These sustainable facial cleansing bars will help save the environment and cleanse your skin.
If someone were to ask you, “what face wash do you use?”, you’re probably thinking of that gel, foam, or gel-foam hybrid facial cleansing product sitting on your bathroom countertop. The one that’s packaged in 100% plastic and needs restocking every month or two.
So, it’s safe to say that ‘facial cleansing bars’ don’t really come to mind when thinking about facial skincare. Rather, you associate bars with washing your body or your hands and probably your grandparents who still use them. With companies investing in their creation, facial cleansing bar soaps are making a comeback and might be your next skincare purchase.
Bar soaps are an underrated yet advantageous product to incorporate into your facial care routine: they’re environmentally-friendly as they come in cardboard boxes, unlike gels or foams. They’re also cheaper, long-lasting and safe to travel with. Plus, they work just as well – if not – better than other cleansers and can also be used on the body.
These are the best face-friendly bar soaps for your face.
For sensitive skin
Cetaphil Gentle Cleansing Bar ($7.39)
Cetaphil’s facial cleansing bar is specially formulated for use even on the most sensitive skin. It has been clinically proven to cleanse and hydrate skin, without stripping away the skin’s natural oils and moisture.
At just $7.39, the bar can be used on the face and body during shower or bath time. Enriched with 5 nourishing ingredients, the bar soap leaves skin feeling soft, dewy and clean.
Lanolips Lanolin & Egg White Gentle Cleansing Bar ($10.95)
This bar works beautifully with sensitive skin by cleansing the face super gently yet thoroughly, with 99.8% natural ingredients. It features egg whites which help to moisturise the skin, goat’s milk for its healing properties and sulfur to clean and refine pores.
For dry skin
Evo Cake Cleanser of Pores ($27.00)
The Evo Cake bar is a vegan-friendly, pH-neutral, triple-milled soap primarily recommended for normal to dry skin types. The bar is lightly and freshly scented, offering a lush clean feel once applied.
Containing jojoba seed oil which has healing properties that treat skin conditions like eczema and acne, the bar is bound to prevent breakouts. The glycerin ensures increased hydration and relieves dryness.
While a simple exterior design, the image inside the box once unfolded is fun and exciting.
Peach Balancing Facial Cleansing Bar ($12.99)
This grapefruit-scented bar works wonders for oily and combination skin. It fuses coconut oil, rose oil and blue tansy oil together to help with removing makeup and other impurities to encourage clean and calm skin.
The bar seeks to erase any redness from the face without stripping it of natural oils. Without any parabens, phthalates or silicones, the bar is safe to use on sensitive skin.
With every purchase of the bar which comes in 100% recycled paperboard packaging, Peach supports the 5 Gyres Institute – their nonprofit partner which seeks to reduce the use of plastic globally.
For oily skin
Sisley Paris Soapless Facial Cleansing Bar ($85.00)
Enriched with calendula and tropical resins (incense, myrrh, benzoin) the Soapless Facial Cleansing Bar’s non-alkaline, soap-free formula aims to purify the skin. It does so by tightening pores to leave the skin matte and clean, ready for serum, moisturiser or makeup application.
Though costly, the product lasts up to 4 months making it worth its price.
Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar Soap ($22.58)
Herbivore Bamboo Charcoal Cleansing Bar Soap ($22.58)
This simple yet effective cleansing bar soap is especially suitable for those with oily skin, as well as combination and blemish-prone skin types.
The formula consists of star ingredient, bamboo charcoal, which has been used for centuries in the Far East to purify and cleanse debris on the skin.
The citrusy bergamot and clay scent means that lathering this cleanser on is the ultimate form of relaxation.
For maximum hydration
CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser Bar ($12.95)
This super easy, dermatologist-tested bar soap is a great source of hydration for the skin. It prioritises the skin’s protective barrier by warranting unclogged pores, locking in moisture and maintaining smoothness.
The hydration qualities of the cleansing bar make it perfect for winter months which tend to dry the skin out.
Drunk Elephant Pekee Bar ($42.00)
The unique Pekee Bar fuses a blend of blueberry extract, virgin marula oil and honey together to create the ultimate facial bar soap. The ingredients soothe the skin by providing antioxidant, moisturising and antibacterial properties that amplify the feeling of firmness and elasticity.
The bar soap brightens the skin by refining its texture to encourage moisture, as well as eliminating unwanted dirt. Best of all, it is also cruelty- and scent-free making it the perfectly designed facial bar for every day.
For removing makeup
SuperStar! Solid Face Cleanser and Makeup Remover ($25.00)
SuperStar is a multi-tasking miracle worker acting both as a face cleanser, moisturiser and makeup remover, making it specifically ideal for dry skin types.
The concoction of coca butter, kokum butter, coconut oil and cleansing caster oil means that the bar leaves skin feeling super silky, nourished and youthful without being overly slick or greasy.
The sweet orange essential oil permeates a refreshing fragrance, thus leaving the house without spritzing perfume is not a worry.
For an exfoliator
Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Purifying Concentrated Cleansing Bar ($36.00)
This dual-action exfoliating facial bar soap cleanses the skin by reducing the appearance of large and clogged pores and absorbing and balancing out excess oil. Formulated with 80% purifying agents, like fairly traded Amazonian White Clay (which is responsibly sourced by local communities near the Amazon River) and renewable bamboo powder, the solid clay texture of the bar leaves the skin feeling healthy and rejuvenated.
After cleansing your face, it’s important to moisturise no matter what. Here are some of our recommendations.
