The internet’s favorite do-good duo is at it again.
Hank and John Green — known as the vlogbrothers on YouTube — are known for their careers in writing, science, and media, as well as their efforts to “decrease world suck” by hosting the annual Project For Awesome.
In recent years, the brothers have become huge advocates for advancing healthcare in Sierra Leone by partnering with nonprofit Partners In Health to build the Maternal Center of Excellence.
The center broke ground in April of 2021, and a major contributor to this milestone is the success of the Greens’ charitable businesses, the Awesome Socks Club and Awesome Coffee Club.
Now, they’ve got a new project to add to the roster: Sun Basin Soap.
What is Sun Basin Soap?
Sun Basin Soap, like the Awesome Coffee and Socks clubs, takes an everyday item that is regularly used and replenished and turns it into a business model that does good.
Sun Basin Soap is made by Botanie Soap, a family-run business in Hank’s own Missoula, Montana. The brand only uses natural ingredients, including certified organic base oils, and packaged in fully recyclable paper-based packaging.
“I love this soap. I've been using it for years,” said Hank in his vlogbrothers video announcing the project on April 28. “It is made among the mountains of Montana by people who care about their impact on the world — and I'm excited to share it with more people.”
“Starting as a home-based business, Botanie became a private-label manufacturer when brands asked them to make their soap,” the Sun Basin website reads. “In an industry full of manufacturers with high minimums and low ingredient standards, Botanie’s commitment to natural ingredients and accessible minimums quickly marked them as the right partner for growing brands committed to offering the best.”
According to Hank, Botanie makes custom soap for “some of the most respected companies in the beauty industry” — and their customer list is a closely held secret.
Shoppers can build their own soap boxes from five scents and can opt to receive one, two, or three soap bars per order. They can also select the frequency of delivery, selecting to have sustainable soaps delivered every month, two months, or three months.
Scents — which can be switched up whenever shoppers choose — include Daydreamer (warm), Enigma (unscented), Forager (woodsy), Navigator (clean), or Trailblazer (bright).
Sun Basin Soap is sold on Good.Store — a new platform from the Green brothers.
How does soap from Sun Basin Soap make a difference?
Shoppers can smell good and do good, since Sun Basin Soap’s model is the exact same as the Green brothers’ other endeavors.
“The best part about Sun Basin is our commitment to charity,” the website reads. “100% of profits from Sun Basin Soap are donated to drastically reduce maternal and childhood mortality in Sierra Leone, the country with the highest maternal mortality rate in the world.”
The Awesome Socks Club was the first of these do-good everyday product subscriptions, and in its first year donated over $900,000 to help strengthen Sierra Leone’s healthcare systems and begin progress on the Maternal Center of Excellence.
The goal is to raise $25 million for the project over the course of five years, which has become an easy goal, since the vlogbrothers community has already raised over $20 million — with $583,911 coming from the Awesome Socks Club and the Awesome Coffee Club in Q1 of 2023 alone — and we’re sure that a newly squeaky-clean community is bound to do even more good.
