Handmade fragrance-free dog shampoo bar | SuperheroesAssistanceDog®

New: handmade shampoo bars for dogs – intentionally without added perfume

After extensive development, making, trying out, adjusting, and testing, the time has come: the handmade shampoo bars from SuperheldenHulphond® are available.

During development, we didn't just want to create yet another dog shampoo that primarily smells nice and looks cute. We wanted a compact shampoo bar where every ingredient serves a purpose, that is easy to use, and lasts for multiple washes.

And above all: without added perfume.

Not because we forgot to add a scent. On the contrary. It is a very conscious choice.

A small block that lasts surprisingly long

Our shampoo bars weigh approximately 33 grams . That might seem small if you are used to a large bottle of liquid dog shampoo, but with a solid shampoo bar, you are not buying a bottle that consists largely of liquid.

You only need a small amount of the bar per wash.

With normal use, one shampoo bar will last for approximately 10 to 15 washes . The exact number naturally depends on factors such as the size of your dog, coat type, and how much product you use.

At a selling price of €4.95, that averages out to about €0.40 per wash .

One thing is important in this regard: a shampoo bar does not need to lather profusely to clean the coat. More lather does not automatically mean the dog gets cleaner. Therefore, do not keep rubbing the bar over the dog until the entire coat is covered in a thick layer of foam.

It was precisely during testing that we noticed how important it is to explain that clearly.

After extensive testing

Before the shampoo bars were added to the webshop, various people tested them in practice.

This yielded information not only about the products themselves, but also about how different people use a shampoo bar. One person is already accustomed to solid care products, while another is holding a shampoo bar for the first time.

And that is precisely why a test period is valuable.

We received feedback on, among other things, the use, lathering, rinsing, the feel of the coat, any skin reactions, the absence of perfume, the packaging, and of course the price.

It also became clear how easily you can use a solid shampoo too liberally when you expect the entire dog to lather up thoroughly. We have incorporated this information into our instructions for use.

So for us, testing a product means more than just asking: “Did you like it?”

It also means looking at what happens in practice.

Six different shampoo bars

The line currently consists of six variants. They all share the same basic concept but contain different additional ingredients.

🌾 HaverHeld® – with colloidal oats

A soft shampoo bar with colloidal oats for gentle cleansing and care of skin and coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Colloidal Oatmeal.

🌿 GroeneNeus® – with green illite clay

A natural green variant with green illite clay for cleaning and caring for the dog's coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Illite Green.

❤️ RodeRover® – with red illite clay

A red-colored variant with red illite clay for cleaning and caring for the dog's coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Illite Red.

🌱 AloeMaatje® – with aloe vera

A mild shampoo bar with aloe vera for cleansing and caring for skin and coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice.

🏜️ DesertHero® – with Moroccan lava clay

A shampoo bar with Moroccan lava clay for cleaning and caring for the dog's coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Moroccan Lava Clay.

✨ GoudenPaw® – with honey and beeswax

A special variant with honey and beeswax for cleaning and caring for the dog's coat.

Ingredients: Aqua, Glycerin, Sodium Stearate, Sodium Laurate, Sodium Myristate, Sorbitol, Propylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Sodium Chloride, Titanium Dioxide, Honey, Cera Alba.

Why don't we add perfume?

There is a fairly simple product philosophy behind that:

Every ingredient must have a function.

We do not want to make our care products more complicated than necessary. The ingredients we use must have a reason to be part of the product. For example, they may be necessary for cleansing, conditioning, structure, or composition.

Does an ingredient have no function for the product or for the dog that we deem necessary?

Then we prefer not to add it.

The exact same applies to added perfume.

Perfume does not make the dog's coat cleaner. It is not necessary to shape the shampoo bar, and for its own well-being, a dog does not need to smell like flowers, vanilla, fruit, or any other human-chosen scent after washing.

Therefore, for our shampoo bars, such an addition has no necessary function.

Why would we add it then?

Clean and smelling good are not the same thing.

For people, those two concepts have become quite intertwined.

Shampoo smells. Detergent smells. Shower gel smells. Cleaning products smell. A certain scent is even deliberately marketed as the scent of cleanliness .

As a result, we can unknowingly project the same expectation onto our dogs.

A dog has been washed, so we expect him to smell like shampoo afterwards.

But cleansing and perfuming are two different things.

Has a dog run through the mud, swum in a dirty ditch, or found something extraordinarily attractive to roll in? Then washing may be necessary to remove dirt.

There is no need to add another layer of perfume on top to make that wash a success.

A clean dog is allowed to simply smell like a dog.

Who is that nice scent actually for?

That is a question we find interesting.

A floral, fruity, or fresh scent is typically added because we humans find them pleasant.

