Soft & Gentle

How ethical is Soft & Gentle?

Soft & Gentle is a deodorant brand which has fallen below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark on our Ethical Deodorant Ratings Table. Unlike many brands in this sector whose below-benchmark performance is driven by environmental reporting gaps, Soft & Gentle’s position is shaped primarily by a poor rating for armaments involvement connected to its parent company’s investment portfolio.

What does Soft & Gentle do?

Soft & Gentle is a UK women’s deodorant brand that has been producing antiperspirant and deodorant products since the 1970s. The brand is operated by Royal Sanders, a personal care contract manufacturer backed by 3i Group plc, one of the UK’s largest listed private equity and infrastructure investment companies. Royal Sanders operates production sites across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, and the UK. Soft & Gentle produces antiperspirant and deodorant products in aerosol, roll-on, and stick formats and is widely available in UK supermarkets and pharmacies.

Why does Soft & Gentle fall below The GOOD Shopping Guide’s benchmark?

Soft & Gentle’s below-benchmark performance is driven primarily by a poor rating for armaments. Through its parent company 3i Group plc, Soft & Gentle is connected to an investment portfolio that includes interests in defence and aerospace-related sectors. For consumers seeking to avoid any connection to the weapons industry through their purchasing decisions, this represents a significant concern. This is not a matter that can be addressed at the level of the Soft & Gentle brand itself, as it arises from the broader investment activities of its ultimate owner.

Soft & Gentle also receives a poor rating for organic ingredients. The brand’s conventional antiperspirant and deodorant formulations do not meet certified organic standards. While Soft & Gentle does not specifically market itself on organic credentials, pursuing organic certification for relevant product lines would strengthen its ethical profile.

Beyond these poor ratings, Soft & Gentle’s environmental report, animal welfare, and vegetarian and vegan verification ratings are all acceptable rather than good, indicating room for improvement across environmental transparency and product certification. Strengthening environmental reporting and pursuing formal vegan verification would bring these ratings in line with the better performance demonstrated across other criteria.

It is worth noting that Soft & Gentle achieves good ratings for genetic modification, fossil fuels, irresponsible marketing, and political donations, and has no documented public record criticisms. However, the armaments poor rating is a concern that The GOOD Shopping Guide cannot overlook, and which places the brand below the benchmark regardless of its performance across other criteria.

Consumers seeking deodorant brands that meet The GOOD Shopping Guide’s ethical benchmark are encouraged to consult our Ethical Deodorant Ratings Table and our guide to ethical deodorant, and seek out brands that hold The GOOD Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation. Our how we rate page explains the criteria used to assess all brands in this sector.