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Dial Soap: The Incredible Shrinking Bar

Once upon a time “bath size” bars of soap were all five ounces. Most have now been downsized to 4.5 ounces.

The latest move, however, is to go even smaller. Dial for Men is a prime example.

*MOUSE PRINT:  The 4.5 ounce bar is now 4.0 ounces — over 10% smaller.

dial soap small

OLD                                      NEW

So these three packs are 12 ounces instead of the old 13.5 ounces, but still priced the same.[Click picture to view net weight statement.] 

Downsizing is a sneaky way to pass on a price increase because you are getting less for your money but may not catch the change. As is typical for many downsized products, the manufacturer diverts your attention from the net weight statement to something else “new”. In this case, they are calling it a “new grip bar” because ridges have been carved into it.

I suspect it will still slip out of your hand when wet and sudsy, so wouldn’t you rather have that half-ounce back?

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99 thoughts on “Dial Soap: The Incredible Shrinking Bar”

  1. A few years ago Kleenex tissues did the same thing. They made the tissues 1/2 inch shorter in length. Less area for the same price. Buyer beware of United States business’ practices.

  3. Interestingly, the ‘cut-out’ soap to make the ‘grip bar’ may be that 1.5 ounce of soap that’s missing.

  5. I check your website every week and am always surprised at how much “slips” past
    me. Thank you for this website!

  6. I happened to notice this exact same phenomenon this weekend. I bought a new pack of Zest and found that they have a new contoured, easy-to-hold shape to them. The only thing I noticed, was that the bar was way smaller than the last bars I bought. I felt totally ripped off! Who cares about a countoured shape on a bar of soap? I’d rather have my regualr bar of soap back. Zestfully screwed!

  7. Has anyone looked at canned tuna lately? It’s still the same 6 oz., but it used to be 5 oz. tuna, and 1 oz. water/ Now it’s about 3 oz. tuna, and 3 oz. water!!!

  8. This is not anything new, has been happening to many things across the board for
    decades. Spaghetti sauce used to come in 32 oz jars, then 30 oz, then 28 oz,
    and many are now 26 oz. I wonder how long until a pound is no longer 16 oz?
    But like I have stated before, if it’s on there for you to read then they are at least being honest about it. It’s not their fault people to do not read labels or pay attention.

  9. The usual ripoff but we, as
    customers, must read more and
    when we notice these things
    complain loud and clear.

  10. The day the M&M “pounder” packages downsized was the day I quit buying M&M’s! I haven’t had one M&M since then and I refuse to buy them again.

    Beware of downsized 12 ounces boxes of pasta – same size box as the 16 ounce box, but less contents! As much pasta as I used with my recipes, I’ve become vigilant to read the boxes to make sure I’m getting the full one pound!

    I wish companies would stop their deceptive practices of downsizing everything just to keep the price the same. I’d rather pay more for the same contents.

  11. I work in a grocery store so I always notice when something is downsized but the price is the same. It amazes me how few people know that a “half gallon” of ice cream is now only 56 ounces.

  12. I think we talked about this with the Tide detergent recently, and compared it to candy, potato chips, etc.

    I’ve come to learn that when there are new “check this out!” messages inside bright stars or other flashy areas, then something has probably changed, and probably not for the better. To me it’s a sign that I’d better look for the catch.

    And don’t be surprised if in a few years they come out with a new “jumbo size”, which is a 6 oz bar for only 20% more in price. This will actually save them money since the cost of the extra soap and packaging is only pennies (versus the marketing that consumes the extra price.)

  13. While I don’t necessarily like the practice of attention diversion while upping the unit price (same end result), we must all remember that this is a free market economy. We are not obliged to buy these goods, so I don’t understand why people get so upset about it. The ONLY thing that works is to vote with your wallet. Or with a threat. Right now the time is ripe for attacking companies for not being “green” – in this case by lowering the amount of product and keeping the packaging nearly equal, they are in effect creating more waste and increasing their carbon footprint. Write the companies using this angle and they may begin to worry that consumers may shift towards more green practices.
    A comment to RS – your final point was right on . . . that is what is going to happen, but it ought to benefit us all. Lower production and packaging costs will increase their profit margin and allow them more room to lower the price in the cases of competition.
    While nobody ever likes to pay more for something, the fact is prices do go up on goods . . . we can’t all be upset we’re not still paying 5 cents for a candy bar or 25 cents for a gallon of gas.

    VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET – COMPANIES ARE SINGLED-MINDED AND THIS IS THE ONLY THING THEY UNDERSTAND.

