Vanguard

Inspired by the 2015 documentary Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Vanguard is a clarifying charcoal soap with African Black Soap crumbles and a red heart embed. Vanguard smells rich and earthy due to its complex blend of warm amber, woody palo santo, spicy cinnamon, crisp cardamom, floral ylang ylang, and sweet lily of the valley.

The design of the soap is meant to look like an afro, a symbol of black empowerment that was especially popular in the African American community in the 1960s and 1970s. The heart serves as a reminder of the core motivation of the Black Panther Party. In his director’s statement, Stanley Nelson said, “the Black Panther Party emerged out of a love for their people and a devotion to empowering them. This powerful display of the human spirit, rooted in heart, is what compelled me to communicate this story accurately.”