One of the best ways to take charge of your health is to wash your hands regularly. It’s common sense, right? Hands are usually the primary means of transporting germs and viruses into the body’s vulnerable entry points: the eyes, nose, and mouth. So it makes sense to keep them clean and germ-free.

With germs on nearly every surface, we have to wash our hands multiple times daily. So why not make it a pleasant self-care ritual? The best hand soaps come in fun dispensers delivering a rich gel or cream that foams up to a luxurious lather. Choose a hand wash with a calming or invigorating scent to enhance your mood while washing. A pleasant aroma will entice you to stay at the sink for the full 20 seconds it takes to sanitize your hands effectively.

Ready to get your hands on some suds? Grab your hand towel, and let’s sink into our top picks for the best liquid hand soaps that will have your scrub-a-dubbing all day long.

1. Softsoap Soothing Aloe Vera Hand Soap

One of the best-known hand soap brands, Softsoap, delivers a moisturizing hand soap formula that gently washes away dirt and bacteria. Coupled with aloe vera’s light, grassy scent, this hand soap has a rich lather that will keep your hands feeling clean and soft, no matter how often you use it.  

2. Soapbox Coconut Milk & Sandalwood Deep Moisture Liquid Hand Soap

Washing your hands shouldn’t strip them dry. Soapbox crafted their hand soaps to replenish your skin with every wash. Coconut oil, shea butter, and aloe vera are the foundation of this unique formula to cleanse and moisturize your skin. The fresh, sweet scent of coconut milk and invigorating sandalwood refresh your senses, making this one of the best-smelling hand soaps on the market.

3. Dial Gold Antibacterial Hand Soap

One of the most trusted soap brands, Dial has produced a hydrating liquid hand soap that kills 99.9% of household bacteria, making it the perfect hand washing solution for you and your family. Its fresh scent and round-the-clock odor protection will leave your skin feeling healthy and refreshed. Get peace of mind knowing you’re helping to keep your family safe.

4. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Sugar Soap Peppermint

Dr. Bronner's 4-in-1 Sugar Peppermint Organic Pump Soap is a multi-tasker that gently cleanses your hands, face, body, and hair. This creamy sugar-based formula nourishes and hydrates with the aroma of refreshing peppermint as it cleanses, all without harsh parabens or sulfates.

5. Aunt Fannie’s Mandarin Grove Hand Soap

Do handwashing better. Aunt Fannie’s Hand Soap is a gentle hand soap that has been dermatologist-tested and crafted with hypoallergenic, vegan ingredients for healthier handwashing. Its bracing citrus scent and kid-friendly, cruelty-free formula makes taking care of yourself fun, easy, and ethical.

6. Soapbox Watermelon & Basil Foaming Hand Soap

Straight from the garden, fresh, juicy watermelon and herbal-sweet basil extracts provide antioxidant-rich goodness to your hands. Clean your hands with a formula that gently and thoroughly wipes away dirt while improving your skin’s elasticity. Its sweet, refreshing scent is phthalate-free and will keep the summertime vibes coming all year long.

7. Q8 Advanced Lavender Love Conditioning Hand Wash

Q8’s conditioning hand wash is free of harsh chemicals and gentle on the skin. Turn handwashing into a calming ritual thanks to its delicate lavender scent that will calm and soothe your mood as much as it does your hands. 

8. Method Foaming Hand Soap Sea Minerals

Foamy stuff — it’s one of those things that everybody likes. What’s not to love about this foaming hand wash with plant-based cleansers, plus a refreshing scent that blends bergamot, lemon, rosemary, and crisp marine notes? Method Soaps are cruelty-free and tested by people, not on animals. Pump, lather, smile, and the next thing you know, your hands are soft and clean.

9. Seventh Generation Free & Clean Unscented Hand Wash

Squeaky clean doesn’t need a scent. Seventh Generation Hand Wash is formulated using 97% plant-based ingredients that are renewable and gentle, leaving your hands feeling clean, soft, and refreshed. Their formula is fragrance-free and contains no dyes or harsh chemicals, so it’s as gentle on the planet as it is on your skin.

