12 Organic & Natural Hand Soaps, Rated by Beauty Experts

PUBLISHED: 07/02/2019 | LAST UPDATED: 01/17/2020

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WRITTEN BY: TAMRYN BURGESS
Licensed Aesthetician

This article may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy for more details. To learn more about how we selected the products featured on this list, check out our product review & research standards.

Think about how many times you wash your hands throughout the day. What kinds of soaps are you using? Are they gentle and nourishing, or drying and irritating? Using an organic hand soap that is free from harsh detergents and soaps will keep your hands soft, hydrated, and youthful, whereas using a conventional one may likely dry them out and trigger sensitive skin.

What Are the Benefits of Natural & Organic Hand Soaps?

Washing your hands regularly protects you and your family from catching contagious bugs, and prevents cross-contamination. Your stock-standard product likely contains cheap ingredients such as alcohol and sodium laureth sulfate (drying and can leave hands cracked and sore) and synthetic fragrances (contain phthalates, known hormone disruptors). The main function we require from a hand soap is to clean our hands, right?

Well, natural, organic ingredients are just as effective as conventional hand soap ingredients. In fact, it’s been proven that harsh antibacterial soaps are actually no more effective than gentler options. Organic ones has the added benefit of providing moisturizing, nourishing and soothing properties. They clean the hands while leaving the skin’s natural oils intact. The result? Clean hands that remain soft, moisturized and protected from chemicals.

If you or your family members suffer from sensitive skin, then some of the ingredients found in conventional hand cleansers may exacerbate the issue. The same goes for people with very dry skin. It’s hard enough to keep dry hands moisturized without the moisture-stripping effect of powerful detergents. Organic hand soap, on the other hand, often contain ingredients like oatmeal (calms inflammation, showing improvement in dry, scaly, rough, and itchy skin), aloe (reduces irritation, calms sun-exposed skin), and vegetable glycerin (a humectant that attracts and locks moisture into the skin).

Are Natural Bar Soaps Effective?

Many organic soaps come in the form of a bar, often with a base of moisturizing shea butter and oils (such as coconut or olive). You may be concerned about bar soaps being magnets for lingering bacteria. However, this is nothing to worry about, because everything contains some level of bacteria, even a bottle of conventional liquid soap. Bars have been tested and proven to be no more conducive to harboring and spreading bacteria than any other hand-washing product. Not to mention, the age-old argument of bacteria being all bad is quickly being debunked in science; with the skin being just one part of the body that relies on microbes to fight off illness and infection.

What to Look for in an Organic Hand Soap

When purchasing an organic hand soap, look for a certified organic brand that creates high-quality soaps made from 100% natural ingredients. Take a look at the ingredient list and avoid ones like parabens, sodium laureth sulfate (too harsh for sensitive skin), synthetic fragrances (can cause contact dermatitis and skin sensitivity), and preservatives like methylisothiazolinone, and methylchloroisothiazolinone. It’s been proven that harsh antibacterial agents (triclosan, triclocarban and ammonium laureth sulfate) in conventional soaps aren’t actually more effective against germs. Interestingly, the FDA has banned triclosan from hand soap products because it’s been proven to have an adverse effect on hormones, immunity, and allergies. Natural, organic ingredients such as tea tree oil and honey do just as great a job at cleaning your hands, while nourishing them at the same time.

Look for hand cleansers made by companies that favor handmade, small-batch methods. Small-batch hand soaps contain better ingredients and are often handmade without fillers and preservatives, unlike mass-produced conventional soaps. Plus, some of the very best scents come from natural, organic ingredients like calming lavender petals, uplifting citrus essential oils, and aromatic natural butter (shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter).

In an effort to help you choose a great organic one, we’ve put each prodcut through our strict testing process, culminating in this list that is free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, petrochemicals + mineral oils, synthetic fragrances + dyes, PEG compounds, and a host of other ingredients on our prohibited list. This is a list of natural product you can feel confident using.  Here’s to you finding the perfect organic hand soap safe enough for the whole family to use!

FILTER BY TYPE

*Brittanie’s Thyme – Organic Hand Soap

This USDA Certified Organic hand soap is handmade in small batches for the ultimate quality and freshness. It's loaded with luxurious coconut and olive oils that provide essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins A and E, which are key for renewing skin. Plus, olive oil is great for cleansing, while also protecting the skin's natural barrier. This nourishing soap comes in three natural scents: lavender, bergamot + lime, and lemongrass and leaves your hands silky soft.

*Babo Botanicals – Sensitive Skin Unscented Therapy Hand Wash ($20)

A simple unscented body and hand wash made with all natural ingredients and designed for sensitive skin. This natural hand wash comes in a nice bit 16oz pump bottle--making it perfect for all-around home and office use. It's super gentle (only a little foam) and made with ingredients like aloe, calendula, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, watercress, and kudzu root. Great for the whole family!

*Kosmatology – Natural Foaming Hand Soap

This thick foaming hand soap is perfect for the whole family. It's made with the highest quality organic oils like coconut, olive and safflower and lightly scented by essential oils in 5 fresh scents including lavender eucalyptus, spearmint rosemary, grapefruit, lemon and orange. It gently cleanses hands without drying them out. Kosmatology's entire line is Made Safe Certified, meaning that it's only made with safe, natural ingredients. A must try!

