We all wash our hands throughout the day, so why not add some luxury to this practice and create a nourishing wellness ritual? Not only is the humble bar of soap a household staple, but it can also be a more sustainable alternative to dispensed liquid soap. Although many leading brands are now offering some excellent sustainable refill alternatives, according to Ethical Consumer, bars of soap are less likely to contain petroleum, use less plastic packaging and have lower emissions from transportation than liquid soap. They recommend we opt for a bar over a bottle for a more environmentally-friendly choice.
Kelsey Heaton, brand and marketing manager at The English Soap Company, explains to me over email that whilst soap has been used for thousands of years, demand has recently risen significantly, largely due to its sustainability. "Our soaps are thoughtfully wrapped in paper or cardboard, ensuring the packaging is fully recyclable. Moreover, the humble bar of soap eliminates waste in the bathroom," she says, and tells me that customers no longer need to clutter their shelves with single-use plastics but can instead embrace a soap bar -- a perfect choice for the environmentally conscious consumer. Furthermore, as fashion brands increasingly offer beauty ranges, the State of Fashion Report 2025 highlights the urgency for the industry to reach sustainability goals, declaring that inaction is not an option.
Soaps are a beautiful way to experience scent, and they can be used in many ways, explains Lori Woodhouse, global education director at Creed. "For instance, in a drawer or a suitcase when travelling, to lightly scent the clothing and create a soft scent". She describes that using soap on the skin is a gentle way to wear scent, leaving the skin feeling soft and cleansed. "You can choose the soap to suit your mood," Lori continues, "from uplifting to green and fresh, they scent the skin and your shower in the most luxurious way."
Creed, Love in White Soap
This beautiful hand-milled soap is scented to match Creed's Love in White fragrance, a fresh, feminine floral perfume that is sophisticated, crisp and green. The circular hand soap is beautifully embossed and will make a statement in any bathroom. A gentle fragrance, Love in White, reveals its orange zest, apple and apricot top notes, narcissus, iris, jasmine, magnolia, rice and rose heart notes, and musk and cedarwood base notes for a truly luxurious experience. All Creed soaps are hand-milled in France and are available in many scents, including their Aventus or Aventus For Her collections and some fresh fragrances such as Green Irish Tweed and Silver Mountain Water.
Miller Harris, Tea Tonique Soap
This elegant hand soap from Miller Harris is triple-milled and creates a wonderfully rich lather. A rectangular solid bar, it contains sumptuous coconut and olive oils, organic shea butter and glycerin, leaving your hands especially soft. It has a delicate fragrance that includes head notes of bergamot, lemon, and petitgrain, heart notes of green tea, Earl Grey, mate, and nutmeg, and base notes of birch tar and musk to boost your spirits. It comes in fully recyclable packaging and will look wonderful on any bathroom surface.
Aesop, Refresh Bar Soap
Aesop's skin, hair, and body care products are always of the finest quality, and this 100g gentle hand soap is no different. It is enriched with botanical oils renowned for their purifying properties and is suited to most skin types. The Refresh Bar provides a rich lather and can be used in the bath or shower and, of course, to wash your hands. It has an organic feel to it and is packaged in a minimal yet elegant cardboard box.
Sans Savon, Charlevoix Boreal Forest Blend Body Bar
As its name describes, Sans Savon (without soap) is an alternative to traditional soap. This particular bar is a true multi-tasker and can be used to wash your hands or indeed your whole body. Charlevoix Boreal Forest Blend has notes of geranium and cedar. The ethos of the brand is very much focused on sustainability and balance. As they explained to me, their formulas, packaging and even their mindset are thoughtfully focused on creating balance. "It's a give and take between form and function, style and substance, and the internal and external to create a continuous harmony". The product lathers beautifully and smells divine.
La Roche-Posay, Lipikar Surgras
If you have dry or sensitive skin, this is the soap bar for you. La Roche-Posay is a revered brand in France that has a range of trusted products delivering great results. La Roche-Posay Lipikar Surgras is a gentle cleanser for hands and body. It is very nourishing and protects your skin by providing essential lipids to promote its natural protective barrier. It is also suitable for children and contains niacinamide and nourishing shea butter that add a delicate scent to it.
Neal's Yard, Wild Rose
Neal's Yard's Wild Rose soap is a classic British hand soap that is certified organic and palm-oil-free and is beautifully fragranced with geranium and patchouli essential oils, an unusual mix that adds depth to its fragrance. It feels very gentle on your skin thanks to its coconut oil base enriched with shea butter and wild rosehip oil, and will leave your hands cleansed, soft, and well-hydrated.
Lush, The Rush
This delicately scented hand soap can also be used as a body bar. It smells of sweet geranium, rose syrup, and fruit infusions, creating a powerful, rich floral fragrance, hence the name. The Rush lathers generously and leaves the skin clean, refreshed and invigorated. Palm oil-free, it uses rapeseed and coconut oils in its formulation. The product is sold without packaging to reduce its environmental footprint. It is handmade in-house, making it an original alternative to the classic bar of soap.
The English Soap Company's Kew Gardens Bergamot and Ginger Soap
The English Soap Company's Kew Gardens Bergamot and Ginger Soap is part of the Kew Gardens Collection, an exclusive luxury range inspired by the plants at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Being enriched with shea butter and vegetable glycerin it nourishes the skin and has a confident Mediterranean fragrance. It contains notes of peony, rose, jasmine, carnation, bergamot, ginger, sandalwood, and musk. The pretty packaging features illustrations inspired by the plants from Kew's historical archives.
Voya
This wonderful soap bar from Voya is particularly nourishing for your skin. It contains spearmint, rosemary, and organic seaweed extracts, hand-harvested off the west coast of Ireland. It creates a soft lather that is rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and can be used in the bath, shower or simply to wash your hands.
Rituals, The ritual of Jing, Shampoo and Body bar
This luxurious soap-free bar from Rituals generously lathers whilst moisturizing. You can use it to wash your hands but it's also designed to wash hair and skin. The soap bar's ergonomic, uneven shape makes it easy to hold, especially if you want to use it in the shower. Adding to the ritual is its compelling fragrance of jujube and lotus flower, and the elegant packaging is made of cardboard and contains no plastic.