In recent years, the centuries-old soap has begun a revival. In particular, the many natural vegan variants now rightly have many fans. A standard supermarket shower gel is then no match. To make a fair comparison with artisanal bar soap, we assume qualitative shower gel with a high percentage of natural ingredients.
Fortunately, the producers have also seen the light here and have put a lot of innovation into producing excellent shower gel. As a result, you can now purchase very good natural variants that, due to their cleansing and nourishing components, offer a great match for an organic soap bar.
What are the biggest differences?
Of course, there are still enough differences between a bar of soap and shower gel. Let's list the most striking ones.
Bar Soap
- Not liquid
- Contains hardly any water
- Made from fat & lye
- Mildly scented
- Unlimited shelf life (if kept in a dry environment)
- Antibacterial
- Many natural (vegan) variants available
- Many scrub and exfoliant versions
- Can provide relief for psoriasis and eczema
- Lasts longer
- Cheaper
Shower Gel
- Liquid
- Main ingredient is water
- More strongly scented (sharper/deeper fragrances)
- Limited shelf life
- (Natural) preservatives
- Thickeners
- Moisture regulators
- Runs out fairly quickly
Which product is better for the skin?
In general, a soap with chemical ingredients (mass-produced factory soap with sulfates, phthalates, parabens, and synthetic dyes) can dry out and damage the skin more. This also applies to chemical shower gel.
A qualitative natural soap, which we are discussing in this battle, can cleanse the skin while also hydrating and nourishing it. Often these are soaps that contain natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, hemp seed oil, aloe vera, cocoa butter, or clay components.
A good shower gel with the right components also nourishes, hydrates, and protects the skin excellently. Often these qualitative shower gels contain a mix of natural oils, essential fatty acids, bamboo extracts, minerals & vitamins. So a good shower gel is not inferior to soap in that regard.
Current score = 1 – 1
Which product lasts the longest?
Soap lasts longer than a body wash. A good soap bar can last for a month while a shower gel runs out much faster. It sometimes happens that when you put shower gel on your hands, it flows away immediately. You lose the liquid soap right away. Or you just use too much at once without noticing, and your bottle is quickly empty.
You don't have this inconvenience with a bar of soap. However, it is important to always place the soap on a soap dish because then you won't lose it and it stays dry. Unless you use a soap on a rope. You just hang that up.
Current score = 2 – 1 for soap
Which product gives the most foam?
Generally, a bar of soap generates more and finer foam than a shower gel. That is, of course, very pleasant for the feeling. So here too, the soap scores points.
Current score = 3 – 1 for soap
Which product scrubs the best?
Without a doubt, you can scrub the skin best in the shower with a exfoliating soap. There are shower gels that have scrub crystals as an ingredient, but they generally disappear faster down the drain due to their liquidity. This might be the reason you choose a scrub soap because then your skin feels silky soft. Another point for the soap.
Current score = 4 – 1 for soap
Which product is more sustainable?
The packaging of a bar of soap is generally much easier to recycle. It usually involves a paper wrapper or a cardboard box. Unless you use soap on a rope, although the rope is not always equally sustainable. There is soap on a rope with nylon paracord up to cotton versions of the famous Portuguese Claus Porto.
Shower Gel is almost always packaged in plastic bottles. Additionally, you use more shower gel than a bar of soap, so you purchase a bottle more often. And that is also less for the environment.
Current score = 5 – 1 for soap
Which product is easier to use?
Well, to be honest? That is the bottle. Provided you master the art of not letting all the liquid soap slip through your fingers immediately. You can more easily drop a soap from your hands, causing you to bend over more. A point for the body wash!
Current score = 5 – 2 for soap
What is more economical?
You can make it as expensive as you want, but we can generally say that soap is much cheaper in comparison to bottles with shower gel. That's because you need much less of a bar of soap than shower gel.
You unfortunately use (waste...) much more body wash in general, causing the bottle to empty faster. A bar of soap lasts up to 2x longer. And that's significantly more economical.
Current score = 6 – 2 for soap
The winner?
Looking at the score, soap is the glorious winner. However, we do not mean to say that you couldn't (also) go for a good shower gel. Nowadays, they come in excellent qualities, luxurious fragrances, and with refined natural ingredients that pamper your skin. Brands like Doers of London, Firsthand Supply, and Grown Alchemist are also at the top of our top 10 best shower gel.
The natural vegan soaps often have an exfoliating character in addition to good cleansing properties. This cleans and removes dead skin cells, resulting in a clean and soft feeling. So all in all, the bar soap takes the honor. Convinced? View then our top 10 best soap.
Good luck!
Your friends, The Alpha Men.