10 Best Kitchen Hand Soaps For Clean Hands – 2024
Protect your hands from the harsh effects of repeated washing with these gentle alternatives.
Becky Sturm is a multi hyphenate beauty maven who has been in the salon and spa industry for 30+ years as a hairdresser, esthetician, as well as product development and product expert. After graduating in the HORST/Aveda Institute Advanced Training program in 1985, she went on to do an apprenticeship at The Red Carpet Salons for three years in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and then 1 year at Regis Corporation.
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Experience: 3 yearsKirtana has a postgraduate degree in mass communication and journalism from St. Joseph’s College, Bengaluru, and 3 years of professional experience. She developed a deep passion for writing after reading the brilliant works of Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl and has chosen a career that is driven by creativity.
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Experience: 4 yearsShiboli has a master’s degree in English literature from The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and is a certified skincare coach with four years of experience. As a commerce editor, she guides her team members on the best practices to create crisp and authentic content.
Read full bio of Shiboli Chakraborti
Experience: 3 yearsSwathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over three years of experience in writing on beauty, health, and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach.
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Kitchen hand soaps sure feel like a luxury that is not so much needed. But when you realize the purpose that they serve, you will also realize how having hand soap by your sink is non-negotiable. Whether you’re in the middle of a dinner prep or just washed the dishes and are going back to chopping, hand soaps for the kitchen do far more than just clean your hands. They’re great at neutralizing odor from pungent foods, and when you pick the best kitchen hand soap, they also hydrate your hands so that you don’t reach out for your hand cream and get your hands all greasy when you’re dealing with food.
While the hunt for that perfect kitchen hand soap that nourishes your hands might feel a little overwhelming for all the options you’ve got and the brands competing for your attention, we’re here to make the quest easy for you. So, keeping that in mind, here’s our list of the 10 best kitchen hand soaps that will keep your hands clean in the kitchen as you put that extra effort to keep your kitchen counter clean. Pick one and get ready to show your hands some love!
In This Article
10 Best Kitchen Hand Soaps To Keep Your Hands Free Of Dirt And Germs
1. Best Overall: Softsoap Antibacterial Kitchen Fresh Hand Soap
When working in the kitchen, an antibacterial soap that cleans your hands effectively to get rid of both dirt and bacteria is a must. This hand soap from Softsoap makes this possible with its dermatologist-tested, paraben-free formula. Powered by the goodness of lemon, the Softsoap kitchen hand soap eliminates 99.9% of bacteria while also keeping your hands soft and smooth with proven efficacy. To add to its features, it has a zesty lemony scent that is pleasing to the senses, and the odor neutralizing technology makes sure that your hands smell pleasant. Clinically proven to be effective against harmful bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus, you can totally count on this kitchen lemon hand soap when it comes to keeping your hands clean. Take a look at this video to check out the tester’s experience with this product.
- Odor neutralizing
- Dermatologist-tested
- Gentle formula
- Clinically proven to eliminate bacteria
- Moisturizing formula
- Free of parabens
- Some may find the consistency a little watered down.
Quick Tip2. Best Scent: Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon Gentle Foaming Hand Soap
Pretty much like our body and our face, our hands require just as much pampering if you expect them to stay soft and healthy. Show some love to your hands with this thoughtfully-formulated hand soap for kitchen by Bath & Body Works that is infused with the goodness of essential oils, shea butter, aloe, and vitamin E. While shea butter and aloe moisturize your hands, vitamin E and essential oils provide the skin of your hands with intense nourishment. This kitchen-safe hand soap is formulated to clean your hands gently while getting rid of the germs. And doing so, the pleasant notes of zesty melon, sparkling citrus, and Italian bergamot gives your hands a fresh smell!
- Made with natural essential oils
- Foams well
- Gentle formula
- Fresh scent
- Contains sulfates
3. Best For Sensitive Skin: J. R. Watkins Foaming Hand Soap – Lemon
Leave your hands feeling pampered and luxurious with this lemon scented foaming kitchen hand soap by J. R. Watkins that gives an intense dose of hydration to your hands, without making them feel dry or flaky. Made with carefully picked plant-based ingredients and cleansing agents, it also replenishes the much-needed nourishment. For those with sensitive skin, the good news is that this hand soap will help cleanse your hands without irritating them, thanks to its irritation-free, gentle formula. To add more to its goodness, it is free of common irritants and harsh chemicals such as dyes, phthalates, and parabens. Having been making hands soaps since 1868, the J. R. Watkins luxury kitchen hand soaps are definitely a trusted option as vouched by reviewers, that you can depend on.
