The best exfoliating bar soap goes far beyond simple cleansing. It clears buildup, smooths rough patches, and leaves your skin actually feeling fresh after a shower. But not all exfoliating bars are made equal, so we put together a list of the top five choices:

• Oshun Goat Milk Soap: Gentle exfoliation, cleansing, and hydration with 11 intentionally selected nutrients. No harsh grit that leaves your skin raw.
• Flamingo Estate Peppermint Soap Brick: Strong minty wake-up with poppy seed scrub.
• CeraVe SA Cleanser Bar: Salicylic acid for pore buildup and bumps.
• Glossier Body Hero Exfoliating Bar: Bamboo powder for a mild, spa-like polish.
• Soft Services Green Banana Buffing Bar: Heavy-duty physical smoothing for KP and ingrowns.

We’ll show you why each of these earned a spot on our guide to the best exfoliating soap. But if you just want the fast answer, Oshun is the best exfoliating bar soap on the market. 

Our goat milk soap is unlike anything else you have at your disposal. You get real exfoliation through ingredients like white willow bark and Himalayan pink salt. There’s also goat milk soap, first-press olive oil, manuka honey +20 UMF, pearl powder, shea butter, virgin coconut oil, kaolin clay, and more. Everything is chosen for a clear purpose - to serve your skin.

Breathe fresh life into tired skin with Oshun today.

Best Exfoliating Bar Soap For Body and Face

There are so many benefits of upgrading to an exfoliating bar of soap from your average bar, or from body wash for that matter. It can be used to smooth both your body and face at the same time.

A good bar clears buildup gently, lifts away rough patches, and helps your skin look brighter without stripping it. So, let’s help you find the best exfoliating bar soap below. 

Oshun Goat Milk Soap

Oshun makes soap the slow way, using ingredients your skin remembers and responds to instead of detergents or gritty scrub particles. Our bar treats dry spots, dullness, and congestion while staying gentle enough for sensitive skin. Ingredients: 

• Nubian Goat Milk — Philippines: Hydrates deeply and calms redness with its naturally creamy fats.
• First-Press Olive Oil (407 mg polyphenols) — Italy: Cushions the skin with antioxidants and keeps it soft after rinsing.
• Manuka Honey (UMF 20+) — New Zealand: Clears breakouts, smooths dry patches, and settles irritation.
• White Willow Bark: Provides natural salicylic acid that loosens buildup and clears pores.
• Pearl Powder: Adds amino acids that refine texture and brighten dull areas.
• Shea Butter — Ghana: Locks in moisture and helps even out rough, flaky spots.
• Virgin Coconut Oil — Philippines: Clears debris and leaves a hydrated glow.
• Kaolin Clay — France: Draws out impurities and softens texture without stripping.
• Citric Acid: Balances pH and helps the bar produce a creamy, comfortable lather.
• Mica Powder — United Kingdom: Adds gentle luminosity without irritation.
• Himalayan Pink Salt — Pakistan: Smooths rough patches and delivers trace minerals to rebalance the skin.

You’re getting three forms of exfoliation working together in every single lather - natural salicylic acid from White Willow Bark. Mineral smoothing from Himalayan Pink Salt. Texture-refining from Kaolin Clay and Pearl Powder.

None of them scratch or cause micro-tears. Your skin stays cushioned while the exfoliants do their job because the entire base is built from goat milk, olive oil, shea butter, and manuka honey.

This one bar of soap replaces so many things in your skincare routine, from lotions to toners. See what a difference it can make in your ritual and enjoy smoother skin from the first week - without the sting, grit, or dryness most exfoliating bars are known for.

Flamingo Estate Peppermint Soap Brick

This bar is built for people who want a strong peppermint hit and a gritty, garden-ingredient style exfoliation. It combines organic peppermint, French blue clay, Big Sur sea salt, and poppy seeds inside a large brick of plant-based soap.

The peppermint produces a sharp cooling sensation the moment the bar hits hot water. The blue clay helps draw out impurities, and the sea salt gives mineral-rich exfoliation to soften rough areas. The poppy seeds physically scrub without causing micro-tears because they’re naturally round.

The bar is made by hand, uses babassu oil instead of palm oil, and pulls ingredients from traceable growers. We appreciate all of these things, and people who want a cooling, aromatic, physical exfoliation experience might be drawn to this exfoliating bar. That said, the exfoliating properties are a bit underwhelming compared to Oshun.

CeraVe SA Cleanser Bar

CeraVe’s salicylic acid cleansing bar can help smooth rough skin on the body and face. Most of its exfoliation comes from 2% salicylic acid, which helps loosen dead skin buildup and clear clogged pores.

The formula also includes ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and a soap-free base to cleanse without stripping. It’s fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, and developed with dermatologists. 

This bar is often used for concerns like keratosis pilaris, rough bumps, or areas that need chemical exfoliation rather than physical scrub. But it’s technically soap-free, so can you really call it the best exfoliating bar soap? 

Our blog has a comparison of Cetaphil vs CeraVe if you want to see how these two popular drugstore brands compare. The truth is, though, either option means settling for less than the best exfoliating bar soap. These brands don’t put your skin first, even though they’re often recommended by dermatologists. You deserve better. 

Glossier Body Hero Exfoliating Bar

Glossier’s Body Hero Exfoliating Bar is carefully crafted with finely-milled bamboo powder and cellulose for physical exfoliation. The scrub level is moderate. It’s enough to smooth dry areas, but designed not to feel scratchy.

