In recent years, the humble soap bar has re-emerged into the beauty sphere, as we ditch the overly complicated skincare routines and opt for a more minimalist approach.
While you may typically associate soap with washing your hands rather than your face, there’s now a new generation of facial soap bars that are packed with skin soothing and smoothing ingredients, such as exfoliating acids and hydrating humectants.
These bars represent a helpful way of tackling plastic waste in our daily regimens, as there’s no tube, pump or bottle top to discard, but simply a bar that often comes in recyclable cardboard packaging. Bars with a vibrant print are also a fun, inexpensive way to add colour to your bathroom shelf.
To help you find one that suits your skin type, whether that’s oily, dry, sensitive or combination, we’ve put a series of soaps to the test to find the top products, spanning everything from budget buys to high-end options.
From scented to fragrance-free, combating breakouts to calming easily irritated complexions, you’re sure to find one for you in our in-depth guide.
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We’ve rated each facial soap bar on scent, texture, ability to cleanse skin and remove make-up, value for money, size and any changes we noticed in our skin with regular use.
And remember, before you pick a new bar, ensure you have a soap dish ready, as once it’s out of its packaging and wet, you’ll want to keep it clean and hygienic in between uses.
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