  15. @ Andy: Here’s a question: How do you actually envision voting with my wallet? Am I to stop buying from Dial? Or should I figure out what conglomerate they belong to and boycot them all-together? With the soap market largely being divided between P&C and UniLever, so I just go all over to the other? What if they both pull the same trick? They do.

    I am just saying. It’s very easy to say that one should vote with their wallet, but it’s not that easy. To me, it’s a fairly hollow slogan, used by defenders of whatever practise is wrong. Hygiene prescribes I stay clean, so I need my soap. Please tell me now how to most effectively vote with my wallet.

  16. Another thing I think should be examined is whether they’ve changed the chemistry of the soap
    in a manner that it gets used up faster. With regard to cutting back on quantities, I’ve noticed
    that cans of cat food from some companies like 9 Lives, never seem to be full. There’s always a
    half to three quarter inch empty margin around the food.

  17. Jimbo –

    I agree. My soap seems to disapear about 4-5 times faster than it used to! Some of that may be due to the fact that the bars are physically smaller, but I too have a feeling that they have chemically altered the composition of the soap so that is basically disintigrates away in about two and a half showers. Maybe I should start making my own soap?

  20. I hate new and improved in grocery products. New means smallered and improved is code for price increase. Seldom have I seen the benefits from new and improved soaps. I wish companies were required to spell out the changes in clear customer readable language when they change a product.

  21. If you notice your soap doesn’t last as long, try this:

    Next time you go to open a new bar of soap, open two. Leave one in your medicine chest or on top of a cabinet in your bathroom. Use one bar normally, and when that runs out grab the other opened bar. Letting your bars dry before using will increase the life of your soap by far. The longer you let the soap dry, the longer it will last in the shower. I’ve had bars last through 6 months of daily use using this method. And of course, that made the next bar last just as long since it had 6 months of dry time!

  23. I must admit, the one that lasted that long was set on top of the medicine chest, and got forgoten for quite awhile, it was at least a year old when I started using the bar.

  26. I noticed this the other day. Not that my bars of soap shrunk, but just how little they are. I use Ivory (no gunk or anti-bacterial stuff), and the bars are 4.5 oz. The bars are half the size of my hand. I like the price / ounce (less than 50 cents a bar), but I would really appreciate if they would make jumbo bars. Maybe 10 oz. It would be better for the environment if I didn’t have to throw away all of those packages.

    The soap drying suggestion sounds like some fake internet thing, like doubling your gasoline efficiency, but I will try it, nonetheless.

  27. I have been a lifelong user of Dial soap and recently I thought that the bars were a bit smaller than in the past. Thanks for filling me in on what happened. But I’ll probably keep on using it.

  28. No matter what we do to get by, the businesses, of every kind, is going to give us the old “I’ve got a deal for you”. They will take advantage of us every way they can so “THEY” can get by. They know we have to have these things and they know we will buy them, so it’s “I’ve got a deal for you”. As for honest people, they hardly exist anymore. Thus the phrase, “It’s a dog eat dog world out there”. I work for a major retail chain, they are just as bad about taking advantage of people (customers and employees). After the father died, the company has gone to hell. I retire in 2,257 days and I am looking foward to it. I read Dollar Stretcher everyday, and find excellent ways to “do it your own way” and “make your it yourself”. I’d like to say I hope everyones new year will be better, but I have my doubts.

  29. New grip bar my %@%. If I said I dropped a bar of soap three times in the last year , I’d be exagerrating. If I said I did it thirty times in the last ten years , I’d be a liar. After 3 or 4 showers that grip bar looks like just another bar of soap. The only new and improved grip here is the one the manufacturers have us by.

  30. I bought some dial today and it looked the same as my old bars. Got home, opened it and looked at first bar and it was hollowed ou in middle. Looked at other bars and they were the same. The ends were full size so that when they are satacked they look like the old bars. This got me PO’d! I called diall 800 number and told them the story and asked what happened. They told me after, much research with consumers they found that consumers like this hollowed out shape, and too by the way, the reduced size was to keep the cost from going up! Duh, can you believe this? I told them that I bet that they rolled in the floor laughing time they got off the phone from spewing out those lines! I told them that they should have made the bars smaller and put on the package, “New size bars”. I was almost assured that would not happen. Anyway they are passing my comments on to management. My God, what is this once mightly USA coming to, no one will know what the truth is in 40 years!
    Truth means something, lies and deception mean something too..Stay away from those who do this to you. Get the message Mr. Dial!

