21-Foot Bottle Of Soap, Largest In The World, Coming To Chicago

LAKE VIEW, IL — The world's largest bottle of soap is coming to Chicago on Tuesday, and onlookers can lather — er — gather at a Lake View Walgreens to witness the 21-foot-tall, 8.5-foot-diameter bottle in all its sudsy glory.

Soapbox, a Washington D.C.-based clean beauty company, made the fiberglass behemoth to raise awareness for personal hygiene, both during and after the global pandemic.

Soapbox will donate 147,900 personal care products to communities in need during the 15-city tour, according to a statement from the company. On July 15, National Give Something Away Day, Guinness World Records announced Soapbox is on track to win a world record for the longest giving tour.

The United Nations estimates about 297,000 children under five years old die each year from diseases due to poor hygiene or sanitation. In the United States, neither SNAP nor WIC benefits can be used to cover household sanitary items such as soap.

The 2,500 pound metal-and-fiberglass bottle — which isn't filled with actual soap due to transportation logistics— will be on display at the Walgreens at 5158 N Lincoln Ave. from 2 to 5 p.m. this Tuesday, July 20. It was originally unveiled in Times Square in New York City.

A spokesperson for the company said that while there is no soap in the bottle, confetti can be pumped out of the top.

At the event, company officials said shoppers and community members are welcome to take photos, enter a raffle for product giveaways and assist in assembling hygiene kits that will be donated to children in local foster care systems.

"People around the world get sick and die every day because they can't properly wash their hands due to lack of access to soap and water," said Soapbox co-founder and CEO David Simnick. "In the U.S., food stamps don't cover personal hygiene products like soap. We hope this tour brings attention to that important issue as well."

Soapbox donates a bar of soap to a variety of charities each time a product is sold. At each stop on the upcoming tour, which includes Boston, Dallas and Pittsburgh, the company plans to donate pallets of soap and other personal hygiene kits to local charities.

According to Simnick, the company has donated more than 22 million bars of soap worldwide.