There are a lot of reasons to love Dr. Bronner’s soap.

We love the old-timey apothecary packaging. We love the fact that the company is certified organic, vegan, not animal tested, and fair-trade. We love the fact that we’re not alone in loving it: celebs from Eva Mendes to Lady Gaga are *ahem* gaga over it. We love how adorably weird the late Dr. Bronner himself was, from the way he refers to the world as “spaceship Earth” to his personal philosophical musings that you can discover via his spoken-word album, released in January.

But one of our favorite reasons to love Dr. Bronner’s is the message behind the soap, the philosophy of Dr. Emanuel Bronner himself that you’ll find on every package: “Whatever unites us is greater than whatever divides us.”

It’s no surprise to anyone who reads the philosophical musings that Bronner crammed onto his packaging (what else are you gonna do in the bath?) that he saw himself a philosopher first and soap-maker second. In fact, Bronner only began selling his castile soap – a recipe perfected over the three generations of soap-makers that preceded him in his native Germany – to finance his preaching on a unified mankind. Once he realized that the soap was doing better than the sermons, he began using the company as a way to spread his ideas, writing his “Moral ABC” on the packaging and refusing to allow any retailer to sell the product who didn’t believe in his teachings.

Emanuel Bronner passed away in 1997, but his grandsons, who now run the business, have continued to further and honor their grandfather’s philosophy and vision.

“We have to realize our transcendent unity across religious and ethnic divides, be responsible in our consumption choices and respect the earth,” CEO David Bronner told AdWeek.

This philosophy of equality and unity is exemplified by everything the company does, made even clearer in the company’s third annual All-One report, “This is Why We Make Soap,” which was released earlier this month and documents the company’s commitment to corporate responsibility, social justice, and sustainability.

The report also details the company’s support for charitable and activist causes, from regenerative agriculture to drug policy reform. In 2016, the report shows, Dr. Bronner’s soap gave $7.2 million of its $106 million in revenue to more than 186 activist and charitable causes around the world.

“By making the best product we can, treating our employees and suppliers fairly, honoring the earth in our decisions, and dedicating our profits to causes that enrich this world, we try to live up to my grandfather’s All-One vision every day,” writes Bronner in the introduction to the report.

But the report is far from mere self-congratulation: it really does illustrate the ways in which the company continues to further the unifying philosophy of Emanuel Bronner, including, for example, a south-up oriented map of the world, to signify the company’s global perspective, which also illustrates four important journeys for the company: that of soap as a global product; Bronner’s, from small-town Germany to Los Angeles; the unique company’s global expansion; and the soap’s fair-trade and organic supply chain.

“In a way our activism is our marketing,” David Bronner told Fast Company of this unique and commendable philosophy.

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Ever imagine what it would be like to walk into a gigantic Whole Foods and have sample after sample handed to you of all that is good and organic? Last weekend I got that and more when I walked into the Natural Products Expo West. The foremost show of the natural products trade industry, 53,000 industry professionals from across the globe gathered March 12 – 14 in Anaheim, California, to look over the latest in organic products and natural trends. I must admit, walking through it was something akin to twirling through Willy Wonka’s giant chocolate candy room – except this chocolate was organic and to my knowledge, untainted by Augustus Gloop.

Any large gathering of people is going to stamp a carbon footprint bigger than Godzilla’s paw (does he have paws? Claws? Claw paws?), but this convention made an effort to go green. Recycling bins abounded throughout the center. All of the press kits were online (saving 487 fully grown trees) and badges were picked up on site, saving four metric tons of carbon emissions. I was thoroughly impressed, but how about the products?

My duties involve writing a green beauty column, so I made a beeline towards the health and beauty section. I practically went skipping with glee through the aisles. All of my favorite lines were there: J.R. Watkins peddled their lip tint, Nature’s Gate offered up moisturizers, and Lavera showed off their latest mascaras. It was like that dream I have where every question about organic and/or natural beauty was laid out in clean aisles with an expert stationed at every stop.

So what did the experts have to say about what’s new in the organic or natural beauty market?

First I checked out the Dr. Bronner’s booth. Here I met awesome Ariel, who told me all about the latest offerings from this legendary skin care line which she discusses in the video above. Then it was off to Lavera Cosmetics, the BDIH certified cosmetics company which produces makeup and body care. Their representative showed off their newest release, which is the Lavera sun spot Glow Go Self-Tanner for your legs and entire body. This product is 100 percent chemical and toxin-free and claims to provide safe, natural looking color and “subtle shimmer” without harmful ingredients or sun exposure. It contains organic soy extracts which is said to “infuse skin with a natural looking glow.” Before I realized what was happening, my entire arm was sprayed with self-tanner, which left it a bit glittery and well, self-tanned.

Sparkling like a Twilight vampire, I headed over to Thayer’s Natural Remedies. There I spoke with John Gehr, who co-owns the company with his mother. Not familiar with Thayer’s Natural Remedies? Get thee to a Whole Foods immediately – their Rose Petal Witch Hazel holds the title as my favorite all-natural beauty product.  I use this product daily and am now sporting a skin tone I haven’t seen since my early 20s – meaning clear skin and rosy cheeks. As John explained to me, witch hazel is a natural astringent with anti-inflammatory properties. It works great as a gentle cleaners and daily toner by tightening pores.

The key to Thayer’s Witch Hazel is the way they extract it. Tannins are the key ingredient in this product and they extract it without heat from the bark of the witch hazel. And it is the tannins that give you that beautiful rosy hue. As John joked, their witch hazel is not “made by witches, but magic for your skin.”

Newly spritzed with rosy cheeks, I stopped by Tom’s of Maine. Here I spoke with friendly representative Staay, who told me all about their new releases. She showed me the latest development for their deodorant line, a new product called Crystal Confidence. This deodorant offers 24 hour protection with a crystal built right into the device. Staay assured me that the product is clinically tested and consumer qualified – in other words, it was tried by customers. She says this is the closest item to a natural antiperspirant on the market.

I’m already looking forward to next year’s Expo!

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