Dapper Yankee vs. Dr Squatch - How do they compare?

Dr. Squatch has had its hands in the personal care product market since 2016.  And they are one of the most recognizable natural soap brands on the market. Dr. Squatch got into the soap game early and they were one of the first brands to market its products to men.  When you think of natural soap, Dr. Squatch might be the first brand you think of.

Since then there have been several other natural soap companies all trying to compete for a spot in the coveted limelight that Dr. Squatch continues to hog, so to speak.

Dapper Yankee Background

As companies grow, there are bound to be problems that need to be addressed.  Some companies take immediate action, while other companies lackadaisically get to it when they get to it. Dr. Squatch is one of those companies.  This not only presents a problem for their company, but it also creates an opportunity for other companies, like Dapper Yankee.

Although Dapper Yankee was founded out of a need to address skin issues and offer a premium quality product line that would rival the competition, it was also important to focus on customer service.

Before we dive into the importance of good customer service, lets discuss soap quality and performance of Dr. Squatch and Dapper Yankee.

Dapper Yankee vs. Dr Squatch - Natural Soap Performance

Now, this might not be what you expected to read, but honestly there isn’t much difference between Dapper Yankee and Dr. Squatch soaps in terms of ingredients.  When  it comes to natural soaps, the ingredients will be similar across all brands. There are, however, other factors to consider when comparing the soap bars.

Soap Longevity

A downfall of using a natural soap is how long it lasts in the shower and the special care that you need to take in order to get the longest life out of your bar.  The average life expectancy of a natural soap bar is about 2 weeks.

Depending on how much time a soap bar has had to cure, will also affect the life of the bar.  For example, you may have picked up a natural soap bar and felt that it was somewhat soft.  This is because the bar has not finished it’s cure process.  It takes roughly 4 weeks for a bar to fully cure.  Now there is nothing at all wrong with a bar that isn’t fully cured, and it will still perform just as you would expect it to, but uncured bars tend to melt a little faster.

Other factors that contribute to the bar not lasting as long as you want it to, is body hair and keeping the bar dry between uses.

If you’re an exceptionally hair person, the soap bar won’t last as long as it would for someone who has little body hair. And if you don’t let your soap dry between uses then it will melt.  Be sure that you have a soap tray that allows for water to drain away from the bar.

Natural Soap Weight

Both Dr. Squatch and Dapper Yankee’s soap bars come in at roughly the same weight.  Dr. Squatch notes their bar’s weight at 5 ounces, while Dapper Yankee’s are listed at 4.7 ounces.  Although many of our soap bars come in at or above 5 ounces, however, we take into consideration that soap bars continue to cure over time.  Under normal circumstances and providing you take the recommended steps to keeping your Dapper Yankee bar soap dry, you can easily get more than 2 weeks out of a bar.

It is important to us that we give our bars a full 4 weeks to cure.  Although this extra step cuts into our time to market, it does provide you with a longer lasting soap bar.

Natural Soap Lather

Everyone loves a great lathering bar of soap, but with a great lather comes shorter life. The more lather it produces the quicker your bar will melt.  Although, Dr Squatch has some good lather on some of their bars, you’ll likely be replacing them a lot more often. Dapper Yankee balances great lather with longevity so you can expect nothing less than a great performing bar that won’t melt too quickly.

Soap Scents

When it comes to scenting soaps there are two different methods used.  There are natural essential oils and then there are fragrance oils.  Both Dr. Squatch and Dapper Yankee use both types of these oils in our product lines. And the type of oil used may determine if the bar is all-natural.  Even though fragrance oils can be derived from natural sources, they are all man made and are not a natural occurring oil.

In one of the “Squatch 101: Ask us anything” video series on Facebook, Dr. Squatch had a video posted answering a question about its natural fragrance.  However, the video was recently removed.  In the video it was mentioned that all of their scents are naturally derived. Which is not a truthful answer and maybe this is why the video was removed. 

Dapper Yankee believes in transparency and although the majority of our soaps use fragrance oil, we don’t market our soaps as being “All-Natural”, this is just misleading.  However, because of the base ingredients used in our soap bars and outside of the man-made fragrance and some colorants, our bars fall under the natural soap category, and are still a healthier alternative to the other synthetic soaps on the market.

Regardless of if you choose a soap bar with essential oil or fragrance oil, the scent will diminish over time.  We recommend using your Dapper Yankee soap bar within 24 months of purchase.  We also recommend that if you are not going to use it right away, to keep it stored in a cool, dry area, preferably in a sealed container.  This will help preserve the fragrance and keep the natural ingredients fresher, longer.

When choosing a soap scent, both Dr. Squatch and Dapper Yankee will have unique scents, so it just comes down to a matter of preference.

Soap Ingredients

Aside from the fragrance oils, both Dapper Yankee and Dr. Squatch use natural ingredients in all of their soaps.  Dr. Squatch includes some very creative and a little outrageous soap ingredients in some of their bars.  Ingredients like Jimmy Red Cornmeal, Alaskan Glacier Mineral Clay, and Greek Yogurt to name a few.  If you’re wondering if these ingredients are any more effective at treating or cleansing the skin, the answer is no.  Listing exotic ingredients is a gimmick to make you believe that their soap is better than what it is.

