The Best Soaps for Men (That Actually Smell Great)

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Like almost everything grooming products for boys, men's soap has undergone an overhaul recently. Established brands now offer some of the best smelling soaps for men, and new brands are popping up with soaps designed specifically for men's skin. In other words, no more foam with a cheap three-in-one from the drugstore.

At a glance: The best-smelling soaps for men

The best-smelling men's soaps do something very simple: They combine premium quality with scents like low-profile citrus, bourbon, or cedarwood, to name a few. This translates into skin that can feel better, healthier and more hydrated, as well as a light, inviting scent when you step out of the shower.

in this article

The best smelling soaps for men

What to look for when buying soap

How we picked the best smelling soaps for men

The best smelling soaps for men

Below are some of the best-smelling men's soaps we could find online, including everything from affordable, all-natural Amazon finds to premium French options that give cologne a good run for its money.

1. Diptyque 34 Boulevard Saint Germain Soap

Diptyque is best known for its premium scented candles, but the French brand's soaps are also some of the best in the business. Diptyque's fragrance expertise is carried over this soap with the wood-scented bar smelling something like the French countryside in spring. But fragrance isn't the soap's only talent: It also includes almond oil and glycerin for subtle hydration and a soft feel, making it effective on almost all skin types.

2. Caswell-Massey Bar Soap Pack

Caswell-Massey has been popular for high quality soap since the eighteenth century. This assortment of bars includes three of Caswell-Massey's classic men's fragrances. The first is Greenbriar, with a floral, woody scent. The second is Tricorn, led by citrus and sandalwood. The third, Newport, boasts a beachy, salty scent. All three are made with zero parabens, sulfates, or phthalates, and the soaps use a premium triple-milling process for softness.

3. Baxter of California Men's Exfoliating Bar Soap

For an extra scrub, combine this exfoliating soap from Baxter of California. It uses jojoba flour and crushed olive seed to remove as much dead skin as possible. In addition to leaving your skin softer, this exfoliation also encourages cell renewal and improves the effectiveness of post-shower moisturizers. Plus, a nice scent of cedar and oakmoss lingers after the shower. The bar can be used as a daily soap, but we think it's best as a secondary bar for areas with excess dead skin (eg legs, elbows and back).

4. Aesop Geranium Leaf Cleanser Body Cleanser

As mentioned, we love soaps, but this Aesop liquid cleanser cannot be overlooked. A unisex fragrance is the signature feature of the body cleanser, derived from botanical ingredients such as mandarin orange, geranium leaf and bergamot. These natural ingredients – especially geranium leaf and sea salt – also act as gentle cleansing agents. The soap is good for all skin types.

5. Duke Cannon Big Brick of Soap Set

Over the last decade, Duke Cannon has quickly made a name for itself as a great smelling soap brand. Their scented soaps are inspired by the great outdoors, with scents like freshly cut pine, fire and leaves and leather in this three-pack sampler. The bars are three times the size of a regular bar of soap (hence the name, “Big Brick”) and triple. This means each bar will last much longer than others, reducing waste and reducing the hassle of refilling your soap.

6. Mistral Bar Soap

This soap from Mistral is another great men's choice from France. The premium soap uses grape seed oil and glycerin to moisturize, making it a good choice for dry or oily skin types. But the real interest of the soap is its fragrance. an attractive blend of bourbon and vanilla that smells great and lingers for a while after getting out of the shower. Thanks to its moisturizing powers, it's fantastic as an everyday foam and, thanks to the scent, it makes a great pre-date choice.

7. Harry's Bar Soap

Harry's, a men's grooming brand known for its popular shaving sets, produces many high-quality, no-frills products. Their soap is one such minimal offering, using mild ingredients like palm oil and glycerin. These create a lather that is easy on sensitive skin. Harry's also infuses fragrance with distinct scents in this sampler pack.

8. Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body & Hand Wash

We love this body wash from Jo Malone. The brand is best known for its premium unisex colognes and its special nose comes in the body wash. The fragrance is defined by ambrette, sea salt and sage, which translates into an olfactory experience akin to standing on a wooded seaside cliff. In addition to smelling great, the soap moisturizes at the same time.

9. Dr. Squatch All Natural Bar Soap

Genuine natural soaps can be hard to find, making Dr. Squatch a great find. This relatively new brand has made waves with its humorous marketing, short, simple ingredient list, and most importantly, its scents. Most of these scents are on the harsh side, and because the soaps are designed to moisturize and exfoliate, they're good for all skin types (not just lumberjacks).

10. Jack Black Turbo Wash Cleanser for Hair & Body

Another great smelling liquid soap is this Turbo Wash from Jack Black. It's one of the few two-in-one body washes we recommend – making it perfect for travel in this 3-ounce container. The ingredients (which include eucalyptus, rosemary extract and juniper berry) do double duty, removing dirt and leaving a nice scent. Rosemary and eucalyptus are especially important, providing an uplifting scent that promotes energy and confidence out of the shower.

11. Dr. Pure-Castile Liquid Soap Bronner

It's rare to find a truly natural soap (or any bath product) that also has a rich fragrance. Dr. Do Anything Soap Bronner's is one of them, incorporating a healthy dose of mint for a fresh scent that smells on the skin. The brand calls it “18-in-1” because you can use it on everything from your body to hair, dishes and pets, making it good to keep in stock — even on other soaps .

12. Cremo Bourbon & Oak Body Scrub Bars

As the name suggests, these body soap bars from Cremo actually have a smooth, creamy, moisturizing feel – even though they're actively working to remove dead skin and dirt. But the scent is the real star, filling the shower with warm scents of bourbon and white oak.

13. L'Occitane Cleansing & Emollient Almond Oil Shower Gel

If you're looking for a gentle body soap that focuses on hydration, check out this shower oil from L'Occitane. The French label uses key ingredients almond oil and vanilla to achieve a super smooth feel that also smells fresh. Use it to gently cleanse the skin or as a shaving base.

14. Body wash with salt & stones, rich in antioxidants

For a fresh, summer scent, we love this body wash from Salt & Stone. Ingredients like seaweed extract, vitamin C, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid work together to hydrate and strengthen the skin, while bergamot, vetiver and orange blossom do the heavy lifting on the front.

What to look for when buying soap

Finding the scented men's soap for your regular grooming routine can take a little extra research. Here are some things to consider when shopping.

Bar vs liquid: We're big believers in bar soaps, as they typically contain fewer chemicals (like harmful preservatives and parabens) and are better for the environment thanks to less packaging. Of course, while we love bar soaps, the convenience of liquid soap is hard to pass up. The best liquid soaps are also extremely effective at moisturizing, which is why we've included a few of them in our picks.

Skin type: Soaps with extra moisturizing powers are great if you have dry or oily skin (too much oil means your skin is overcompensating for a lack of moisture). If you have flaky skin or spend a lot of time outdoors, use an exfoliating soap to remove dead skin and dirt.

Components: Grooming brands are now much more transparent about their product ingredients. We always recommend soaps based on natural, herbal ingredients instead of harsh chemicals and artificial fragrances.

How we picked the best smelling soaps for men

Finding the best smelling soaps for men is simple: we smelled a lot of soaps. But since scent is subjective to some extent, we also combed through user reviews of soaps we liked to see if everyone else had the same wonderful experience. Finally, we checked ingredient lists to make sure each soap was (in fact) safe for long-term use.