Dr. Bronner’s, the beloved soap company known for its commitment to sustainability and social justice, is facing a wrongful death lawsuit and questions about the company’s internal culture. The lawsuit was filed in December 2024 by the family of Denise Lozano, a former employee who tragically died of an accidental overdose in 2022 at the age of 50.
Founded 77 years ago, Dr. Bronner’s has grown from a niche brand favored by hippies and homemakers to a $200 million powerhouse, with its products now widely available in supermarkets and drugstores across the nation. The company has long prided itself on its progressive values, packaging its soaps in bottles adorned with micro-font messages advocating love, peace, and social equity.
In recent years, the Bronner family executives have taken these ideals to new heights by actively promoting psychedelic drugs. Since 2019, Dr. Bronner’s has invested over $14 million into psychedelics research and drug policy reform, with social media campaigns focusing on the therapeutic potential of substances like psilocybin, ketamine, and MDMA.
The lawsuit claims that this progressive approach has led to a dangerous culture within the company, where employees reportedly use powerful psychedelics as an unregulated form of “healing” and for recreational purposes. The suit alleges that this culture may have contributed to Lozano’s tragic death. According to reports, Denise Lozano was found naked and dead from a drug overdose in the bedroom of her Mission Hills home on December 10, 2022.
Lozano, however, was not a drug addict. More than four hours before police arrived, she had taken the recommendations from her employer to get a “K-Massage,” a ketamine massage meant to relieve her chronic back pain. This treatment, suggested by the company, is explicitly cited in the December 2024 wrongful death lawsuit filed by her family in San Diego County Superior Court.
The man who made the phone call to the police that day was Christian Lee Allbert, a self-proclaimed “Qigong” practitioner who, according to the lawsuit, played a significant role in Dr. Bronner’s informal wellness program available to employees like Lozano.
Before her death, Denise Lozano was a full-time employee at Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. She actively participated in charitable work alongside the company, including hurricane disaster relief efforts in Immokalee, Florida, and political action initiatives in Nevada, Washington, D.C., and Asheville. As part of her responsibilities, she was a member of the ‘Foamy Homies,’ a crew that promoted the brand at events like Burning Man and other popular festivals. Because she was not a drug user, Lozano was often the designated driver. It was during her time driving the Foamy Homie bus that she sustained a back injury, which her family asserts ultimately led her to seek the company-sponsored ketamine massage that resulted in her fatal overdose.
More than two years after her death, Lozano’s family is seeking justice and aims to prevent similar tragedies from affecting others. In their wrongful death lawsuit filed in December 2024, they named Dr. Bronner’s, CEO David Bronner—also known as the “Cosmic Engagement Officer”—and Allbert, whom they describe as Bronner’s “preferred alternative provider” of the company’s wellness program. In statement to CBS 8, Denise Lozano’s sister, Raquel Lozano said:
My family and I want to make sure this type of tragedy doesn’t happen again and that my sister is remembered for the kind and loving mother, daughter, fiancé, and sister whose life was wrongfully cut way too short.
While offering condolences for Lozano’s passing, Dr. Bronner’s disputes the claims that the company played any part in her death. A portion of a statement posted on Dr. Bronner’s website reads:
We want to assure you that Denise’s tragic passing was not the fault of anyone associated with Dr. Bronner’s. The lawsuit against us is baseless, and we are confident it will be dismissed.
