Soap has been in greater demand during the pandemic, especially since handwashing is one of the best public-health measures we can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (in addition to mask-wearing, of course). And while we’ve written about lots of body-cleaning products before — including status hand soaps and the best body washes, according to dermatologists — here, we’ve rounded up the best bar soaps as praised by the most enthusiastic reviewers on Amazon.
Best-rated (and least expensive) bar soap
Dial Antibacterial Deodorant Soap $10 now 50% off4.7 stars, 6,969 reviews
$5 for 8
Hundreds of five-star reviewers appreciate this soap’s “antibacterial” properties, especially during the coronavirus pandemic (though there’s no scientific evidence that washing with antibacterial soaps prevents illnesses better than washing with regular soap and water). “The moment we get into our house, we strip at the door and into the shower we jump, coronavirus be gone, down the drain you go!” says one reviewer, who describes this soap as a “germ killer” and says it also comes recommended by her mom’s doctor. Another customer says she used the Dial liquid bodywash in the past, but now uses this bar soap for frequent handwashing, and appreciates that each bar in the three-pack is under $2, saying, “That’s an amazing deal that’s worth spending for some good antibacterial soap.” Pandemic aside, many reviewers vouch for this soap’s germ-killing abilities and reasonable price, including one bather who had infections for a year straight in 2009. Using this soap has meant “No hospital stays, office visits weekly and more.” Plus, over 100 customers mention that this soap is a good deal, including one who appreciates that the three-pack lasts “a long time. The scent is not overpowering, it lathers well and cleans without leaving residue.”
Best deodorant bar soap
Irish Spring Deodorant Bar Soap Original 4.7 stars, 2,244 reviews
$2 for 3
“Now I stink o’ the Emerald Isle,” writes one customer, 1 of over 50 five-star reviewers who love the smell of this bar soap. “Irish Spring makes great lather for washing, rinses clean away, and leaves me smelling fresh,” another writes. “It’s distinct in as much as I have girls tell me that they love Irish Spring without me telling them that I use it.” At least six other customers call it an excellent “deodorant soap” because of that strong smell, and one reviewer says using the soap is the “best choice I ever made.” He describes the scent as “classy” without being “too overpowering” adding that the bar “leaves you feeling clean and refreshed.”
Best moisturizing bar soap
Dove Go Fresh Beauty Bar for Softer Skin. Cucumber and Green Tea $25 now 36% off4.8 stars, 1,736 reviews
$16 for 16
Nearly 90 percent of reviewers give this pack of bar soap five stars, and dozens love how “moisturizing” it is. “I’m rarely brand loyal, but I refuse to use any soap but Dove,” one writes. “The others all dry out my skin, and I just love the way Dove feels.” Another who says “it moisturizes your body and leaves it feeling so soft and smooth” even thinks “lotion is not even needed when using this soap.” Nearly 100 customers say the scent as a selling point too: “The soap has a nice cucumber smell to it that’s relaxing and soothing,” one user writes. “I actually store the soap in our sock drawer because the smell is so nice that before we use it as soap it gets another purpose as a little sock-drawer freshener too.” And despite it having a fragrance, more than a dozen reviewers say it’s gentle enough for their sensitive skin. As one user concludes, “I highly recommended this soap for washing face, body, private parts, and also for scenting closed spaces like closets and cupboards.”
Best bar soap for sensitive skin
Dove Beauty Bar More Moisturizing Than Bar Soap Sensitive Skin4.9 stars, 633 reviews
$23 for 20
Reviewers with all kinds of skin sensitivities — including very dry skin and eczema — are impressed by this nonirritating soap. One reviewer says that most soaps give her eczema-prone daughter an allergic reaction, but this “is a mild soap, effective for using on your face and body” even if you have sensitive skin or allergies. Another, who is allergic to most fragrances, has been happily using this bar for years because “it doesn’t dry out my skin and it doesn’t have a really strong smell.” Many other reviewers mention that this soap is gentle and moisturizing, including one who uses it after swimming in a chlorinated pool and says, “It makes my skin soft again. It is also extremely safe for my eczema breakouts. Helps soothe the redness.”
