Here's a secret the men's grooming aisle would rather you didn't hear. There's no such thing as men's soap. Soap cleans everyone the same way, and nothing about the chemistry changes because the label is black and the bar has a beard on it.
What does change from bar to bar is the scent, how much scrub is in it, what it's actually made of, and how long it lasts. Those are worth caring about. So we lined up six bars men tend to reach for, ours included, and judged them on the things that matter. We make soap, so you're welcome to raise an eyebrow at our section. We've tried to be fair to everybody else.
First, a word on what's in the bar
Turn any bar over and the first ingredient tells you most of the story.
- Names like sodium palmate, sodium cocoate or sodium olivate mean true soap made from plant oils (palm, coconut, olive).
- Sodium tallowate is true soap made from beef fat. Perfectly good soap, and it's how most soap was made for centuries. Vegetarians and vegans will want to know, though.
- Sodium lauroyl isethionate at the top means a synthetic detergent bar. It cleans, it just isn't technically soap, and it rinses off with a different feel.
None of these is wrong. They're different, and now you'll know which one you're buying.
The bars, side by side
| Bar | What it's made of | Scent | Scrub | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Squatch | Cold process soap from plant oils | Strong, woodsy and cologne-like | Zero to heavy, depending on the bar | Their site, Target, Walmart, Amazon |
| Duke Cannon Big Ass Brick | Triple-milled soap from tallow and/or palm, plus coconut or palm kernel | Bold, outdoorsy | None | Their site, Costco, Ulta, Lowe's |
| Every Man Jack | Vegetable-based soap with shea butter | Moderate, sandalwood and friends | None | Grocery and natural food stores |
| Irish Spring Original | Soap with flaxseed oil, fragrance and green dyes | Strong and very familiar | None | Every grocery store and drugstore |
| Dove Men+Care | Mostly synthetic detergent (Dove calls it a body and face bar) | Light to moderate | None | Every grocery store and drugstore |
| BubbleDrunk | Small-batch cold process soap from organic oils | Varies by bar, from none to bold | A few bars | Our shop and local stockists |
Ingredients are from each brand's current labels. Recipes change, so check the bar in your hand if it matters to you.
Dr. Squatch
The one that made bar soap cool for a whole generation of guys who'd been using body wash since middle school. Squatch is cold process soap made from plant oils, and it's good soap. The scents are the point. They're big, woodsy and built to last, and a lot of the bars carry grit like sand, pumice or oatmeal. If you want the long version, we wrote up our favorite Dr. Squatch bars and a guide to Dr. Squatch alternatives.
Good pick if you want your soap to smell like a cabin with good taste. Maybe not if you prefer scent that stays in the shower.
Duke Cannon Big Ass Brick of Soap
The name isn't a joke, or not only a joke. It's a 10 ounce bar, roughly three regular bars' worth, and it's triple milled, which means the soap is ground and pressed until it's dense and hard. That makes it slow to wear down. The label lists sodium tallowate and/or sodium palmate first, so it may be made with beef tallow. There's no scrub in it.
Good pick if you hate buying soap often. Maybe not if you avoid animal ingredients, or if a 10 ounce brick won't fit in your soap dish (it might not).
Every Man Jack
A tidy, easy-to-find vegetable-based bar. The sandalwood version lists palm and coconut soap, glycerin and shea butter, and it's labeled vegan. The scents are noticeable but not loud. Think of it as the reliable middle of the road, and we mean that as a compliment.
Good pick if you want a plant-based bar you can grab on a regular grocery run. Maybe not if you want a bar with real personality.
Irish Spring Original
The bar your dad used, and possibly his dad. It's real soap, and the current US label lists flaxseed oil, fragrance and two green dyes, which give it that famous color and smell. It's sold as a deodorant soap and it's everywhere. People also use it for some surprising things outdoors, which we covered in what Irish Spring soap repels.
Good pick if you want cheap, familiar and available at 11 p.m. Maybe not if you want a short ingredient list or no added dyes.
Dove Men+Care
Technically not soap, and Dove doesn't call it soap. The first ingredient is sodium lauroyl isethionate, a synthetic cleanser, and Dove sells it as a body and face bar. It rinses differently from true soap and plenty of people prefer that feel. If you've ever said "bar soap feels tight on me," this is the bar people usually hand you.
Good pick if true soap isn't your thing. Maybe not if you're after a handmade or short-ingredient bar.
BubbleDrunk (yes, us)
We make cold process soap in small batches with organic oils, here in Massachusetts. Most of our men's bars lean woodsy, boozy or fresh. 1991 is our nod to a certain 90s cologne. Give Yer Balls a Scrub is bergamot, bourbon and burnt lumber, and it's exactly as subtle as the name. And if you'd rather smell like nothing at all, our Castile Soap is fragrance-free.
The honest downsides. Small batches sell out, and you won't find us at Target. Some bars come and go with the seasons.
Good pick if you like a bar made by actual people with a sense of humor. Maybe not if you need soap tonight from a store down the road.
So which one?
Pick by what you'll notice every morning. If scent is the whole point, go Squatch or one of ours. If you want the bar to last forever, get the Duke Cannon brick. If you want plant-based and easy to find, Every Man Jack. If you want what you grew up with, Irish Spring. And if true soap has never agreed with you, Dove is the one to try.
Whichever you choose, keep it on a dish that drains. A dry bar lasts a lot longer than a wet one, and that's true of every bar on this list. More on that in how long a bar of soap lasts.
When you're ready, our men's bar soap is all in one place.