Answer:
All soaps can irritate the skin, but some contain ingredients that make them more likely to cause irritation than others, especially among people with sensitive skin.
Here are five important tips to help you select a soap that is less likely to cause skin irritation:
- Look for a fragrance-free product
- Be wary of products containing certain surfactants (including sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), or diethanolamine (DEA))
- Avoid certain preservatives (including methylisothiazolinone and other related isothiazolinones)
- Skip "antibacterial" soaps and be cautious with alpha hydroxy acids
- Don't consider "natural" or "organic" cleansers to be safer or more effective
Sign in for details, as well as to see our Top Picks for the best body washes, bar soaps, and hand soaps (including liquid and foaming) to avoid irritation and examples of other soaps that meet some of these requirements and those that don't, including tallow soap, goat's milk soap, and soap containing olive oil or activated charcoal. Also, see our tips for managing dry skin, including information about alpha hydroxy acids, including lactic acid. Brands reviewed are Attitude, Aveeno, Basis, Blueland, CeraVe, Cetaphil, Dial, Dove (including Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar), Dr. Bronner's, Honest, Irish Spring, Ivory, Lava, Lever 2000, Method, Native, Olay, pHact, Purpose, Seventh Generation, Sunny Sunday, Tom's of Maine, Vanicream, and Zest.
+
— 54 sources
In addition the results of its expert testing, ConsumerLab uses only high-quality,
evidence based, information sources. These sources include peer-reviewed studies
and information from agencies such as the FDA and USDA, and the National Academy of Medicine.
On evolving topics, studies from pre-print journals may be sourced.
All of our content is reviewed by medical doctors and doctoral-level experts in pharmacology,
toxicology, and chemistry. We continually update and medically review our information to
keep our content trustworthy, accurate, and reliable.
The following sources are referenced in this article:
- AAD, 4-17-2024
- AAD, Dermatologists' Top Tips for Relieving Dry Skin
- AAD, How Can I Find Eczema Friendly Products?
- Ahsan, Int J Pharm 2003
- Alsaheb, J Chem Pharm Res 2015
- Anantharajah, Asia Pac Allergy 2021
- Berardesca, Contact Dermatitis 1995
- Brandt, J Drugs Dermatol 2014
- Burnett, In J Toxicol 2012
- Burnett, Int J Toxicol 2010
- Conover, Food Control 2016
- Conover, Food Control 2017
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review, 9/2023
- Danby, J Invest Dermatol 2018
- Danby, Pediatr Dermatol 2013
- De Luca, Clin Exp Allergy 2022
- Determining Your Soap's pH, 7/10/2000
- Dixon, Am J Infect Control 2017
- EPA, 9-2016
- EWG's Skin Deep, 4-17-24
- FDA, 11-22-2022
- FDA, Allergens in Cosmetics
- FDA, Antibacterial Soap? You Can Skip It, Use Plain Soap and Water
- FDA, Diethanolamine 2022
- FDA, Small Business & Homemade Cosmetic Fact Sheet
- Geier, Contact Dermatitis 2003
- Guin, Contact Dermatitis 2000
- Guo, J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev 2019
- Herman, JEADV 2019
- Isaac, Dermatitis 2017
- Kim, Int J Cosmet Sci 2015
- Knox, Environ Sci Technol 2023
- Lambers, Int J Cosmet Sci 2006
- Levin, J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2011
- MSDS for Lava Bar Soap, 4/1994
- Moldovan, Farmacia 2010
- Mullins, Med J Aust 2012
- Nicander, Skin Res Technol 2003
- Noveir, Pediatr Dermatol 2024
- OEHHA, 6-22-2012
- Okiel, Egyptian J Petroleum 2011
- Pereira, J Dairy Sci 2008
- Prakash, J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2017
- Reeder, Cutis 2019
- SCCS, Opinion on Methylisothiazoline
- Sanchez, Clin Dermatol 2020
- Sergeant, Prescriber 2009
- Tang, Molecules 2018
- USGS, 6-11-2018
- Verallo-Rowell, Dermatitis 2008
- Voskamp, J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract 2014
- WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care, 2009
- WHO, Hardness in Drinking-water 2010
- Weinstein, NEJE 2006
Submit your comment
This feature is restricted to active members.
Join now to add comments and get all member benefits, including over 1,400 reviews.
Join NowAlready a member? Sign in here.