10. Mrs. Meyer’s Basil Hand Soap

This is a hardworking, non-drying soap for busy hands. Mrs. Meyer’s Hand Soap is crafted with essential oils, aloe vera, olive oil, and other thoughtfully chosen ingredients. Refresh your senses with garden-fresh basil with its cool, crisp scent that’s uplifting and grounding. Feel good about using a cruelty-free product that’s never tested on animals.

11. Amass Four Thieves Soap

This all-natural Castile-style soap is enriched with skin-nourishing botanical nutrients like aloe vera, coconut oil, and shea butter to gently cleanse and soften your hands. The velvety touch and warm aroma of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, and allspice offer to whisk you away to candle-lit bistros, cabin getaways, and the bustling markets of Marrakech.

12. Public Goods Hand Soap

This is a gentle liquid hand soap powered by a blend of essential oils that are hard working on dirt but kind to skin. The non-irritating formula is great on sensitive skin and keeps your hands smooth and hydrated while protecting you from germs and whatever else you may have picked up throughout the day. This hand wash is an elevated everyday essential thanks to the delicate scent of fresh grapefruit and juicy mandarin.

FAQ

Which soap is best for hands?

Hands deserve a good skincare routine, just as your face or body does. Your hands deserve better, actually, because we wash them (hopefully) several times a day. Your best choice is a gentle hand soap that incorporates moisturizers to protect you from dry skin. 

In terms of liquid versus bar soaps, liquid hand soap is recommended by experts. Germs and viruses can cling to soap bars, resulting in cross-contamination between household members. It also keeps the bathroom cleaner and is easier for little children to use. 

Whether you choose an antibacterial soap or not is really up to you. There’s no evidence that antibacterial soaps are better at preventing the spread of infection than regular soaps you buy in the grocery store. 

Your best bet is a natural soap loaded with hydrating ingredients like shea or cocoa butter, milk protein, coconut oil, aloe vera, vegetable-based oils, vitamin E, and glycerin. These ingredients return moisture to your skin and form a protective barrier around your hands to keep it there. 

Which brand is best for hand wash?

The best brand of liquid soap is one you will want to use multiple times in a day. If it stings or causes you to reach for the hand lotion every time you wash, it’s not a choice you’ll want to use consistently. 

Here are a few recommendations to choose from, depending on skin type, scent preference, and environmental impact.

Best foaming hand soap.Soapbox Watermelon & Basil Foaming Hand Soap will have you working up a lather that smells great while working hard to keep your hands clean.

Best unscented hand soap. The only thing Seventh Generation Free & Clean Unscented Hand Wash leaves behind is soft, clean hands.

Best hand soap for dry hands.Soapbox Coconut Milk & Sandalwood Deep Moisture Liquid Hand Soap combines natural hydrating ingredients with long-lasting moisturizers to keep your skin feeling its best and prevent dryness.

Best 100% natural hand soap. Castile soap is a vegetable-based soap that is natural, non-toxic, and biodegradable. Amass Four Thieves Soap will keep your hands feeling great naturally.

Best hand soap for kids. Aunt Fannie’s Mandarin Grove Hand Soap comes in a kid-friendly citrus scent formulated with gentle ingredients that are kind to little hands. 

Best smelling hand soap. Nothing beats the clean scent of peppermint. Dr. Bronner’s Organic Sugar Soap Peppermint has the right prescription to keep your hands clean and smelling fresh. 

What hand soaps should you avoid?

You want to give a hard pass to hand soaps that contain harsh, irritating chemicals, scents, and allergens. 

Scent. The usual suspects in terms of irritants are heavy perfumes. If the ingredient list reads “fragrance” or “parfum,” that’s code for a synthetic fragrance that can trigger respiratory issues in sensitive people. Stick with products that use essential oils for their scents, or go without.

Irritants. Triclosan is a common antimicrobial ingredient in liquid soaps; its sister compound, triclocarban, is used in bar soaps. Both can cause contact dermatitis or skin irritation and increase the severity of an allergic reaction, especially in children. Other irritants to watch out for include sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), cocamidopropyl betaine, and sodium hydroxide.

Parabens. Parabens, such as methylparaben and propylparaben, can affect your hormones.

Your best bet is to stick with 100% natural soaps that contain ingredients you recognize. Having clean hands shouldn’t hurt your health. If any products you use result in irritation, contact a dermatologist.