These Organic, Skin-Healing Cleansing Bars Will Change Everything You Think About Bar Soap

Properly formulated bar soap can actually help heal dry skin, acne, rosacea, and more. Get ready to add a few bars to your beauty routines!

The history behind Osmia has all the hallmarks of a “follow your passion, and you’ll never work a day in your life story.” Dr. Sarah Villafranco spent nearly 10 years practicing medicine before her vision of soap-making as “a fun hobby” would allow her to “[practice] a broader brand of medicine [by] energizing people to engage in their own wellness through skin health and sensory experience.” 

When asked if the old adage was accurate, she said, “It’s more like this: Follow your passion ... and be prepared to work your ass off for years on end with (hopefully) an awesome team to do great things together. Learning to be bold enough to make mistakes,” she said, “and resilient enough to recover quickly from them are among the more important skills I’ve acquired along the way. That, and learning to trust my instincts when it comes to building a team!”

Opting to Go Organic

In our earlier conversation about soap making and Osmia’s cold-process approach, Dr. Sarah explained that not all bar soaps are organic. “Even within the cold-process, hand-crafted soap niche, very few soap makers choose to invest in high-quality, sustainably-sourced, certified organic ingredients. Our cold-process soap is made with organic plant oils, clay or botanical powders for color, and essential oils for scent. And that’s why our bars are $18 instead of $4.” 

Walking the Walk, Not Just Talking the Talk

Consumers choose organic products for a myriad of reasons. “They are investing in organic farming, their own health, and the future of the planet. That’s why it’s so maddening,” Dr. Sarah says, “to see greenwashing in the industry.” Much like whitewashing – glossing over distasteful facts in order to paint a better picture of something – greenwashing occurs when businesses work harder to promote themselves as being “earth first” than actually doing it. And why wouldn’t they? According to Nielsen’s Global Corporate Sustainability Report, “Sixty-six percent of [surveyed participants said they were] willing to pay more for sustainable goods.” Dr. Sarah concurs. “I think people who look for organic products expect to pay more for them, and if customers are willing to make that investment, we, as brands, need to uphold our commitment to their investment and truly practice what we preach!”

What the Label Should Tell You

In terms of safety, I don’t remember seeing any labeling on the handcrafted soap I purchased in the distant past, but “soap should be clearly labeled with either the ingredients that went into the bar or the ingredients in the finished bar.” Since labeling varies, Dr. Sarah clarified a few variations. The label “might say olive oil and sodium hydroxide (these two went into the bar), or it could say saponified olive oil, or sodium olivate (both are ways of describing the contents of the finished bar after saponification has been completed).”

Osmia’s Facial Soaps Are For Rosacea and Acne-Prone Skin, Too

Armed with new and compelling information, you may be ready to give one of Osmia’s bar soaps a try. They offer three different varieties, including their bestselling Black Clay Facial Soap, which contains anti-inflammatory Dead Sea Mud and has a “wildly enthusiastic following among those who struggle with acne and dermatitis.” It also has a 5-star rating and over 950 reviews! 

For a naturally exfoliating cleanser, the Pumpkin Facial Soap contains organic honey and camellia seed oil for moisture. 

Dr. Sarah recommends two different soaps for customers with rosacea: “the Black Clay Facial Soap if the rosacea has an acne-like appearance and the Rose Clay Facial Soap if the skin has more redness than bumps.”

Once you’ve selected your soap of choice, check out Osmia’s short video, “How to wash your face with bar soap.” According to Dr. Sarah, “Rubbing the bar directly on the skin does not get enough product on your face. When you work up a nice, thick lather, you know you’ve got a good amount of product in your hands to get your skin fully cleansed and conditioned.”

Best Selling Body Soap

Even if you’re not ready to incorporate bar soap into your facial care routine, Osmia’s body soaps will make both your nose and your skin happy. And, they look like pieces of art! Here are a few great options: 

• Milky Rose and Lavender Shea for dry skin
• Lavender Pine for keratosis pilaris
• Oh So Soap (unscented) for troublesome, sensitive skin, or those with eczema
• Oh So Detox to fight body breakouts
• Coffee Mint for moisture and exfoliation (One of Beautytap Editor, Elycia’s favorites)