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Bar soap is back — and better than ever!
Once jettisoned as a decorative relic reserved for grandma’s bathroom, it seems bar soap has made a noble return to the world of skincare. It’s been topping beauty trend roundups lately and that’s a testament to its unique versatility to be use in cleansing the body and face, and to use when shaving.
Yet according to dermatologist Shereene Idriss, this multitasking tool comes with one caveat — despite being soap, it too needs to be regularly cleaned.
“Soap sitting in a moist environment can harness bacteria that can spread to other parts of the body easily,” she told Allure in December 2021. “If you are going to jump on the bar soap wagon, please make sure to give your soap a rigorous rinse after each use!”
But bar soap is more than just its myriad of skincare uses. It has several green attributes including its lack of plastic components and typically recyclable cardboard packaging, making it primed for a modern comeback.
According to zero-waste beauty mogul Brianne West, “using solid bars can completely eradicate any waste,” which she claims has become a rampant issue in the beauty world.
“The beauty industry is responsible for a huge amount of plastic waste, and this is arguably one of the biggest challenges our planet faces,” West, who founded eco-friendly beauty brand Ethique, told British Vogue back in 2019. “A lot of beauty products, particularly the high-end brands, contain packages within packages, none of which tend to be recyclable as they are made out of mixed materials,” she continued. “It’s a brand’s responsibility as much as it is a consumer’s to make sustainable choices.”
