I Tried a Bunch of Luxe Hand Soaps So You Don’t Have to—25 Worth Splurging On

I’ll be honest. I’ve been known to buy a lot of hand soap from Target and Trader Joe’s. Hand soap used to feel like an afterthought to me, just a necessity that I needed to keep stocked. I never understood the allure of a quality hand soap—that is, until I tried some of the soaps on this list.

Luxury hand soap is an amazing way to give yourself a small moment of lavishness during your day. Good hand soaps soften skin without stripping, don’t dry out hands, and smell absolutely amazing. Many of the soaps on this list smell good enough to be perfumes (and many of them do have fragrance counterparts). Keep reading for the best luxury hand soaps out there. Once you try them for yourself, you’ll understand the hype.  

Just like the brand’s luxe fragrances, using one of Byredo’s hand soaps is a sensorial experience. The scent Suede leaves hands smelling unbelievably fresh. 

After you try Aesop’s exfoliating hand wash, you won’t want to go back to another soap. Finely milled pumice gives you a gentle physical exfoliation, so when you rinse it off, you’re left with baby-smooth skin. Plus, it smells divine. 

Before putting this hand soap in my bathroom, I’d never been complimented so much for my choice in soap in my life. This soap smells so good that any house guests will add the name to their Notes app immediately. Argan oil and hyaluronic acid also help maintain moisture, so it won’t dry out your hands. 

Le Labo’s hand soap smells like a fresh herb garden, as you might expect. It’s also really gentle on skin, so your hands won’t feel stripped post-cleanse. 

L’Occitane’s Verbena scent is one of my all-time favorite smells. It’s such a bright, mood-lifting scent. It’s also made with shea butter to soften hands. 

If you can’t get enough of Le Labo’s iconic Santal 33, this bar soap is perfect for you. Made with sustainable palm oil, olive oil, and vitamin E, it hydrates while it lathers. 

NYC-based apothecary C.O. Bigelow knows what it’s doing when it comes to hand soap. It smells juicy but not overpowering, and aloe vera, panthenol, and shea butter work to hydrate hands. 

Refillable and gentle on skin, Susanne Kaufmann’s hand soap has aloe vera to soothe hands while you wash. Horsetail extract and wheat-germ oil also soften skin.

D.S. and Durga’s Big Sur After Rain smells impossibly refreshing. Vitamin C, vitamin E, glycerin, green tea leaf, and hyaluronic acid make sure it also nourishes your hands. 

Grown Alchemist’s Hand Wash feels extremely luxurious when you use it. It doesn’t strip hands, and the big bottle lasts a really long time. 

I can’t resist putting another Byredo hand soap on this list—they’re just that good. This one has a perfectly balanced rose scent. 

Filled with lavender from Provence, Diptyque’s hand soap is a truly luxe experience to use. It has rosemary floral water and lavender honey to nourish skin, and it comes in a refillable glass bottle that will look great on any sink. 

Chamomile, aloe, and vitamin E ensure that this hand soap soothes and softens while it cleanses. The grapefruit scent is bright and will make you want to keep smelling your hands. 

Ouai’s hand soap is tough to beat. Jojoba esters exfoliate dead skin while a blend of oils softens and cleanses without stripping.

Pink pomelo grapefruit, lily of the valley, and coriander mix together to create an irresistibly juicy scent. 

If you love the smell of lavender, this soothing hand wash is perfect for you. It smells like freshly cut lavender from Provence. It’s also pH balanced and doesn’t strip skin. 

Acqua di Parma scents are beyond good, and the brand’s Colonia fragrance is one of its most well-known offerings. If a hand soap could transport you to Italy, it would be this one. 

Wood Sage & Sea Salt is everyone’s favorite Jo Malone fragrance. A hand-soap version is another way to smell like the woodsy scent all the time. 

There’s not much to dislike about this French-milled bar soap. Its rich lather and citrus notes make it feel immersive while you wash your hands. 

I’m always excited when I see this Malin + Goetz hand soap. It smells divine, and the bottle is so big that it lasts for a long time. 

Molton Brown soaps are incredibly luxe. This one smells like rhubarb and rose, an intoxicating mix. 

Consider this soap an entire handcare routine in a bottle. Designed to prevent water loss with panthenol and vitamin B5, this soap helps preserve the longevity of your manicure. 

This citrus-scented hand wash hydrates skin while it dissolves dirt and oil. 

The haircare brand Oribe also makes incredibly luxe hand soap. This alluring scent gives you a moment of tranquility while you wash your hands. 

White ambers and musk help give skin a soft, delicate scent while you wash your hands. 

Next, Summer Is Here—18 Bodycare Products to Add to Your List for Smooth, Glowy Skin