Scrubya

Suds for your Bush

By CHRISTINE LIU

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Finding herself weeping after every episode of the Daily Show post-November 2004, Cambridge-based filmmaker Kavita Pillay knew that something had to be done in this time of need to combat the chaos that President George W. Bush was unleashing onto the world. With a crafty, can-do, glycerin-wielding energy, she founded Scrubya, a premium-quality soap company (the fragrant buggers were conceptualized in her kitchen) that aims to clean up on many levels: "[N]o one has made a bigger mess of our civilization than Dubya," reads the first sentence on Scrubya's website. Fiesty, brazen and eye-poppingly colorful, the vibe of Scrubya is liberal tongue-in-cheek meets squeaky clean. "For me, it's been a very cathartic thing," says Pillay. "It's a way to laugh in the face of so much horror." With each sale of the recycled-paper-wrapped soaps, proceeds go to charitable organizations that are "cleaning up after Dubya & Co." including donations to the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Physicians for Human Rights' Campaign Against Torture.

The soaps themselves, handmade and vegetable-based, are quality little chunks of cleanser currently available in "three distinct scents that poll high with men, women, liberals, neo-cons, Iowans, New Hampshireites, coffee drinkers, tea afficionados, limousine liberals, the petite bourgeoisie, feudal landlords, MBAs, MFAs, school children, house plants, small animals and any other creatures that have felt tainted by two terms of Dubya": "Smell the Damn Coffee!" with shea butter and coffee ground exfoliant plus nutmeg, cinnamon and clove oils; "Camelize Rice," a blend of omega-3-rich camelina oil and rice bran oil plus rosemary, lemongrass and lavender essences; and "Neo-Con Coriander," with bergamot and green tea exfoliant. Soapbama, a clear soap soon to be unveiled, offers a nod to "transparency in government."

Makes it all too easy to lather liberally.

[Available for $6/bar at Joie de Vivre, 1792 Mass. Ave., Cambridge. 617.864.8188. joiedevivre.net, scrubya.com]