Dr Bronner's is celebrating its 60th anniversary. That's five generations, and 150 years, of soapmaking. According to its website. Nope, I hadn't heard of them either but they are clearly more famous in the US.

The company has made its name selling liquid soap that's both eco and ethically friendly. Sounds like it could make a nice little gift, and the promise of 18 uses in 1 product appeals to parents who want to get the most out of everything!

So we got some in for review, and had our PlayPennies mum of two boys and a girl, Sophie, try them out. First impressions were good. Sophie told us that "a big padded bag of Dr Bronner's stocking fillers arrived and I was rather excited - I'm a bit of a stocking fillers fan and love reading the labels of all 'filler' bits and pieces."

The envelope Sophie received contained three stick lip balms, two organic body or Tattoo balms in tins and four mini bottles of 18-in-1 Dr Bronner's 'Magic Soap' - two in almond, one rose and one orange citrus. Everything is organic, Fair Trade and doesn't contain any synthetic ingredients. The soap is completely biodegradable.

The 'magic soap' doesn't contain any synthetic foaming agents, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, dyes or whiteners. Also, the bottles and labels are all made from recycled material.

Apparently it's America's No1 selling natural soap and has a big celebrity following: Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock, Eminem and Bobbi Brown.

Bobbi who? I'm not really up with celebrities! Sophie explained that "Bobbi is the ULTRA famous make-up artist"!  She's been on Oprah and said, "It's probably the finest soap in the universe. I'm obsessed with it. I cannot get enough of it!"

This was a huge plus for Sophie. "I totally love Bobbi Brown, I think she is a make up genius" But even so it didn't unduly sway her when forming an opinion of the soap. "However, I just don't get what all the fuss is about with the soap!  Maybe it's all the history behind it and it's 'clear conscience' that it's supposed to leave you with that's doing it for the celebs, but hello....it's liquid soap!"

There are apparently 18 uses for it - I know, I know...the clue is in the name! - Here's what they are and what Sophie thought of them:

1 - Shave (did this - it was ok)
2 - Shampoo (did this - it was rubbish! I haven't washed my hair with soap since I was a student - hey I'd run out of shampoo and cash...you do what you can in such circumstances!  And the results were pretty much the same - it left my hair greasy and I had to rewash it first thing in the morning as it was so gross)
3 - Dental (did this - I used the almond one and it was an interesting experience! 1 or 2 drops on a toothbrush and brush away. I used the almond one to try this, the others appealed even less, with hindsight this probably wasn't the best choice as it was like cleaning my teeth with liquid marzipan.  I don't like marzipan! I'm sure this would work better with the Peppermint soap but even so, I don't think it will be replacing my toothpaste of choice any time soon!)
4 - Soap bath (did this...it was ok; it's soap!)
5 - Deodorant (with the peppermint one - having already subbed peppermint for the almond version, I decided not to splash liquid marzipan on my armpits)
6 - Mint toothpaste (I thought we'd already covered that with point 3...but seemingly, no6 is for false teeth)
7 - Breath freshener and mouthwash (this must be for the peppermint one again - rose mouthwash anyone....?)
8 - Peppermint Oil Soap for Dispensers, Uniforms, Baby, Beach (whatever that means!)
9 - Body rub
10 - Foot bath
11 - Douche (really?! I didn't try this one!)
12 - Hot towel massage
13 - Pets!
14 - Silk, wool, washing clothes and dishes - I was beginning to roll my eyes at this point and waiting for the 'solves world peace and cooks the dinner' applications too!
15 - Body tingles head to toe - keeps cool! (that didn't happen for me!)
16 - 3 dashes in water rinses most sprays off fruit and vegetables (I thought we were getting close to the cooking the dinner one)
17 - 1/4oz in qt. H20 is a pest spray (hang on!!!  I just cleaned my teeth with this stuff!!!)
18 - Dash - no rash diaper-soap

Sophie's final verdict? "I wouldn't buy it and, for me, would be one of those stocking fillers that just fills up your bathroom shelves or drawers until you either run out of soap by accident or get fed up with it gathering dust after five years and chuck it out!"

On to the lip balms then. Maybe she would find something she liked here? "The balms however are a different story!  They are L O V E L Y - but then I don't think you can go far wrong with those!"

The lip balms we were sent were: naked, lemon and lime and orange and ginger.  "They all do what they're supposed to do, aren't too greasy and the orange and ginger one is by far the nicest in terms of smell." says Sophie.

The organic body or tattoo balms in the tins retail for £3.99 and are supposed to soothe dry chapped skin - sounds like lip balm in a tin to me! But it's also promises to brighten new and old tattoos...according to those in the know, vaseline does that too! We were sent two of these: Peppermint (maybe Sophie was supposed to clean her teeth with this one!) and orange lavender.

"Both were nice," says Sophie. "I'm not sure I'd buy them - and we discovered that they wash well after one went through a 30 degree cotton cycle!"

