The modern American drugstore is weird and wonderful, a one-stop bazaar where convenience is king and nothing is off limits. Beer, cigarettes, cholesterol meds — it’s all there, and it’s probably cheap. When it comes to basic hygiene products, however, most people associate the word “drugstore” with your no-frills, run-of-the-mill grooming essentials: shitty shampoos, harsh soaps. And while there’s still plenty of that, domestic drugstore chains like CVS and Walgreens also stock products every bit as wonderful as your boutique variety. You just have to know what you’re looking for.
Dr. Bronner’s Hemp Pure-Castile Soap Peppermint
In 1948, Emanuel Bronner, a third-generation soap maker living in Escondido, California, founded Dr. Bronner’s, a brand that would later become an icon of the countercultural movement of the ’60s and ’70s. His famous Castile soap — made with coconut, hemp and olive oils — comes in eight scents, each made in the USA from organic ingredients. They’re incredibly mild, free of synthetic foaming agents and detergents that might irritate sensitive skin.
