According to every romance movie ever, the world really could do with more sensitive guys – or at least, guys with softer skin. Even if you don’t think you need the best bar soap for sensitive skin, you’ll probably enjoy its soothing and emollient properties.
Plus, in a world where soaps are packed with gross preservatives and residue-leaving chemicals, sensitive skin soaps really should be the standard. Based on careful ingredient research and user reviews from sensitive skin folks on Amazon, we’re bringing you the greatest list of soaps to help you be that bad*ss yet hug-able and soft guy.
Table of Contents
Legend’s Creek Farm Goat Milk Soap (Our Top Pick)
Goat’s milk is THE ingredient for sensitive skin, and Legend’s Creek Farm knows what they’re doing with goat’s milk. Their oatmeal, milk, and honey bar is your safest bet for easing irritation and redness.
Best of all, this bar has raving reviews from my sensitive-skin friends. Eighty-four percent of users give it four stars and up, which is impressive, especially in the world of gentle soaps. Many report that it cleared up their eczema and flakiness.
But for me, what really does it is the all-natural ingredients. You won’t find any sneaky artificial scents, colors or preservatives in this soap. Oftentimes those extra commercial chemicals are what cause weird skin reactions for sensitive soapers; finding a gentle, all-natural soap is one fast way to figure out whether your skin is breaking out because of detergents and other unnatural additives.
Plus, oatmeal, milk, and honey are a power-combo for soft skin. You’ll be ridiculously kiss-able.
Pros:
• It’s all-natural, so no funky skin reactions to this bar.
• Checks all the boxes on my favorite ingredients for sensitive skin: goat’s milk, shea butter, and oatmeal.
• I forgot to mention the lather! It’s rich but soft. Will feel good on your skin.
• Possibly one of the best soaps for dry and itchy skin.
Cons:
• The scent really isn’t there. It’s still a great bar of soap, just lacking in any sort of smell, which might actually be a pro for some of you.
Pre De Provence No. 63 Bar Soap
Pre De Provence is my go-to for luxury on a dime. This particular bar is quadruple-milled and enriched with shea butter. Translation? It’s hella soft.
The milling process has its pros and cons. Soap manufacturers run the ingredients through a grinder to make the bar denser, so it’s packed with natural moisturizers and has a longer lifespan than your average bar. On the flipside, the milling process also “hides” artificial additives, so this bar is most definitely not all-natural.
I’d recommend this without hesitation for flaky, dry skin. But for irritated, rashy skin? You’ll want to patch test it before you use it all over your body. The second a soap manufacturer throws in extra chemicals, there’s always the small risk of an allergic reaction.
But don’t write it off just because you’ll have to allergy-test it first! For the majority of users, this bar will do a great job lathering on gently and keeping your skin soft.
Pros:
• Sensitive-skin stamp of approval, while still being very affordable. Some companies really price gouge the “gentle” soaps.
• Has a sort of warm, citrus, spicy scent. Very much a men’s soap scent, without a doubt.
• This bar isn’t a fling; it’s relationship-worthy. It’s going to LAST. Treat it right, and you’ll get months out of one bar.
Cons:
• The lather is average. Not bad, but also not that thick, creamy vibe.
• It’s not all-natural, and it does contain “fragrances,” which can cause allergic reactions in rare conditions. (If you’re one of those rare conditions, be wary.)
Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soap
If you’re looking for a soap that’s wildly traditional, Dr. Bronner’s has your back. Soap bases have two ingredients: lye, with either an oil or a fat. There’s not much more than that in this castile bar soap.
That’s especially great news for sensitive skin folks because it means that you don’t have to sweat over natural or unnatural ingredients causing a breakout. If you have an allergic reaction to this bar…then it might be time to start making your own soaps at home, because it doesn’t get more skin-friendly and basic than this. It’s also one of the best bar soap for hard water.
