The Best Bar & Liquid Soaps for Men

Take note, men of the world: soap isn’t just a part of the boring old morning routine anymore. It is, in fact, the key to the morning, the first step towards a brilliant day, and the last note before a long night of relaxation. Whether it’s invigorated with a peppermint kick, milled through with subtly scented plant extracts, or crafted from ancient African bush plants, a good soap is these days, a man’s best friend. Now that you’ve got your nose & ear hair under control, as well as given that gnarly beard a good trim, it’s time to talk about some very manly soaps. 

In this buyer’s guide, you’ll find the best men’s soaps you’ve ever seen or smelled. And if you’re still not sure which one is the solution to all of your soap-related problems, simply check out our Q&A and recommendations below for some enlightenment. 

Is bar soap better than liquid body wash?

There are some key differences between bar soap and liquid body wash. One isn’t always better than the other. For example, if you have dry skin, you’re better off using body wash than bar soap, as many liquid soaps are infused with mixtures meant to help hydrate skin. However, for the sake of exfoliation or scenting, bar soaps can be much better, as they can dissolve the dirt on the surface of your skin while leaving behind a hint of fragrance.

Additionally, bar soaps are typically more eco-friendly and contain fewer synthetic chemicals, though some body washes are starting to replicate this. All in all, both are generally suitable for most men, but your skin type will be what ultimately defines the soap you should use. 

OUR RECOMMENDATIONS

BEST OVERALL SOAP FOR MEN

While there are a plethora of fantastic soaps for men on this list, the Jack Black Turbo Body Bar really takes the cake for the best bar soap pick. It’s a well-made, skin-friendly option, with a blend of natural ingredients and a subtle ginkgo Biloba scent, and its traditional approach is altogether hard to beat. What’s even better is that the soap is cruelty-free and hasn’t been tested on animals whatsoever, proving that you can get a great bar of soap with none of the historic downsides that once came with it.

BEST SMELLING SOAP FOR MEN

If you’re seeking a soap with a statement fragrance, then the Mr. Porter Diptyque Bar is a refined and respectable choice. This Greek-inspired soap is infused with a classical ‘Philosykos’ fig tree scent. Restrained but notable, this isn’t as ostentatious as some other soaps on the list but instead lingers softly with notes of tree sap and black pepper for an enticing, woody aroma. 

BEST MEN’S SOAP FOR OILY SKIN

If you find yourself struggling to clean oily skin, then the Oars + Alps Blue Charcoal Oars Bar could be the perfect solution for you. This exfoliating bar gently buffs away dead skin, thanks to the gentle roughness of its volcanic sand gritting. Meanwhile, activated charcoal helps to keep the exposed skin clear and pimple-free, allowing your body to balance out chemically and return to a healthy state all by itself.

BEST MEN’S SOAP FOR DRY SKIN

There’s no better soap for dry skin than Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap. This is a bar of soap with an admirable mission; to help those who put up with psoriasis, dandruff, and eczema to rehydrate and heal their suffering skin. It’s made with a gentle blend of natural and synthetic ingredients designed to act softly but sternly on difficult skin, and its rich white lather leaves you well moisturized for the day ahead. To top it off, the bar is scented with a lovely pine tar infusion.

1. Marlowe. No. 102 Body Scrub

The Marlowe’s No. 102 body scrub is a bar soap for men with oily, dry, or normal skin. It’s specifically designed to target dryness and dirt with a deep exfoliating effect. It’s also lightly scented and comes in a good dense bar that’ll last you plenty of washes. The composition includes apricot and Passiflora incarnata, making it a great all-natural soap for men.

2. Dr. Squatch Cedar Citrus Soap

This energizing cedar citrus soap from Dr. Squatch is one of the best soaps for men who want a little zest in the morning. Each 5oz bar is infused with an orange cedar fragrance for a pleasant bit of kick, and its zero-bit blend makes for a silky smooth lather. Dr. Squatch’s soaps are fully sustainably sourced, meaning you can rest easy knowing your soap causes no harm to bigfoot’s domain.

