The 25 Best Luxury Hand Soaps, According to Experts
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Splurging on a luxury hand soap may seem a little indulgent at first, but there’s a lot to be said about taking a thoughtful self-care moment for yourself throughout the day.
We get it: Mindfulness can be one of the first things to fly out the window on a stressful day, but why not transform something mundane — and that you’re going to be doing one way or the other — into something with a bit more magic?
“It’s amazing how transformative an act as simple as washing your hands can be,” says Tim Hollinger, co-founder and CEO of the eco-friendly brand, Bathing Culture, who adds that with each wash, you have “the opportunity to recenter” and change your mood. “Embracing the simple act of warm water, touch, lather and scent can bring you a moment of peace and meditation.”
Investing in one of the best hand soaps is also the trick for impressing guests when you’re entertaining. One look at a slick glossy vessel followed by a delicious lather and aroma, and they’re immediately convinced your home is a temple of luxurious wellness. In fact, you could think of luxury hand soaps as “‘furniture for your shower’’ like Nick Axelrod-Welk, head of creative and product development at Homecourt, did as he developed the vessels for Homecourt and his own brand, Nécessaire. “They’re always out in the open” for everyone to see.
We’ve come a long way from our grandmothers’ fragranced bar soaps and accompanying glass soap trays. But these days, what’s old is now new again, and bar soaps are definitely making a chic comeback, especially within the natural wellness world. Not to mention, luxury bar soaps are hard to overuse with a single wash, unlike hand soaps with a dispenser where it’s easy to squeeze out two or three pumps at a time, so you’ll get a lot more bang for your buck.
In a category that’s expected to surpass $5 billion by 2027, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to product type, texture or scent.
Top Hand Soaps of 2022
Best Exfoliating Soap: Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash
Best Fruity Hand Soap: Nest New York Grapefruit Hand Soap
Best Modern Classic: Ouai Hand Wash
Most Deliciously Surprising Scent: Grown Alchemist Hand Wash Tasmanian Pepper
Most Imaginative Backstory: Amass Botanic Four Thieves Liquid Hand Soap
Most Invigorating Soap: Ren Clean Skincare Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Hand Wash
Best For Complete Hand Care: Deborah Lippmann Balancing Act
Most Relaxing Scent: Molton Brown Refined White Mulberry Fine Liquid Hand Wash
Most Nourishing: Oribe Cote d’Azur Revitalizing Hand Wash
Best Soap + Lotion Set: Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium & Bergamot
Most Sustainable: Gelo Foam Hand Soap
Best for Stressed Out Skin: Malin + Goetz Rum Hand and Body Wash
Best Newcomer: Homecourt Cipres Mint Hand Wash
Most Earth Friendly: Lake & Skye 11 11 Hand Soap
Most Spa-Like: Susanne Kaufmann Hand Soap
Best Mega Size: Bathing Culture Mind and Body Wash
Best Citrus Scent: Sachajuan Shiny Citrus Hand Wash
Best Cult Classic: Byredo Vetyver Hand Soap
Sexiest Scent: Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Body and Hand Wash
Coolest Vessel: D.S. & Durga Big Sur After Rain Hand Soap
Best Bar Soap: Le Labo Santal 33 Bar Hand Soap
Most Moisturizing Hand Soap: Diptyque Softening Hand Wash
Best Vacation Vibes: Acqua Di Parma Colonia Hand Wash
Best Luxury Soap for the Whole Family: Paloroma Main Squeeze Hand Wash
Best British Import: Cowshed Refresh Hand Wash
What are the different varieties of hand soap
The three most common types of luxury hand soap are liquid, bar and the newbies on the block, soap tablets and foaming soap refills.
Bar hand soap: This solid soap form lathers up in your hands and is extremely efficient at removing dirt and germs, but can leave hands feeling dry if it doesn’t include moisturizing ingredients. Also, watch out for a mushy bar soap, which can harbor bacteria.
Liquid hand soap: Equally efficient as bar soap but lightyears tidier, liquid hand soaps are today’s go-to option. The downside? Liquid hand soaps are not considered eco-friendly, as they generally come in plastic bottles.
Soap tablets and foaming soap refills: Once dissolved, these tablets and concentrated refills create a foaming soap. You just fill up your reusable soap dispenser with water, drop in the tablet or empty the refill and let it do its thing.
Packaging has also become a factor when selecting a luxury hand soap.
Eco-friendly: Glass and aluminum are favored over plastic containers for liquid soap, while hand bars are often wrapped in paper or nothing at all.
Travel-friendly: Your favorite scents, but in TSA-approved, mini form so you can toss into your carry on without thinking twice.