But the product is used on the dog.

Dogs experience their world largely through scent. In doing so, they gather information about their environment, other animals, and people.

In September 2026, Radar focused on dog perfume and other scented grooming products and spoke with the National Information Centre for Companion Animals (LICG) for this purpose. The LICG points out that scent has a communicative function for dogs, among other things, and that we do not know whether a dog finds a scent that it finds interesting for a short time pleasant on its own body for an extended period. According to Radar, the LICG also advises that when shampoo is necessary, one should choose the mildest and most odorless product possible and use it specifically for the animal species in question.

Read the Radar article about dog perfume and scented grooming products.

That article appeared after we had made our choice for shampoo bars without added perfume, but it aligns nicely with the thinking behind it.

The dog owner also has to live with it.

Moreover, there is someone else to whom that smell reaches: humans .

The owner handles the product while washing. They smell it while drying, and afterwards, the same dog might be sitting next to you on the couch, in the car, or in bed.

With an assistance dog, the contact is often even more intense. An assistance dog can literally work right next to or against its owner for a large part of the day.

Not everyone finds a long-lasting perfume scent pleasant.

People differ greatly in how they perceive and process odors. Some people are particularly sensitive to strong odors or experience odor as a strong sensory stimulus. This can occur, for example, in people with sensory hypersensitivity and in some autistic people.

For them, a strongly perfumed dog can actually be quite unpleasant after a wash.

A shampoo bar without added perfume is therefore not only a conscious choice based on our product philosophy. It can also simply be a more pleasant and accessible alternative for people who prefer to avoid strong scents.

Without added perfume does not mean: literally odorless

We consider that distinction important.

Our products consist of ingredients that have a smell of their own. Oats, clay, honey, and beeswax, for example, are not odorless concepts on paper.

Therefore, in some variants, you may detect a light natural scent of the ingredients used.

That is different from adding perfume with the aim of giving the shampoo bar or the dog a specific scent.

We also do not add an essential oil or other fragrance just to be able to claim “fragrance-free,” even though the shampoo bar smells strongly perfumed.

If an ingredient is present in the product due to its function and has a slight scent of its own, that scent is simply part of the ingredient.

That is why we deliberately use the formulation without added perfume instead of promising that every product is completely odorless.

And what if a dog *does* stink?

Then it is important to distinguish between removing the cause and masking the odor .

Has your dog just rolled in something dirty? Then the explanation is probably not complicated, and a good wash might provide a solution.

However, a recurring or noticeably abnormal odor from, for example, the skin, coat, ears, or mouth can also have another cause.

A perfume does not undo that cause. At most, it temporarily causes our nose to perceive something else.

Therefore, we do not see perfume as a solution for a dog with a distinctive smell.

Masking an odor is not the same as solving a problem.

In the event of an unexplained, strong, or persistent change in smell, especially when there are other symptoms, it is wiser to investigate the cause and consult a veterinarian if necessary.

This is how you use a shampoo bar

You use solid shampoo slightly differently than a bottle of liquid shampoo.

First, thoroughly wet both the dog's coat and the shampoo bar. Then, rub the bar over the wet coat a few times .

Then set the bar aside and massage the applied product further through the coat with your hands. Subsequently, rinse thoroughly.

It is not necessary to keep reapplying the product until the entire dog is foaming profusely.

A lot of foam is not the same as cleaner.

By using a small amount, you avoid unnecessary product usage and one bar lasts considerably longer.

For extra grip and lather, the shampoo bar can optionally be used in a sisal soap bag . After washing, let the bar dry thoroughly before storing it.

Natural ingredients are allowed to look natural.

Because we work with natural ingredients, color, texture, and appearance may vary slightly between different batches.

A natural color may also gradually change during storage.

We don't see that as a problem.

We do not need to artificially give every shampoo bar exactly the same appearance when such a difference simply arises from the ingredients used.

The product must primarily do what it was made for.

No perfume is not an ingredient that we have forgotten.

That perhaps sums up our choice best.

During the development, we didn't think:

Oops, we still need to pick out a nice perfume.

We asked ourselves what a shampoo bar needs to become the product we want to make.

And then we only added ingredients for which we see a reason.

We try to apply that same idea more broadly to our personal care products:

What has a function? That can be included. What has no function? That doesn't have to be included.

Therefore, our shampoo bars do not need to leave behind a cloud of perfume to have done their job well.

After extensive testing, they are now available in six varieties, all handmade in small batches, approximately 33 grams each, and without added perfume .

And what if your dog is clean after washing, but doesn't smell of flowers, tropical fruit, or perfume?

Then nothing went wrong.

Then your clean dog just smells like a dog again.