Best Hypoallergenic Soaps for Sensitive Skin in 2024

It’s easy to get a bit confused about this specific soap type and the best places to get it.

We’ve set out on a mission to the following questions. By the time you’re done reading the article, you will be an expert on the following:

1. Is hypoallergenic soap going to benefit my sensitive skin conditions?
2. What is most important to look for in bar soap, skin cleaners, and laundry detergent in general to prevent skin irritation?

We’re not here to waste your time; let’s dive right in.

What is Hypoallergenic Soap?

Hypoallergenic soap is a skin cleanser, designed to be the most natural while causing the least amount of irritation, particularly for those with sensitive skin.

The formulas behind these soap bars will be without any unnecessary ingredients, including fragrance.

Thereby reducing the chances of any number of ingredients causing irritation, that your skin may react to.

Restoring sensitive skin to its natural beauty, while being able to clean all different skin types is the aim of this type of skin bar soap.

It may seem like a challenge at first, but if you can stick to the guidance we’re about to lay out for you, relief may soon be in store for you.

Who knew soap and sensitive skin could be so simple?

1. Hypoallergenic Soap for Skin Conditions

Anyone suffering from skin conditions needs to be particularly careful about what ingredients are being used in their skin care products.

A pure, all-natural soap has been known to vastly improve the following skin conditions:

• Acne
• Atopic Dermatitis
• Eczema
• Psoriasis
• Rosacea
• General Irritation from Brand Name Soaps

Please don’t misunderstand us. Switching to all-natural skin cleansers may not reverse and get rid of each skin ailment alone and completely, but in almost all cases – it will help.

For anyone already suffering from a skin condition, it is paramount that the products you do use are as gentle and nourishing as possible. This includes the laundry detergent you use.

Often times the bar soap you pick up at the store may be labeled as natural or gentle, but as a rule of thumb, if there’s anything on the product labels you wouldn’t eat – don’t put it on your body.

The only exception is the lye or sodium hydroxide, which is required for bars of soap to cure.

2. Ingredients Watch List for Sensitive Skin

Hopefully, it’s clear the skin types and folks who will see the most results by switching to natural skin cleansers, so how do we do it?

In this section, we’re going first lay out the ingredients we need to stay away from, followed by the items you really want to see on the product labels for the most benefit.

No matter the skin type, if it is to be used on your face or body etc., a soap bar that follows the ingredients guidance below is the best place to start.

A. The Hidden Danger Behind ‘Fragrance’

A lot of products claim to be all-natural. If a company declares a bar soap or skin cleanser is natural, most often, some ingredients will be found in nature, but this line of often stretched [1].

When it comes to fragrances specifically, did you know that there is little limit or rule to what can constitute that fragrance?

Fragrances are often the trojan horse when it comes to soaps irritating the skin.

This unsuspecting ingredient is most often a synthetically derived chemical from petroleum.

Have you ever wandered into a perfume store or anything strongly scented and instantly had a headache? If yes, I would wager a guess you’ve never had that reaction from anything natural like an orange or lemon peel?

Choose Essential Oils or Fragrance-Free

Fragrance-free completely eliminates the added scent from the skin irritation equation. However, even artisan soaps without some smell can be a bit bland for some people.

Essential oils come from plants and fruits in whole form and are typically soaked in alcohol to extract their essence.

When essential oils (Like almond oil, for example) are added to bars of soap, body wash, hand soap, laundry detergent, candles etc., there is little chance for irritation.

Sticking with fragrance-free soap bars or ones scented with essential oils is a must for sensitive skin.

B. Soaps Require Fats – But Which Ones Are Safe?

There are 3 general groups of fats that are often used when combined with lye to create a fatty acid, required in the production of soaps. They include:

• Pressed Oils; ex. Jojoba Oils, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil
• Seed Oils; ex. Canola Oil, Vegetable Oil
• Sodium Tallowate (Processed Animal Fat)

Pressed Oils

To make it easy, the only group we can safely recommend for those with sensitive skin or ailments are pressed oils.

Pressed oils such as shea butter or olive oil, come from having the plant in it’s original form put through a press and having the resulting fat filtered out. Little to no heat is usually involved and absolutely no chemicals.

Seed Oils

Fat from seeds is a much different story. Everyone has heard of canola oil right?

Canola oil comes from the rapeseed plant but in order to extract the oil it has to chemically processed with a substance called hexane. Hexane is a very dangerous solvent, known to be harmful in larger quantities.

For children and adults suffering from sensitive skin, we absolutely recommend that no seed oils be used.

Lastly is the ingredient sodium tallowate. We placed it in its own category because of how widespread you’ll see this listed in the ingredients list of many, many natural soaps.

Sodium Tallowate

Sodium tallowate is natural, as it’s the result of mixing animal fat with lye. Mammals store toxic chemicals in their fat cells as a way to protect their internal bodies from harm [2].

Unless organic, grass-fed animal fat is used, the animal has likely ingested herbicides, fungicides, pesticides, and GMO corn feed and stored a number of toxins in their fat.

A portion of these toxins will ultimately make it into many soap bars and irritate those with sensitive skin. The process is also known for excess animal waste.