Soap + lotion sets: Beautifully useful, many luxury hand soaps, especially liquid hand soaps, are accompanied by a lotion of the same scent, so that after washing, you can moisturize right away to lock hydration into skin.
The different scent categories of hand soap
From the old school scent profiles to the new wave of invigorating ingredients, there’s truly a luxury hand soap for everyone — and every season.
Fruity: Think zesty citruses, crisp cucumbers, summer berries, sparkling grapefruit and sweet apples. These refreshing fragrances are playful, fun and definitely don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re also a great seasonal swap for a summertime sudsing experience.
Floral: Lavender, jasmine and rose are the gold-standard and make up the lion’s share of options for well balanced florals that never feel overbearing. This trio — particularly lavender — are known for their power to ease anxiety and alleviate stress.
Herbaceous: If a cute, countryside herb garden feels a bit out of reach, you can live out your dream vicariously via a mint, basil, sage, rosemary (or thyme!) hand soap. Fresh herb scents are famously uplifting and also inspire a sense of tranquility.
Woodsy: Bring the great outdoors indoors. Deeper blends of evergreen, balsam pine and cedarwood are a few of the most common earthy aromas, all of which can help promote a good night of sleep.
Neutral: Despite popular opinion, no product is ‘fragrance-free’ — it’ll smell like whatever ingredients it’s made with. Yet, products can be manufactured with no added fragrance, which means that hand soaps developed with a base of shea butter or coconut oil will offer a scent so faint, you’ll hardly notice it.
What to look for in the best luxury hand soaps
Soaps are one of the oldest beauty products of all time — and they were all formulated without today’s chemicals. Instead, people looked to natural ingredients that contain antibacterial properties, like tea tree and oregano oils, as well as shea butter, coconut oil and aloe vera for smooth hydration.
Most luxury hand soaps avoid extra-drying ingredients, like alcohol, as well as excessive amounts of preservatives (although some form of preservative is necessary or else they’d quickly expire). “Sulfates and parabens are big nos, and another one to watch out for is palm oil — it’s not necessary and it’s a major reason rainforests are being torn down,” says Hollinger.
Without further ado, here’s our list of the top luxury hand soaps that each bring a wealth of benefits to the table — or bathroom.
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Aesop Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash
Best exfoliating soap
Notable ingredients: Vetiver root, petitgrain, bergamot rind
Fragrance type: Woodsy
Packaging: Recyclable, amber brown glass bottle with dispenser
Size: 16.9 oz
This exfoliating luxury hand soap from Aesop gives major apothecary vibes due to the tinted but transparent amber bottle and the snappy, botanical fragrance. Its opaque gel texture is packed with finely milled pumice to lightly remove any hint of rough skin, but just like your face, you can over-exfoliate, so save this one for a twice a week treat.
Nest New York Grapefruit Hand Soap
Best fruity hand soap
Notable ingredients: Blended with natural plant extracts and antioxidants
Fragrance type: Fruity, with notes of pink pomelo grapefruit, coriander blossom and lily of the valley
Packaging: Plastic with dispenser
Size: 10 oz
With more than 350 5-star reviews on Amazon, the Grapefruit hand soap is one of Nest New York’s bestselling products, with one Amazon reviewer calling it “light, fresh and not too floral” while another says the “refreshing scent lingers, unlike any other soaps.”
Ouai Hand Wash
Best modern classic
Notable ingredients: Jojoba esters and castor, avocado, rosehip and jojoba oils
Fragrance type: Floral, with notes of rose, magnolia and linden blossom
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 16 oz.
“For performance, some of the ingredient names you hear a lot really do deserve the attention,” says Hollinger of what to look for in a new luxury soap. This soap from Ouai ticks off all the moisturizing ingredients you’d expect in luxury skin care for your face — castor, avocado, rosehip and jojoba oils — to leave your hands refreshed and super soft. Heads up: This luxury soap lightly exfoliates with jojoba esters, which can be irritating to sensitive skin if used multiple times throughout the day.
Grown Alchemist Hand Wash Tasmanian Pepper
Most deliciously surprising scent
Notable ingredients: Fennel Seed and coconut, sweet almond and cold pressed sweet orange oils
Fragrance type: Fruity, with notes of orange, cedarwood and sage
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 16.9
When searching for a new luxury hand soap, the first thing Axelrod-Welk does is check the list of ingredients. He loves natural oils, like sweet almond oil, for wash-off soaps, calling the ingredient “a powerhouse” that “works quickly for the 20-30 seconds it’s actually on your hands” to efficiently moisturize and nourish” the skin. And lucky for us, it’s an ingredient that Grown Alchemist has in spades for their glamorous hand soaps.