Best bar soap for dry skin
L’Occitane Extra-Gentle Vegetable Based Soap4.6 stars, 653 reviews
$12
Yes, this soap is the most expensive, per bar, on the list, but reviewers swear it’s worth it. One reviewer who bought it before the price went down says, “At $14 a bar, this is soap for the one percent class,” but agrees, “This soap as good as the reviews say it is.” Dozens love it because it leaves their skin moisturized. “It cleans great without drying or irritating my skin,” one writes. Another says, “This is the first winter in memory that I have not had dry, cracked hands,” calling it, “a luxury that is worth the price.” And while another user says they had sticker shock, it has lasted them a while: “A bar of this high-quality soap lasts more than six months.” And lots of other reviewers find various ways to justify this purchase, whether it’s the fact that it’s long-lasting, hydrating, or simply just cheaper than an international flight. “When showering with this soap, I pretend I’m in a really expensive hotel on the French Riviera.”
Best (less expensive) bar soap for dry skin
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar4.7 stars, 1,149 reviews
$10 for 2
About a quarter of five-star reviewers love this CeraVe bar soap for their dry skin. “My skin is butter-soft and the moisture lasts all day,” says one customer, who adds that this soap is the only things that cleared up their full-body “eczema-like rash” of several months. Another with Sjogren’s syndrome, which makes their skin very dry, says this soap is “like bathing with moisturizer.” One user even says they’ve been using moisturizer less since buying this soap which gives them “a silky feeling without a lot of residue.” Reviewers also say you can use it on your face and body, but the best part, according to one, is “no acne! Every other cleanser that I’ve tried besides this and the bottled CeraVe breaks me out. I love having a soap that I can use on my body and my face.”
Best bar soap for acne
Shea Moisture Bar Soap African Black Soap$8 now 38% off4.5 stars, 4,369 reviews
$5
About one-fifth of five-star reviewers of this Shea Moisture bar soap say it’s a must-have for those with acne. “Any breakouts, acne, bumps on back of arms, winter skin. Seriously I’m telling you this clears it up and this is coming from someone with horrible skin,” one reports. Another user says, “I was looking for the acne help bar because I get little breakouts on my back and sometimes even shoulders, chest, this has really been working beautifully.” One reviewer says it helped clear up acne on their face, too: “I was suffering from mild-moderate acne on my back, as well as moderate-severe acne on my face and this cleared it all right up within a few weeks of use.” But thanks to the shea butter, it’s still described by many as a moisturizing soap. “It feels tight after I wash it but not to the point of dryness,” says one reviewer.
Best bar soap for fungus
Defense Soap, 100% Natural and Herbal Pharmaceutical Grade Tea Tree Oil4.6 stars 2,344 reviews
$13 for 2
More than 80 percent of reviewers give this bar soap five stars and many say it helped them fight an infection. “After spending weeks on antibiotics I had a fungal outbreak on the skin in the middle of my upper back,” one user explains. “In my case I had a chronic itch on my back where the infection was centered and after just two showers with Defense the horrible itch was completely gone.” Another reviewer fighting ringworm says, “After just a single application, we saw noticeable improvement. After continuing use (three-plus days), there is HUGE improvement.” One reviewer says it works on other, more mild skin concerns as well. “It works great for my husband to prevent skin rashes as he works in the yard,” they write. “It works great for my daughter’s sensitive skin with eczema. It works great for my dry skin and athletes foot (which I also use the shower gel in my foot bath); it also cleared my face from blackheads.” Even if you have perfectly healthy skin, another bather attests that Defense has some average soapy benefits: “Defense soap makes me feel very clean, it doesn’t dry out my skin but actually makes it feel more moisturized and healthy.” And we’ve actually featured it on the site before. Writer Leah Rodriguez simply uses it for the “mild pine fragrance and the invigorating tingle it sent through my skin.”
