Best Hand Soap to Pamper Your Guests

What makes a great hostess? It’s the little things that all add up. To name a few, it’s the espresso that’s offered after dinner, the music that welcomes, the glass of wine that relaxes them.

The truth is, it’s just those little extras that make your home memorable. Surprisingly, soap is one of those things guests remember. When your bathroom feels like a spa experience and a respite in those few minutes alone, your guests will thank you. Bonus: Nice soap infuses the air as well as the hands.

It’s a very simple gesture that makes all the difference–especially to someone with dry or mature skin. This subtle addition is quite memorable long after the laughter is forgotten–scent is a sense that lingers.

Some of the soaps on this list won’t surprise you since they pop up on everyone’s stylish bathroom must-haves list. Who knew a little soap and water could make such a difference.

But are they really worth the hype? What about the price tag? The scents? Some are, some aren’t, therefore, I tried a bunch in the name of research.

Here’s my list of favorites in order of preference:

Diptique Softening Hand Rinse

Luxury gone wild and the best smelling hand soap; I can feel the sweet floral breeze on my hands. Not only can’t I stop sniffing my hands after enjoying the rich Lavender Honey and rosemary scent, but Diptique leaves my skin feeling softened and soothed as promised.

The best part of this luxury hand soap is the Hand Wash Refill for almost half price if you’re ok re-using your glass bottle, or just enjoy the beautiful glass presentation with any soap refill you wish to use. If you want to create a spa experience when washing your hands, this is the clear winner in my book. Also makes the perfect hostess gift for the one who has it all and definitely my top pick.

I am going to mention that I was less enthusiastic about their exfoliating formula, but only because it has a chemical scent that lingered afterwards (it could just be me). If you enjoy perfume aromas you may still enjoy this one. I loved the exfoliating feel on my hands, just not the scent.

Needless to say, if you want a winter soap to impress your guests, this is a showstopper.

Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Soap

The epitome of the cool girl’s bathroom with herbaceous orange notes. Every ‘it’ girl and beauty director I know puts this in her bathroom with the matching hand balm.
So why am I relegating it in slot number two? It smells great. Check. It looks great. Check. It doesn’t dry out my skin. Check. Cruelty free? Check. But they switched to plastic. Yes, I know, recycled plastic is better for the environment (supposedly), but I want their glass apothecary bottle I can reuse again and again, which is a much more sustainable option for the environment. Why oh why did they get rid of this gorgeous and luxe glass feature?

Luckily you can still enjoy a luxe amber bottle here.

If you’ve used those cheaper hand soaps that feel thick and globby, this liquid soap will be so refreshing, leaving your hands feeling clean, nourished, and smelling like an aromatique bouquet of essential oils. Aesop is a brand you should know.

For exfoliating soaps, Aesop’s formula would definitely take slot number one in my book because I prefer the soft Vetiver base notes with Bergamot to the other formulas I’ve tried and it’s very softening for those of us who suffer from rough hands.

Your guests won’t be running down the hallway telling you how great Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash smells because the scent is understated with mostly base notes, but they will remember how soft and clean their hands feel for the rest of the evening–it’s like a manicure in a bottle. Worth the price tag! Just always have lotion on hand because you’ve just sloughed off skin and it’ll need nourishment; goes great with any lotion scent you love. Aesop recommends using their thicker matching Hand Balm.

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Hand Wash

The oldest apothecary in America, C.O. Bigelow, is similar to Aesop in stylish good looks and soap texture. In fact, I wish I could tie it with Aesop because the price tag is slightly easier on the wallet while maintaining that apothecary look and New York City flare. Unlike the expensive brands I chose above, these are appropriately priced for a plastic bottle.

I love the scents for their simplicity and single note options as a refreshing co-star for a standout candle. If your hands tend to be dry or you wash your hands a lot, you’ll love the variety of oil choices per scent, like the olive oil in the grapefruit or the essential oils in the Lemon Hand Wash. Perhaps the best lemon scent I’ve ever encountered since it smells like freshly squeezed lemonade.

Olivu 426 Castile Hand Foamer

Wonderful hand soap for dry skin and only $8.50 for 9 fluid ounces. As long as you have a chic foaming hand soap dispenser ready to go, like this one for foaming (this one for regular soap or if you like automatic/hands-free I love this one), this is my perfect sensitive skin, natural hand soap.

You can make your own custom scent (a secret of the rich and famous is to have their own home scent infused in the home) and it’s made with castile soap, coconut oil / jojoba oil / olive oil, aloe vera, glycerin/vegetable gum extract, rosemary extract, and an optional fragrance. Yes! You can do fragrance free OR choose your own scent adventure! The only thing missing is the shea butter. But who cares when you get a great soap you can use on your hands and body without the parabens phthalates.

I looked up why they would use rosemary extract as a key ingredient instead of considering it a fragrance. It appears that there is research that rosemary can be used as an antimicrobial and antibacterial soap option.

One thing that knocked this perfect soap out of the top slot: The oil tends to sink to the bottom and gets wasted unless you shake up the soap before using. This makes it great to use for daily family use, but not necessarily perfect for your guests if you are waste-conscious.

Molton Brown

Made in England, I was surprised their liquid soaps were a little drying for winter–you’ll need a good hand cream if you have dry skin. However, their blends are the perfect liquid hand soap for summer months–especially if you have high humidity and you can get it in a glass bottle instead of plastic. The scents are exotic and fragrant, like ‘pink pepper’ or ‘Rhubarb and Rose’ or ‘Gingerlily.’

There’s also a soap holder so everything stays together in a stylish way. Also refills at a lower price point for your glass bottle.

 

Method Foaming French Lavender Soap

Calling all Target shoppers! Method may be on the less expensive side (see the chic soap dispenser options I listed in number four), but their French Lavender foam hand wash scent is heavenly.

Method developed one of the few lavender scents that doesn’t smell fake to me. I cannot vouch for their liquid variety texture, but the plant-based floral foam is a highlight for me every spring when I change out my seasonal scents. I would not say it leaves my hands softer, but it makes my wedding ring sparkle a little brighter.

I know this is a short list, but these are by far my favorites so far that check all the boxes.

One soap I’ve been wanting to try next:

Blueland Natural Collection Hand Soap

These bottles are chic, reusable glass, and come in color choices: Slate, Frost, Amber, River. If you want a reusable soap dispenser but want the soap too, this is a great option. I can’t tell you how their tablets work since I haven’t tried this one, but they’re antibacterial and refill tablets are 3 tablets for $6. Not too shabby for a Cradle to Cradle Certified choice.

Let us know your favorite soaps you’ve tried below so we can try them too.