Pine Tar Natural Bar Soap

Pine tar soap is older than Dr. Squatch by more than a century. Commercial pine tar bars were sold in general stores and pharmacies in the late 1800s for itchy, flaky, scaly skin — for conditions that would later be called eczema and psoriasis, and for the rough, bumpy, keratinized body skin that generations of farmers, soldiers, and outdoor workers just dealt with. Pine tar was the thing you used. It had a smell like a wet campfire, it turned the water in your washbasin a dark grey-brown, and it worked well enough that it stayed in continuous commercial production for over a hundred years. When Dr. Squatch launched in 2013 and picked Pine Tar as one of its founding bars, it wasn't inventing a new concept — it was taking a venerable folk-dermatological tradition and wrapping it in modern branding, viral YouTube marketing, and a cold-process build quality most of the old-school pine tar brands had quietly lost over the decades.

That heritage is what makes this bar actually different from the rest of the Dr. Squatch catalog. Most bars in the lineup are primarily about the scent experience, with the cold-process formulation as a supporting actor. Pine Tar flips that relationship. Yes, the smoky campfire scent is the headline, and yes, it's the most polarizing fragrance in the brand's range — people either love it desperately or actively dislike it, with very little middle ground. But underneath the scent is a legitimately multi-functional body bar: pine tar with its folk-dermatology track record, colloidal oatmeal for soothing and anti-itch activity, activated charcoal for adsorptive cleansing, and silica sand for moderate physical exfoliation. This isn't a scent vehicle dressed up with decorative actives. This is a bar that does things.

The use case where Pine Tar genuinely shines is rough body skin. Keratosis pilaris — the chicken-skin bumps on the backs of arms and fronts of thighs that affect somewhere between 40 and 80 percent of the population at some point — responds reasonably well to a combination of gentle physical exfoliation, moisturizing lipids, and mild soothing actives. That's essentially this bar's job description. The silica grit is enough to buff down the hardened keratin plugs without being aggressive, the pine tar and oatmeal reduce the mild underlying irritation, and the shea butter and olive oil base keep the skin from feeling stripped after. Users with keratosis pilaris, back acne, or generally rough body skin on elbows, knees, shoulders, and feet often report visible smoothness after a week or two of consistent use. That's not a miracle cure — keratosis pilaris has a genetic component and won't fully resolve from any topical — but it's a real improvement you can feel.

The scent deserves its own paragraph because it's the single most distinctive thing about this product and the reason most people either buy it repeatedly or never buy it again. Pine tar has an intensely smoky, woodsy, campfire-meets-wet-forest profile that lingers on the skin for hours longer than any other Dr. Squatch bar. If you love the smell of a wood-burning stove or a campfire at the end of a long hike, this will scratch that specific itch and you will want to subscribe. If you don't like smoky scents, or if you work in an environment where strong fragrance is a problem, or if your partner has opinions about the bathroom smelling like a forest fire, this is not the bar for you. There's no version of Pine Tar that smells subtle. That's the trade.

The honest limitations. The cold-process pH is still alkaline, and even with the oatmeal and pine tar content this is not a substitute for proper medical treatment of eczema or psoriasis — if you have an active flare, talk to a dermatologist before experimenting. The silica grit, while mild, can be too much for genuinely sensitive skin or for daily use on thinner skin areas. The pine tar will stain light-colored washcloths and can briefly tint the wash water in the shower. And pine tar is one of the ingredients some pregnancy guidelines flag for avoidance out of general caution, so expectant mothers may want to switch to a different variant. None of these are dealbreakers for the right user, but they're all worth knowing up front.

The value conversation is a little different for Pine Tar than for the rest of the Dr. Squatch catalog. At $7 per five-ounce bar it's priced the same as the other scents, but it's delivering more — real multi-functional actives with genuine dermatological heritage, not just a nice smell in a cold-process base. If you compare it to a dedicated pine tar soap from a traditional heritage brand, it's in the same ballpark price and arguably a better formulation. For users who actually benefit from pine tar's effects on rough or itchy skin, this bar earns its money in a way most of the other scents in the lineup don't.

Who's this for? People with keratosis pilaris, back acne, rough body skin, mild itchy patches, or just a genuine love for smoky campfire scents. Outdoor types, winter sports enthusiasts, and people who like the feel of a slightly gritty exfoliating bar. Users looking for a body bar with actual functional actives beyond shea butter and kaolin. Who should skip? Anyone with very sensitive skin or active eczema who should talk to a dermatologist first. Anyone who dislikes strong scents. Pregnant users who want to be cautious about pine tar. People who share a shower with a fragrance-sensitive partner. For everyone else — and especially anyone dealing with rough body skin — this is the Dr. Squatch bar that actually does something beyond smell good.