And Finally ...

Dr Bronner's gives away between 30 - 70% of their profits to International charities - since March 2009, in the UK, 20p from the sale of every soap goes to War Child International.

The Magic 18-in-1 Soap costs from £1.65 for the travel 2oz bottle, and £4.95 for 8oz.  The lip balms are priced at £2.95, and the organic body and tattoo balms at £3.99.

Dr Bronner’s Magic Soap is the USA’s No. 1 selling natural soap brand and a leader in organic and fair trade skincare. Famous fans reportedly include Drew Barrymore, Sandra Bullock and Eminem, and make-up artist Bobbi Brown championed the brand on The Oprah Show, saying: “It’s probably the finest soap in the universe. I’m obsessed with it. I cannot get enough of it!”

Now Dr Bronner's is lathering its way into British homes and hearts. So what's so special about it? The magic of Dr. Bronner’s is its affordability and versatility, with 18 uses from 1 bottle of liquid soap at £4.99 per 236ml bottle. Best used with a cloth, towel, loofah or sponge you can use it to clean your body, your mouth & teeth, your fruit & vegetables, your bathroom and kitchen, your clothes and even your pets!

It's available in 8 main varieties, the original being the famous tingly peppermint - “nature's own unsurpassed fragrant Deodorant!” - followed by Lavender, Eucalyptus, Citrus, Almond, Rose, unscented Baby Mild and Tea Tree which can even be used to treat minor cuts.

The soaps are most popular for at-home washing, but are also the soap of choice for many campers and hikers. They contain no synthetic foaming agents, thickeners, preservatives, fragrances, dyes or whiteners and use 100% post consumer recycled (PCR) cylinder bottles and paper labels. Completely biodegradable, the soaps are made with certified Fair Trade and organic ingredients sourced from India, Ghana, Palestine, Israel, and Sri Lanka.

Dr Bronner’s tell us that they take their organic credentials very seriously unlike many “natural” body care companies who masquerade their synthetically derived ingredients by using floral water as the main natural ingredient, while the functional ingredients are petrochemical derived and thus non-sustainable.

The 100% Pure Castile Soap recipe used in Dr. Bronner’s soap is a simple, ecological, vegetable based formulation, named after the Castile region of Spain where olive oil soaps where invented long ago. The high foaming lather of the soap is from its high coconut oil content, which makes a more luxurious and rich lather compared to any detergent formulation commonly found even in “natural stores.”

Dr. Bronner’s superfat their soaps with organic hemp and jojoba oils for a milder, smoother lather and use natural plant-derived vitamin E and citric acid to protect freshness. Apart from flavouring organic essential oils such peppermint, the base soap ingredients are Water, Saponified Organic Coconut, Organic Palm and Organic Olive Oils, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Essential Oils, Citric Acid, Vitamin E.

So what did our reviewer think? The first item we passed their way was Dr Bronner's Organic Baby Balm. Here's what they had to say:

"Loved the packaging.  The sliding lid is fantastic for taking around in the nappy bag.  The product dosen't feel greasy and absorbs very quickly.  Perfect for our baby's dry skin.  Even I have used this as a moisturiser on my elbows and they feel great now!"

Our reviewer loved this item and although they thought it was a little on the expensive side at £3.95, they  felt the price was justified because of the organic nature of the item.

The second item we reviewed was liquid soap from Dr Bronner's. Our reviewer felt the travel size of the packaging made it perfect for an overnight bag. But how did it work?

"I couldn't bear to use it as a toothpaste replacer - too soapy.  I used it as a shower gel using a sponge.  Bottle was not flexible enough to squirt it out like a shower gel, so I would have liked to see a product that was more suited to a shower gel application. At £5 for 236ml I felt this was expensive for an item that I do not really use except for in the shower.  I did try some in the bath for bathing my daughter and it seemed OK."

Finally, the pure castile soap. Our reviewer, a Dad, reckoned this feels really good for cleaning the face. He even tried it out for shaving:

"Had a shave with the pure castile soap and a shave brush and found my face was very clean although I had to moisturise afterwards as my skin had dried out.  The foam was softer than a traditional shave foam but thought it was a good alternative.  My face felt a lot cleaner aswell."

At £3.50 for a 140g bar our reviewer felt this was reasonably priced, albeit more expensive than their usual brand.

"I would normally buy a brand which is about a third of the price but the Dr Bronner bar does not break down like my usual brand. I would be happy to pay for a better product like Dr Bronner's that is natural and organic, and I feel safe that this is a safer product to be bathing my child in."

With each of the soaps, our Daddy reviewer would have preferred a scent but did acknowledge that they seemed like very good quality soaps, despite the lack of scent.

Dr. Bronner’s is available UK nationwide including Liberty, select Waitrose stores and leading health shops including Fresh & Wild, Planet Organic and Whole Foods. To find your nearest stockist call 0845 072 5825 or visit www.kinetic4health.co.uk