For this reason, we do not recommend animal fats in any soap or cleanser items.

C. Oatmeal Anyone?

Perhaps you’ve noticed a general theme so far.

No, haven’t guessed it?

The ingredients we’ve recommended to look for in your soap products have all been quality and edible. This is on purpose!

Ground oatmeal, also known as colloidal oatmeal, is a staple in natural soaps replacing the need for several chemicals due to the benefits it brings to sensitive skin including:

• Moisturizing: Yes, oatmeal actually has moisturizing properties. It contains plant saponins which are completely natural and gentle cleansers. It’s actually been shown to strengthen the skin barrier.
• Exfoliation: Even though it’s ground up, it gently exfoliates the skin as it cleans. It does a wonderful job of opening skin pores.
• pH & Itch Relief: Many soap bars with commercial ingredients yield a higher pH. The oatmeal helps to make a soap more alkaline, offering pH control in the range of 4.5-6.5, ideal for sensitive skin types. Lastly, oatmeal has been used for centuries for itch relief [3]. Ever heard of an oatmeal bath for chicken pox?

Dyes and Coloring

Most dyes are of synthetic origin.

Any product that washes the body with bright colors most likely contains dyes that could lend to further irritation.

The fact is some people are flat-out allergic to the chemicals used in coloring soap.

As with the trend of natural soap, if we can do without, we say look for simple colors and ditch the dyes.

Ingredients Wrap-up for Sensitive Skin Types

In summary, the ideal quality ingredients for any sensitive skin type are also going to be safe to be used inside the body, except for lye.

Hand soap, fragrance free soap bars, body wash, baby products, and face cleansers can all up the ante in one’s skincare routine.

If the bar soap formulas contain ingredients are all things you recognize and can pronounce, you’re likely in good shape. Think coconut oil and olive oil, oatmeal and essential oils if you wish to use soaps with fragrances.

Stop placing things on your skin that cause irritation including harsh detergents, and replace them with nourishing ingredients. Your skin will thank you!

Where to Buy Soaps for My Skin Type?

Regardless of your actual skin type, going all-natural, short of specific skin allergies, is going to bring the best results to your skin care routine.

Looking for soaps in your favorite department store skin care aisle might not have the ideal products for your eczema or beauty regimen.

Sometimes folks are only left with baby soap options instead of a quality all-natural beauty bar. So here is what we recommend:

1. Mild Soap Bar – We would be remiss to not mention our line of skin cleansers. Ranging from fragrance free to scented, every single soap bar is completely all-natural. It is the reason we got into the skin business after all!
2. Health Food Stores – Shops like Whole Foods and ones like will usually have soaps that contain all-natural formulas for your skin, but keep an eye on the product label! Some soap products for meant for your face or labeled as a beauty bar, may have cleaner ingredients.
3. Online Boutiques – Etsy and stores like it have a number of smaller businesses offering categories of products for hand soap products, face soap, bars with an all-natural skin formula. Review the formula ingredients, stay away from unnecessary additives and irritants.

Ideal Skin Care Decoded

Hopefully it’s clear that not all skin care products for your body and face are created equally.

Pay close attention to the formula used in creating any bar soap you’re considering.

As a general rule of thumb, if it’s safe to put in your mouth, it’s likely safe to put on your skin.

Thank you so much for staying with us and placing your trust in MildSoaps.com for your skin care journey.

If you still have any lingering questions, please read on for some of the finger items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I Have [Insert Skin Condition]. Will Your Soap Help Me?

If you’re fighting an intense skin condition or reaction we recommend seeing a dermatologist.

While an all-natural cleanser product void of detergents and irritants, can at times reverse the course of some conditions. However, it may not address the root cause.

Your dermatologist will likely recommend an all-natural fragrance free body soap, sometimes in addition to a medication.

Q: What Soap Irritants are Known To The Body and Skin?

If you’re seeing a dermatologist already, they may be able to offer a specific product or advice tailored to your situation.

However, the most common skin irritants prone to reaction include dyes, fragrances and detergents among both children and adults.

Look for a body or beauty bar with an all-natural formula and generally stay away from the larger brands.

Q: What About The Big Brands, Dove Beauty Bar or The Basis Sensitive Skin Bar?

These are a perfect examples of beauty bars by known brands which you’d think would be all-natural, but aren’t.

While free from dyes, Dove’s bar contains fragrances which can be a common irritant.

They both, including the Basis Sensitive Skin Bar, include chemicals, one of which is Tetrasodium Etidronate, known to aggravate eczema.

We’re not here to bash any other products on the market, but we wouldn’t waste our money on these choices.

Q: Is Vitamin E Found in All-Natural Body Bar Soap?

Vitamin E, known as tocepherol, is an oil that is included in some beauty bar soap.

While it does have beneficial properties for the skin, it’s main purpose is actually as a preservative, yielding bars with a longer shelf life.

It often results in leaving a noticeable residue on the skin after cleansing which is not desirable.

If your skin reacts well to products with Vitamin E, we recommend finding a lotion to apply after bathing to apply to your body.

Resources

1. https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/fragrance/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6101675/
3. https://www.healthline.com/health/oatmeal-bath-for-eczema