We Finally Know What Steve Harrington Smells Like
Dr. Squatch’s Stranger Things collection includes so many soaps inspired by your faves.
After selling Sydney Sweeney’s bathwater as a soap in June, Dr. Squatch is getting stranger with its latest drop. The primarily men’s soap brand now has a Stranger Things collection timed to the Netflix series’ final season.
Each bar in the themed lineup is inspired by a different Stranger Things character. The one I personally couldn’t wait to try: the Squawk Signal, a nod to Steve Harrington. In Season 5, Steve (Joe Keery) and Robin (Maya Hawk) start their own radio station, WSQK “The Squawk,” which the group uses to send secret messages to each other. Dr. Squatch’s Squawk Signal soap takes inspo from Steve’s latest job and has electrifying notes of lavender and cherry soda.
The Stranger Things collection also has bars named after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo). While waiting for Vol. 2 to drop on Dec. 25, I tried Dr. Squatch’s entire ST lineup to see what these characters are meant to smell like IRL, and if the Steve soap is worth getting for devoted Harrington fangirls like myself.
Steve Smells Floral & Fruity
Taking the Squawk Signal soap out of the box, I was surprised by how calming and subtle the scent was. This is very Steve-coded, though. In Season 1, he appears to be a cool jock who doesn’t care, but Steve Harrington quickly proved he has a heart of gold deep down. He babysits all the kids, and treats them like he’s the big brother they need.
This soap perfectly matches those good guy vibes with a relaxing fruity and floral scent. I couldn’t really sniff out the lavender, but I could smell the cherry soda — which reminded me of when Steve and Robin hid out in the movie theater in Season 3. The sweet scent also lines up with the fact that Steve really takes care of himself, and even uses Farrah Fawcett hairspray to maintain his iconic look (which he mentions in Season 2). He would totally use a soap like this while getting ready in the morning.
If this is truly what Steve smells like, I don’t know why Nancy would pick Jonathan over him.
Rating: 4.8/5
Eleven Smells Like Strong Citrus
A character as strong as Eleven needs a soap to match, and this citrus-forward bar is just that. The Experiment No. 11 soap has rainbow plant extract with notes of crisp lemon, lime, and sage.
This was so bright and the most pungent of the four soaps, so it’s a great bar to use first thing in the morning to really wake you up. It was a bit too powerful for me, but if you like a citrus or fruity fragrance, this might be for you.
Rating: 4.3/5
Vecna Smells Like A Smokey Vanilla
The Vecna’s Curse soap, inspired by Stranger Things’ big baddie, matches his vibe so well. It’s not as strong as Eleven’s bar, but has a similar brightness that smelled almost minty. That could be from the juniper notes. There’s also vanilla, blood orange, and a smokiness that fits the Upside Down.
I would definitely recommend this for anyone who hopped on the vanilla fragrance train in 2025, like Taylor Swift, but if you’re also looking for something darker like Henry Creel’s mind.
Rating: 4.7/5
Dustin Smells Like Roses
You wouldn’t expect a bar of soap inspired by Dustin Henderson to give off rose petals, but that’s how misunderstood the Hellfire Club really was in Stranger Things. Everyone else at Hawkins High School saw the Dungeons & Dragons group as weird and evil. Deep down, though, they were just nerdy kids geeking out while playing a game. (Justice for Eddie Munson.)
It makes sense for the Hellfire & Beyond soap from Dr. Squatch to be just as surprising with notes of berry-like pink pepper and toasted clove. There is a bit of a leather vibe, like Eddie’s jacket, but the bar is overall very calm and cozy.
Rating: 4.8/5
Are Dr. Squatch’s Stranger Things Soaps Worth It?
As a huge Stranger Things fan who isn’t quite ready to say goodbye and planning to celebrate the finale with a big watch party at home, I highly recommend the Dr. Squatch soap collection. It’s a great way to treat yourself in the bath or shower, especially if the conclusion is as stressful as fans are predicting.
You can get the full four-pack online for $32 (saving you ~$4), but if you only need one soap, get Steve’s bar. It was my favorite of the bunch, and when else can you say you smell like Steve Harrington? A dream come true.
