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Choosing the Best Bar Soap for You

A stack of colorful soaps from Pre de Provence.

Despite being the largest organ of the human body, skin is often overlooked when it comes to your health. Retaining an appropriate pH level and maintaining your moisture barrier helps prevent acne, wrinkles, and long-term irritation. Take a moment of your day to focus on your skin health by selecting the ideal soap for your lifestyle and skin type. But don’t get lost in the complexion problems of your face, as the body needs just as much love and attention. Take the first step on your journey to beautiful and healthy skin by finding the right bar soap for you. Here are some fantastic ones we recommend.

Purchasing Bar Soap

Look out for these key details when searching for the perfect bar soap for your skin:

  • Skin Type: Dry and sensitive skin benefits from hydrating bar soaps that focus on providing lasting moisture and repairing the skin’s natural barrier. Hyaluronic acid and vitamin E help skin retain moisture but may be more difficult to find in cleanser form. Acne-prone skin types also need plenty of hydration to keep the skin happy. However, those with this skin type should look for soap bars containing anti-bacterial and non-comedogenic ingredients as well as nourishing ones.
  • Scent: Fragrance-free soap bars are ideal for sensitive skin, but if your skin doesn’t feel irritated after using a product with fragrance, your soap bar doesn’t need this feature to be effective. As the product is only on your skin for a few moments, the fragrance doesn’t have the time to cause redness or inflammation. If the bar soap uses natural ingredients or essential oils, look closely at the formula to ensure that it doesn’t contain an ingredient you are allergic to.
  • Creation Process: Specially crafted soaps are often made through a cold process that makes the natural ingredients concentrated and preserved. When the hot process is used, the benefits of plants and oils are significantly decreased. If you are looking for extra-luxurious soap, consider a bar that has been triple-milled. A process originating from France, this step requires soap makers to pass their formula through steel rollers three times to extrude access water. This process makes the soap long-lasting while smoothing its texture.

Gentlest Wash: Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar, 4.5 Ounce

A person washing both hands with white bar of soap.

Sensitive, dry, and oily skin types can reap the benefits of a gentle wash that focuses on restoring skin to its natural state. Sweaty trips to the gym and long days playing with your kids requires an effective clean, and this soap bar is ready to take on your dirt and bacteria in just 20 seconds. Your skin is left feeling soft as five different hydrating ingredients nourish your skin without it feeling tight and dry. Freely use this soap bar on your face and body because its ingredients are hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic to maintain supple, clear skin all over your body. Those with dry or sensitive skin will appreciate the simple formula of this soap bar that excludes parabens and utilizes non-irritating ingredients to create a gentle washing experience.

Gentlest Wash

Most Hydrating: CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar | Soap-Free

A person holding white soap bar beneath a stream of water.

Hydrating your skin’s moisture barrier is key to creating a healthy and clear complexion for both peeling dry skin or irritated acne-prone skin. This cleansing bar is formulated to give your skin the hydration it’s been waiting for. The ingredient list boasts three ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and 5% CeraVe moisturizing cream. MVE Technology helps deliver these nourishing ingredients into your skin for up to 24 hours. Extra-sensitive skin will soak in the hydrating agents without irritation due to this bar soap’s fragrance-free and non-comedogenic ingredient list.

Most Hydrating

CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar | Soap-Free Body and Facial Cleanser with 5% Moisturizing Cream | Fragrance-Free | Single Bar, 4.5 Ounce

Fight back against flaking and itching skin with the ceramide and hyaluronic dream team in this formula.

Best for Acne: SheaMoisture Bar Soap for Troubled Skin

A black bar of soap displayed on a dark rock.

Finding a product that fights off unwanted acne bacteria while also encouraging healing through nourishment is difficult. Luckily, the combination of raw shea butter and specially harvested plant-based ingredients strike the ideal balance to serve acne-prone skin. The formula is clear of parabens, phthalates, sulfates, and mineral oils to avoid irritating the already sensitive skin around your breakouts. Watch as your troubled skin transforms with the help of organic aloe extract and oats that provide vitamin E to calm down redness and inflammation caused by acne.

Best for Acne

SheaMoisture Bar Soap for Troubled Skin African Black Soap Cleanser with Shea Butter 8 oz

This special formula contains willow, plantain, and shea tree bark to create an anti-bacterial soap that can be used on the face and body.

Best All Natural: Crate 61 Best Seller Soap 6-Pack Box

A group of six different soap bars with colorful packaging.

This soap’s formula is packed with ingredients the average joe would recognize but has the added characteristic of being vegan, non-GMO, and cruelty-free. While being environmentally conscious with their packaging, this box provides salves to problems such as dry skin, stress, and bacteria through their six different formulations. Only premium essential oils and natural flavors create the scents, completely avoiding the pitfalls of synthetic chemicals and traditional fragrances. Crate 61 develops their soaps through a cold process, ensuring that the natural ingredients are preserved and effective.

Best Scent Options: Pre de Provence Artisanal French Soap Bar

A pink soap bar with gold spots against a white background.

Fully immerse yourself into the luxurious scents of France with these traditionally crafted soap bars that offer 34 scents and colors. These bar soaps are extra creamy and smooth due to the triple-milled process that helps create a rich lather. The natural ingredients used to develop each scent are paired with shea butter to leave your skin smelling great and feeling soft. You won’t need to sacrifice scent for quality ingredients as these soap bars are free of parabens, ethyl alcohol, and sodium lauryl sulfate. Whether you display one of these colorful soaps in your guest bathroom to impress your guests or keep the sweet scents to yourself in your shower, the soaps are sure to leave a lasting impression on the skin.

Best Scent Options

Pre de Provence Artisanal French Moisturizing Soap Bar, Shea Butter Enriched, Quad Milled for Long Lasting Rich Smooth Lather, 5.3 Ounce, Rose Petal

Natural ingredients and fresh scents meet in this triple-milled soap to make your skin smell and feel luxurious.

Camryn Lang Camryn Lang
Camryn Lang is a freelance writer and copyeditor that has produced a wide variety of content, from breaking news and memorial tributes to web content and fiction novels. While working on her bachelor's degree in English at Texas A&M University, Camryn led writers and editors at the nationally recognized university newspaper, The Battalion. During her free time, she enjoys reading thrillers and fantasy novels and eating desserts. Read Full Bio »
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