Why the humble soap bar deserves another look

Beauty Shelf: with Emily Darlow

For years, the humble bar of soap was pushed aside in favour of pump bottles, shower gels and foaming washes, but it is finding its way back into bathrooms and today’s choices extend well beyond the basic family soap of years gone by.
A traditional soap bar is made when fats or oils react with an alkali through a process called saponification. Other solid cleansing bars, sometimes called syndet bars, use synthetic cleansing agents instead. These soap-free alternatives are often pH-balanced and can be a gentler option for dry or sensitive skin.
One of the greatest advantages of a bar is its simplicity. It generally requires less packaging than a bottle of body wash, takes up very little room and can last surprisingly well when allowed to dry properly between uses. Keeping it out of pooled water on a draining soap dish will help prevent it from becoming soft and disappearing more quickly than it should.
Not every bar will suit every skin type, however. If your skin feels tight, itchy or uncomfortable after washing, look for a soap-free or pH-balanced cleansing bar, particularly one containing ingredients such as glycerin, shea butter or colloidal oatmeal. Fragrance can turn an everyday shower into something far more enjoyable, but those with reactive skin may be better served by a fragrance-free formula.
From a nostalgic soap on a rope to a French-milled bar that looks beautiful beside the basin, these are six reasons to give solid cleansing another chance.

Dr. Bronner’s Rose Pure-Castile Magic Bar Soap
RRP $11.95
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This is the bar for anyone who likes their rose fragrance distinctly floral rather than powdery or old-fashioned. It creates a rich lather and leaves behind a noticeable scent, making an ordinary shower feel a little more indulgent. The formula is made with plant-based oils, including coconut, olive and hemp seed oils, along with jojoba wax. It contains no synthetic detergents, dyes or added foaming agents and can be used to wash the body, face or hair, although those with dry facial skin may still prefer a cleanser developed specifically for the face. The soap is vegan, made with organic and fair-trade ingredients, readily biodegradable and packaged in 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper, so its credentials extend well beyond its pretty fragrance.

Lush Honey I Washed the Kids Soap
RRP $10 for 100g
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Sweet, creamy and reminiscent of caramel and honey, this is the sort of soap that makes you look forward to using it. The gourmand fragrance is the main attraction, although the lather also feels creamy rather than aggressively squeaky-clean. Honey acts as a humectant, helping attract moisture, while aloe vera is included for its soothing qualities. The palm-oil-free soap base is made with rapeseed and coconut oils, with sweet wild orange and bergamot oils adding brightness to the warm honey scent. It is a fun choice for fragrance lovers, although it contains honey and is therefore vegetarian rather than vegan.

L’Occitane Verbena Extra-Gentle Body Soap
RRP $25 for 250g
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At 250g, this is a substantial bar that feels more like a traditional European bath soap than a small everyday hand soap. Its fresh verbena fragrance combines green, citrus and eucalyptus notes, creating a clean, uplifting scent that works particularly well in the morning. The soap is made in Haute Provence using traditional cauldron-cooking and saponification methods and is enriched with organic shea butter. The result is a generous, creamy lather that cleanses without leaving skin feeling overly stripped. It is vegan, palm-oil-free and made from vegetable oils, while the formula is also listed as 99 per cent biodegradable. It is the most expensive bar in the line-up, but its size, longevity and beautiful embossed finish give it a suitably luxurious feel.

Wavertree & London French Pear Soap Bar
RRP $7.95
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This Australian-made bar manages to look and smell much more expensive than its price suggests. The French pear fragrance is rich and fruity, combining pear, lemon, apple and plum with ginger, rose, clove, honey and vanilla. It is sweet without smelling like confectionery and makes a lovely guest-bathroom soap or an inexpensive addition to a gift. What sets it apart is the traditional French triple-milling process, which repeatedly refines the soap mixture to create a denser, smoother and longer-lasting bar. It produces a creamy lather and is enriched with organic shea butter, helping the skin feel comfortable after washing. At 200g, it also offers excellent value, provided it is kept on a well-draining dish.

Blue Stratos Soap on a Rope
RRP $11.99
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Soap on a rope is back, although for some readers it may never have gone away. This Blue Stratos version delivers a satisfying dose of nostalgia while solving one of the most common problems with bar soap: where to put it. The rope allows the bar to be hung in the shower so it remains easy to reach and has a better chance to dry between uses. The 160g bar has the classic Blue Stratos fragrance, beginning with citrus and lavender before moving into spices, oakmoss, woods, musk and vanilla. It has a creamy lather and leaves a noticeable traditionally masculine scent on the skin. It may not be the choice for someone who prefers barely there fragrance, but it is a practical, affordable bar with plenty of personality.

DermaVeen Daily Nourish Soap-Free Cleansing Bar
RRP $10.99
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Not technically a soap, this solid cleansing bar is the sensible choice for anyone who loves the convenience of a bar but finds traditional soap too drying. It is soap-free, fragrance-free and pH-balanced, with a gentle lather that cleanses without creating that tight, uncomfortable feeling some bars can leave behind. Its standout ingredient is colloidal oatmeal, used to help soothe, hydrate and support dry or easily irritated skin. The dermatologist-tested formula also contains glycerin and castor seed oil and is free from sulfates, parabens, lanolin, artificial colours and ethanol. It can be used on the face and body and is suitable for the whole family, including infants and older adults, as well as skin prone to dermatitis or eczema. It may not provide the sensory pleasure of a beautifully fragranced soap, but for sensitive skin, that is precisely the point.