The best hand soap is probably something you’ve been thinking about a lot lately, as the coronavirus continues to spread. To prevent its transmission, the CDC recommends washing your hands with soap (bar or liquid) and water for at least 20 seconds as frequently as possible. (If you’re on a grocery run and want to quickly clean your hands after check out, it’s cool to use hand sanitizer.) But what kind of soap should you use? Well, according to the U. S. Food and Drug Administration plainly there’s no science to show that antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than just plain soap and water.
So, during this time where washing hands can actually save lives, any soap is good soap. But think about it: if you’re going to be washing your hands more frequently than you might otherwise, what better time to invest the best hand soap available? The kind of soap you might find in a rich and stylish friend’s apartment, or a nice cocktail bar. The kind of soap that looks beautiful, smells great, and leave your hands feeling actually hydrated instead of all dried out. In a world where everyone is wearing masks and social distancing, the act of washing your hands can be something more than a chore.
Here are our top picks, from the high-end stuff you’ve probably seen at hip restaurants and on interior-design blogs to the simple, available-everywhere soaps that you can still usually pick up from the ransacked shelves of your local grocery store.
