Kimura Soap | The Bottle a Black Belt Packed in His Bag

KIMURA SOAP CO. FOUNDER

MEET CHRISTIAN

Christian Simmerling is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, awarded in 2015 under Josh Russell at JR Academy.

He has been training since 2007 and relocated to New Jersey in 2016, where he stepped onto the mats at two of the most respected academies on the East Coast: the Blue Basement at Renzo Gracie Academy on West 30th, and Silver Fox BJJ. He trained under John Danaher and Karel "Silver Fox" Pravec — and somewhere between those two rooms, the idea for a better soap stopped being a passing thought and became the product you're reading about now.

Origin Story

The winter that started Kimura Soap Co.

Kimura Soap Co. was established in 2016. The idea behind it — an athlete carrying his own soap to class — started in the winter of 2018.

Christian was between jobs and training at multiple BJJ schools across New Jersey and New York. Two of the densest BJJ training corridors in the country. Different mats, different training partners, different gym dispensers, every single day.

"Showering after class is important because of the close contact aspects of the sport and the variety of training partners one encounters."

There are all kinds of unpleasant bacterias and harmful microbes one can be exposed to, so hygiene after class is important. My wife has kicked me out of bed more than once for some unknown skin issue I brought home from training. When I was traveling to different academies and studios, I felt I needed to arrive prepared and not rely on the soap provided. What I needed was my own travel soap."

"After learning about different soaps and bringing my own high-quality soap to class, I realized there was a need for quality soap for the BJJ and Yoga community.

I wanted to use and share a soap that was naturally made, ethically sourced, included organic ingredients, and that utilized nature's natural cleaning properties.

This is the birth story of Kimura Soap."

That's the entire founding story. No focus group. No category research deck.

An athlete with a problem, a wife who held him accountable to a higher standard of post-training hygiene,
and a gap in the market that nobody who actually trained had bothered to fill.

See What's in the bottle

Farm with red barn and silos in a green field under a blue sky with white clouds.

Made in Vermont. The Old Way.

Kimura is produced in small batches in Vermont and certified to USDA Organic Standards by Vermont Organic Farmers.

The state motto is Freedom and Unity. The production model matches it. Saponified organic oils instead of detergent bases.

Essential oils instead of synthetic fragrance. A formulation that earns its claims on the label rather than hiding behind a proprietary blend.

Vermont is not a coincidence. It is the part of the country that still treats small-batch manufacturing as a craft instead of a marketing angle.

Kimura was built to belong there.

Open black leather bag with Kimura Soap Co body wash, towel, and other items.

The Category We're Not In

There are two dominant options in the post-training soap category. Neither one is built for the BJJ athlete who reads the ingredient label.

Commercial body wash is the default in most academy showers. Built for the supermarket aisle. Loaded with the chemicals an informed athlete is already trying to avoid in every other corner of their life — triclosan, parabens, phthalates hidden inside the word "fragrance."
Defense Soap is the legacy player. Positioned for wrestling and all martial arts. Effective at what it does. Not BJJ-specific. Not certified organic. Not built by someone who has a competition background.

Kimura is the third option. American-made, certified organic, BJJ-specific by design, and built by a black belt who trains. The ingredient list is printed on every bottle. There is no mystery, no fragrance loophole, no formulation written by a chemist who has never been on a mat.

Our Vision

To provide safe, natural hygiene products to humanity.

Cleanliness is close to godliness. The soap people use every day should meet that standard: effective on the body, safe on the skin, and honest in what it contains.

Our Mission

To provide natural, chemical-free, travel soap to BJJ athletes.

Made with the athlete and the planet in mind. Effective enough to remove what the mat leaves behind. Gentle enough to use every day. Clean enough in its ingredients that nobody in the household has to second-guess what's in the bottle.

WHAT WE STAND FOR

HONESTY

Every ingredient on the label is printed, explained, and defensible. N

RESPECT

Respect for the athlete. Respect for the sport. Respect for the people Kimura is made for. Athletes are not marketing targets, they are the reason the product exists.

QUALITY

Small-batch production in Vermont with organic saponified oils, essential oils, and plant-based ingredients. No filler chemicals added to cheapen the formula or extend the margin.

TRANSPARENCY

The full ingredient list is printed on every bottle. Nothing hidden behind trade-secret fragrance protections. Nothing vague about sourcing, manufacturing, or what's actually in the product.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

The customer chose a small American brand over the commercial alternative. That decision is honored with the kind of service that earns the next six bottles, not just the first one.

ECO-FRIENDLY

Organic ingredients, plant-based formulation, and a product made with the planet in mind alongside the athlete using it.

Proudly Handmade With You and the Planet in Mind

That line is the defining stance of the brand. Every product decision sits inside that constraint, the athlete's skin on one side, the planet on the other, and nothing compromised on either axis.

It is the reason Kimura is not the cheapest soap on the shelf. It is also the reason the people who use it tend to keep using it.

Put the Right Soap in Your Gym Bag

Two bottles of Kimura Soap Co. body wash

16+3 Combo - Tea Tree + Mint

16 OZ & 3 OZ Combo

One for the shower, one for the bag. The default purchase for a serious athlete training across multiple locations.

Tea Tree + Mint 16 oz

16 OZ

The full-size bottle for home use. The primary shower bottle for the household. Disk-top cap for easy transport.

Tea Tree + Mint 3 oz

3 OZ

The gym-bag hero. The bottle you carry to the academy, the tournament, the hotel, the seminar — the reason Kimura exists in the first place.

built by an athlete. made for athletes.