The Best Hand Soaps for Home Cooks

What’s better than a hand soap that smells incredible? A hand soap that gives back to the community, like Alaffia. This brand sells authentic African beauty products, including hand soap. Alaffia is committed to empowering African communities by funding projects in different areas, so you can feel confident that your purchase is going toward a good cause.

Why it made our list: Alaffia is one of our editor’s favorite kitchen soap brands—she swears by Everyday Shea hand soap in Mandarin Mango, saying it keeps her hands soft.

This luxury hand soap from Milk + Honey comes in two fragrances—Blend N° 35 (blood orange, ginger and lemongrass) and Blend N° 09 (lavender and tea tree). All products from Milk + Honey are clean, meaning ingredients are plant-sourced and organic. FYI: This is how to wash your hands.

Why it made our list: Reviewers rave about Milk + Honey hand soaps, saying they keep hands smooth and moisturized.

Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products have a cult following—and for good reason. Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day hand soaps are made with essential oils and organic ingredients, which lead to squeaky clean hands and ultra-happy noses.

Why it made our list: Mrs. Meyer’s is available at many of our favorite retailers (like Target and Amazon) and comes in a number of natural scents, like basil, lavender and honeysuckle.

This no-frills hand wash from Pipette is perfect for chefs who need mid-meal washes. It’s clean, gentle and nontoxic, so it’ll keep your hands clean without introducing chemicals to your prep station.

Why it made our list: This small and mighty hand wash costs less than $5. Plus, Pipette is known for its high-quality and safe creams and cleansers for mothers and babies.

It may feel weird to wash your hands with black liquid at first, but this hand soap works—and it will pop in your kitchen. Nubian Heritage sells skin and body products that feature African black soap and shea butter.

Why it made our list: Products from Nubian Heritage are natural and feature ingredients that tout healing properties, too.

Fragrance-free hand soap? Might as well be a chef’s dream. This reviewer-approved soap isn’t the cheapest option out there, but it is effective. This hand soap is great for those who have sensitive skin, as it’s hypoallergenic and non-drying.

Why it made our list: This natural hand soap has a solid 5-star rating on Amazon and more than 1,000 reviews.

This hand soap may look like a designer product, but it’s an incredibly effective and moisturizing soap well-loved by reviewers. The ingredients are certified organic, vegan, sulfate-free and paraben-free.

Why it made our list: Grown Alchemist soaps show up on many “best-of” lists for their high-quality ingredients and effective germ-fighting properties. If you can splurge on your kitchen soap, this is a great option.

This nourishing hand soap is Amazon’s Choice for best organic hand soap—and reviewers agree. This hand soap comes in a two-pack and smells like aloe, eucalyptus and lavender. It’s also made from clean ingredients, meaning no harsh chemicals to interrupt your food prep.

Why it made our list: This hand soap is one of the more affordable organic hand soaps out there, and its simple packaging means it’ll look great in nearly any kitchen.

That’s right—Williams Sonoma sells hand soap, and it’s good stuff. That’s not too surprising, given that Williams Sonoma sells many of our Test Kitchen’s favorite cooking gadgets. This soap is sleek and gorgeous, but beyond that, it’s made with essential oils and is free of parabens, ammonia and chlorine.

Why it made our list: We love Williams Sonoma’s quality products!

There’s a reason you see Softsoap in every store under the sun—it’s the best in terms of both pricing and quality. While not organic, it is effective. And when you’re dealing with chicken juice and raw eggs, you just need soap that’s going to get the job done.

Why it made our list: Softsoap is king. It comes in a variety of scents and refillable packages, so you can skip the fancy bottles and just buy refill packages for an automatic soap dispenser.