*Dr. Bronner’s – Organic Sugar Hand Soap

Dr. Bronner's is a name that's synonymous with soap, and this organic sugar hand soap yet another one of their fantastic products! Certified organic, it contains fair trade sugar (sweet scent + caramel color), organic white grape juice (nourishing and hydrating), and organic coconut-olive-hemp oils (creamy castile lather). Like most Dr. Bronner's products, this hand soap is versatile and can be used be used on face, body, and hair. Comes in 4 yummy scents, or simply unscented.

*Captain Blankenship – Grapefruit & Palmarosa Organic Hand Soap ($24)

This organic hand soap from Captain Blankenship is essentially a castile soap but made with some interesting ingredients (like kelp, may chang oil, and aloe juice). This stuff is really soapy and a little goes a long way (also makes a great body soap). Available in two scents: grapefruit or lemongrass. We tried both scents and, while we enjoyed them both, the Grapefruit and Palmarosa really stood out as our favorite.

*Soapply for Credo – Organic Liquid Hand Soap ($25)

Every bottle of this beautiful organic liquid hand soap sold provides a $1 donation to fund health + hygiene initiatives in schools in Ethiopia. Not only do you help a good cause when you buy this soap, you're also getting a really good soap! A stunning glass bottle filled with an even prettier pale yellow soap made with organic ingredients such as coconut oil, olive oil, jojoba oil, rosemary extract, and aloe juice. This baby is unscented (great for general use) and creates a working lather with just a tiny bit of product.

*Alaffia – Natural African Black Soap Liquid

This is the liquid version of Alaffia's organic, raw African Black Soap bar. It's unscented and made with the same two ingredients as the bar soap: ethically-traded unrefined shea butter and palm kernel oil, plus water. This rich formula works as the ultimate multi-tasker: it's great for all skin types and can be used as a face and body cleanser, shampoo, hand-wash, and shaving soap. Its most popular uses however are as as a moisturizing shampoo, or effective acne-fighting face and body wash.

*100% Pure – All Natural Butter Hand Soap Bars ($12)

100% Pure makes these yummy moisturizing hand soap bars in seven different butters: coconut, peach, apple, lavender, mandarin, Meyer lemon, and mango. Each bar contains roughly the same ingredients with the exception of the specific fruit extract for each flavor. These bars are 100% natural and made with coconut oil, olive oil, rosehip seed oil, grapeseed oil, shea butter, and avocado butter that are perfect for cleansing and hydrating your hands.

*Soapwalla – Comfort Organic Hand Soap ($20)

This natural comfort hand and body wash from Soapwalla is great for cleaning sensitive skin, but perfect for all other skin types as well. It's made with a ton of certified organic and food-grade ingredients including almond and ginger essential oils that moisturize and help reduce the appearance of redness. Unisex, biodegradable, and can even be used as a clarifying shampoo! An all around A+ natural hand and body soap.

*Osmia Organics – Coffee Mint Organic Hand Soap Bar ($18)

This Coffee Mint hand soap bar from Osmia is the ultimate luxurious treat. The scent is simply addictive. It's a favorite hand soap for the kitchen sink (it helps cut cooking scents), but honestly, you'll probably want it everywhere since it smells so good! You can also use it as an all-over body soap. It softens the skin with a combination of 98.1% certified organic ingredients like ground coffee (mild exfoliant), mint, olive oil, shea butter, and rosemary extract.

*Farmaesthetics – Hydrating Natural Hand Wash ($24)

Farmaesthetics is an herbal brand that's 100% natural, and uses certified organic herbs, flowers, oils and grains from American family farms. This hydrating hand wash is made with organic essential oils and natural cleansers to cleanse and moisturize hands. It helps soothe dryness, leaving hands soft and never dry after washing. Gentle enough for repeated use throughout the day, just add water and enjoy.

LILFOX – Orange Blossom Ylang Bang Hand Cleanse ($53)

A decadent hand and body cleanser from Miami-based, luxury boutique organic skin care line, Lilfox. It's handcrafted in the USA with natural and certified ingredients including organic oils of olive fruit, coconut, grapefruit and sweet orange. It has a thick, creamy texture and is ideal for cleansing all skin types. It leaves your skin with a lovely scent derived from Andalucian neroli, bitter orange peel, green tree leaf and Madagascan ylang ylang.

PRODUCT BADGES LEGEND
100% NATURAL

100% NATURAL

The product contains only natural ingredients (non-synthetic or lab created). It does not contain anything artificial or synthetic.

100% ORGANIC

100% ORGANIC

The product has been formulated with 100% organically sourced and/or certified organic ingredients.

GMO FREE

GMO FREE

This product does not contain ingredients which have been genetically modified.

GLUTEN FREE

GLUTEN FREE

All of the ingredients contained in the product are free from gluten, wheat, and ingredients which are commonly contaminated with gluten.

VEGAN

VEGAN

The product is made without animal products or byproducts such as beeswax, honey, milk, eggs, etc.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

CERTIFIED ORGANIC

The product has received an official organic certification from a third party organization such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA Certified Organic), ECOCERT, Australian Certified Organic, and others.

One Response

  1. skincareox March 8, 2019

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