Yes… Bar Soaps Are Completely Sanitary!

As we recently launched our new organic bar soaps, a deep discussion began at PLANT HQ.

Are bar soaps really sanitary?

Although I appreciate and love their moisturizing benefits, my own personal bias was that if you do go down the bar soap road, you should NOT share. Holly was quick to respond that actually they are quite sanitary and have been used and shared for centuries without the spread of disease. Mind completely blown!

A New York Times article detailed a study published in 1988 in the journal Epidemiology and Infection. In the study, pre-washed and softened deodorant soap bars were inoculated with E. coli and P. aeruginosa bacteria at levels 70 times as high as those reported on used soap bars. Then, 16 people were told to wash their hands as usual with the inoculated bars.

None of these 16 panelists had detectable levels of bacteria on their hands which concludes that washing even with contaminated soap is highly unlikely to actually transfer bacteria and cause disease. Any bacteria that was on the bar get dissolved in the lather, and rinses right off your skin along with it! And rinsing the bar itself off, after use, helps even more—for the next person.

So for those of you who may be afraid to give our NEW bar soaps a try, live a little and don’t forget to share it with someone you love...