Best bar soap for exfoliating
MARLOWE Body Scrub Soap4.6 stars, 2,875 reviews
$9
This bar soap is marketed to men, but men and women reviewers are both impressed by this soap’s exfoliating power. One woman says, “I use it every day and have noticed that my skin feels softer and looks brighter and cleaner.” One man says, “It will hurt at first if you’re not used to it already, but after the first or second shower with this, this soap will be your standard. You might as well subscribe to it.” And while dozens compare the texture to sandpaper, they don’t doubt it works. “It does feel a bit like sandpaper on the skin BUT the resulting smoothness and nice aromas are worth it,” one says. Another writes, “The lather froths to the perfect application to spread fully without overabundance.” And a bonus, according to one bather: “The exfoliating beads that are in it do not stay on my skin and washes off really easily.”
Best natural bar soap
Crate 61 Best Seller Soap 6-Pack Box Set$16$19 now 16% off4.7 stars, 2,558 reviews
Hundreds of reviewers say this soap set smells so good, and is so beautifully packaged, that they’ve given it as a gift. One such reviewer, with sensitive eczema-prone skin, uses these gentle soaps herself, and gifts them to friends and family “because of how beautiful and organic looking they are. I reach for this over my Dove bar of soap every time,” she adds. Plus, since the soap is chemical-free, and made by a small business, another reviewer “feels good to be able to give everyone gifts that are healthy for people, animals, and the environment!” Dozens of other customers appreciate Crate 61’s natural, vegan, and cruelty-free manufacturing, including one who started using them in an effort to shop more sustainably and found that “the bars are very moisturizing, and I even use them on my face occasionally with no breakouts or dryness.” Another customer, who uses them on her face without any irritation, even describes the soaps as having “lavish lathering” and “divine fragrances.”
Best French bar soap
Pre’ De Provence Artisanal French Soap Bar Enriched With Shea Butter $54.5 stars, 3,029 reviews
More than 600 reviewers give this French bar soap five stars, and nearly 15 percent of them talk about how well this bar of soap lathers. One reviewer reports, “I can stroke the bar through my hair in the shower, rub a little on my goatee, under my arms, my crotch…and, then, I rub the soap all over my body…I sit in a chair in my shower (I’m 75) and I move the soap suds from my head and face and torso down to my feet and legs while sitting…this stuff she’s ‘keeps on giving’…giving and giving lathering suds.” And even though it produces a lot of suds, “It doesn’t melt like the Wicked Witch of the West when it comes in contact with water,” says another satisfied bather, one of more than 15 percent of five-star reviewers who describes this soap as long-lasting. One even writes, “I know it seems expensive but a bar literally lasts 5 or 6 months.” Others talk about how nice this soap is on their dry skin, and dozens chalk it up to the shea butter.
Best bar soap for men
Dr. Squatch Mens Cedar Citrus Soap $12 now 17% off4.1 stars, 4,408 reviews
$10
Dozens of reviewers admit to being influenced by the company’s marketing, but were happy to find that the product lives up to the hype. “I bought it for my hubby, who much resembles the elusive Bigfoot and at times smells like one from what I can imagine,” one reviewer writes. “I was delighted to find a rugged soap that would also calm the savage beast. I gave it to him, he sniffed it for a good long while and actually loved the scent. I am delighted to report that I no longer have to chase him down with disinfectant, the soap smells awesome and I actually found a product he will use.” Another says it helped their teenage son who “smells as though onions and corn chips spawned a stank baby.” They write, “Much to the pleasure of everyone in the house, it left him with such a refreshing scent and quite frankly, a glow.” Reviewers also add that this soap doesn’t leave a residue or an intense lingering smell, just moisture. One user even says, “The first shower I kept rinsing because my skin was so moisturized, and I thought I was still covered in lather.”