13 Best Hand Soaps for Happier Hands

1. 1. L’Occitane Verbena Cleansing Hand Wash

   

   Price: $24.00

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • Bright, refreshing verbena scent
   • Product of France
   • Won’t dry your hands

   Cons:

   • Not gluten-free
   • Bottle design is a stout
   • Not as moisturizing as others

   This hand wash from L’Occitane uses plant-derived moisturizers and wheat proteins to nourish and moisturize your skin without ever leaving your hands feeling greasy. The only downside is that means this soap isn’t gluten-free which may be an issue to keep in mind. The gel is a smooth and refreshing formula that lathers nicely and rinses off easily.

   L’Occitane’s Verbena scent is the star of the show here. It’s bright and lemony with herbal base notes. Verbena is the sort of fragrance that just makes you feel cleaner.

   While the scent lingers on your hands a little bit, it won’t last nearly as long as Molton Brown’s soaps.

   This soap is imported from the Provence region of France and uses organic verbena extract for its light and airy fragrance. L’Occitane also has surprisingly affordable refill soap available which gives them major points in my book.

   Find more L’Occitane Verbena Cleansing Hand Wash information and reviews here.

2. 2. Noodle & Boo Healthy Hand Wash

   

   Price: $12.00

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   Pros:

   • Moisturizing aloe vera and sweet almond oil
   • Formulated for frequent washing
   • No sulfates, parabens, phthalates, or dyes
   • No animal testing

   Cons:

   • Contains milk and wheat products
   • Not vegan
   • Not enough fragrance for some

   If you’re looking for a gentle hand wash, the Healthy Hand Wash by Noodle & Boo is made for parents and other caregivers of babies who need to wash their hands multiple times a day. It’s Dermatologist and Pediatrician tested to be safe for sensitive skin for adults and little ones.

   It has a light fragrance for sensitive noses and is paraben, sulfate, phthalate, and cruelty-free. To keep hands from drying out with frequent washings the soap contains aloe vera, sweet almond oil, and vitamins A, C, and E.

   Healthy Hand Wash also supports skin healthy with organic honey, milk protein, and hydrolyzed wheat protein. While that’s great for most skin, just keep in mind that a small number of folks have allergies.

   Find more Noodle & Boo Healthy Hand Wash information and reviews here.

3. 3. Molton Brown Hand Washes

   

   Price: $28.00

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   Pros:

   • Cruelty-free
   • Complex, layered scents
   • Never drying
   • Fragrance lasts
   • Lots of scents to choose from

   Cons:

   • Not for people who want extremely subtle fragrance
   • Not as moisturizing as others
   • Luxury price tag

   Molton Brown is one of the top luxury hand soap brands around and is imported from England. Molton Brown’s scents are delicate but complex and layered enough to be refreshing.

   All their fragrances are very multi-dimensional and you’ll be finding new notes within the scent every time you use it. 

   Molton Brown soaps are never drying, always rich feeling, and will leave your guests jotting down the name of the brand in a jealous fervor.

   If you don’t want your hand wash scent to last, this isn’t the brand for you. Molton Brown’s scents last long after you’ve washed your hands which I love.

   Find more Molton Brown Hand Wash information and reviews here.

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4. 4. Cucina Olive Oil Hand Soap

   

   Price: $32.99

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   Pros:

   • Moisturizing olive oil base
   • Eco-friendly glass bottle
   • Cruelty-free
   • Lots of fragrance choices
   • Does lather up

   Cons:

   • Scent is too strong for some
   • People not used to olive oil soaps may think it feels too moisturizing
   • Not everyone loves the pump

   The base of this Cucina Hand Wash is cold-pressed extra virgin Italian olive oil. This is the most moisturizing hand soap on the list.

   Cucina soaps do lather up, but not with as much foam as synthetic soaps. With how hydrating they are and how clean they leave your hands, I’m willing to give up a few suds.

   Find more Cucina Olive Oil Hand Soap information and reviews here.

5. 5. Malie Organics Hand Soap

   

   Price: $32.91

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   Pros:

   • Organic, wild-crafted ingredients
   • Nourishing botanicals like chamomile and awapuhi ginger
   • Hydrating jojoba and kukui oils
   • Made in Hawai’i
   • Cruelty-free
   • Gluten and paraben free

   Cons:

   • Contains PEG’s
   • Luxury organic price tag
   • Tropical fragrances may not be your thing

   If organic, natural ingredients are important to you, check out Malie Organics’ line of hand soaps. It boasts a tropical, Hawai’ian fragrance and has the contents to back it up.

   Based in Kaua’i, Hawai’i, this small company makes their own floral hydrosols with wild-crafted Hawai’ian flowers–meaning they go out into the rainforests and handpick wildflowers which is a more sustainable approach compared to farming.