3. Mistral Sandalwood Bamboo Soap

Mistral is named after the cold wind that blows from the valleys of southern France to the Mediterranean each winter, and their fine fragrances are as much a breath of fresh air as their namesake. This time, they’ve infused their bamboo bar soap with a French sandalwood fragrance, making for a sweet scent that’ll linger long after your morning wash.

4. Dove Beauty Cream Bar

Dove is well known for their sterling range of beauty products, and they also happen to make some of the best body soaps for men. The Dove beauty cream bar is a clean and friendly paraben-free bar soap with moisturizing qualities, and it’s capable of producing a thick lather for the sake of a good shave in the morning. It’s a non-drying soap, so your skin will stay smooth and soft even after repeated use.

5. DoveMen+Care Extra Fresh Soap

Dove’s other men’s soap option is their Men+Care extra fresh bar soap designed primarily for use on the face and the body. In all honesty, it is one of the best soaps for men’s private parts, thanks to its gentle moisturizing qualities and invigorating formula. This convenient package includes 4 x 3.75oz bars, so it’s a good one-stop purchase at a budget price.

6. Jack Black Turbo Body Bar

No, this soap isn’t made by the actor Jack Black – trust me, I’ve checked personally. The Jack Black turbo body bar is made by one of the most respected soap manufacturers in the USA. They have carefully blended blue lotus and lava rock ingredients with a subtle ginkgo Biloba scent for a skin-friendly, lightly fragranced bar soap that’s entirely cruelty-free.

7. Ursa Major Morning Mojo Soap

If you need something to wake you up in the early mornings, then the Ursa Major Morning Mojo soap is the best body soap for you, thanks to its snappy peppermint scent and eucalyptus infusion. This bar soap also contains moisturizing honey, perfect for revitalizing your skin after drying out during the night.

8. Dr. Squatch Variety Pack

If you’re already a fan of Dr. Squatch’s excellent soaps, then this 3-pack of some of their best products is an ideal purchase. It includes their Pine Tar, Cedar Citrus, and Gold Moss bar soaps, all of which are made right at home in the USA and are entirely paraben-free. They’re some of the best soaps for men you’ll find and make a great shaving lather too.

9. Baxter Vitamin Cleansing Bar

Baxter’s vitamin cleansing bar is one of the best bar soaps for men with normal or dry skin, thanks to its moisture-restoring properties and hydrating aloe elements. This bar has a citrus and herbal-musk essence scent and can make a thick lather for use on the body. It also contains marine complex and sunflower seed oil, making it a skin-friendly soap that any man can comfortably use.

10. Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar

Cetaphil’s Gentle Cleansing bar soap is one of the best face soaps for men who suffer from acne, with a hypoallergenic formula sure to prevent skin reactions from reoccurring. This pack includes 3 x 4.5oz bars, so it’s the perfect choice for those who need to regularly reinvigorate their skin to keep acne away in the long run.

11. The Rich + Clean White Matter Body Wash

A bottled soap designed for all skin types and infused, interestingly, with goat’s milk, The Rich + Clean’s White Matter body wash is designed to rejuvenate and repair dried-out skin. It’s one of the best liquid soaps for men seeking a little hydration in the morning, especially after a long night out, and its organic aloe and ginseng are sure to do the job well.

12. Art of Sport Activated Charcoal Body Bar

Firing straight out of the volcano comes Art Of Sport’s activated charcoal body bar, a deeply cleansing scrubbing soap infused with shea butter and tea tree oil. This is a big 7.5oz bar that’ll last you a good few weeks, during which time the activated charcoal component will do wonders for your skin.

