FIRST ON RADAR: Dr. Kaufmann soap officially disappearing from local shelves

Unilever Philippines confirms the Filipino household staple has been discontinued after months of speculation over its availability.

A familiar name in Filipino bathrooms since the 1990s is heading out of the market. Dr. Kaufmann Medicated Sulfur Soap has been discontinued, Unilever Philippines confirmed to customers following months of speculation.

In an email reply to a customer’s inquiry on October 6, which was later posted online, the local Unilever office said the household soap brand was no longer being produced.

“We’d like to inform you that Dr. Kaufmann Soap has already been delisted and will soon be fully depleted in the Philippine market,” the email from Unilever’s Consumer Engagement Centre read.

Formulated with sulfur and zinc oxide, Dr. Kaufmann soap appealed to consumers with persistent body odor and sensitive skin. Many Filipino netizens swore by the soap for its affordability and effectiveness.

What many don’t realize is that Dr. Kaufmann soap is a homegrown product.

A commercial for the soap dating back to around 1998 says the soap was manufactured by Metrolab Industries, the skincare arm of then Metro Pacific Corp., which eventually became the Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

In 1999, MPC then sold Metrolab to the Philippine arm of global wellness company Sara Lee Corp., which was behind brands like Eskinol, Master, and Block and White. The transaction was done to fund MPC’s debt payments and development of Bonifacio Global City.

Unilever then acquired Sara Lee globally in 2010, along with the company’s brands. Dr. Kaufmann had been manufactured and distributed by Unilever Philippines since then. Fissan foot powder, another household deodorant staple under Unilever, was rebranded under the Dr. Kaufmann umbrella in 2025.

Netizens say Dr. Kaufmann soap had been out of stock since May this year, fueling speculation that the product may have been discontinued. Websites of major retailers also list the product as out of stock.

Unilever has not given a reason for the soap’s discontinuation.

Though Unilever has confirmed that the soap will no longer be sold, the Dr. Kaufmann brand may still continue with the foot powder line. Variants of the former Fissan products are still listed as available on retail platforms.

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