Beauty trend authorities are in agreement: classic bar soap is making a comeback. “I think brands are really honing in on natural skin care, and these [referring to the selection found on her site] are sulfate-free, beautiful, gentle and all natural bar soaps that really work,” Alice Yoon, founder of K-beauty e-commerce site Peach & Lily, told Fashionista.
No, she’s not talking old-school standbys like Coast and Dial (or any of the brands the FDA sent running back to the lab when it banned triclocarban and triclosan, two antibacterial chemicals used, up until recently, in about 40 percent of soaps). “Don’t confuse these bar soaps with the harsh soaps of the past; they are gentle and efficacious formulas meant for your face,” Yoon said.
We know what you’re thinking. Bar soaps are slippery. They’re messy. They sometimes develop unsightly little fissures that trigger our OCD. And with so many neatly packaged body washes currently on offer — among them Glossier’s well-received Body Hero — why venture into the unknown?
Well, because these luxurious bar soaps are basically the cleanser equivalent of fancy underwear. Rarely do you think to buy it for yourself, but once you do, there’s no going back. For one, they smell great. For another, they’re made from carefully sourced, organic ingredients we trust to clean our most private of places. Many are forged by hand, the end results so pretty you almost can’t bear to bring them in contact with water, but knowing the effect they have on skin, you do anyway.
Trust us, seeing, smelling and washing is believing. Above, 14 next-level bar soaps that’ll make you a convert.
[ Next: 8 Best Face Cleansers for a Clear Complexion ]
Bar Soap
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Aspen Kay Naturals
Dead Sea Mud & Neem Leaf Soap, $8.99 at Amazon
Treat your skin to mineral-rich dead sea mud and organic neem leaf with this best bar soap. Designed for all skin types, it also boasts a fresh citrus mint scent courtesy of a blend of pure essential oils.
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Meow Meow Tweet
Coconut Cacao Body Soap, $10 at Meow Meow Tweet
If your skin is super sensitive, it’s going to love this body bar. Featuring a marvelous mix of cocoa butter and coconut milk, it moisturizes without irritation. So all you’re left with is clean, soothed skin.
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Chanel
Coco Mademoiselle Fresh Bath Soap, $26 at Nordstrom
As with all things beauty-related, Chanel shines in the luxury soap department. Literally. This pearly-white bar will visibly shimmer in your soap dish. Unfortunately, said sparkle won't transfer onto your skin — but thanks to its gentle, vegetable-based, palm kernel oil-infused formula, you'll glow nonetheless.
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Osmia
Coffee Mint Soap, $18 at Osmia
Developed by a former ER doctor, Osmia’s products are all 100 percent organic. This invigorating, scrubby bar uses spearmint and ground organic coffee. Note: While it's great for early morning showers and light exfoliation, it's a bit too harsh to use on your face.
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Rodin
Bath Bar, $35 at Plain Goods
Come for the light, citrusy floral scent (of jasmine and neroli oils), stay for the impossibly creamy and cleansing lather. It's no wonder this bath bar is a Rodin signature.
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Studio Cue
Golda Sphere Soap, $20 at Studio Cue
Designed to bring "visual happiness” to your bathroom, this lemongrass-scented orb contains a mix of moisturizing coconut, palm and olive oils. It's also packed with Japanese hiba-wood oil, known for its antimicrobial and aromatherapeutic properties. Buy one for everyday use, another for display.
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Wary Meyers
Cedarwood & Vanilla Glycerine Soap, $14 at Wary Meyers
We all know that good design does not a good beauty product make — but in this case, the two go hand-in-hand. This Portland, Maine-based brand's vegetable soap smells like cedarwood and vanilla, looks like a Frank Stella painting and leaves you feeling healthy, clean and hydrated.
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Drunk Elephant
Baby Pekee Bar + Juju Bar Travel Duo, $16 at Sephora
To the delight of sensitive-skin-havers everywhere, Drunk Elephant's highly effective soap bars are made without lye, colorants or fragrances. The JuJu bar, formulated with thermal mud and bamboo powder, is prized for its oil-dissolving, pore-refining powers; the blueberry extract, marula oil and honey-infused Pekee bar for its ability to moisturize, clarify and tone.
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Rad Soap Co.
Kryptonite Body Bar, $10 at Rad Soap Co.
What makes Rad Soap Co.'s Kryptonite soap so "rad"? First off, it's made by a mom and her sons (cue the awws). Second, it contains no parabens, sulfates, phthalates, harsh chemicals, gluten, GMOs, animal products or nut oils. Third, it's great for keeping oily skin at bay. (Its key ingredients include protein-rich reishi mushrooms, matcha tea, calendula, green clay and tea tree oil.)
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Saipua
Goat Milk Soap With Basil, $19 at Amazon
This incredible-smelling, unbelievably moisturizing goat milk soap — prepared, poured and cut by Saipua co-owner Sarah Ryhanen's parents in Red Hook, Brooklyn — comes hand-wrapped in pretty archival paper.
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Herbivore Botanicals
Bamboo Charcoal Soap Bar, $12 at Herbivore Botanicals
If you've got oily, combination or blemish-prone skin, Japanese bamboo charcoal is your best friend. This detoxifying bar soap gently exfoliates, shrinks pores and draws out oil and impurities for instantly softer, smoother, clearer skin. (Note: Charcoal soaps tend to leave a grayish residue — invest in a black porcelain soap dish.)
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Los Poblanos
Man Bar, $12 at Midland
Don't let the name fool you — men and women alike stan for this handmade (in Albuquerque, New Mexico), organic bar soap. Vetiver, clary sage, cypress, juniper berry and cedarwood essential oils give it a relaxing, outdoorsy scent and the olive and coconut oils inside really do leave skin feeling moisturized.
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Koh Gen Do
Oriental Plants Soap, $42 at Revolve
A favorite of Peach & Lily founder Alicia Yoon, this rose-scented formula contains 36 botanical extracts that work together to rid skin of dirt and grime.
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SheaMoisture
Raw Shea Butter Soap, $4.99 at SheaMoisture
This oldie-but-goodie looks and feels much more expensive than it really is. Raw shea butter teams up with frankincense and myrrh to hydrate and revitalize skin.