  31. I am so glad I found this web site. I just opened a new package of Zest soap and found an hour glass shaped bar. The packages I’ve opened before contained “normal” bars of soap. I’ve apparently had enough because, before I knew it, the bar of soap magically appeared on the other side of the room. I understand rising prices. What has finally reduced me to soap abuse is the deceptions that manufacturers use to try and make me believe their shrinking products are the same size or just a lot handier for me. I’ve been noticing this trend for years and was suprised that most of my friends either didn’t notice or made the comment, “What can you do about it?”. That comment is garunteed to send me into either a state of near rage or catatonia. The sad part is that new consumers won’t know the difference and will assume that these are commonly accepted business practices. I’m looking for answers right now. I’m trying to find out what I can do about this before my head explodes. I was born in the 50’s so maybe I’m just having a hard time adapting to the idea that this is supposed to be acceptable now. You know, kind of like when the Beatles made their first appearance on T.V. and my parents felt sure the world was falling apart. HAH!

  32. I feel ripped off too by Dial’s crookedness. For what they removed from the pack of 3 bars I bought, they could make a 4th bar. I’m done with Dial. I get angry about all this cheating being done to the consumer. There is no such thing as a 3 lb can of coffee anymore. What really get me about food items is that recipes call for a certain amount and you can’t buy items to fit your recipes anymore. When they cut back on the product and replace it with water, your recipe does not turn out right. I think the consumers of the US need to boycott all companies that do this. If there are any good companies out there, then please make it known to the consumer so that we can patronize them and put the other rip-off artists out of business.

  33. I’ve used Dial soap for over forty years and can’t believe
    the insult to my intelligence with this New Grip Bar.
    I guess less is more ?
    Well I’m done with Dial and all there products.Makes me think what other little dirty tricks there doing.My whole family is boycotting all there products for fear of what else they might be doing with the ingredients
    that we can’t ever see.

  34. Soap companies have an easy way to increase consumption
    of bar soap. Just pump more air into the batch before the bars are
    formed.

  35. Since the cost of tallow (soaps main ingredient) has more than doubled in the
    past year, companies are now using smaller bars to make up for the extra cost.
    One way to beat the big guys is to walk or drive to a Trader Joes in your area,
    (if you are lucky enough to have one) and buy up all the Oatmeal and Honey and
    Tea Tree soap in stock. Both are incredible deals below $1.50 for two 4oz. bars.
    They are made from pure vegetble oil and not tallow(fat of a cow!!) Bars last
    forever and smell great. No additives like color and stuff. I love bar soap
    and will NEVER be a liquid soap buyer for the shower or bath.

  36. I am a 69 year old male who has used Dial personal bar for most of my life.
    After purchasing my last 8 pack, I will be going elsewhere for my soap. By
    shaving down the bar, I get less soap
    but also the bar breaks in half after a few uses because it lacks
    the previous strength due to the shaved portion. Your cost saving measure has
    lost you this customer.

  37. Just did a Google search about this subject upon returning from the grocery with my four ounce
    bars of Coast. Several years ago I asked Kellogg about the same thing happening with Pop Tarts.
    They assured me I was mistaken. The question remains what if anything can be done about this?

  38. I just bought a Dial three pack and saw it is now 12 ounces,plus my store has raised the price besides. My husband likes this soap because he uses it when shaving. It’s ashame how these companies are always ripping off the consumer.

  40. How nice to know that we’re not the only ones! How discouraging to think that nothing can be done about the shrinking and disintegrating Dial bath bar. Since the company obviously will not change its current policy, has anyone out there found a satisfactory substitute? (No, I’m not going to start making my own!) Thanks, Judy in Memphis

  41. Matt Schaffer’s April 9 comment is right on. The other trick is that the new shape makes it almost impossible to “chain” bars by sticking the old one to the new one, so you have to waste soap flakes anyway. They probably get another half-ounce advantage out of that.

  42. I just noticed the same problem with the Dial Soap bar going from 4.5 to 4 ounces. This kind of fraud and deception is really bad, especially to long term customers

    The basically removed a whole bar from the 8 bar package. .5 * 8 = 4 oz.; but you still pay the same or actually higher with the latest inflation.

    However, there is another problem with the “new” shaped bar. The 4.0 oz bar is now so thin, it actually disappears much quicker than even the 4.5 oz bar.

    The shape does not help at all with the grip of the bar. In my opinion, the bar is more awkward to hold then ever before.

    Is there anything we can do to blow the whistle and make this hurt a bit for Dial? I would really like the orginal bar size and shape to come back!