The only downside I see here is that the bar is so, so boring. No fun scents or added texture. Some Amazon buyers do report dry skin over time, but that’s normal if you’re not supplementing a soap this basic with a lotion or moisturizer of some sort.
Pros:
• 89% of users gave this bar five stars and up – that’s hard to beat.
• Dr. Bronner’s soap is stripped of almost all added ingredients, natural and unnatural, so you don’t have to agonize over an ingredient list, wondering if anything could cause a skin reaction.
Cons:
• It’s so bland. Very boring soap experience.
• Some people report dry skin over time; you’ll probably want to pair this with a gentle lotion.
The Yellow Bird Soap Bar
The Yellow Bird company has that heartwarming, family business, all-natural story. Smaller soap companies like them are often much better at sticking to their natural ingredient promise while still creating high-quality products, so you can feel pretty good about the ingredient integrity in their soaps.
Their lemongrass bar has a pleasantly fresh scent and lots of moisturizing oils. Best of all, use it for a few weeks and you’ll see visible acne reduction. Lemongrass is a superhero cleanser, so you’ll be impressed with the results.
This bar does have some downsides to be wary of. If it’s your first time buying all-natural, you have to be incredibly gentle with this stuff. It’ll dissolve within a week if you leave it in the shower under the water stream.
Pros:
• You’ll enjoy the smell. It’s fresh and neutral, packed with healthy essential oils.
• It’s the breakout-beater extraordinaire. Be sure to bid your acne farewell.
• Safe to use on your face! And I trust very few products on my face.
Cons:
• It’s not a long-lasting soap. You’ll go through a bar pretty quickly.
• Patch-test it on your skin first. Just a handful of Amazon buyers reported rashes.
• Cleansing soaps can be drying over time; that’s the case here.
Art Of Sport Activated Charcoal Soap
I don’t usually recommend Art of Sport for sensitive skin…but that being said, so many sensitive skin soaps are too gentle to have that cleansing oomph that keeps you smelling fresh all day.
Art of Sport tests all of their products on pro athletes, and they have an impressed-eyebrow-raise-worthy list of sponsors on their website. Kobe Bryant actually helped found the company.
Their charcoal rise bar has that oomph to keep you smelling fresh, even if you’re battling stress sweat or weird B.O. This is probably the strongest soap you’re going to find that’ll still smell subtle and keep your skin happy. In fact, we ranked it as one of the best bar soap for men, period.
The downside? You’ll really need to pair this one with a lotion. Charcoal is drying over time, so you’ll need to get into the habit of moisturizing after using this bar.
Pros:
• Art of Sport balances the charcoal with moisturizers like shea butter
• Lots of Amazon users say that the Rise soap scent is their all-time favorite, so it’s not just me declaring this a good smell.
• Art of Sport tests their products on pro athletes…it’s going to keep you clean. No contest.
Cons:
• Charcoal is super cleansing, but it’s also drying. Proceed with caution.
• There’s a chance the charcoal will stain your shower. Wash all the scum down the drain thoroughly.
Is Bar Soap Better For Sensitive Skin?
Not necessarily. It really depends on the quality of the skincare products you’re buying.
An all-natural, allergen-free, strong moisturizing soap is always your best bet. And, if you have really picky skin, I hate to say it, but even that won’t always be surefire.
I tend to lean away from liquid soaps. They’re rarely all-natural, and the bottles and loofahs often turn into bacterial breeding grounds when you leave them in the shower. In that sense, bar soap is wayyyy better for sensitive skin.
But, at the end of the day, sensitive skin is unpredictable and hard to please. You really have to take the time to figure out your body. The only way to find the best soap for your dry and itchy skin is to be patient, experiment, and notice patterns. Compare ingredient lists to figure out what might be causing your breakouts. Get rid of old bathroom products (loofahs, scrubbers, soaps, unwashed washcloths) that might be contributing to your skin irritation.
With that said, these soaps for black men also happen to be good for men with sensitive skin.
Frank Edwards
Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.