- Free of parabens
- Free of phthalates
- Free of dyes
- Cruelty-free
- Plant-based ingredients
- Made in the USA
- Refreshing scent
- Residue-free
- Some may not like the foamy consistency.
4. Best Plant-Based: A La Maison All-Purpose Soap – Rosemary Mint
You don’t always need a soap specifically made to be used in the kitchen if you’re looking at quality. An all-purpose soap, the A La Maison soap doubles as a hand soap that you can also conveniently keep in your bathroom or at the wash basin if you fall in love with it. What makes it an amazing hand soap and even a more amazing body wash is its gentle formula that passes through a traditional purification process. This process aims at transforming natural vegetable oils into lather-rich soaps that gently lift away dirt and germs from your hands and body. If you’re all about natural ingredients and soaps that deliver equally well for all parts of the body, you have a thousand reasons to pick this premium-quality product from A La Maison.
- Plant-based ingredients
- Glycerin-rich
- Moisturizing formula
- Free of parabens
- Phthalate-free
- Free of SLS
- Helps in deep cleaning
- Some may find the consistency a little watered down.
5. Best Luxurious: Michel Design Works Lemon Basil Foaming Shea Butter Hand Soap
Kitchens demand citrusy fragranced soaps, and this one proves to be an ideal choice for your kitchen sink as it has fresh notes of lemon and mandarin topped off with green basil leaf. These notes will ensure that your hands smell fresh and citrusy whether you chop onions or wash the dishes. Made with shea butter, it also gives your hands the hydration that it requires all around the year— summer to winters. Add to that adequate amount of foam that this lemon kitchen hand soap generates, and we can assure you that every single wash using this soap will prove to be luxurious. Watch this YouTuber’s honest review to explore the reviewer’s experience and get a better idea about the product and its features.
- Pleasing scent
- Infused with shea butter
- Leaves the skin feeling soft
- Hydrating formula
- The dispenser is straight angled, which may not always direct the soap towards the hands.
6. Best For All Types Of Water: Kirk’s Odor Neutralizing Hand Wash – Lemon & Eucalyptus
Made to eliminate the most pungent of smells from onion, garlic, fish, among others, Kirk’s Odor Neutralizing Hand Wash gives you hands clean and free of dirt and grime with the fresh scent of lemon and eucalyptus. It works effectively in all types of water— whether hard or soft, and this all-natural kitchen hand soap is also free of questionable ingredients, making it suitable for all members of your family. Formulated with aloe vera, coconut oil, and lemon and eucalyptus essential oil, it moisturizes your hands, has a creamy lather, and defeats odor without using artificial fragrances. When you use this organic kitchen hand soap, you don’t have to worry about germs, undesirable smell, or your hands feeling dry.
- Natural vegetable fermentation technology
- Free of sulfates
- Paraben, phthalate-free
- Free of colorants and gluten
- Free of EDTA
- Free of artificial fragrance
- Made with coconut oil
- Sensitive skin-friendly
- Slightly expensive
Did You Know?7. Best For Skin Elasticity: Cucina Fruits And Passion Hand Soap With Olive Oil
One of the best hand soaps for the kitchen, this one brings to your hands an exquisite scent of coriander which is known for its fresh fragrance that is pleasing to the olfactory senses. What truly makes it a unique formula is the cold-pressed olive oil that is used to create this kitchen fresh hand soap, which is also rich in oleic acid, a natural acid that helps strengthen the protective barrier of our skin. With that, it also adds to the elasticity of the skin, thus making your hands smooth and baby-soft. A balance between aromatic and woodsy notes, let this liquid kitchen hand soap take care of keeping your hands clean while eliminating the odor of food from them. Check this video to explore a reviewer’s experience with this product.
