For years, I read the arresting, yet charming rants on bottles of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps and wondered, who is this guy? I never found out. Instead, I continued to use the lavender pure castile soap to clean my yoga mats, the almond in the shower to smell like fresh marzipan, the eucalyptus cleaned the dogs, and my husband favored the original peppermint scented bar soap.

Now the mystery of Dr. Bronner is unveiled in a new documentary that opens today in Los Angeles (and San Francisco). It’s called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soapbox and it tells the tale of eccentric Jewish émigré Emanuel Bronner, a master soap maker from Germany, who literally escaped a mental institution and came to Los Angeles to make soap. He also had a bigger charge—to preach "The Moral ABCs" to "unite all mankind free."

Dr. Bronner had the zeal of a prophet, which didn't make him the best father, and the documentary takes a honest look at this flawed man. In the end, Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap company stayed in the family and today, a third generation of Bronners still produce their vegan product in Southern California eschewing petroleum, using fair trade, organic ingredients, bottles made out of post-consumer recycled materials, paying their employees fair wages—all in the spirit of Dr. Bronner's motto: "For we're ALL ONE OR NONE!"