The Best Hand Soaps, According to Doctors
Human nature largely consists of accumulating filth, sanitizing, and repeating the cycle endlessly. Hands serve as vectors for most actions taken in the modern world, which means they come into contact with plenty of bacteria day in and day out. Cleaning every contact point every day isn’t practical. Washing hands, however, is.
The best hand soaps take the edge off man-made nastiness, gently cleansing and refreshing hands in less than a minute. They help ward off and prevent the spreading of illnesses and are a bare minimum marker of maturity in early adulthood. (Yes, you should have hand soap and dish soap on your kitchen counter.) Most soaps cost between $5-$10 per unit, with luxe brands like Aesop serving as a glaring exception.
SPY has gathered some of the best hand soap brands for daily use with the help of a team of experts. Rather than sanitation experts or chemists with granular knowledge of what works in hand soap formulas, SPY asked professionals who rely on daily hand soap usage to get their work done — doctors, daycare employees, aestheticians, and others for whom cleansing their hands is a daily and even hourly necessity.
The Best Hand Soaps: At a Glance
What the Experts Say
SPY spoke with eight people who need to use hand soap regularly for their work to understand the best cleansing and least-drying hand soap options, including board-certified doctors Robert F. Mancuso, a spine surgeon, and dermatologist Brendan Camp and Helen M. Torok, a dermatologist and cofounder of skincare brand HH Science; Nicole Ho, the R&D lab manager for Genie Supply; Theresa Bertuzzi, the co-founder and chief program development officer at Tiny Hoppers daycare; Gabrielle Marie Yap, senior editor and culinary entrepreneur at CarnivoreStyle; Kristin Gunn, a medical aesthetician and owner of Beaux MedSpa; and Erica Marie Gatt, an aesthetician and the founder of EM Skin.
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Gunn explains, “We all have germs on our hands. By effectively removing and killing these germs, hand washing with soap significantly lowers the likelihood of contracting diseases and spreading these pathogens to others…, safeguarding our health and the health of those around us.”
Anything calling itself a hand soap will remove germs if used correctly, but there is a twist: Most modern hand soaps aren’t true soap. True soap — which includes sodium hydroxide for hard soaps or potassium hydroxide for liquid soaps — mechanically destroys bacterial membranes. Most hand soaps sold at the drugstore or Target are formulated to strip bacteria from the skin rather than destroy it entirely. True soap often proves too strong over repeat washes, but because they’re both effective at ridding human skin of germs, soap-like products can still call themselves soap, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Torok recommends non-soap soaps for one big reason. “The skin’s outermost layer has a slightly acidic pH, often referred to as the acid mantle. This acidic environment acts as a protective barrier, inhibiting the growth of harmful microorganisms and maintaining skin hydration,” she says. “Soap-based formulas have a high pH which disrupts this delicate balance by making the skin more alkaline. This disruption can compromise the skin’s ability to retain moisture, contributing to dryness.”
However, just as important as what’s in the hand soap is what’s not in the hand soap, too. Torok and others advise avoiding chemical-based preservatives, dyes, fragrances, or highly acidic surfactants, which can all contribute to dryness, irritation, and inflammation. Yap recommends hand soaps that can bust through grease, grime, odors, and bacteria while still acting gently on the skin, especially for people washing their hands 20+ times a day. For even simpler advice, anyone concerned about mounting skin irritation can look for pH-balanced and hypoallergenic formulas, Gatt says.
In terms of price, hand soaps can run a bit of a gamut, with some options going for $30 to $40+, but most liquid hand soaps will cost between $2 and $5 per bottle.
One last pro tip: Camp and Gunn both recommend applying a hand lotion or moisturizer after washing. “Hand moisturizers help to restore the integrity of the skin barrier and help maintain hydration,” Camp says, with Gunn adding that it’s a good practice for anti-aging, as well.
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap (Pack of 3)
Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Hand Soap is the best hand soap there is. It cleans gently but effectively and keeps hands supple with glycerin and essential oils. Most appealingly, Mrs. Meyer’s soothing, authentic fragrances don’t smell synthetic. “Its effectiveness in cleaning is impressive, and I particularly appreciate its pleasant fragrance,” Ho says. “Additionally, it’s gentle on my skin, leaving my hands feeling clean without causing dryness.”
Gunn, who works in medical spaces and has to wash her hands often, stands by Mrs. Meyer’s too. She finds the soap effective for cleaning, saying, “We always buy Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap.”
Mrs. Meyer’s is superior to most other brands, which is why it costs closer to the upper range for popular hand soaps around $5 per bottle
Softsoap Antibacterial Liquid Hand Soap Pump
Before Mrs. Meyer’s took over retailers’ middle and top shelves, Softsoap’s options were the MVPs of hand washing. The Softsoap Antibacterial Hand Soap promises two things: to clean hands and to leave them feeling soft, both of which it achieves.