- Natural biodegradable formula
- Formulated with cold-pressed olive oil
- Vegan formula
- Improves skin’s natural protective barrier
- Not tested on animals
- May have a chemical-like smell
8. Best For Dry Skin: Soapbox Citrus & Peach Rose Liquid Hand Soap
Scrubbing dishes on the daily means rough hands. And when you use harsh soaps to clean the dishes, also add dry skin and calluses to your skin woes. Banishing all these skin issues is this antibacterial kitchen hand soap by Soapbox that is enriched with the goodness of emollients that hydrate your hands while also providing anti-inflammatory benefits and effective germ removal.. The formula also has bataua fruit oil that helps add elasticity to the skin while shea butter helps lock up moisture. Among other skin-loving ingredients is aloe vera that also nourishes your hands. Made from natural, plant-based oils, this is definitely a good kitchen hand soap that is suitable for all types of skin.
- Paraben-free
- Free of petrochemicals
- Free of phthalates
- Free of EDTA and silicones
- Vegan
- Cruelty-free
- Lathers instantly
- Contains sulfates
9. Best Affordable: Dial Complete Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash For The Kitchen
Dry and scaly hands are going to be a thing of the past when you start using one of the best kitchen hand soaps by Dial Complete. From grease removal to fighting germs, this antimicrobial hand wash can do them all. Made to kill 99.9% bacteria and get rid of stubborn odors from chopping onions and garlic, this doctor-recommended hand soap for the kitchen definitely delivers. You can create rich and creamy lather with this foaming formula that not only eliminates dirt and grime from washing oily, greasy dishes, but you can also expect this effective kitchen hand soap to be gentle on your hands. Do note that you are supposed to pump this hand soap into dry hands and then lather for 20 seconds before washing it away using water!
- Suitable for dry skin
- Has a citrusy scent
- Contains aloe vera
- Gentle on the skin
- The scent may not be as prominent.
10. Best Gentle One: Clorox Scentiva hand Soap
Blessing your delicate hands with the right amount of hydration along with much-needed nourishment is this hand soap for the kitchen by Clorox. Rightly named as Scentiva, expect this hand soap to leave an exotic and pleasing scent of Tuscan lavender and jasmine lingering on your hands for a long time after you wash them. It is extremely harsh on germs and bacteria; however, is gentle on your hands. Made with a blend of aloe vera and provitamin B5, your hands will feel loved and cared for when you use one of the best moisturizing kitchen hand soaps out there on a regular basis.
- Uplifting scent
- Contains provitamin B5
- Moisturizing formula
- Gentle
- Bleach-free
- Contains EDTA
Now that you’ve been through our list of the best kitchen hand soaps that help you keep your hands clean without having to go to your washroom for a hand wash each time, it is also imperative that you know what factors to keep in mind when you’re investing in one. Your hands deserve love, and to make sure you pamper them, go through our comprehensive buying guide before you pick one.
How To Choose A Kitchen Hand Soap?
- Consistency
The consistency of your hand soap should be just like that of your regular hand soap— not too watered down and not too heavy. When the kitchen hand soap turns out to be too heavy in consistency, it may become a tough task to spread it all over your hands and rinse it off. Likewise, when watered down, your hand soap will be runny, and when the dispenser is not angled right, it may even fail to target your hands and may instead end up spilling. Also make sure that the kitchen hand soap that you decide to invest in lathers well. It is through a rich lather that the hand soap cleans off dirt, oil, and grime away.
- Extra-hydrating
If you mean to ask— why should your kitchen hand soap be extra hydrating, the answer is simple. A usual day in the kitchen involves chopping, cleaning, and doing the dishes. When you wash the utensils, you would naturally use a detergent or a liquid soap for dish-washing. Dish washing soaps tend to be too drying as they have to get rid of every bit of grime, food particles, and stubborn oil that sticks to the dishes. And so, a dish washing soap also tends to take away all the moisture from your hands.
So, when you wash your hands after cleaning the dishes, it helps to use a hydrating kitchen hand soap as it helps replenish the moisture levels of your hands. Look for non-toxic and eco-friendly ingredients such as jojoba oil, aloe vera, shea butter, glycerin, among others that help hydrate the skin and lock in moisture so that your hands stay soft and supple without having to frequently use a hand cream when in the kitchen.