   This is the only soap on the list that doesn’t have water as its first ingredient. The base of the soap is organic aloe vera juice.

   To support skin health, Malie Organics includes jojoba oil, kukui seed oil, vitamin E, and hydrolyzed soy protein.

   The fragrances are tropical and bright. Koke’e has a heart of tonka bean and amber with notes of green leaves, pineapple, and jasmine.

   If that doesn’t appeal to you, this soap comes in several other scents including Hibiscus (moss, hibiscus flower, melon) and Pikake (musk, citrus, jasmine).

   Find more Malie Organics Hand Soap information and reviews here.

6. 6. Nest Fragrances Liquid Hand Soap

   

   Price: $35.63

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   Pros:

   • Made in America
   • Nourishing botanical extracts
   • Many great fragrances to choose from
   • Feels luxurious
   • Paraben-free
   • There's a matching lotion and tray

   Cons:

   • Scent is too strong for some
   • Not extremely moisturizing
   • Pricier than some

   Nest Fragrances makes my hands-down favorite candles so I was so excited when they came out with a hand wash line. Their scents are complex and never fake smelling. 

   I got to try out their hand soap as part of a media sample and it was a dream to use every time. Some of their great scents include Sicilian Tangerine, Bamboo, Lemongrass and Ginger, and (my favorite) Apricot Tea.

   Find more Nest Liquid Hand Soap information and reviews here.

7. 7. Antica Farmacista Hand & Body Wash in Prosecco

   

   Price: $28.00

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   Pros:

   • Complex, refreshing scent
   • Long-lasting
   • Nourishing botanicals
   • Many fragrance choices
   • Supports American business

   Cons:

   • Not vegan
   • Dispenser isn't great
   • Contains PEG's and parabens

   Antica Farmacista looks like a soap you might find in a luxury hotel. Antica Farmacista is a Seattle-based company and their hand wash does more than just get your hands clean.

   This wash contains botanicals like aloe vera, chamomile, hydrolyzed silk, silk amino acids, sweet almond oil, and honey extract to nourish your skin.

   Prosecco is a bubbly and citrusy scent that begins with nectarine, apricot, and passion fruit and mellows to notes of black currant and vanilla. It’s relaxing and refreshing all at once. I was sent a sample of their Prosecco Body Butter and it’s one of my favorite scents around.

   I like that the bottle doesn’t dispense too much soap in each pump so it lasts longer and that the soap’s color reminds me of prosecco.

   If Prosecco isn’t for you, Antica Farmacista has a wide range of scents including Acqua (marine algae and musk) and Cucumber and Lotus Flower (coriander, cucumber, and sweet lotus.)

   Find more Antica Farmacista Hand Wash in Prosecco information and reviews here.

8. 8. L’Occitane Shea Butter Liquid Soap in Lavender

   

   Price: $33.00

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • Addictive lavender scent
   • Product of France
   • Hydrating
   • Large bottle

   Cons:

   • If you don’t like lavender, skip this one.
   • Luxury price tag
   • Moisturizing soap takes a little longer to wash off than traditional soap

   I don’t think you’re allowed to have a hand soap list without L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Lavender Soap.

   I love lavender, but if not done well it can smell soapy and chemical. The French can do lavender and this liquid soap from L’Occitane comes from Provence, France. The fragrance is light, floral, and true to the flower itself.

   Shea butter and aloe vera are included to moisturize your hands. This soap definitely has more of a hydrated feel to it when you wash your hands which some people might not be used to, but it’s a good thing. Be warned though, it’s said that once you try this hand soap, you can never go back to grocery store brands.

   Luckily, L’Occitane offers relatively cheap hand soap refills.

   Find more L’Occitane Shea Butter Liquid Soap in Lavender information and reviews here.

9. 9. Pangea Organics Canadian Pine & White Sage Soap

   

   Price: $15.00

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   Pros:

   • Nourishing botanicals like witch hazel and elderflower
   • Antibacterial essential oils
   • Vegan and cruelty-free
   • Gluten-free
   • Soothing aloe
   • Large bottle
   • Many organic ingredients

   Cons:

   • May leak in shipping
   • Not everyone is into the pine scent
   • Not as moisturizing as others

   For those who like a woodsy soap, consider Pangea Organic’s Canadian Pine and White Sage hand soap. It’s packed with antibacterial essential oils and botanical extracts including witch hazel, sage, fir balsam, clove, burdock root, elderflower, yarrow, and fennel.

   It’s a large bottle and moisturizes with aloe vera.

   Find more Pangea Organics Canadian Pine & White Sage Soap information and reviews here.