Amass Botanic Four Thieves Liquid Hand Soap
Most imaginative backstory
Notable ingredients: Aloe vera, plus coconut, olive and sunflower oils
Fragrance type: Woodsy, with warm hints of spices, clove, allspice and cinnamon
Packaging: Recyclable tinted glass bottle
Size: 16 oz.
The Four Thieves scent from Amass has quite the backstory. It was inspired by botanicals once believed to prevent the spread of the plague in medieval Europe and a band of four thieves who used the concoction to protect themselves as they robbed the dead. With a detail-oriented imagination like that, you can be sure that this soap hits all the top marks for cleansing, moisturizing and fragrance. “The bottle looks killer in the bathrooms and kitchen, but that’s just the beginning,” writes one reviewer. “The real pleasure is using the soap, it smells like the holidays and the oils make my hands so soft.”
Ren Clean Skincare Atlantic Kelp and Magnesium Energizing Hand Wash
Most invigorating
Notable ingredients: Atlantic kelp extract and magnesium PCA
Fragrance type: Neutral, lightly scented by the soap’s ingredients
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 6.7
Ren Clean Skincare’s sulfate-free hand soap is the perfect afternoon pick-me-up that we didn’t know we needed. Atlantic kelp extract is a source of essential minerals to calm irritated skin while magnesium PCA contains both moisturizing and energizing properties to awaken and refresh your senses.
Deborah Lippmann Balancing Act
Best for complete hand care
Notable ingredients: Vitamin B5, oatmeal, panthenol
Fragrance type: Neutral, with a soft almond haze
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 15 oz.
She’s known for her spunky nail polish shades, but Deborah Lippmann cares about the health of your entire hand. As its name suggests, Balancing Act has an ideal pH of 5.5 to not disrupt your skin’s comfort or moisture balance. Its creamy lather makes hands feel clean but the calendula and oatmeal ingredients ensure they never get dried out.
Molton Brown Refined White Mulberry Fine Liquid Hand Wash
Most relaxing scent
Notable ingredients: White mulberry root extract, clary sage oil and thyme absolute
Fragrance type: Citrus, with herbaceous notes of sage and thyme
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 10 oz.
This makes washing your hands feel so luxurious,” writes an Amazon reviewer — one of more than 400 who gave this Molton Brown soap 5-stars. “Peaceful scent, not overpowering and love smelling it on my hands throughout the day,” writes another of the mint green gel formula that smells like iced green tea.
Oribe Cote d’Azur Revitalizing Hand Wash
Most nourishing
Notable ingredients: Lemon peel extract with jasmine and grape seed oils
Fragrance type: Citrus, with notes of white jasmine
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 10.1oz
Just like every other Oribe product, this luxury hand soap is pure decadence, with a rich scent that bounces between citrus and floral notes, a hearty, cleansing lather and a deeply moisturizing blend chock-full of sweet almond, meadowfoam and starflower oils, all rife with vitamins and antioxidants.
Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium & Bergamot
Best soap + lotion set
Notable ingredients: Plant-based bioactives, including aloe, green tea and vetiver oil
Fragrance type: A light blend of florals, herbs and a touch of citrus
Packaging: Set of two 100% recyclable glass bottles with aluminum caps
Size: 15.6 oz each
A truly nourishing formulation from Pangea combines antioxidant-rich green tea with aloe vera to soothe skin and finishing with aromatic vetiver oil, often referred to as the oil of tranquility, to help balance the senses.
Gelo Foam Hand Soap
Most sustainable
Notable ingredients: Plant-derived ingredients and Leaping Bunny certified
Fragrance type: Floral, with notes of freesia and sea mist
Packaging: Bottle is recyclable plastic, and the pods are biodegradable
Size: One pod for every 11.9 oz bottle
Gelo’s plant-based, foaming hand soap is one that not only feels great on the skin, it simply makes you feel great all-over because you’ve just produced 97% less waste for the planet. Plus, the hand soap pods are super concentrated, without the fillers often seen in many drugstore options, and somehow manage to load up each tiny pod with shea, oat and other essential oils so you can wash your hands all day long with a single worry.
Malin + Goetz Rum Hand And Body Wash
Best for stressed out skin
Notable ingredients: Glycerin and amino acids
Fragrance type: Fruity, with darker notes of rum, leather, amber and patchouli
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 8.5 oz.
Malin + Goetz’s hand and body wash is a delight for those with sensitive skin. Containing amino acid hydration technology, the lightly scented cleansing gel helps to prevent stressed-out skin and avoid dryness, leaving behind only hydrated hands.
