Raise the Bar: The 11 Sudsers That Made Us Bar Soap Converts (2024)

Our Top Picks

Key Ingredients: Sodium lauroyl Isethionate, glycerin | Size: 3.17 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

On a budget? You can't go wrong with a Dove Beauty Bar. This iconic cleanser, beloved by celebrities like Drew Barrymore, contains a tried-and-true blend of gentle ingredients that moisturize and soften without stripping the skin. While the original formula contains a fragrance, you can opt for the sensitive version if you want to forgo it. "I first started using Dove's beauty bar as a teenager when my dermatologist recommend it for my acne," says associate commerce editor Emily Cieslak. "Even as my skin has changed, it still cleanses my face effectively without irritation or drying it out." We recommend first using a cleansing oil to remove all makeup.

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides | Size: 4.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

When it comes to drugstore skincare, CeraVe is a shining star, and you can bet the brand makes one of the best bar soaps. Developed with dermatologists, the CeraVe Cleanser Bar is full of gentle yet effective ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid and essential ceramides, to moisturize and reinforce the skin barrier.

Key Ingredients: Charcoal, dead sea mud, glycerin, minerals | Size: 3.4 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

The best option for washing oily skin is definitely Erno Laszlo's Deep Cleansing Bar. Containing charcoal powder, sea mud, glycerin, and 26 minerals, this handsome soap is designed to cleanse, gently exfoliate, and balance your complexion—extra points for the eco-friendly packaging.

Key Ingredients: Pumpkin puree, clay, avocado oil, coconut milk | Size: 2.25 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

According to Dana Murray, licensed aesthetician and beauty blogger, Osmia makes "the most skin-friendly bar soaps." These facial cleansing bars contain a blend of natural ingredients to remove makeup, pollution, and sunscreen residue without drying you out or stripping your skin. "They have a pumpkin for combination skin, dull, or dehydrated skin, a black clay that is great for combination, acne-prone skin, and perioral dermatitis, and a rose clay that's perfect for dry and sensitive skin types," Murray adds.

Not only is Osmia Organics beneficial for your skin, but it's also easy on the environment. Formulated with sustainably sourced plant materials and wrapped up in eco-friendly packaging, you can feel good about using this soap.

Key Ingredients: Coenzyme Q10, olive oil, castor oil, aloe | Size: 4.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

While olive oil and soybean oil can potentially be too heavy for your face, they are great cleansers for your body that help maintain your skin barrier. This bar soap is packed with these oils, though the the star ingredient is Coenzyme Q10 (aka CoQ10), which soothes stressed skin and tackles free radicals. It also contains aloe vera, one of Murray's favorites for sensitive complexions.

Read Full Review: I Tried the Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar—Here’s My Honest Review

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, vitamins E and B5 | Size: 4.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Cetaphil's Gentle Cleansing Bar is formulated for head-to-toe use. The noncomedogenic formula cleans with glycerin and nourishes with ingredients such as vitamins E and B5 without disrupting the skin's moisture barrier.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, neem oil, cannabis sativa seed | Size: 5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

We're also loving this budget-friendly bar from Nubian Heritage. Chock-full of plant-derived ingredients such as neem oil, shea butter, and cannabis sativa seed, it nourishes, moisturizes, and leaves skin oh-so-supple.

Key Ingredients: Charcoal, coconut oil, white clay | Size: 4 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Bar soap might not be the first thing you think of when it's time to exfoliate, but after trying this beauty from Herbivore Botanicals, you'll be a convert. Calling on naturally absorbent ingredients such as charcoal and white clay, plus moisturizing coconut oil, this cleansing bar works hard to detoxify without stripping the skin.

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, glycerin, olive oil, lactic acid | Size: 4.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If it's a healthy glow you're after, your best bet is Ose Gidi Soap. Flaunting a powerhouse medley of glycerin, plant oils, and lactic acid, this lavish cleansing bar is formulated to deliver a more radiant complexion. Not to mention the lactic acid and vitamins C, A, and E help prevent wrinkles and loss of collagen.

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, Tea tree oil | Size: 3.15 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This bar of soap from Good Molecules is everything you need to address imperfections head-on. Loaded with key ingredients such as salicylic acid, tea tree oil, kaolin clay, cocoa powder, and more, this sudsy bar helps clarify existing breakouts and prevent future ones.

Key Ingredients: Sorbitol solution, Propylene glycol | Size: 3.09 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you're looking for an option that nourishes the skin and leaves it baby-soft, you won't want to miss Vanicream's Cleansing Bar. Ideal for sensitive skin, this formula is free of dyes, lanolin, fragrance, parabens, and formaldehyde, and is even dermatologist-recommended for unmatched facial cleansing. It's mild, gentle, and noncomedogenic, yet foams well and leaves skin feeling squeaky clean but never tight or stripped.

FAQ

• How do you use bar soap?

  To use bar soap explains Zilka, get the bar wet and rub it between your hands to get a soapy lather. After that, you can either run your soapy hands or the bar directly onto your face or body—whatever you prefer. There’s no need to use a loofah or washcloth, she says.

• How do you store bar soap?

  Store it in a cool, dry place until you're ready to use it, says Zilka. Once you’re using it, she explains, make sure to store it in a soap dish that elevates it from residual water.