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Switch to natural hand soap

All Practically Green: 424 or so people have DONE this action so far.

All Practically Green: 47 or so people have ADDED this to their action plan so far.

Why is "Switch to natural hand soap" green?

A bar of soap seems like a simple enough thing. Soap has been around for millennia. But not all soaps are created equal. Like most conventional cosmetics, soaps can contain a number of synthetic chemicals that have been linked to everything from cancers to hormone disruption to birth defects to skin or eye irritation.

While hand soap formulations vary brand to brand, they tend contain multiple controversial petroleum-derived ingredients. They can also contain beef fat (tallow) from factory-farmed animals, dyes, and harsh chemical foaming agents. Perfumed soaps often contain synthetic fragrance, which the Environmental Working Group deems a high hazard due to its links to allergies, dermatitis, respiratory distress, and potential effects on the reproductive system.

Some soaps have unnecessary and dangerous antibacterial chemicals, including triclosan, which, according to the American Medical Association, may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics. Triclosan is known to produce toxic chlorinated substances that aren’t biodegradable—when it washes down the drain it gets in our waterways and interferes with aquatic life. The medical community agrees that soap and water is all that is needed when washing hands.

Natural soaps made of vegetable oils and perfumed with essential oils are a safer bet.

How to: Switch to natural hand soap

If your current soap doesn’t have natural or organic certification, look it up on the on the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database or the GoodGuide. If it scores poorly, replace it with one that scores better and contains natural or organic ingredients.

Not available in your local store? Check natural product stores and online.

  • Green Mountain Naturally Pure Liquid
    • (1 Rating)

    According the Green Mountain Soap, their soaps are made from the purest, most natural ingredients. They are not detergents, but true soaps that are free of fragrances, dyes and preservatives.

  • Sun & Earth Liquid Hand Soap
    • (1 Rating)

    Rated extremely highly by GoodGuide, this gentle hand soap is made of a natural, hypoallergenic formula of Aloe Vera and other moisturizers and emollients to help keep skin soft. Sun & Earth says it is vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, casein-free and free of tree nuts and peanuts.

  • Smallbones Pure Castille Soap
    • (1 Rating)

    Rated extremely highly by EWG's Skin Deep database, this pure olive oil soap is very mild, making it especially suitable for sensitive adult skin and for babies. Smallbones says their traditional soap is made simply from saponified olive oil and rain water.