Homecourt Cipres Mint Hand Wash
Best newcomer
Notable ingredients: argan oil, Australian hibiscus flower extract, coconut-derived cleansers
Fragrance type: Herbaceous, with a touch of citrus and inspired by Moroccan mint tea
Packaging: 100% post-consumer recycled bottle with reusable pump
Size: 12 oz
Homecourt may have been founded by Courteney Cox, but it’s far from your ordinary celeb-backed beauty product. With carefully considered details, from the glassy, yet somehow matte, bottle made entirely of recycled material, to the hyper-specific vision attached to each fragrance, this liquid soap is a small slice of heaven. “Caring for one’s own space is a transformative act and forging rituals around cleaning and maintaining the things we love can be a pleasure,” says Cox, adding that her line’s specific scent profiles were developed in collaboration with the world’s top perfumers.
Lake & Skye 11 11 Hand Soap
Most Earth friendly
Notable ingredients: Free of parabens, phthalates and sulfates
Fragrance type: Woodsy, with notes of amberwood and driftwood
Packaging: Recyclable glass bottle
Size: 16.9 oz
Lake & Skye was founded on the principle that fragrance is a force for wellness and this vegan and cruelty-free hand soap was inspired by the teachings of Kundalini yoga. Its scent is a spin on the brand’s original 11 11 fragrance, a blend of white ambers and musk. What’s more, Lake & Skye plants a tree for every web order via the non-profit, One Tree Planted.
Susanne Kaufmann Hand Soap
Most spa-like
Notable ingredients: Aloe vera, wheat germ oil, horsetail plant actives
Fragrance type: Neutral, fragrance from natural ingredients
Packaging: Glass bottle with dispenser
Size: 8.4 oz
After inheriting the hotel and spa her family had run for five generations in the Austrian Alps, founder Susanne Kaufmann looked to her own Alpine backyard to create her holistic, minimalistic approach to skincare. Formulated with sugar surfactants and natural horsetail plant actives to cleanse away impurities while aloe vera and wheat germ oil nourish dry, stressed skin.
Bathing Culture Mind and Body Wash
Best mega size
Notable ingredients: Aloe, shea butter and guar
Fragrance type: Woodsy, with notes of vetiver, juniper, cedar and maritime pine
Packaging: Gallon jug is intended to refill glass bottle or travel size mini
Size: 128 oz
Developed by two outdoorsy friends working in the tech start-up world because, despite showering, they never felt “clean” after a hike in the California Redwoods. “I love that Mind and Body Wash can transport me,” says Harrington. “I’ll be washing my hands with a ‘whatever’ attitude and then I’ll catch the scent and be able to drop in and feel as if I’m in a redwood grove.”
Sachajuan Shiny Citrus Hand Wash
Best citrus scent
Notable ingredients: Guar beans
Fragrance type: An even split between fresh citrus and jasmine blossom
Packaging: Glass bottle with dispenser
Size: 16.9 oz
Actives from guar beans serve as a natural emulsifier in this Shiny Citrus Hand Wash to hydrate skin while still effectively sweeping away dirt and grime. The result? Your hands will be clean and conditioned, never feel taut or stripped.
Byredo Vetyver Hand Soap
Best cult classic
Notable ingredients: Glycerin, castor oil
Fragrance type: Squarely in the woodsy category, thanks to the heavy dose of vetiver
Packaging: Smoothly textured plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 15.2 oz
Two pumps of this millennial favorite from Byredo and you’ll find that the mild, cool gel cleanser releases waves of light fragrance that deepens as you lather up. Moisturizing glycerin and castor oil leave hands feeling soft and comfortable.
Jo Malone London Pomegranate Noir Body and Hand Wash
Sexiest scent
Notable ingredients: Meadowfoam seed oil
Fragrance type: Deeply fruity, with juices of pomegranate, raspberry and plum swirled with spicy pink pepper and sweet casablanca lily
Packaging: Clear, square-shaped plastic bottle with the brand’s signature striping
Size: 3.4 oz
Jo Malone London is famous for producing layered and nuanced aromas, and this fragrance story, built from an unlikely trio of notes, creates an utterly compelling scent in the form of crystal-clear gel. Another standout ingredient is the dual-functioning meadowfoam seed oil to cleanse the skin while the oil’s amino acids restore hydration.
D.S. & Durga Big Sur After Rain Hand Soap
Coolest vessel
Notable ingredients: Glycerin, hyaluronic acid and vitamins C and E
Fragrance type: Herbaceous, with notes of eucalyptus shoot and leaf, magnolia and pacific spray
Packaging: White frosted, transparent glass vessel with dispenser
Size: 8 oz
A new iteration in hand soap form of D.S. & Durga’s classic Big Sur After Rain, is intended to evoke the scent and sensation of rain falling onto lush eucalyptus groves off of the Pacific coast. This uber-hydrating gel formula is enriched with vitamins C and E, along with generous doses of glycerin and hyaluronic acid.