    I also don’t believe this is their first attempt at this. About 4 years ago I notice the bar change shape on the imprinted side.
    It looked like they press the roller too hard imprinter. Now I would believe that was the same thing happening back then.
    Unfortunately, I don’t have a bar that old to actually compare. Maybe someone does or experienced the same thing. If so I would be interested to hear.

  43. You may want to do some research as to what is actually in these soaps. I recently looked it up and there are lots of awful chemicals in these commercial soaps. Try to find a handmade soap supplier as they publish lots of information about what is actually in the soap and provide you with a normal size bar for your price. You may be suprised to see the difference.

    Soap is also VERY easy to make if you don’t want to spend the extra money. Hope this helps…

  44. I want to add my two cents to the Dial fiasco.
    I am a 57 year user of Dial. I believe I will return the what is left of the eight bar package (7) bars and maybe the unused portion to the Dial soap company. Maybe the president of the company should be required to use the newly designed bar of soap before it is forced on the public. I know that I will look long and hard for a replacememt soap. (NO MORE DIAL}

  45. I love using Dial soap. Have used it only for all my adult life. Which is many years. I do not like the shape of the present product. I am paying more for less and am tired of being ripped off. Will be switching the bar is hard to hold on to and wears thin in the middle with soap still left on the sides which results in waste.

  46. I emailed the Dial soap company about their deceptive downsizing. Their
    computer sent me an automated reply saying, in part, “Thank you for your email and interest in a product produced by The Dial Corporation. You should receive a response by email within 24 to 48 hours or by U.S. mail within 7-10 business days.” That was on 22 June. It’s now
    27 July, and I’m still waiting for a response. Apparently they think that
    ignoring a customer is better than dealing with a complaint/concern. I’ll be
    looking for a new brand of soap.

  47. I discovered the downsizing of Coast and Irish Spring to 4.0oz a few months ago at Wal-Mart. They had 3 bars of 4.5oz remaining which I purchased. On the way home I stopped at K-Mart knowing that they sold less merchandise than Wally World and might have some 4.5oz bars remaining. I discovered a gold mine–I purchased 18 bars of each soap in the 4.5oz size. I’m 66 and think I may have 4.5oz soap remaining when I have my heart attack in a few years. Won’t my kids be surprized when they find a drawer with 20 bars of soap–that will confirm that the old man was indeed a looney tune. I also sent an email regarding the package size being the same as the larger size bar and mentioned that they should ‘go green’ and return to 5 oz at an increased price and tell the world that they are reducing their carbon footprint. I guess I showed them!!!!

  48. I am glad to see that others besides me are mad as hell with Dial for trying to pull the wool over our eyes. I hate deceptive practices such as this. I would have preferred that Dial just raise the price and keep the same old 5 oz regular shaped bar. I am smart enough to tell when someone is trying to cheat me. Yes, the bars are being used up faster because of a change in ingredients. Also the new grip bar has bumps at the corners that are used up much faster than a regular bar. It gets thinner quicker, then breaks so I have to throw it away much sooner, causing me to have to go back to the store and buy more sooner. That is good for Dial’s bottom line, more sales, more profits. They pay engineers good money to figure out these things, so we must make sure they don’t profit from it. I used to move the bar from my shower to the sink when it got too thin for a shower and get the last ounce of use from the bar at the sink. Now that is impossible, because it breaks before I get a chance to move it to the sink. I am going to contact Dial and tell them I am changing to a bar type soap that has a regular shape. I know what I want. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. James

  49. Dial Soap – concave shape. Used to be able to “weld” the used small bar to a new bar and be able to use up the entire old bar. Not possible now with this new shape because it breaks too soon. 50+ years of using Dial (mom bought it for us when I was a kid), our household just switched to Lever 2000. Bye Dial.

  50. As a rule, we never lodge any product complaints…. we simply
    purchase something else, but what Dial has done to the bar
    soap should not go without complaint. I just got off the phone
    with a Dial representative regarding the shrunken and fast
    melting bar soap. I was both extremely pleasant and
    understanding of the rising cost in materials etc. Maybe that
    is why I was met with someone who was rude and huffy. It was
    apparent that she’d heard all this before and simply wasn’t
    in the mood to hear it again.

    She questioned the fact that Dial consumers might not be
    draining the soap correctly, and that consumers had complained
    that Dial wasn’t ‘subsy’ enough, which neccessiated a formula
    change.

    While it’s understandable that Dial reps. must be having a
    tough time dealing with all these complaints, it goes with the
    territory, and phone etiquette goes both ways.
    Since Dial states that they ‘record’ your phone complaints,
    it’s probably safe to assume that this rep. was looking for
    a promotion ~

    It seems their manners are melting away along with their soap.

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