13. Keika Naturals Charcoal Black Soap

Another charcoal-infused bar soap, this all-natural soap for men from Keika Naturals, is a long-lasting 5oz bar that has been handmade from organic ingredients in the heart of Canada. Its creamy lather is perfect for use on the face and body alike and makes for a great shaving foam too. The bar is also saturated with notes of tea tree and peppermint for a gentle, subtle scent.

14. Duke Cannon Big American Bourbon Soap

Duke Cannon’s Big American Bourbon is the best face soap for men who love whiskey, thanks to the fact that it actually contains 90-Proof Kentucky whiskey. Don’t worry, though – you won’t be smelling like a bar at the end of the night, as this USA-Made 10oz behemoth is actually saturated with a classy cologne scent, perfect for an evening out on the town.

15. Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap

Perhaps the best catch-all liquid soap for men of all skin types, Alaffia’s Authentic African Black soap is a lovely skin-friendly mixture blended from shea butter and African palm oil and lightly scented with a peppermint infusion. This comes in a bumper 16oz bottle, so it’s perfect for those who need a stock of soap to last them a long while.

16. Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap

They always say you should respect your elders, and I certainly have a lot of respect for Grandpa’s Pine Tar soap. This humble 4.25oz bar soap is specially designed to come to the rescue of those who suffer from dry skin, eczema, and dandruff, forming a rich white lather that’s capable of healing the skin from all the weathering it takes out in the world. It has a subtle pine tar scent, and what’s more, it comes at a very fair price of just six dollars.

17. Kiehl’s “Ultimate Man” Body Scrub

Another nice bar soap from the makers of some of the best body soap for men, Kiehl’s “Ultimate Man” body scrub, is an exfoliating bar soap distilled from refined bran and oatmeal. It’s able to remove dirt and oil from even the deepest of pores and comes in a long-lasting 7oz bar. Thanks to its exfoliating properties, it’s also the perfect soap for alleviating roughness on elbows and heels.

18. Method Men Cedar + Cypress Soap

Though their website has no capital letters to speak of, Method Men’s Cedar + Cypress soap is a capital choice indeed. This minimalist natural soap for men is scented with a subtle hint of cedar and cypress, and you’ll be glad to know it’s also paraben-free. In fact, Method Men’s soap is completely plant-based, making this an excellent all-natural soap for men.

19. Mary Tylor African Black Soap

Handmade from a traditional recipe in the heart of Ghana, Mary Tylor’s African Black soap comes in a massive 5lb lump that can then be cut into smaller bars. This makes it friendly on the wallet, but it’s also nice on the skin, with shea butter, palm oil, and coconut oil all milled in. This soap has a lovely earthy scent and is great for both the body and your hair.

20. Sheaterra Buchu & Eucalyptus Muscle Bar

Another amazing soap of African origin, Sheaterra’s Buchu & Eucalyptus muscle bar, is one of the best bathing soaps for men who like to take a bath in the evenings. This is down to the incredible African buchu plant, a leafy shrub with muscle-relaxing properties when massaged into the skin. It can relieve aches and pains and relax your whole body, making it perfect for use after a long day’s work. However, do take care, as it’s not suitable for those with high blood pressure or pregnant or nursing women.

21. Pre de Provence No. 63 Men’s Soap

Quad-milled into a dense, smooth 7oz bar, Pre de Provence’s No. 63 is a natural soap for men with a fiery, peppery scent. It has been processed four times to ensure that it lasts a good few weeks while providing a super-thick lather, and its fragrance has lovely notes of citrus, cedar, plum, and violet, making for a rounded, sensuous smell.

22. BYRD Hairdo Products Shower Soap

If you’re forever dropping your soap in the shower and struggling to pick it up, you should invest in BYRD’s Hairdo Products shower soap, a handy soap-on-a-rope that comes plugged with a 7” paracord to stop you from losing it all the time. This soap is paraben-free and creates a rich and creamy lather, making it ideal for use as a body wash in the mornings.