Le Labo Santal 33 Bar Hand Soap
Best bar soap
Notable ingredients: Olive oil, vitamin E, shea butter
Fragrance type: Woodsy, with notes of dry cedarwood, amber and smoky leather
Packaging: Hand-wrapped in Mississippi in waxed kraft paper
Size: 8 oz.
Soap bars tend to hold a place in our hearts, sparking a bit of nostalgia to a bygone era of simplicity. “There’s something special about using bar soap at an old garden sink after working in the dirt for a morning,” says Hollinger. “Get both!” And Le Labo’s moisturizing blend of olive oil extract, shea butter and vitamin E, doused with their signature Santal 33, is definitely the bar soap to get.
Diptyque Softening Hand Wash
Most moisturizing hand wash
Notable ingredients: Rosemary floral water, lavender honey
Fragrance type: Floral, with notes of lavender from Provence, rosemary, amber and ylang-ylang
Packaging: Refillable and recyclable sturdy glass bottle
Size: 11.8 oz.
Diptyque’s Softening Hand Wash is a great, mild option for practically anyone, from those with dry skin to those who don’t, to keep hands healthy, happy and soothed. Lavender is a naturally cleansing botanical while rosemary floral water rebalances irritated skin and lavender honey, jam-packed with mineral salts and fatty acids, restore lost hydration.
Acqua Di Parma Colonia Hand Wash
Best vacation vibes
Notable ingredients: Panthenol, aloe extract, natural surfactants
Fragrance type: Fruity, with notes of lemon, bergamot and patchouli
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 10.1 oz
Feel fresh and a daisy and bask in an invigorating, zesty aroma with the hand wash from the historic Italian fragrance house, Acqua Di Parma. Natural surfactants ground the rich and creamy lather and work to maintain the skin’s hydrolipidic film, keeping hands soft and supple for hours on end.
Paloroma Main Squeeze Hand Wash
Best luxury soap for the whole family
Notable ingredients: Chamomile, aloe vera, rose
Fragrance type: Floral, but very subtle
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 10 oz.
Intended for little ones, but a terrific choice for the entire family, the gentle hand wash from Palorama was specifically designed to fall within a neutral pH range of 5.25-5.75 to not strip or dry the delicate skin of children. Its formula is driven by plant extracts, including chamomile to prevent skin irritation, aloe to moisturize and rose to calm.
Cowshed Refresh Hand Wash
Best British import
Notable ingredients: Lavender oil, vitamin E
Fragrance type: Citrus, with notes of grapefruit and bitter orange
Packaging: Recyclable plastic bottle with dispenser
Size: 10.14 oz.
Used in every Soho House across the world, Cowshed’s best-selling Refresh hand wash contains vitamin E to combat dryness alongside grapefruit extract obtained from the fruit’s peel, lavender oil to purify and tone the skin and petit grain extract, sourced from both the twigs and leaves of the bitter orange tree, to provide a light, fresh fragrance.
Meet the Author
Kaitlin Clark is the Beauty + Style Commerce Editor at WWD. She is an authority in the beauty industry, with more than 12 years experience as a beauty and wellness writer for publications like Allure, InStyle, Domino and Refinery29,. She’s covered everything from the link between skin care and mental health to the risk of carcinogens in sunscreens to the latest innovations in medical aesthetics. She’s also a scented soap and fragrance fanatic with more than 40 perfumes and colognes in her rotation.
Meet The Experts
Courteney Cox: Turns out, everyone’s favorite Friend is also clean beauty aficionado with the recent launch of her brand, Homecourt. She had an active role in the development of her line of luxurious and deliciously fragranced hand soaps and cleaning products, which she calls “beauty products for the home.”
Nick Axelrod-Welk: Nick is an established tastemaker and founder within the beauty industry, starting with the beauty behemoth and millennial favorite, Into the Gloss, followed by the incredibly popular personal care line, Nécessire. Never one for stagnant energy, he turned his attention to a partnership with Courteney Cox for the development and launch of Homecourt. He’s currently the head of creative + product development for the brand.
Tim Hollinger: Along with his best friend/co-founder, Tim left the tech world of Silicon Valley behind to start Bathing Culture, a body care line for the modern hippie who likes to hike, swim and just generally get dirty in the outdoors, then wash it all off with a sustainably-sourced soap filled with good-for-you ingredients. He currently serves as the CEO.
