You’d think hand soap would be pretty straightforward, right?
Just wash, rinse, done.
But like so many everyday products, a lot of conventional hand soaps are formulated with synthetic fragrance, harsh preservatives, antibacterials, or other ingredients that can mess with your skin, hormones, or the health of the larger environment.
The good news: there are plenty of hand soaps that get the job done without sketchy stuff. Whether you’re looking for something fragrance-free, refillable, or just want a cleaner option for your home, I’ve rounded up the best non-toxic and natural hand soaps that are actually worth buying.
Let me know in the comments which brand is your favorite!
This guide contains product recommendations and we may receive compensation if you purchase through certain links. As always, we only make recommendations that are genuine!
These Natural Hand Soap Brands Are Good for Your Skin and the Planet
Below are the natural hand wash brands I’ve used in my home over the past several years. All of them are made with non-toxic (and sometimes even organic) ingredients that not only won’t dry out your skin, but also won’t threaten to disrupt your hormones when you’re exposed to them every day!
Not only that, but the brands I’ve picked out are lighter on the plastic, too. Most of them are refillable in one way or another, whether that involves dissolvable tablets, a concentrate that you dilute, a bottle take-back program, or something else.
(P.S. Scroll down to learn more about which ingredients to avoid in hand soaps.)
Branch Basics
For hand soap, Branch Basics has two options: foaming or gel. They’re both fragrance-free, so it’s a great option for folks who are sensitive to smells.
I’ve been using Branch Basics for years now. Their Concentrate is so versatile—you can use it for so many cleaning jobs and it really works.
If you’re not already familiar with Branch Basics, here’s the concept: You buy a bottle of ‘The Concentrate’ and then you dilute that solution into cleaners of different kinds. So, for example, you’ll put more Concentrate into your Bathroom Cleaner bottle compared to your All-Purpose Cleaner bottle because the Bathroom one will be stronger. (Don’t worry though: the lines on the bottle make it super easy.)
Their products come with multiple third-party certifications for safety, including MADE SAFE (one of my favorites), EWG Verified, and Leaping Bunny (cruelty-free).
In order to make the foaming hand soap, you just combine some of the Concentrate with water into a foaming soap dispenser.
The gel hand soap, however, is purchased separately—you don’t use the Concentrate for that. It comes in a glass bottle and then you can re-buy the refill pack when you run out.
So it’s not a totally plastic-free situation, but there’s a lot less plastic involved than re-buying a whole plastic bottle of hand soap every time you need a refill.
My Review: I actually love using Branch Basics as a foaming soap. I have one foaming dispenser that sits at my kitchen sink that I use for both hands and dishes.
The gel one is softer on the hands than the foaming one though, so if you wash your hands a lot or just tend to have dry or sensitive skin, you might want to go with the gel one.
The only potential downside to the hand soap (in my opinion) is the darn foaming dispensers. It seems like they all start sticking after a year or two (even the ones I’ve bought from other stores, like Target). But Branch Basics actually has a quick instructional video for how to get them unstuck, which you can check out here. It’s not a big deal; just kind of annoying.
If you decide to buy, you can use the code THEFILTERY15 for 15% off Starter Kits.
Meliora
Meliora has two options as well: a foaming hand soap or a bar soap that can be used as a body wash or a hand soap.
Both are totally plastic-free! They’re also MADE SAFE Certified, Leaping Bunny certified cruelty-free, and vegan.
My Review:
I will say that the foaming hand soap is softer than the Branch Basics foaming option. (It might actually be the softest foaming option I’ve tried so far.) I really like it. They have an Unscented option, so it’s another great option for people who are sensitive to fragrance. But if you like a light, natural scent, you can also get lavender, lemongrass, peppermint, or tea tree.
You buy the foaming soap refills as tablets. Then you just pop the tablet into the soap dispenser with water, shake it gently, let it dissolve, and done!
Meliora does not sell the actual foaming hand soap dispenser, so you’ll have to either use one you already have or buy one somewhere else (like this one, for example).
I love Meliora because they’re one of the few brands that is both plastic-free and truly non-toxic. They’re a small, Chicago-based company that makes all of their products in the USA.
Plaine Products Hand Wash
Refillable, low-plastic, liquid gel
I love Plaine Products for a lot of reasons. It’s a small, family-owned business that helps people seriously cut down on the waste and plastic used in their personal care products. When you run out of a product, you send the empty aluminum bottle back to them and they clean and refill it! You keep your plastic pump to use with the new bottle, so there’s no single-use plastic involved.
My Review:
They have several scents available for the Hand Wash and I went with the Citrus Lavender. I really like this scent—it’s refreshing and energizing. I would say the citrus notes are more noticeable than the lavender. I also really like their Rosemary Mint Vanilla scent—I have that in the shampoo & conditioner.
This hand soap lathers great and is very soft. It’s similar to their Body Wash, which my husband really likes. He has more sensitive skin than I do and tends to get some eczema.
(Note that the Cherry Almond scent does include some undisclosed “fragrance”. It’s all-natural, but if you’d rather avoid that, you can just get one of the other scents.)
Blueland
Here’s another good foaming hand soap option. Blueland’s mission is to reduce single-use plastic, so all of their products are refillable.
When you buy a Hand Soap Starter Set, you get a glass soap dispenser and some tablets. You just fill the dispenser with water and drop in a tablet. (This is how most of Blueland’s products work.)
The hand soap comes in a few different scents. I get why people like their hand soaps to be scented, but I personally would only recommend the fragrance-free option. Blueland does use undisclosed “fragrance” in a lot of their scented products, and the fragrance ingredients are not necessarily all-natural. (This is one of the main downsides to Blueland in general, which I discuss in my full review.)
