Mrs. Meyer's Is the Trendiest Soap of the Pandemic

While I think we can all agree it’s been a pretty rough month, it’s been a great time for soap. Formerly a largely utilitarian product we all (hopefully) used regularly but gave little thought, hand soap has burst into the spotlight amid the coronavirus pandemic, battling only its cousin, hand sanitizer, for top billing.

However, as Gray Chapman noted in a recent Vox explainer, one particular brand of hand soap was already thriving well before soap’s coronavirus-inspired glow up. Since it was first introduced in the early aughts, Mrs. Meyer’s products, including hand soap and surface cleaners, have amassed a following both large and loyal, becoming a particular favorite among millennial shoppers.

According to Chapman, the brand’s success is largely due to a carefully curated aesthetic that seems “ideally and preemptively positioned to captivate millennial suckers.” With aesthetically pleasing packaging, somewhat elevated fragrances without a substantially elevated price tag, and a general air of environmental consciousness, the brand has successfully wooed a generation of millennials willing to spend just a little extra on slightly nicer versions of products their parents thought of as mere essentials.

As Chapman put it, the brand mastered a simple four-step plan destined to separate millennials from their money:

“Step one: Design packaging that looked nice on countertops, and fragrances that felt a little bit special. Step two: Build the brand around a rustic and virtuous character from simpler times who loved gardening, taking care of her living space, and other wholesome activities one might categorize as “self-care” today. Step three: Gesture at being environmentally conscious. Step four: Profit.”

But while Mrs. Meyer’s may be the it-girl soap of the moment, one of the most important things about it, especially right now, is that it is effective. As Chapman noted, Mrs. Meyer’s soap and surface cleaner have been recommended by a variety of outlets for preventative coronavirus handwashing.

Most importantly, however, Mrs. Meyer’s is soap. And like any soap, it only works if you use it while you wash your hands. Which you should go do, right now, Mrs. Meyer’s or no Mrs. Meyer’s.

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