The base includes sunflower seed oil, aloe leaf juice, and a gentle soap blend so the bar glides effortlessly across the skin, lifting away dead cells without it feeling irritating. It has a distinct Orange Blossom Neroli fragrance with notes of pear, mandarin, and cypress.

Glossier’s bar is dermatologist-tested, vegan, cruelty-free, and made for all skin types. The exfoliation comes from extremely fine particles, so this bar is best suited for people who want a softer, spa-like exfoliating experience instead of heavy-grit buffing.

The ergonomic shape is designed to fit comfortably in the hand during use, too. But the exfoliating effect is super light - which might not be what you’re looking for. The fragrance and soap base may also be a dealbreaker for anyone who needs something fragrance-free, too.

Soft Services Green Banana Buffing Bar

Last but not least in our guide to the best exfoliating soap, we have the Green Banana Buffing Bar from Soft Services. This physical exfoliating brick has a more intense smoothing effect since it uses superfine sanding crystals compressed into a moisturizing base. This creates a gritty texture made for concerns like keratosis pilaris, ingrown hairs, rough patches, and strawberry skin.

It’s sold as a set of two bars (3.75 oz each) and comes in multiple scent profiles; the Green Banana version smells like fresh, not-quite-ripe bananas. Customers suffering from KP and bumpy texture say it works really well.

However, Soft Services explicitly mentions this is NOT the best soaps for sensitive skin. It also shouldn’t be used on sunburned or otherwise irritated skin. It shouldn’t replace your normal cleanser, either. 

It’s one of the strongest physical exfoliation bars on the market, but that doesn’t necessarily make it the best exfoliating bar soap. Oshun can be used daily for not just exfoliation but also gentle cleansing, powerful moisturizing, and subtle toning. It’s a versatile powerhouse for men and women alike. 

How to Choose the Right Exfoliating Bar Soap

After seeing how different these bars can be, it helps to know what actually matters when you're picking one for your own skin. Some rely on gritty scrub particles, some use chemical exfoliation. Others sit somewhere in the middle. 

Here’s how to narrow it down to the best exfoliating soap for YOU:

Your Skin Type

• Dry, oily, sensitive, combination: each one handles exfoliation differently. Sensitive skin usually needs gentler textures. Oily or bump-prone skin often benefits from stronger options.
• Level of Exfoliation: Decide whether you want mild polishing or heavy-duty smoothing. Bamboo powder and cellulose give a softer feel. Sanding crystals, salt, and poppy seeds are grittier.
• Type of Exfoliant: Physical exfoliants rely on grains, seeds, powders, and salts. These literally scrape away dead skin cells, which is great for KP, ingrowns, flaky arms/legs, and rough texture. Chemical exfoliants like salicylic acid (SA), citric acid dissolve buildup instead of scrubbing it off. Great for clogged pores, breakouts, and strawberry skin. Then there are hybrid bars that use both.
• Fragrance vs Fragrance-Free: Sticking with fragrance-free bars is usually safer if your skin reacts easily. Fragrance is one of the most common irritants in skincare.
• Face-Safe vs Body-Only: Some bars work beautifully on the body but are too intense for the face. Check the brand’s guidance.
• How Often You Want to Use It: Daily-use bars should be gentle. Stronger bars belong in a two-to-three-times-a-week routine.
• Ingredient Quality and Transparency: Look for full ingredient lists you can actually understand, and don’t fall for vague marketing terms. Everything should be purposefully included and totally traceable. 

But at the end of the day, Oshun is as good as it gets. It’s not just the best exfoliating bar soap. It’s the best moisturizing soap. It’s the best soap for aging skin. It’s the best soap, period. Find out what it can do for your skin today. 

Wrapping Up Our Guide to the Best Exfoliating Soap for Men and Women Alike

The best exfoliating soap for men and women alike comes down to what your skin actually needs - lighter polishing, deeper smoothing, or something that can handle bumps and buildup. There’s something for everyone in our guide to the best exfoliating bar soap.

But Oshun checks every box for most people. 11 clean, traceable, intentionally-chosen ingredients. Gentle exfoliation for clearer texture and softer skin. Subtle, natural scents with zero artificial fragrance. The perfect balance of cleansing and moisturizing. 

Oshun’s goat milk soap replaces so many other skincare products you’ve been told you need. Try it out yourself and see what you’ve been missing out on all this time. You’ll be back for more.

Frequently asked questions

How do you use exfoliating bar soap?

It’s not all that different from any other type of soap. Wet your skin, wet the bar, and work it in small circular motions over the areas you want to smooth. Go lighter on the face or anywhere that’s more delicate, and rinse well after you’re done. Most people use exfoliating bars two to three times a week, but gentler bars like Oshun can be used daily to keep skin silky smooth.

Why use bar soap instead of body wash for exfoliation?

You get more control over pressure, coverage, and scrub level. You can target rough patches directly instead of spreading a thin layer of liquid across your skin. More importantly, you’re avoiding all the nonsense found in shower gel - harsh detergents, preservatives, synthetic fragrances, thickening agents, and other stuff that leave your skin worse off. 

What makes Oshun the best exfoliating bar soap?

Oshun exfoliates without grit, fragrance, or detergents. All the smoothing benefits come from ingredients your skin already knows how to handle: White Willow Bark, Himalayan Pink Salt, Kaolin Clay, and Pearl Powder. The rest of the bar is built around goat milk, olive oil, honey, shea butter, and coconut oil so your skin stays calm while the exfoliation works. Whether you’re looking for Aesop soap alternatives or a Dove soap alternative, look no further than Oshun.