The 10 Best Natural Hand Soaps
Special Honors
Soapply for Credo Using a 300-year-old recipe with a limited ingredient list, Soapply is made for all skin types and contains organic, food-grade oils, including coconut, olive, and jojoba. As an added plus, the company donates proceeds from every purchase to schools in Tigray, Ethiopia to fund water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. credobeauty.com
Coffee Mint Soap This selection from Osmia Organics is a scrubby bar soap made with almost 100% certified organic ingredients, including spearmint, sea salt, shea butter, and ground coffee. You can keep it in the kitchen for strictly washing hands, or you can use it in the shower as it's safe for the body and feet, although it is not recommended for the face. osmiaorganics.com
Editor's Notes
July 27, 2020:
Just like with body washes and toothpastes, the term "natural" has become a sort of catch-all for any bath and body item that doesn't contain known irritants and toxins, but that doesn't always mean it's safe. For this list, our goal was to source options that went the extra mile in eschewing harmful toxins, dyes, fragrances, colors, and preservatives, with plant-based formulas that are kind to the environment, cruelty-free, and devoid of subpar components.
We closely scrutinized ingredients lists and consulted the Environmental Working Group, as well as sought out companies that practice sustainable methods when it comes to their other offerings, too. This all being said, there are still ingredients in some formulas that can irritate you, natural or not, so be sure to vet them yourself before purchase. There are also some scary-sounding ingredients that are just the technical terms for plant-derived cleansers and foaming agents, but when in doubt, always double-check.
After ensuring these options were up to par in the aforementioned areas, we wanted to source a variety of pleasing scents and choices that lather and clean well. If you love strong, minty scents, Majestic Pure Wash, First Botany Therapeutic Gentle, and Better Life Citrus Mint are solid, while citrus lovers will appreciate Seventh Generation Mandarin Orange & Grapefruit and Aunt Fannie's Microcosmic. The latter, in addition to Muse Apothecary Hand Ritual and Tom's of Maine Prebiotic, claim to be pH balanced and promote a healthy microbiome. That basically means they shouldn't dry your hands out if you use them often. If your main concern is getting something moisturizing, Live Clean Moisturizing is an especially good choice.