7 All-Natural Soaps Safe for Your Skin and the Planet

For those who struggle with sensitive or dry skin, natural soap may be an eco-friendly remedy. Commercially made soaps sometimes lack moisturizing ingredients and contain preservatives that help soap to foam up but also leave your skin feeling stripped, raw and itchy.

Even the FDA has stated that mass-produced soaps, whether in liquid or bar form, aren’t really soap, but rather synthetic detergent products. This makes it even more compelling to seek out natural soaps made from moisturizing, organic and skin-enriching ingredients.

Natural and organic soaps are made from nature-derived ingredients that help your skin to stay soft, and moisturized without any added toxic chemicals. They’re also better for the environment, as nothing unnatural will enter the water stream when that soap goes down the drain. Let’s take a look at the seven best natural soaps on the market today.

7 Best Natural Soaps

Based on our market research, these are the best natural soap bars and liquid soaps available.

Each product featured here has been independently selected by the writer. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.

• Best Overall: EcoRoots Facial Soap and Body Wash Bars
• Best Multi-Purpose Soap: Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap
• Best for Sensitive Skin: Tom’s of Maine Natural Beauty Bar Soap for Sensitive Skin
• Best Allergen-Free Soap: Grandma’s Pure Lye Soap Bar
• Best Hand Soap: ECOS Hypoallergenic Hand Soap
• Best Face Wash: Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash
• Best Body Wash: Avalon Organics Bath and Shower Gel
• Best for the Environment: Ethique Eco-Friendly Bodywash Bar

What is Natural Soap?

Most natural soap is made from a combination of oil, lye (which contains water and either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) and sometimes essential oils and natural colorings.

Many soaps you find on store shelves are filled with chemical fragrances and dyes, harmful sulfates and unsustainable ingredients like non-certified palm oil. Natural soap doesn’t contain any synthetic chemicals or harsh active agents (also called surfactants). Because your skin is a highly absorbent organ, switching to a natural soap isn’t just better for your epidermis, but for your whole body.

Our Recommendations for Natural Soap

If you’re ready to lather up naturally, read on to learn more about some of the best natural soaps on the market today.

Frequently Asked Questions About Natural Soap

What is the most natural soap?

The most natural soaps are ones made with few ingredients. Most of the best natural soap brands use plant-based ingredients, but some use animal-derived ingredients like lard, which has been used in traditional soap making for thousands of years.

Is natural soap better for your skin?

Your skin is an absorbent organ, and the toxic chemicals that you apply to it have a fair chance of ending up in your bloodstream. Natural soap not only prevents this, but it’s also more gentle on your skin, making it less prone to irritation.

What is the best soap without chemicals?

According to our research, EcoRoots’ face and body bars are the best natural soaps. We also highly recommend Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap and Tom’s of Maine Natural Beauty Bar Soap for Sensitive Skin.

Is natural soap better for the environment?

Natural soap is much better for the environment than soap made with synthetic materials. Most soaps wash off with water, and when that water goes down the drain, it carries the soap’s ingredients along with it. If you use soaps formulated with toxins and synthetic chemicals, those ingredients will make their way through the wastewater stream and end up in lakes, rivers, oceans and other bodies of water.