Formula

The Science

Pine tar itself has a long history of dermatological use and a reasonable body of evidence for its effects on itchy, flaky, and mildly inflamed skin. A 2008 review in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology assessed the evidence for pine tar's anti-inflammatory and anti-pruritic effects and concluded that while modern randomized controlled trials are limited, the long history of use combined with in vitro data on its phenolic constituents supports its traditional use for conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, and chronic itch. Pine tar is chemically distinct from coal tar — the latter has had some concerns raised about high-concentration occupational exposure, while pine tar (derived from pine wood through destructive distillation) has not been associated with similar risks in rinse-off consumer products. Colloidal oatmeal is an FDA-monograph skin protectant with well-documented anti-itch and soothing effects from its avenanthramide and polysaccharide content — multiple clinical trials have shown efficacy for atopic dermatitis symptom relief and general pruritus. Activated charcoal is commonly included in cleansing products for its adsorptive properties, though its real-world benefit in a short-contact wash-off bar is modest. Silica sand at the particle size used here provides moderate physical exfoliation without the micro-tearing concerns raised about some harder scrub particles like walnut shell. The essential oil fragrance includes pine oil (with limonene and alpha-pinene) and natural fragrance compounds that do contain standard fragrance allergens, so the bar isn't a sensitive-skin choice despite its traditional dermatological positioning. Overall the formulation is one of the few cold-process men's bars on the market with ingredient-level credibility beyond just marketing copy.

Dermatologist Perspective

Pine tar soap has a long traditional role in dermatological practice, though its place in modern evidence-based treatment is more limited than it was 50 years ago. Dermatologists occasionally still recommend pine tar-containing products as an adjunct for patients with chronic itchy conditions like seborrheic dermatitis, chronic simple pruritus, or mild keratosis pilaris, particularly for patients who prefer natural approaches or who have not responded to first-line treatments. For active eczema or psoriasis flares, modern prescription therapies — topical corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, JAK inhibitors, biologics — are considered the standard of care, and self-treating with a bar soap is generally not recommended. For healthy adult skin looking for a functional body cleanser with some gentle exfoliation and soothing activity, Dr. Squatch Pine Tar is generally considered a reasonable choice, with the usual caveats about fragrance sensitivity and the recommendation to follow with a ceramide-based body moisturizer.

Guidance

Pine Tar was one of Dr. Squatch's founding bars and the one most responsible for putting the brand on the viral-ad map in the mid-2010s. The pine tar soap tradition itself goes back over 150 years — commercial pine tar soaps have been sold since the late 1800s for use on itchy, flaky, or irritated skin, and it was a staple in general stores and pharmacies long before the modern 'natural soap' category existed. Dr. Squatch's version is a modernized take on that heritage.

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

Pine Tar is one of Dr. Squatch's founding bars, in production since the brand's 2013 launch. Dr. Squatch is not a dermatologist-developed brand, but pine tar soap itself has a long history of folk dermatological use for eczema and psoriasis, which lends some traditional credibility to the formulation category.

Brand founded: 2013 · Product launched: 2013

Myth vs. Reality

Myth

Pine tar soap is unsafe because tar is a carcinogen

Reality

Coal tar has been flagged for high-concentration concerns, but pine tar is a distinct material derived from pine wood, and has been used in consumer skincare for over a century. Rinse-off pine tar bars at typical cosmetic concentrations have not been associated with cancer risk in available safety assessments.

Myth

You should use pine tar soap on your face for acne

Reality

The alkaline pH, strong scent, and silica grit make this bar far too harsh for facial skin. Use a proper pH-balanced salicylic or benzoyl peroxide cleanser for facial acne, and reserve this for body use.

FAQ

Common Praise

"Helps with keratosis pilaris and bacne"

"Distinctive smoky campfire scent"

"Effective for rough body skin and back"

"Traditional pine tar benefits in a modern bar"

Common Complaints

"Scent is polarizing — either love or hate"

"Grit can be too aggressive for some skin types"

"Dark color can stain light washcloths"

Notable Endorsements

Men's HealthGQEsquire

Appears In

best pine tar soap best bar soap for keratosis pilaris best bar soap for bacne best exfoliating mens soap

Related Conditions

keratosis pilaris texture dullness

Related Ingredients

pine tar colloidal oatmeal charcoal