23. Oars + Alps Blue Charcoal Oars Bar

The best soap for men’s oily skin on this list, Oars + Alps Blue Charcoal Oars bar, is specially formulated to reduce excess oil while exfoliating the skin, freeing you from blackheads and dirt as you go. This soap is imbued with witch hazel extract and blue-green algae, making it a great natural choice for those who care about what goes into their skin.

24. Mr. Porter Diptyque Bar

Inspired by Ancient Greece, Mr. Porter’s Diptyque bar is a stone-shaped bar soap infused with their signature ‘Philosykos’ fragrance. This light scent smells similar to the fig trees of Alexander’s Macedonia, with a fresh, enticing aroma. The soap makes for a soft lather which can then be massaged into the skin, and it’s suitable for all skin types.

25. Le Labo Bergamote 22 Bar Soap

Le Labo’s Bergamote 22 is their signature bar soap and one of the best body soaps for men full stop. Cruelty-free and environmentally friendly, this lovely soap moisturizes and hydrates the skin in one swoop, saturating it with sustainable palm oil for a soft, healthy complexion. The 8oz bar comes hand-wrapped in Mississippi wax paper and makes for a lovely gift, whether it’s for someone else or your good self.

COMPARE THE BEST MEN’S SOAPS

Use this handy table to sort and compare all of the high-quality men’s soaps featured here.

MEN’S SOAP	TYPE	EXFOLIATING?	MAIN SCENT	SKIN TYPE	WEIGHT (g)
Marlowe No. 102 Men’s Body Scrub Soap	Bar	Yes	Agarwood	All types	198.4
Dr. Squatch – Cedar Citrus Bar Soap	Bar	No	Orange Cedar	All types	141.75
Mistral Sandalwood Bamboo Bar Soap	Bar	No	Wood	All types	250
Dove Beauty Cream Bar	Bar	No	None	Dry	99.2
DoveMen + Care Extra Fresh Body and Face Bar Soap	Bar	No	None	Dry	106
Jack Black, Turbo Body Bar Scrubbing Soap	Bar	Yes	Ginkgo Biloba	Sensitive	171
Ursa Major Morning Mojo Bar Soap	Bar	Yes	Peppermint	All types	141.75
Dr. Squatch Men’s Soap Variety Pack	Bar	Yes	Pine Tar, Cedar Citrus, Gold Moss	All types	141.75
Baxter Vitamin Cleansing Bar	Bar	No	Citrus	All types	198
Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar	Bar	No	Masking	Oily, Sensitive	127.57
The Rich and Clean – White Matter Body Wash	Liquid	No	Lavender	All types	236
Art of Sport – Activated Charcoal Body Bar	Bar	No	Tea Tree Oil	All types	212
Keika Naturals Charcoal Black Soap	Bar	No	Coconut charcoal	Oily, Sensitive	142
Duke Cannon Big American Bourbon Bar Soap	Bar	No	Oak Barrel / Woodsy	Normal	283.5
Alaffia Authentic African Black Soap	Liquid	No	Peppermint	All types	476
Grandpas Pine Tar Soap	Bar	No	Pine Tar	Dry	120
Kiehls Ultimate Man Body Scrub Soap	Bar	Yes	Unknown	All types	200
Method Men – Cedar + Cypress Bad Soap	Bar	No	Cedar, Cypress	All types	170
African Black Soap Large 5 lbs	Block	Yes	Earthy	All types	2267
Buchu & Eucalyptus Muscle Relacing Bath Bar	Bar	No	Eucalyptus	All types	128
Pre de Provence No. 63 Men’s Cube Soap	Bar	No	Peppery with Citrus	All types	200
BYRD Hairdo Products Soap on a Rope	Bar	No	Coconut	All types	255
OARS & Alps – Blue Charcoal Oars Bar Soap	Bar	Yes	Charcoal	Oil	171
Diptyque – Philosykos Soap	Bar	No	Philosykos Fig Tree	All types	150
Bergamote 22 Bar Soap	Bar	No	Bergamote 22	All types	227

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