreen when going outdoors.

Myth

Dr. Squatch bars are formulated for sensitive skin because they're natural

Reality

Natural essential oils contain some of the most common contact allergens in the industry. Cedar Citrus specifically contains limonene, linalool, and citral at fragrance-allergen levels — not a sensitive-skin choice.

FAQ

Common Praise

"Bright, fresh scent that isn't overpowering"

"One of the most universally liked Dr. Squatch scents"

"Doesn't feel stripping despite being a cold-process bar"

"Long-lasting scent throw on skin"

Common Complaints

"Bar dissolves faster than commercial soaps"

"Too expensive compared to drugstore alternatives"

"Scent fades more quickly than heavier Dr. Squatch variants"

Notable Endorsements

Men's HealthGQ

Appears In

best dr squatch scent best natural bar soap for men best cedar bar soap best citrus bar soap

Related Ingredients

olive oil shea butter cedarwood oil kaolin