Yap’s extensive work in busy restaurant kitchens qualifies her endorsement of Softsoap as her go-to for clean, odor-free hands. “It removes grease and odors with remarkable effectiveness while remaining gentle on my skin,” she says. “Plus, what truly sets it apart for me is its potent antibacterial formula, which gives me confidence in the safety and cleanliness of my kitchen with each wash.”
Unlike many formulations, Softsoap is using “antibacterial” literally because its active ingredient, benzalkonium chloride, has documented antibacterial and antiviral effects.
Plus, this hand soap is cheap as hell, costing around $2.50 for an 11.25-ounce bottle, which means paying less than pennies for each hand washing.
Seventh Generation Liquid Hand Soap
The Seventh Generation Free & Clean Hand Wash prides itself on its simplicity, relying on plant- or mineral-based ingredients and as few synthetic ingredients as possible. That helps make it hypoallergenic and one of the best hand soaps for sensitive skin or soft but grimy kids’ hands.
Bertuzzi often deals with kids as a childcare specialist and she says Seventh Generation is great for her and their frequent daily hand washings. “I really like Seventh Generation fragrance-free hand soap as it is a gentle formula and biodegradable. The gel-based product is easy to lather, is hypoallergenic, and does not leave your hands feeling dried out,” she says. “Overall, it is a great product for kids and adults alike.”
Alas, sourcing these ingredients can and does add to the cost, typically making this hand soap one of the pricier options per bottle, which currently goes for around $9 on Amazon and $13 at Walmart.
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Wash
For people who don’t mind spending for a more luxurious option, the Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Soap is an excellent splurge With an ingredient list rivaling those of the best hand moisturizers, it works to gently clean hands and leaves them smelling fantastic. “Aesop is clean, hydrating, and smells heavenly,” Gatt says.
Of course, with premium ingredients and a premium fragrance comes a premium price tag of $43. But the bottle comes with almost 17 ounces of hand soap, so the price at least yields above-average quantity in addition to quality.
CLn HandWash
The CLn HandWash is all but unique among hand soaps in that it relies on a special blend of glycerin, which is hydrating, and sodium hypochlorite, or chlorine bleach, to clean hands. Though bleach might sound like an intense ingredient for everyday use, Camp says the CLn HandWash is as mild as it is effective. “Formulated to be hypoallergenic and non-irritating, this mild formula hand soap can be used often without over-drying the hands or disrupting the skin barrier,” he says.
It’s an excellent choice for people with sensitive skin, eczema, and regularly itchy, red hands. Unfortunately, as a cutting-edge hand soap, it costs accordingly at a lofty $32 per bottle.
Dial Gold Antibacterial Deodorant Soap
The Dial Gold Antibacterial Soap is not messing around. If scorched earth was a soap, it would be this bar soap, which uses actual soap as well as antibacterial benzalkonium chloride to clean hands. This is not a gentle soap, but for that wicked clean sensation that only comes from not giving a damn about moisturizing, Dial Gold Antibacterial Soap is a runaway winner. Not to mention, it’s wildly cheap in bulk and reasonably affordable at $6 for a two-pack.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hand Soap
Why Should You Use Hand Soap?
Hand soap cleans hands and removes bacteria, which is great for individuals and society writ large. “Hand soap is critical to keeping your hands clean and preventing the spread of infectious diseases,” Mancuso says. “Washing with soap and water helps destroy oils, dirt, and microbes on the skin and removes harmful bacteria and viruses.”
What Should I Look For in the Best Hand Soaps?
Subjective preference and every individual’s skin come into play, but modern hand soaps generally feature differing combinations of the same kinds of ingredients — basically hydrators, cleansers, and fragrances.
Common ingredients include essential oils and glycerin, which hydrate, and benzalkonium chloride, which is antibacterial, as well as a wide variety of surfactants from the very common sodium lauryl sulfate and sodium laureth sulfate to brand-specific surfactants.
For anyone concerned about ingredients, many skin care manufacturers provide detailed lists of ingredients on their websites. More conscious brands will also often explain what each ingredient is used for and how each was derived.
Experts also say that avoiding chemical fragrances and going for fragrance-free and hypoallergenic options can help preserve hands, especially those with sensitive skin.
What’s a Good Price for the Hand Soaps?
Most hand soaps sold from large retailers cost around $5 a bottle, though premium or clinical options can cost as much as $40 and prices can vary widely across location and time, which is common for goods on the lower end of the price spectrum.
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