Let’s be blunt: most body washes are bottles of liquid plastic pretending to care about your skin. They foam and smell nice, but under the surface you're often paying for water, synthetic detergents, preservatives, and a plastic bottle.
At Purge Co, our bars are made from natural ingredients, zero plastic or minimal plastic packaging, and built with ritual in mind. What you’re reading here isn’t marketing fluff — there’s real science and sustainability behind the argument.
What Makes Natural Soap Different
Natural soap is produced via saponification: oils/fats + lye = soap + glycerin. No mystery additives. No synthetic stabilizers.
In a 2025 study published in PLOS ONE, researchers compared natural soap compounds (like potassium laurate, potassium oleate) with synthetic detergents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulfate, SLS). They found that the natural soaps were significantly less toxic to human skin cells, more biodegradable in aquatic environments, and less ecotoxic overall. PLOS
This matters for both your skin and what happens after you rinse them down the drain.
Skin Health & Ingredients
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Shorter ingredient lists = fewer irritants. Many body washes include multiple synthetic surfactants, preservatives, fragrance stabilizers, etc.
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Glycerin built in. Natural soap retains the glycerin produced during saponification, which acts as a humectant (drawing moisture into skin).
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Less disruption of the skin barrier. Harsh detergents (e.g. some sulfates) can strip protective lipids, leading to dryness and sensitivity.
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Biocompatibility. The PLOS ONE study showed higher viability for human keratinocyte (skin cell) cultures exposed to natural soap compounds over SLS. PLOS
That said: if someone’s skin is extremely compromised (eczema, barrier damage, etc.), gentle body wash formulas with barrier-supporting ingredients can sometimes be useful.
Environmental & Waste Impact
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Plastic pollution. Most body wash comes in plastic bottles, many of which never get recycled.
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Production and transport cost. Body washes are diluted products shipped with water and require more energy, more stabilizers, more packaging per usable unit. A C&EN article noted that “solid body wash” (i.e. bars / hybrids) are being positioned as a lower-waste alternative. Chemical & Engineering News
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Biodegradability & wastewater impact. Synthetic detergents (like LAS, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates) pose greater environmental risk and degrade less easily than fatty-acid soaps. EeER+2ScienceDirect+2
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Eutrophication from phosphates. Some detergents include phosphates, which contribute to nutrient pollution in waterways—fueling algal blooms and ecosystem disruption. Wikipedia
In a field experiment, researchers replacing synthetic detergents with fatty-acid soaps showed enhanced microbial activity in wastewater treatment systems (i.e., more bacteria capable of degrading organic matter). EeER
Value, Longevity & Practical Benefits
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Bars last longer. A properly cured natural soap bar can outlive many bottles of body wash.
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No leaks. No pump failure, no half-empty messes in the shower.
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Mindful use. You use what you need—no gushing from a pump.
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Travel-friendly. Bars aren’t subject to liquid limits, don’t leak, and are easier to carry.
Where Body Wash Still Has an Edge
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pH balance. Body washes can be formulated to match more closely the skin’s natural pH (around 4.5–6), whereas traditional soaps tend to be more alkaline (pH 8–10). Wikipedia+1
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Hygiene / formula protection. Sealed bottles protect the formula from external contaminants. Bar soaps left in puddles or damp spots may develop bacteria—but studies show bacteria on bars generally don’t transfer to skin at harmful levels if stored properly.
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Gentle cleanser options. Some body washes use mild surfactants, moisturizers, and barrier-repairing actives, making them better for very compromised skin.
So body wash has its role — but for everyday cleansing, natural soap often offers the better balance.
Why Purge Co’s Natural Soaps Win
We didn’t build Purge just to ride trends. We built it to own those truths:
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Plastic-free or minimal packaging. We avoid single-use plastic.
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High-integrity ingredients. Oils, butters, clays, botanicals—not synthetic chemicals your skin rejects.
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Dense, long-lasting bars. Triple-milled, well-cured, built to last.
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Design & ritual built-in. Our bars carry symbolism—the skull, the fire, the names—reminders that cleansing is more than surface-level.
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Lore & identity. Summoned Sandalwood, Desecrated Coconut, Primordial Rebirth, Vanilla Viking, Ashes of Hades—not just scents, but narratives.
When you switch from body wash to Purge bar, you’re not just choosing a different cleanser—you’re choosing meaning, sustainability, and skin that doesn’t settle.
The Bottom Line
Natural soap outperforms plastic body wash in most important ways: better for skin, kinder to ecosystems, more value per wash, and built to spark ritual rather than routine. Body wash isn’t evil—it has its applications—but the smarter day-to-day choice? Bars all the way.
Sources
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Natural soap is clinically effective and less toxic and more biodegradable in aquatic organisms and human skin cells than synthetic detergents, PLOS ONE (2025) — Kanyama et al. PLOS
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Solid Body Wash Comes Without Packaging (But Does That Make It Eco-Friendly?) — Chemical & Engineering News Chemical & Engineering News
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Evaluating the impact of replacing synthetic detergents with fatty acid soap in wastewater treatment — EEER Journal EeER
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Comparative life-cycle analysis / biosurfactants vs synthetic detergents — ScienceDirect chapter on surfactants ScienceDirect
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Soap vs synthetic detergent: what’s the difference? — This vs That This vs. That
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Synthetic detergents: 100 years of history — ScienceDirect review ScienceDirect
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Phosphates in detergents and environmental impact — Wikipedia / detergent-phosphates topic Wikipedia