10. 10. South of France Liquid Hand Soap

    

    Price: $9.05

    Amazon Customer Reviews

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    Pros:

    • Affordable compared to others
    • You'll obsess over the fragrances
    • Coconut oil, olive oil, and aloe vera
    • Many scents to choose from
    • No synthetic fragrance or coloring
    • Phthalate-free
    • Woman-owned company
    • Cruelty-free

    Cons:

    • Not loads of suds
    • Packaging isn't as luxe as others
    • Not as moisturizing as some

    I got to test out a media sample of this South of France Hand Wash in Orange Blossom Honey and my husband and I are both obsessed with it. This brand has some of my favorite soap and lotion fragrances. It smells just like fresh honey which I don’t know how they do as the brand doesn’t use synthetic fragrances and the soap doesn’t contain honey. (I’d kill to have a lotion with this scent but so far it’s only as a soap.)

    Their hand soaps have a medium suds-factor with not a lot suds happening but you still feel plenty clean. I like how moisturized my hands feel after using their soap for a few weeks as this soap is packed with aloe vera, olive oil, and their soap-agent is derived from coconut oil. 

    I love that South of France is a women-owned brand and these soaps are cruelty-free, gluten-free, phthalate-free, and free of synthetic fragrances and artificial dyes.

    There are lots of awesome scents to choose from if honey isn’t your jam, including Green Tea, Lemon Verbena, Climbing Wild Rose, and Cote D’Azur.

    Find more South of France Liquid Hand Soap information and reviews here.

11. 11. Michael Design Works Lemon Basil Foaming Soap

    

    Price: $14.99

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    Pros:

    • Moisturizing shea butter and aloe vera
    • Foaming
    • Stylish bottle
    • Refreshing scent

    Cons:

    • No full ingredient list
    • Not everyone loves foaming soap
    • Scent is more kitcheny than for the bathroom

    Michael Design Works Lemon Basil Soap offers a stylish option for foaming hand soap.

    Find more Michael Design Works Lemon Basil Soap information and reviews here.

12. 12. Archipelago Botanicals Charcoal Rose Hand Wash

    

    Price: $20.00

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    Pros:

    • Paraben, sulfate, and gluten free
    • Nourishing hydrolyzed proteins and grapeseed extract
    • Deeply moisturizing

    Cons:

    • Not everyone loves rose scent
    • Not as moisturizing as some
    • Too thick for some

    Archipelago Botanicals Charcoal Rose Hand Wash is moisturizing soap that contains activated charcoal as well as rosewater and extracts of white tea, calendula, and chamomile. 

    So if soft hands are your main priority, this may be the soap for you. The fragrance is light, sweet, and floral.

    Archipelago Botanicals also offers a Morning Mint Hand Wash to start your day energized.

    Find more Archipelago Botanicals Hand Wash information and reviews here.

13. 13. Everyone Hand Wash

    

    Price: $13.64

    Amazon Customer Reviews

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    Pros:

    • Lots of suds
    • Nice fragrance choices
    • Lots of product in the bottle
    • Aloe vera
    • Cruelty-free
    • Free of gluten, GMOs, parabens, synthetic fragrances or dyes
    • Made in California

    Cons:

    • Not as moisturizing as others
    • Packaging isn't as luxe as others
    • Price differences among scents

    For an affordable option that suds up nicely, go with Everyone Hand Wash. It’s more of a clear gel soap compared to creamier brands but it has great suds and won’t leave you feeling too dried out. 

    I got to test out a media sample of this brand and it has a nice balance of leaving you feeling clean versus the more oily (in a good way) feel of moisturizing soaps. My hands don’t feel raw after using it consistently, even in winter, like they would with cheaper, grocery store soaps. It’s not as moisturizing as others but with aloe vera in the mix and no harsh ingredients, that’s enough for me. 

    Their fragrance combinations really shine as unique and because they’re made with essential oils and not synthetic fragrances, the scent lingers and doesn’t have that artificial, headache-y feeling. I like that they’re made in California, are cruelty-free, and are free of GMOs, gluten, and parabens.

    Their soap comes in several different scents including Meyer Lemon and Mandarin, Apricot and Vanilla, Lavender and Coconut, and Spearmint and Lemongrass.

Why bother choosing luxury soap?

Soap can be really harsh on your hands if you're not paying attention to what's in it and just grabbing the first bottle with a cute label you see at the grocery store.

These cheap soaps can dry your hands to the point of cracking and contain harmful chemicals. A hand wash should be refreshing, relaxing, and make your hands feel better than before you washed them--not worse.

These are the best hand soap options out there right now to turn your everyday routine into a mini spa treatment for your hands.