Margaret H.Verified buyer
United States
My daughter noticed
A friend at church gave me a bar from her stash. I cannot say it is magic but the difference is real. Thank you, Ruth.
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Complete clearance · Until the last bar is gone
After 34 years, Ruth is closing her shop.
Everything must go: a complete clearance of her handmade persimmon soap, from her mother's recipe, until the last bar is gone.
See my collectionFree shipping · 60-day money-back promise
Complete clearance · Until the last bar is gone
After 34 years, Ruth is closing her shop.
See my collection
Free shipping · 60-day money-back promise
Real customers
People like you, holding the real bar
"Out of the shower and I smelled like nothing. Which is exactly what I wanted."
Linda | Retired teacher
"I was skeptical. My wife wasn't. Four weeks later she asks me to order more."
Dennis | Retired electrician
"Came wrapped in paper with a handwritten note. You can tell a person packed it."
Patricia | Grandmother of five
"I tried it on a Tuesday. By Friday my sister asked what I'd changed."
Karen | Bookkeeper
"Unboxing was half the fun. The bars are heavy and smell clean, not perfumed."
Susan | Nurse
"Gym bag staple now. Nothing covers anything up. It just cleans."
Robert | Retired postal worker
"My daughter noticed before I said a word. Ordered six more."
Margaret | Church volunteer
"My grandson picked the wrapper. I'm keeping the soap."
Frances | Great-grandmother
"Thirty years I used drugstore bars. Not going back."
Walter | Retired machinist
"Got two. Gave one to my mom. She called me the next day."
Jessica | Teacher's aide
"Three bars is the sweet spot. Free shipping made it a no-brainer."
Harold | Retired deacon
"The thank-you card in the box made me tear up. Real people."
Denise | Retired librarian
My mother's soap
It started in a small village in Japan
My mother brought very little with her to California. One of those things was a way of making soap with persimmon, the soap folks back home used for the smell that comes with getting older. Nobody talks about it. I just made the soap, and people kept coming back.
A retired nurse from Stockton. A trucker who kept a bar in his cab. Our pastor, who bought six at a time. For 34 years I never changed a thing.
Read Ruth's full story
How it's made
Six weeks. By hand. The slow way.
I weigh the oils on a kitchen scale, stir the persimmon myself with a long wooden spoon, pour the molds and tuck a wool blanket around them. Then I cut, trim and stamp every bar, and slide the trays onto the racks.
They cure for six weeks. Not two. That is the whole secret, and the reason I could never make it cheaper.
See the persimmon bar
Attention
They copied my words. Not my soap.
Copies with my story and my face on the box have flooded the marketplaces. They skip the persimmon and skip the six weeks. Ruth's persimmon soap is sold only on this website, nowhere else, with no other sellers.
If you bought one and felt foolish, please don't. They fooled plenty of smart people. I'd just like you to try the real one.
Get the real bars
March
So I locked the door
For 34 years Ruth made soap by hand in a little shop in Sacramento, between a nail salon and an H&R Block. Her mother brought one way of making soap with persimmon from a small village in Japan, and Ruth never changed a thing.
Then copies showed up with her words and none of her persimmon. She would not make it cheaper and worse, so she closed. The racks were still full of bars, cured and waiting. Now she is clearing them out, until the last one is gone.
Read Ruth's full storyMessages for Ruth
Verified customer
Thank you for 34 years of honest soap, Ruth. We will miss you.
Barbara, Texas
Verified customer
My mother used your soap until she passed. I'm ordering one more bar in her memory.
Linda, Ohio
Verified customer
Enjoy your garden. You earned every minute of it.
Dennis, Nevada
Verified customer
I bought six before the shelves went bare. All the best to you and Emily.
Carol, Oregon
Verified customer
Please never stop writing the little notes in the box. They made my week.
Frances, Michigan
Verified customer
Thank you for 34 years of honest soap, Ruth. We will miss you.
Barbara, Texas
Verified customer
My mother used your soap until she passed. I'm ordering one more bar in her memory.
Linda, Ohio
Verified customer
Enjoy your garden. You earned every minute of it.
Dennis, Nevada
Verified customer
I bought six before the shelves went bare. All the best to you and Emily.
Carol, Oregon
Verified customer
Please never stop writing the little notes in the box. They made my week.
Frances, Michigan
Our promise
A soap that cleans. Nothing that covers.
Persimmon tannins bind to the oily film regular soap leaves behind. No perfume, no cover-up, just clean.
