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Welcome to my beauty column! We will devote this space to a different product category for the month, be it body wash, nail polish, or bath salts. We’ll let you know which brand outshined the rest in the categories of safety, environmental responsiveness, packaging, practicality, and results so that you can make informed choices about what you slather on, dust on, and lather up with. This month we take on bar soap…

I have to admit, I’ve never been a connoisseur of bar soap. Don’t get me wrong, I use it! But whether it was made with Shea Butter or Olive Oil, Milled or … um…un-milled, didn’t matter -- I just didn’t appreciate the difference. I always chose fragrance-free because I knew (or thought) that it was healthier for me: the fewer perfumes the better, right? Turns out, fragrance-free doesn’t automatically mean safe. According to The Good Guide, bar soap containing high amounts of Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan, and Butylated Hydroxytoluene is questionable because these chemicals are suspected of causing organ toxicity and skin irritations.

Since I’ve never had a true fave, I plunged into the four brands reviewed here feeling rather indifferent. How varied can soap be? Once I started paying close attention to the scent, the suds, the feel upon application, and the overall effectiveness of the soaps after toweling off, however, I realized all bar soaps are not equal.

Tom's of Maine Natural Deodorant Body Bar - Lemongrass

Safety:
• Has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics, but has not met all requirements: Tom's has not yet fully listed all ingredients on their product labels.

• Ranked 0 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep Database (low hazard).

• Free of Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan, and Butylated Hydroxytoluene.

Environmental responsiveness:
• Company donates 10% of pre-tax profits to charitable organizations supporting the environment, human needs, the arts, and education; no animal testing or animal ingredients.

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: With a safety ranking of 0, how can this product go wrong? Read the ingredient list — soap of coconut and palm, sage extract, rosemary extract, ascorbyl palmitate (vitamin C), and lemongrass oil — and the hair doesn’t stand up on your arms. The soap, milled four times, suds up nicely, smells good, and leaves skin smooth afterward. The only downside? This soap is just a touch slippery, so it fell out of my hands sometimes.

Practicality: $3.19

Dancing Dingo Lavender Patchouli Shea Butter Bar

Safety:
• Has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and enjoys full member status.

• Ranked 0 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (low hazard).

• Free of Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan and Butylated Hydroxytoluene.

Environmental responsiveness:
• Cruelty-Free; Leaping Bunny and PETA-approved; certified organic.

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: Dancing Dingo is a brand I just became familiar with, and the soap was a welcome surprise. Made of ingredients deemed safe, it suds up nicely and has a nice lavender scent. The soap is a bit slick going on, but it washes off thoroughly and leaves my skin clean (not tacky).

Practicality: $6

Mistral Litchi Rose Organic Shea Butter & Olive Oil

Safety:
• Has not signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics.

• Ranked 6 out of 10 in safety on the Skin Deep database (moderate hazard).

• Free of Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan, and Butylated Hydroxytoluene.

Environmental responsiveness:
• No animal testing.

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: The recipe for this triple-milled soap comes straight from France (ooh la la!), but its strong fragrance brings its safety ranking to 6, which is too bad. I loooove the scent, which perfumes my bathroom and removes the need for air freshener (yes, it’s that yummy!) It lathers nicely and leaves my skin soft, smooth.

Practicality: $8

100% Pure Coconut Butter Soap

Safety:
• Has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics and made progress towards compliance, but it may not meet all requirements.

• The product is not ranked on the Skin Deep database.

• Free of Benzyl Alcohol, Triclosan, and Butylated Hydroxytoluene.

Environmental responsiveness:

• Vegetarian, gluten- free

Packaging: Recyclable

Results: This pure vegetable soap is packaged so prettily in sheer netting with a pink bow. It’s enhanced with shea butter and coconut oil, which add a lovely light scent. It’s very moisturizing and leaves no sticky residue. The only downside? It’s huge! It slips out of my hands constantly, so I eventually cut it in half so I could handle it. Hey, at least I got my money’s worth: it's like having two for the price of one!

Practicality: $8