 | |
 Irish Spring green soap | |
| Product type | Deodorant soap |
|---|---|
| Owner | Colgate-Palmolive |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1970 |
| Website | www.irishspring.com |
Irish Spring is an American brand of deodorant soap that the Colgate-Palmolive company has marketed since 1970.
History
Irish Spring was launched in Germany in 1970 and in the US in 1972. Up until 1990, Irish Spring soap bars only came in one scent (known internally as "Ulster Fragrance"), but the Colgate company has since branched out into several niche varieties and scents. Irish Spring deodorants and shaving products were manufactured until the 1980s. In 2007, Irish Spring body wash was introduced. In addition, in 2011, Irish Spring deodorant was reintroduced as part of Colgate-Palmolive's Speed Stick brand of products.
In 1986, the soap changed its formula, included a different scent, and added skin conditioners.
The soap underwent another formula change in February 2022, together with the renaming of the original variant to "Original Clean," and debuted with a new logo and newly redesigned packaging designed by Chase Design Group. This change in formulation resulted in another new scent and the addition of flaxseed oil to the bar form of the soap, which prompted some heavy backlash from consumers who preferred the scent and lather of the previous formula that had been used for over 30 years. [1][2]
Variants
Irish Spring currently has ten variants:[3]
- Original Clean
- Moisture Blast
- Active Scrub
- 5 in 1
- Charcoal Refresh
- Aloe Mist
- Ultimate Wake Up
- Black Mint
- Sage & Cedar
- Mountain Chill
Irish Spring also has 3 natural variants:[4]
- Relaxing Sandalwood & Hemp
- Exfoliating Salt & White Birch
- Hydrating Eucalyptus & Mint
Television advertisements
Television advertisements for the product have usually been set in an Irish village or a forest. The product had one of the most famous slogans of the past few decades, uttered by a showering woman uttering the phrase, "Manly, yes, but I like it too", to describe its crossover appeal to both women and men.
Other oft-used slogans included: "Fresh and clean as a whistle" (in which a wolf whistle was heard after "fresh" and before "clean as a whistle"), "All the freshness of Ireland Bottled", "Clean a man up right", "The Irish Never Quit", and "Smell like you're worth exploring". Most currently, the tagline is: "Add a little Irish to your Game".
The television advertisements also featured people singing while bathing in the soap, sometimes in public and fully clothed, and a man carving off the side of the soap with a knife to reveal the soap's striped cross-section.
Irish Spring is also a sponsoring partner of The Onion, a satirical newspaper-styled website.
The 2009 campaign focused on Irish Spring Body Wash, with the tagline: "All the freshness of Ireland bottled". They have a website (GetIrishNow.com) where the user can learn how to be more charming, download ringtones, get a free T-shirt & body wash giveaways, and learn more about their products.
The 2015 advertising campaign supported the new Irish Spring body wash and bar soap, Signature for Men. The TV spots, which ran from January to March 2015, featured an Irish actor providing dialogue over scenes in which men typically get dirty. The campaign utilized the slogan: "Clean a Man Up Right".
In 2017, Jenna Marbles, a well-known YouTuber, advertised Irish Spring as the favorite soap of her dog, Kermit.[5] In 2018, Marbles made a bed out of Irish Spring products for Kermit as a birthday present. The company sponsored neither video.[6] Irish Spring took the opportunity to gain publicity in 2019, when they sent Kermit soap and some swag, including a beach towel with his face on it, as a birthday present. Jenna posted about the gift on her Snapchat story.[7]
References
- ↑ "I used to love Irish Spring". Reddit. July 10, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
- ↑ "Irish Spring Gets Fresh New Look". HAPPI. 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ↑ "Irish Spring Body Wash for Men".
- ↑ "Irish Spring Body Wash for Men".
- ↑ JennaMarbles (September 21, 2017). "My Dog Reviews Soap". YouTube. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ↑ JennaMarbles (July 7, 2018). "Making My Dog A Bed Out Of Soap". YouTube. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
- ↑ JennaMarbles (July 19, 2019). "Irish Springs Sends Jenna Marbles A Present For Kermit". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