The original
Ruth's Persimmon Soap Bar · 4 oz
For anyone who showers every day and still wonders why that "older person" smell hangs on skin, collars and pillowcases. Fresh from the very first wash.
- Persimmon tannins grab the oily film regular soap leaves behind
- Olive and coconut oil clean without the tight, dry feeling
- Cured six weeks by hand, in small batches
Packed at the kitchen table
Her granddaughter Emily ships every order
Emily wraps and ships every box from Ruth's kitchen table: persimmon bars first, then the gift sets. No warehouse, no middleman.
If something is not right, you email Emily and she refunds you, no questions asked. That part was Ruth's idea: nobody should pay for soap that does not work.
See my collectionFree shipping, 3 to 5 days
60-day money-back promise
Secure checkout
Emily answers every email
What Ruth's customers say after the first week
9 in 10feel fresher after the first wash
From the notes Ruth kept from customers over 34 years
30 secon the skin is all it takes
Lather, wait half a minute, rinse
4.9 · 1,284 reviews
"I smelled it in the shower and it was gone by Tuesday. My granddaughter hugged me twice as long."
Why you'll love it
Three things Persimmon does well
Fresh that lasts
Persimmon tannins bind to the oily compounds that build up with age, so they rinse away instead of staying on skin and linen.
Kind to mature skin
Olive oil, coconut oil and glycerin cleanse without stripping, so skin stays soft and comfortable.
No cover-up
No synthetic perfume to mask anything. Just clean skin that smells like nothing at all.
What it did for them
"I wish someone had told me sooner"
Verified buyer
By Friday my sister asked what I had changed. I had changed nothing but the soap.
Karen, 58, Bookkeeper, Arizona
Verified buyer
My grandson hugs me longer now. I did not realize I had been holding back.
Frances, 75, Great-grandmother, Ohio
Verified buyer
Four weeks in, my pillowcases stopped smelling. The card in the box made me tear up.
Denise, 67, Retired librarian, Georgia
Why it works
Persimmon does what perfume can't
After forty, the skin's natural oils change, and a greasy compound called nonenal clings to skin, sheets and clothes. Regular soap rinses the sweat but leaves that film. The tannins in persimmon bind to it and let it go down the drain with the lather.
- Tannins bind the oily film regular soap misses
- Oils lift grime and keep skin soft
- Nothing masks, nothing lingers
Real customers
What people write to Ruth
4.9Based on 1,284 reviews
90% recommend it
Résumé IA des avis
Customers say the persimmon bar leaves them feeling fresh from the first wash, and most notice the difference on collars and pillowcases within a week or two. They like that it is gentle and unscented, and many order several bars. A few say it did not work for them or arrived slowly.
Summary of 1,284 reviews
Customer photos & videos
Judy P.Verified buyer
United States
I wish I had found it sooner
My daughter told me gently that I smelled different. The first shower felt different, clean in a way I had forgotten.
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Donna C.Verified buyer
United States
Honest soap
I was tired of perfume covering it up. A week in, my husband asked what I had changed. I told all my friends.
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Diane N.Verified buyer
United States
I wish I had found it sooner
My daughter told me gently that I smelled different. The first shower felt different, clean in a way I had forgotten. Packaged beautifully.
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Janet F.Verified buyer
United States
My daughter noticed
A friend at church gave me a bar from her stash. I cannot say it is magic but the difference is real. Five stars from me.
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Even if the bar is half used
The 60-day money-back promise
Wash with Ruth's Soaps for 60 days. If you are not happy for any reason, email Emily and she refunds you in full.
- No questions asked. Refunded within 3 business days
- Keep the bar. Nothing to send back
- A real person. Emily answers every message herself
Questions
Ruth and Emily answer
Still wondering about something? Email Emily at [email protected]. She writes back herself, usually the same day.
Choose my barsIs it only for older people?
No. Nonenal builds up after 40 but anyone who wants soap that cleans without perfume will like it. Most customers are 45 to 80.
Will it smell strong?
No. It is a light, clean, slightly sweet scent that fades as you dry. It will not fight your perfume or aftershave.
Is it gentle on dry or sensitive skin?
It is made with olive and coconut oil and glycerin, so most customers with dry skin find it comfortable. Do a patch test if your skin is very sensitive.
How long does one bar last?
About four weeks of daily use for one person, longer if you keep the bar dry between washes on the soap dish.
When will my order arrive?
Orders ship from California in 1 to 2 business days and arrive in 3 to 5 business days anywhere in the US. Shipping is always free.
The clearance runs until the last bar is gone.
Free shipping and a 60-day money-back promise. When the racks are empty, Ruth is done.
See my collection