My Review: Their hand soap is sudsy and works effectively. It’s not super luxurious or anything, but it didn’t dry out my hands either. It’s a good straightforward choice!
I do like the foaming hand soap dispenser, though. It’s (mostly) glass, so it’s durable and just nicer to have next to your sink. It seems to be of a higher quality than Blueland’s spray bottles.
Natural Sloth
Liquid soap, refillable, several scents available.
Natural Sloth is actually a non-toxic candle brand (one of my faves!), but they have expanded their collection to include other types of natural home fragrances, like air/fabric sprays and hand soaps.
You can choose from a few scents—Citrus, Breathe, or Lavender Lemon. They don’t have an unscented option as of right now.
All of the ingredients are natural, and many of them are organic. They’re handcrafted in Tennessee by a small boutique business!
My Review: I love Natural Sloth’s scents. I am sensitive to fragrances, but theirs are always nice & pleasant, and not too overpowering. This hand soap is really soft, too; it’s gentle on the skin.
Even More Non-Toxic & Natural Hand Soap Brands
There is no shortage of non-toxic hand soap brands on the market! If none of the above brands float your boat, here are even more options that I’ve vetted for safe and healthy ingredients:
- Annmarie: Rosemary Peppermint liquid hand & body wash combo.
- Attitude: Liquid, foaming, and bar options. Refillable. Scented & unscented options. Find at Walmart or Amazon.
- Babo Botanicals: Foaming, unscented. No refill option. You can find it at Walmart or Amazon.
- Canary: Refillable, low-plastic, foaming. Unscented & scented options. Find it at Amazon or Walmart.
- Dr. Bronner’s: You can use their all-purpose castille soap as a hand soap if you want. Liquid or bar soap. Scented & unscented options. Available at Target or Walmart. (See our full Dr. Bronner’s review here.)
- Earth Mama Organics: Foaming. Mostly certified organic ingredients. Get it from Amazon.
- Everspring (Free & Clear option): If you need to grab something at Target. Foaming or liquid option.
- Follain Everything Soap: Lavender or lemongrass. Liquid, refillable. I love this everything soap. Find it on Amazon.
- Healthybaby: Refillable concentrate system (similar to Branch Basics). Foaming.
- Kosmatology: Foaming, refillable, multiple scents available. Made with mostly organic ingredients. Find it on Amazon or at Walmart.
- Mama’s Suds: Liquid. Unscented or Lemongrass. Just 2 or 3 ingredients! Also has bar soap option.
- Molly’s Suds: Pretty good option! Their fragranced ones do contain undisclosed fragrance, but it’s all-natural. They also have an unscented version. Foaming. Find it on Amazon.
- Primally Pure: Liquid gel. Seasonal scents available. (Full Primally Pure review here.)
- Puracy: Refillable liquid gel. A couple of the options have undisclosed fragrance, but they’re all natural. The Lavender Vanilla scent has all of the ingredients listed though. Find it at Walmart or on Amazon.
- Seventh Generation Free & Clear: Another good option that can be found at big box stores like Target, Walmart, or on Amazon. Liquid.
- Soapply: Liquid. Fragrance-free.
- Ursa Major: Liquid gel. This one is for you if you want a great scent but without any of the synthetics. (But it does have a lot of natural allergens, so it’s not for super sensitive folks.) Find it on Amazon.
Other Brands I Get Asked About A Lot:
- Everyone hand soap: This is not a bad option! If you don’t have any allergies to natural fragrances, then the only ingredient to consider is phenoxyethanol. Some folks choose to avoid or minimize phenoxyethanol, but it’s definitely not at the top of my *avoid* list (especially in rinse-off products). I know this is a pretty affordable brand, so if you’re looking for more of a budget option, this is not a bad choice. | Find it on Amazon
- Mrs. Meyer’s: I’m not crazy about Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap, mostly because they use undisclosed fragrance and they do not indicate that it’s all-natural.
Ingredients to AVOID in Hand Soap
If you’re curious about what I look out for when vetting hand soap, here’s a quick rundown of the ingredients I recommend steering clear of, if possible. These are commonly found in conventional hand soaps and can come with health or environmental concerns.
Undisclosed Fragrance: The word “fragrance” on an ingredient label can hide around 3,500 different chemicals, including hormone-disrupting phthalates. If you don’t have any allergies or sensitivities, going with an ‘all-natural’ fragrance is usually okay. Otherwise, stick with unscented or fragrance-free.
Parabens: These are preservatives used to extend shelf life, but they’ve been linked to hormone disruption and are increasingly being phased out of safer formulas.
Isothiazolinone Preservatives: These preservatives (like methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone) are relatively common, but they’re known skin irritants and allergens. If you have eczema or sensitive skin, these should probably be avoided or minimized.
Benzalkonium Chloride: A type of quaternary ammonium compound (or “quat”) with antimicrobial properties, but it’s been linked to skin and respiratory irritation. It can also contribute to antimicrobial resistance, which is becoming a huge global problem.
Synthetic Dyes: These are purely aesthetic and serve no functional purpose. Some are derived from petroleum and can be contaminated with heavy metals or other harmful substances.
Sulfates: Ingredients like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) are used to create lather, but they can be overly harsh, stripping skin of its natural oils and causing irritation, especially for those with sensitive skin.
Formaldehyde Releasors: These are preservatives that slowly release formaldehyde over time (like DMDM hydantoin or diazolidinyl urea). Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and skin sensitizer.
What about triclosan? There is some good news here! Triclosan and triclocarban have been banned from certain personal care products like hand soap in the US. This was because of concern over potential for hormone disruption and antibiotic resistance.
If you have a favorite natural hand soap that wasn’t included here, let me know in the comments and I’ll consider checking it out and adding it to the list!
“Dove Men+Care – Exfoliant”, PeTA, Cruelty-Free.