Bar Soap vs Liquid Soap: Why Bar Soap Is Better

Did you know most liquid soap is 70% water? No surprise your skin feels dry after using it. And no surprise they try to sell you lotion right after.

Liquid soap has become the default. It’s familiar. Easy. A pump, a squirt, and done. But when you look a little closer—at the ingredients, the packaging, and how your skin feels after—it stops making sense.

Bar soap, on the other hand, has gotten a bad rap. People say it leaves residue. That it’s outdated. But when it’s made with pure, skin-loving ingredients—like goat milk, olive oil, and shea butter—it’s not just good. It’s better.

For your skin. For your wallet. For the Earth.

Especially when it’s made the way we make it in our goat milk soap: 11 real ingredients from Mother Earth.
Handmade. Cold-processed. No fragrance. No plastic. Just what your skin needs—nothing it doesn’t.

You can learn more about bar soap vs liquid soap below. Just know whether you’re looking for the best soap for dry skin or the best soap for aging skin, your search ends here.

Quick Comparison of Bar vs Liquid Soap

Benefits of Bar Soap

Bar soap is finally shaking off the stigma. People are realizing: it works. And unlike plastic pumps, bars don’t hide their ingredients—or their impact.

No Water Weight

Liquid soap is mostly filler. Water makes it cheaper to produce, but it also dilutes everything your skin actually needs. that lather you’re used to? It’s mostly from synthetic surfactants—designed to foam and strip, not nourish. Bar soap skips the filler and delivers nutrients straight to your skin. Every inch of a well-made bar is there for a reason.

Kinder to Your Skin Barrier

Your skin isn’t meant to be stripped. But most liquid soap does just that—breaking down the natural oils your skin relies on. That tight, dry feeling after a shower? That’s your barrier, disrupted - yearning for nourishment. 

A cold-processed bar like ours cleans without overdoing it. Goat milk, shea butter, and olive oil don’t just cleanse—they moisturize. You’ll step out of the shower feeling soft, not thirsty. No need for toner. No need for lotion. Just silky, soft healing.

Better for Mother Earth, Too

Bar soap doesn’t come with plastic waste. It doesn’t need preservatives to stay “fresh.” It’s lighter to ship. And it breaks down clean.

Our bar comes nestled in a compostable planter box—no glue, no plastic, just materials that gently return to the Earth.

The Appeal of Liquid Soap

We get it. Pumps are convenient. They don’t slip in the shower. They feel clean because you don’t have to touch the product directly.

But it’s worth asking: What are you really paying for?

Convenience and Familiarity

Liquid soap is everywhere. It’s what you grew up with. What’s at your gym. Your hotel. It’s easy. That’s its whole pitch.

But ease doesn’t equal quality. And skin that’s constantly inflamed, red, or dry - yearning for lotion - is trying to tell you something.

At What Cost?

That bottle might look harmless, but look closer: Artificial fragrance. Harsh detergents. Drying alcohols.  Hormone-disrupting preservatives you can’t pronounce.

All of it goes straight into your skin—the largest organ in your body—every single time you wash.

And then? You’re sold a moisturizer to undo the damage. A toner to soothe the redness. A serum to fake the glow. It’s a cycle. One that starts with overprocessed soap.

Bar Soap vs Liquid Soap: Key Differences to Note

It’s not just about the format. It’s about what your skin is absorbing  And what you’re washing down the drain. Here’s what you need to know about bar soap vs liquid soap.

Ingredients + What You’re Paying For

Liquid soap is mostly water, plus lab-made additives. Bar soap contains concentrated nutrients—if it’s made right. At Oshun, we chose each of our 11 ingredients with care. They’ve been used for centuries to heal, soften, and calm the skin.

No synthetic fragrance. No filler. No cheap alternatives.

Your Skin Knows the Difference

Liquid soap leaves you feeling raw. Too alkaline. Too harsh. Too stripped. That tight feeling isn’t “clean.” It's a barrier imbalance.

Bar soap—especially goat milk soap—feeds your skin instead of fighting it. You’ll feel it in the softness. The glow. The ease. Your skin finally gets fed real food. 

Environmental Impact

You ned to consider the differences between bar soap vs liquid soap not just in terms of how they leave your skin looking and feeling, but their impact on Mother Earth as well.

Every bottle of liquid soap adds to the landfill. And it takes more energy to ship all that water. Bar soap skips the plastic, the water weight, and the unnecessary waste.

At Oshun, we go even further. Our packaging is compostable. Our ingredients are biodegradable. We use no plastic, no glue, no shortcuts. Every step is a return to ritual. A love letter to the Earth.

So... Is Bar Soap Better Than Liquid Soap?

Yes. It is.

But not all bar soap is created equal. Many bars at farmer’s markets still include fragrance, cheap ingredients, preservatives or glitter. We don’t do that. We don’t believe in shortcuts or trends.

At Oshun, we use:

• Goat milk from a family farm in the Philippines
  
• First-press olive oil from Spain
  
• Virgin coconut oil
  
• Unrefined shea butter from Ghana
  
• White willow bark (natural salicylic acid)
  
• Kaolin clay, manuka honey, and pearl powder for a gentle glow
  
• And only a few other plant-based, skin-safe ingredients
  

No fillers. No fragrance. Just 11 ingredients, chosen for a reason.  Cold-processed in small batches to preserve the potency of every nutrient. Wrapped in packaging that turns into soil.

Because we believe that Mother Earth is medicine.
And bar soap—when it’s made right—is everything your skin has been missing.