Why Men are Switching to Natural Soap Bars (And Why You Should Too)

If you’re like most guys I meet at the Berlin markets, your shower routine has been on autopilot for years. You grab whatever "Sport" or "Energy" body wash is on sale, scrub, rinse, and repeat. But have you noticed that "squeaky clean" feeling actually feels tight and itchy? Or that you’re tossing a new plastic bottle into the yellow bin every few weeks?

I’ve seen the shift personally: the number of men buying from me has risen from 1 in 5 customers in 2019 to 1 in 3 today. It turns out, switching to a high-quality natural bar soap for men is the better option that actually costs less and lasts longer.

The Body Wash Problem Nobody Talks About

That itchy, dry sensation after a shower isn't "clean", it’s your skin crying for help. Most commercial body washes aren't actually soap but synthetic detergents (syndets). They use harsh foaming agents to strip your skin of its natural oils, forcing you to use lotions or moisturizers just to feel normal again.

Even worse is the efficiency gap. According to a comparative study Life Cycle Assessment conducted by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich), consumers use six times more liquid soap than bar soap to achieve the same level of cleanliness. You are literally pouring money down the drain. Do the math: if you are buying a new bottle every three weeks, you are spending significantly more than necessary. Then there is the "plastic ghost", the bottle that sits in your shower, then your trash, then a landfill for the next 400 years, or burned and convereted into energy and ultimate wastes (ashes and filtered particules).

Natural soap is a product made from actual ingredients you can relate to, not a list of chemical names

Why the Bar Wins (The Science of the "Superfat")

When natural soaps are made properly, specifically through the cold process method we use at babassu soaps, they do something a bottle of chemicals can’t: they hydrate the superficial layer of your skin.

1. Glycerin retention: in industrial soap making, glycerin (a natural humectant that locks moisture into your skin) is often stripped out to be sold as an ingredient for expensive creams. In our Berlin workshop, we keep 100% of the glycerin in the bar. Also it would be a long additional process to separate the glycerin from the rest of the batter.
   

2. Natural soaps made with plant-based oils create a gentler cleanse than body wash. You wash, you feel clean without that tight, dried-out feeling. No need to apply moisturizer just to feel normal again.

The Real Value: Quality Over Cost

A premium natural bar soap costs about the same as body wash per year. One quality bar at €7-8 lasts roughly a month, (€90 annually), similar to what you would spend on body wash bottles.

But here's where it gets interesting: one bar outlasts multiple bottles in actual use. You are using six times less product per wash with soap. It's not about saving money, it's about getting more value for the same price.

Zero plastic waste and a premium product. That's the upgrade.

Fragrance: Actual Scent Instead of Marketing Words

Body wash fragrances come with names like "Arctic Ice" or "Neon Pulse", which aren't real scents, they're marketing labels for synthetic chemicals engineered to smell strong for a few minutes.

Natural soaps use actual essential oils. The real difference? The fragrance experience while you're using it is genuinely better. You're washing with real cedarwood oer lavender essential oils, not synthetic "fresh" chemicals. It smells like something authentic, not manufactured in a lab.

Will it last all day? Honestly, no, it washes off like any soap fragrance. But for the 5 minutes you are in the shower, you're experiencing actual scent, not artificial approximation.

Some of Our fragrances:

Lavender & bergamote (Louis) : calming floral with a hint of citrus freshness Sage Clary & Geranium (Henri) : herbal, earthy notes with elegant floral lift Rosemary & Lavender (Olive Love): fresh flowers with herbal base

Louis

Henri

Olive Love

The Environmental Angle (Without the Lecture)

You don't need to be an activist to appreciate the logic here. One bar of natural soap avoid the use of a full bottle of body wash. Over five years, that is at the very least 60 bottles you’ve personally eliminated from the waste cycle.

While body wash ingredients often persist in water systems, natural soap is fully biodegradable within days.

How to Use It (Pro Tips for Longevity)

Using a high-quality bar soap is simple, but there is a right way to get the best results:

The Lather

Wet your hands or a washcloth, then rub the bar briefly to build up a creamy lather. You’ll notice the foam is denser and less impressive than the “airy” bubbles of liquid soap. Bigger bubbles don’t mean better cleaning, they’re just soap molecules escaping into the air instead of cleansing your skin.

The Storage

This part makes all the difference. To extend your bar’s life, always keep it on a well-draining soap dish. If it sits in standing water, it will soften and dissolve quickly. Storing it on a dry surface, or better yet, using one of our colored magnetic soap holders, helps it last much longer.

Is your soap holder a 'Soap Lifter' or a 'Soap Killer'? Check out our full analysis to see where your favorite ranks.

About Babassu Soaps

We make soap the simple way: handcrafted in Berlin with plant oils and essential oils. No synthetic fragrances, no unnecessary chemicals. Just quality bars that feel and perform better than what you'll find in most shops.

If you want to stop buying plastic bottles and actually enjoy your shower, we've got you covered.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is bar soap less hygienic than liquid soap?

No. Bacteria do not transfer from a soap bar to your skin during use. As long as the bar is allowed to dry between uses, it is perfectly hygienic.

Why does my skin feel different after switching? You might notice the absence of a "slimy" film that liquid soaps leave behind. That’s because natural soap rinses clean while the "superfat" oils stay behind to moisturize your skin naturally.

Where are your soaps made?

Every bar of babassu soaps is handcrafted in our Berlin workshop in small batches to ensure quality and freshness of ingredients used.

Sources Koehler A, Wildbolz C. Comparing the environmental footprints of home-care and personal-hygiene products: the relevance of different life-cycle phases. Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Nov 15;43(22):8643-51. doi: 10.1021/es901236f. PMID: 20028065.