- Free of additives
Kitchen hand soaps should be completely free of additives, preservatives, and harsh chemicals as people generally get back to handling food after washing hands in the kitchen. If your kitchen hand soap has any of the questionable ingredients that are harmful, they might end up making it to your food and being ingested by you and your loved ones. Therefore, pick hand soaps for the kitchen that are free from some of the common chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, sulfates, silicones, artificial dyes and fragrances, among others.
- Odor-neutralizing
Your hand soap for the kitchen should have odor-neutralizing properties so that the pungent smell of certain vegetables and ingredients can easily be masked off so that you can get back to cooking without having to deal with undesirable odor. The best odor-neutralizing agents that are also natural in composition are lemon, bergamot, and other citrusy notes. If fresh and citrusy is not your pick, you can also choose from a wide variety of other fragrances that brands incorporate into their hand soaps. However, make it a point to steer clear of artificial fragrances and parfum in hand soaps for the kitchen.
- The container
The container of your hand soap in the kitchen should be easy to distinguish from the dish washing soap in case you use a liquid soap for the dishes. Since both these are kept close to the sink, you or others may easily get confused and use the hand soap for the dishes. While this is not absolutely imperative, it just makes it easier for you to be able to effortlessly wash your hands without having to stand near the sink and think which one is which each time you plan to wash your hands. Always check the reviews about the packaging of the product to understand if the container is practical.
The Bottom Line
Hand soaps are a basic necessity that we need in our daily lives. Just like you use handwashes in the washroom, kitchen hand soaps are equally important. You may feel like using regular, traditional soaps, but kitchen hand soaps must come with beneficial properties. Suppose you are in the middle of dinner preparation or just washed the dishes and want to go back to chopping. These kitchen hand soaps will be useful in such instances. For a moisturizing and paraben-free hand soap, pick the Softsoap Antibacterial Kitchen Fresh Hand Soap. If you have sensitive skin, opt for the J. R. Watkins Foaming Hand Soap – Lemon. For a vegan option that enhances the skin’s natural protective barrier, go for the Cucina Fruits And Passion Hand Soap With Olive Oil. With so many options available, choosing the right product might seem to be a little overwhelming. The reviewed options mentioned above in the curated list are clinically proven and gentle formulas free of synthetic toxins. Ensure the soap has the right consistency, has extra hydrating properties, and is free from additives while choosing the best kitchen hand soaps.
Why Trust StyleCraze?
Kirtana Divakar is a skin care enthusiast who loves trying out different skin products. She vouches for using the best kitchen hand soap to make sure your hands are soft and smooth even after washing them numerous times. She has carefully researched the products and online reviews to help her readers pick the best kitchen soaps. These kitchen hand soaps not only help cleanse your hands after you chop the vegetables and do the dishes, but they also take off the stench and leave your hands smelling good.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best-smelling kitchen hand soap?
The Softsoap Antibacterial Kitchen Fresh Hand Soap is the best-smelling kitchen hand soap. The soap contains a zesty lemony scent that neutralizes any foul odor and leaves your hands smelling fresh and pleasant.
Does hand soap dry out your hands?
No. Good-quality hand soaps are made up of nourishing ingredients that moisturize your hands. But hand soaps containing harsh chemicals like parabens, sulfates, and synthetic fragrances can dry your hands.
Are all hand soaps antibacterial?
No. Antibacterial soaps contain certain chemicals that prevent bacterial infection. Regular soaps do not have these chemicals.
Can you use shampoo as a kitchen hand soap?
Yes. A shampoo is a good replacement for kitchen hand soap. Its gentle formula cleanses the dirt off your hands and removes foul odor.
Can you use bar soap to clean your hands?
No. Do not use bar soap to clean your hands. They attract multiple microorganisms and are not hygienic. In addition, bar soaps often contain harsh abrasive chemicals that dry the skin.
Is there a difference between dish soap and hand soap?
Yes. Hand soaps contain gentle ingredients that cleanse the dirt from your hands while not being too abrasive at the same time. They often contain moisturizing ingredients like glycerin. In contrast, dish soap contains harsh cleansing agents suitable for quick-rinsing your dishes.
Read full bio of Becky Sturm
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