When it comes to soap ingredients, you really only need a soap base which consists of simple ingredients that are moisturizing and help prevent or reduce common skin conditions, like eczema, Rosacea, and dry skin.  Ingredients like olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, kaolin clay are effective in taking care of your skin. Some of Dapper Yankee’s soaps, include additional oil additive to increase moisture or lather, and on some bars an exfoliant, like pumice or oatmeal. 

At the end of the day, does it really matter if you have “moonflower” in your soap bar?  You just want a soap that is effective at cleaning your body and moisturizing your skin.

Dapper Yankee has a few different soap formulations, and there is nothing exotic about our ingredients. But they do a damn good job at taking care of your skin.

Dapper Yankee vs. Dr. Squatch - Customer Service

Good customer service should never be an afterthought.  It shouldn’t only happen when a customer has a bad experience with their order.  Good customer service should happen before, during, and after the sale.

Dr. Squatch customer service is just OK.  They do a good job of taking care of you when your order is late or if you have an issue with any of their products.  

Order Processing and Shipping

Dr. Squatch struggles with processing orders quickly and shipping them out on time.  Some customers have waited several weeks to receive their orders.  This is not good customer service and there is no good reason for it.  Dr. Squatch is the only company that I’ve ordered from that takes this long to ship a product, although I have heard of other smaller soap companies taking just as long to ship orders.

Dapper Yankee does things differently.  Although, our policy states that it can take 1-3 business days to process an order before it ships, we strive to process all orders the same day to have them out the next business day.  You might not think much about this, but this is a form of offering excellent customer service.  Customers should always feel that their order is a priority.  You work hard for your money, and Dapper Yankee appreciates the fact that you choose to spend it with us.

Communication

If you have a question and send Dr. Squatch an email, it typically takes 3 days or more before you will receive a response.  This is an ongoing problem they have with their company that still has yet to be addressed.  However, Dr. Squatch may not see this as being a problem.  Customers should not have to jump through hoops to get their questions answered or problems resolved.

It is important to Dapper Yankee that we quickly answer questions through email and on social media, regardless of if you’re an existing customer or future customer.  And even if you only purchase a single bar of soap, that order means the world to us, and you will receive the same level of service as everyone else. 

Customer Rewards

Both Dapper Yankee and Dr. Squatch offer similar rewards programs.  It is important to recognize our customers and reward them for shopping with us.  Between Dapper Yankees sales and rewards program, customers can take advantage of discounts on virtually every order.  And who doesn’t like a good deal?

Dapper Yankee vs. Dr. Squatch – Marketing and Product Development

We need to give credit where credit is due, and Dr. Squatch has done a fantastic job on marketing its products.  They have also been consistent with the release of so many fun soaps.  If you’re a fan of Star Wars or Batman, they have a soap for you.  This level of marketing and innovation is not only brilliant, but it’s expensive, but I would expect nothing less from a $100 million dollar company.

Dapper Yankee on the other hand, doesn’t have the marketing power or the same resources as Dr. Squatch.  Dapper Yankee is still in its infancy as a company and is still solely operated by the founder and CEO, Christian Nocera.  However, this doesn’t mean that Dapper Yankee will stop innovating.

Product development is an important aspect of any business and introducing fresh new products builds excitement and keeps things interesting.  In 2022, Dapper Yankee will have released over 15 new products.  Now this is a bit excessive for a single year, but this is all part of Dapper Yankees growth plan to solidify a product line.

In the coming years, there will not be as many new releases all at once, but Dapper Yankee does have several new products slated for release over the next few years.

Dapper Yankee vs. Dr. Squatch – For Women

Both Dapper Yankee and Dr. Squatch market its soaps toward men, and there will likely not be a product line from either company that is dedicated to women.  Although the majority of Dapper Yankee scents are masculine, we do have many that are unisex.  And we are learning that some of our scents that are intended to be masculine, are actually fan favorites of our lady customers.  Currently, over 30% of our customer base are women.  This is a huge percentage for a brand that is geared toward guys.

Dapper Yankee vs. Dr. Squatch – Which is Better?

Answering the question of which soap company is better, coming from the company who is writing this article is going to be completely biased, of course.  But to be completely honest, both companies offer great products.  It really comes down to what you prefer to use. 

There is nothing wrong with liking more than one brand.  If you are looking for movie-themed soaps, cartoon characters on your soap packaging, or are entertained by gimmicks, then Dr. Squatch would be a good choice.

However, if you are looking for a brand to be proud to use, that offers unique scents, and you don’t want gimmicks, then Dapper Yankee is the brand for you.  Also, consider the fact that Dapper Yankee offers faster order processing and shipping, on top of great customer service!

And of course, we can say with confidence that Dapper Yankee is a clear winner over Dr. Squatch.  Although we don’t have hundreds of thousands of reviews yet, our customers are raving about our products, and we’re really excited to be here to serve you.

As always, thank you for your business and considering Dapper Yankee to be your choice for natural soap, deodorant, and personal care products!