The Best Hand Soaps for Sensitive Skin (2024)

These days, most of us are washing our hands more than ever before. And if there's one takeaway to glean from our frequent hand-washing, it's that all soaps are not created equal — especially if you have dry or sensitive hands. "Hand soaps typically contain a high foaming surfactant like sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) to really clean skin, plus a co-surfactant like cocoamidopropyl betaine to make the formula milder," says Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D.

Many hand soaps do contain moisturizing skincare ingredients, like glycerin, but "while glycerin is known to draw moisture to your skin in a cream or lotion formula, it’s doesn’t always have the same hydrating effect in a hand soap,” says Dr. Aral. Beyond picking a good hand soap, she suggests applying a hand cream after washing to fully counteract dryness and soften skin.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to properly scrub away bacteria, viruses, and germs, you should wet your hands with warm or cold water, scrub with a dollop of hand soap for at least 20 seconds, then rinse and dry with a clean towel.

Our top picks for the best hand soaps you can buy have been tested by the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab experts, are editor favorites, or are soaps with rave reviews online that have been vetted by our product pros. Whether you have dry hands, sensitive skin, or eczema, these are the best hand soaps to kill germs and viruses:

These fresh-smelling hand soaps have the Good Housekeeping Seal for a good reason: They prevent germs from spreading, come in a variety of yummy scents and pretty colors, and are a great value. We love that this soap comes in a set with a matching lotion, which our GH Beauty Lab says is the best one-two punch to combat dryness from frequent washing.

A bacteria-fighting and non-drying hand soap for under a dollar? Yes! This Softsoap gel soap is great for your budget and your bathroom. One reviewer loves that it's "very clean and crisp smelling" while another commented that it "always leaves my hands feeling clean and soft."

An ideal size that won't slip out of your hands and nourishes dry skin, Pré de Provence's bar soap is a GH Beauty Lab go-to. "These soaps are classics: The lather is uniform and rich, and it rinses well, leaving a pleasant scent behind," raves GH Beauty Lab senior chemist Sabina Wizemann. "The scent is subtly floral and creamy, which to me, it is the epitome of clean." It doesn't melt in the soap dish, either, she notes.

If you prefer a bar hand soap (and a bargain!), look no further than Mrs. Meyer's, a GH Sustainable Packaging Award winner. Made using plant-based oils, the formula can be used for both hand and body washing. Plus, it comes in eight scents, from lavender to basil, plum, and lemon verbena.

It can be hard to find a top germ-fighting soap that's also gentle enough to use frequently. Dial's foam hand wash is the perfect combo. It kills 99.99% of bacteria but is mild and softening enough that it won't dehydrate your skin. "My entire family loves this hand soap," one Amazon reviewer says. "The scent and texture is soft and very mild."

Say goodbye to dry (skin) with this nourishing soap from Soapbox. The shea butter formula "doesn’t dry my hands out like a lot of soaps do, and I have really dry skin, especially in the winter," say GH Beauty Assistant Katie Berhon. "I am obsessed with the scent — it’s crisp and citrusy, and doesn’t smell artificial at all." Plus, for every one you buy, the brand donates a bar of soap to someone in need.

This Dior hand cleanser is like a high-end high-end perfume, but for your hands. "It's probably the most luxurious I’ve ever seen or smelled!" says Good Housekeeping Beauty Director April Franzino. "The bottle looks so chic on the sink and the orange blossom scent smells like a fine fragrance rather than a soap — such a decadent splurge."

Also a GH Sustainable Innovation Award winner, Blueland's DIY hand soap starter kit lets you make your own eco-friendly formula at home. It comes with soap tablets that you mix with water and a chic reusable glass bottle. The best part: you can use it over and over and keep up to 25 single-use plastic hand soap bottles out of landfills each year. In addition to its sustainability benefits, GH experts loved the rich, creamy lather and mild fragrances.

This natural GH Sustainable Innovation Award Winner from EO is free of sulfates and synthetic fragrances, making it great for those with sensitive skin. It also includes powerful botanicals like calendula and chamomile to calm and soothe skin. But don't forget the recyclable part: The reusable bottle is made of 100% post-consumer resin and is manufactured in a zero-waste facility.

Thanks to moisturizing aloe vera, Grove Collaborative's liquid hand soap helps soften, rather than strip, dry hands. "I love the Lavender & Thyme version: It's refreshing scent is uplifting, it feels mild on my hands, and rinses clean," says GH Beauty Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D. Plus, the refillable packaging allows you to skip plastic bottles (less waste!) and try out different scent options if you want to switch things up.

Consider this LAFCO hand wash the epitome of soothing scents. "This is the ultimate hand soap to me — the formula is based on olive oil and aloe, so it doesn’t parch hands, and it leaves them smelling like the warm, relaxing aromatherapy of lavender and chamomile," Franzino notes. "It makes regular hand washing a pampering indulgence rather than a chore!"

This gentle liquid soap from Free & Clear is, per its name, free of a laundry list of potential irritants like dyes, fragrances, parabens, formaldehyde, and sulfates, which is critical for those with those with eczema. One Amazon reviewer shares that frequent hand washing caused really severe cracking of her skin, but "I now stock dispensers and refills of this soap all over the house."

GH's Beauty Director was instantly intrigued by this new hand soap line from Gelo, which features pods that you drop in a refillable dispenser filled with water, then watch them dissolve into a foaming soap. "It saves plastic waste and products made with less liquid are lighter-weight, so more eco-friendly to ship," she says. "All four scents — Sea Mist, Mineral, Freesia; Cucumber, Melon, Jasmine Flower; Clean & Dye Free; and Lemon, Basil, Geranium — are nice and fresh, but Lemon is one of my favorites."

Save money (and space!) with Follain's formula, which works on the body or in the bath, too. The liquid is based on just a few natural ingredients, including coconut, olive, and jojoba oils. Even better: You can bring a bottle to a store to be refilled at a reduced cost or order refills through the brand's website to minimize waste.