When it comes to essential products, there is perhaps no product more essential than hand soap. While we've all likely become intimately familiar with hand soap in the past few years, it has always been—and will always be—one of the universal staples in everyone's routine.
Though there's nothing wrong with snagging the first hand soap you see at the drugstore (clean hands are the most important thing here), some hand soaps are superior to others. Consider how luxe it feels to go to someone's apartment and discover that they have fancy hand soap in their bathroom or how relieving it is to use a hand soap without hand cream after and not feel like your skin is tightening around your knuckles due to dryness. A good hand soap makes a difference.
What to Look For
When choosing a hand soap, hydrating ingredients and gentle, effective formulas are key. "It is best to look for a hand soap that gently but effectively removes dirt, germs, and residue without stripping the skin of its natural moisture," says Marisa Garshick, MD, board-certified dermatologist. "It can help to use a product that also contains moisturizing and nourishing ingredients that help to leave the hands soft and smooth—even after washing—work to replenish moisture, and support the skin barrier."
Best Overall Hand Soap
It's a cult favorite for a reason. With a fragrant mix of rosemary, mandarin, and cedar, this hand wash smells amazing without being polarizing, gently exfoliates, and leaves hands feeling squeaky clean but never stripped of moisture.
Pros: Smells good, refillable, exfoliating.
Cons: Pricey.
Customer review: "This is amazing. It has a rich, creamy lather. Smells incredible. Does not irritate the sensitive skin on my hands or dry them out."
Best Hand Soap for Eczema
This hand wash is formulated with 5% shea butter, making it super hydrating and non-stripping. It's super gentle and won't irritate skin.
Pros: Non-irritating, refillable.
Cons: Not heavily fragranced.
Customer review: "Long a favorite for gently keeping hands moisturized with shea. Your hands deserve special care, and this should do it."
Best-Smelling Hand Soap
Not to be weird, but when I use this hand soap, I can't stop smelling my hands. It has citrus, rose, magnolia, and linden blossom notes, and the combination is floral without being powdery. It's also gently exfoliating and makes your hands feel so soft after you use it.
Pros: Smells good, exfoliating, refillable.
Cons: Pricey.
Customer review: "I'm not one to spend $30 on hand soap, but now, I am. This is totally worth it. Gently exfoliating, too, which was a nice surprise. Amazing scent where it lingers lightly but not so much that it annoys you."
Best Hand Soap for Dry Skin
Formulated with chamomile extract, aloe, and vitamin E, this hand soap is both gentle and hydrating. It also works wonders against dirt and grime. If you use your hands a lot but want to avoid using a soap that dries them out, this one is perfect for you.
Pros: Refillable, nondrying.
Cons: Some reviewers say the pump is difficult to open.
Customer review: "I used Kiehl's grapefruit-scented products years ago, and I just rediscovered their hand soap. I love the way this soap smells, and it doesn't dry out my hands."
Best Liquid Hand Soap
Yes, this is a hand wash, but it's also a jewelry cleaner. If you wear a lot of rings, this is definitely worth using, as it leaves jewelry sparkly and like new, and it's formulated with glycerin to soften hands.
Pros: Cleans jewelry, nondrying.
Cons: Not strongly scented.
Customer review: "This stuff is amazing! If you're fussy about your jewelry being sparkly clean, this is the stuff. It cleans it like a professional jeweler does."
Best Antibacterial Hand Soap
Not only does this hand soap work overtime to kill germs, but it's also formulated with Dove's Moisture Boost 5x Complex to ensure hands stay soft. Plus, at $4, it's tough to beat.
Pros: Antibacterial, cost-effective.
Cons: Not strongly scented.
Customer review: "I absolutely love this hand soap. I wash my hands 1000 times a day. My hands were getting so dry, so I started using the Dove antibacterial hand soap and it has made a huge difference. My hands are super soft and have no more dryness."
Best Hand Soap for Sensitive Skin
Costa Brazil manages to make this hand soap incredibly luxe even without its signature fragrance, which is quite a feat. It's enriched with vitamins and nutrients to leave hands feeling soft and not dried out at all.
Pros: Nourishing, moisturizing, fragrance-free for sensitive skin.
Cons: Pricey.
Customer review: "It foams very well. You need just a tiny amount and you're good to go, which tells me it's very high quality."
Best Drugstore Hand Soap
If you're grabbing a hand soap from the drugstore, let it be Mrs. Meyers. It's gentle, smells good, and lasts a long time.
Pros: Smells good, refillable.
Cons: Can be slightly drying.
Customer review: "One of my all-time favorites! Doesn't dry my hands like other brands."
Best Hand Soap for the Kitchen
This hand soap smells good, lathers easily, and keeps hands nourished. The scent isn't too strong, making it the perfect soap to keep in your kitchen.
Pros: Smells good, lathers easily, refillable.
Cons: Best paired with moisturizer.
Customer review: "Love this scent and love that it only takes a little bit to work up a good lather. One of life's little extravagances."
Best Luxury Hand Soap
This soap smells so good it's no surprise that it comes from a luxury fragrance house. Notes of lavender, rosemary floral water, and honey turn this into a truly sensorial experience. Plus, it comes in the most luxe bottle.
Pros: Smells good, refillable.
Cons: Pricey.
Customer review: "Have been trying many luxury hand soaps, and this is one of the best. Packaging is on another level with a sturdy glass container, which will look amazing wherever you put it. It's heavy, and the pump dispenser is great. The soap scent is hard to explain but very floral and complex. I can't pick a specific smell. You almost feel like you're in the Diptyque boutique. "
Best Hand Soap for the Bathroom
This soap looks chic, smells like perfume, and will impress any houseguest who happens to use your bathroom.
Pros: Smells good, refillable.
Cons: Pump may get stuck.
Customer review: "Best soap, best smell, will be buying this forever and ever."
Best Bar Hand Soap
Yes, this soap is expensive, but it smells amazing and will last you a really, really long time. This lauded Krigler fragrance is known as the President scent, and it will linger with you even in soap form.
Pros: Smells good, long-lasting.
Cons: Pricey.
Best Perfume-Like Hand Soap
If you want a luxe hand soap that practically doubles as a perfume, this amber-scented soap is your new best friend.
Pros: Smells good.
Cons: Scent might be strong for some.
Customer review: "My bathroom smells delicious every time I wash my hands with Moroccan Amber Liquid Soap. A friend recently opened the door and exclaimed, 'Aromatherapy!'"
This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.
