The Best Soaps For Eczema, According To A Derm

• Also available at CVS, $11

The classic bar soap in a sensitive skin-friendly formula gets Dr. Loretta's top pick for patients with eczema. "It's not loaded with potentially sensitizing foaming agents or artificial color or fragrance," she says of the Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar. The fragrance-free and hypoallergenic formula still includes Dove's ¼ moisturizing cream to keep eczema-prone skin moisturized, helping to eliminate flare-ups that are caused by dry skin. Another reason Dr. Loretta likes this Dove soap for her patients is because it's affordable.

One reviewer wrote: “Recommended by my dermatologist for sensitive skin. Works great!!! No more dry patches! Eczema is gone with combination of Cetaphil cream.”

• Also available at Walmart, $8

Another bar soap that can be used on your face, Vanicream's Cleansing Bar is even accepted by the National Eczema Association. Using the brand's cream as a moisturizing base, the dermatologist-tested soap is free from irritants like dyes, fragrance, lanolin, parabens, formaldehyde, and formaldehyde releasers. Gentle enough to be used on skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and ichthyosis, the soap works into a rich lather while still being non-comedogenic, so you don't have to worry about it clogging your pores and causing acne.

One reviewer wrote: “I have been having a terrible time with eczema for the past 15 months and my dermatologist recommended that I try Vanicream products; I didn’t have much hope that it would make it go away but I bought the soap, shampoo, hair gel and face wash and my eczema is completely gone. I love this company.”

• Also available at Dermstore, $15

If you're looking for a cleanser that's tough enough to remove makeup but won't cause your skin to dry out, Avène Eau Thermale cleansing foam is a gentle, fragrance-free, non-comedogenic option. Even though it’s free of soap, it still effectively removes makeup without stripping the skin or altering the natural pH. It also prevents the production of excess oil with lactic acid and soothes irritation with thermal spring water.

One reviewer wrote: “My skin is very sensitive and I've really enjoyed the gentle cleansing effect of this product. It leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh without drying it out.”

• Also available at Walgreens, $7

This SheaMoisture bar soap was specifically designed for eczema-prone skin. Moisturizing ingredients like shea butter are combined with soothing ingredients like oatmeal, aloe, charcoal, and rosemary, which can help heal the symptoms of eczema while keeping future flare-ups at bay. It's important to note that this bar soap does include fragrance (in the form of essential oils) in its ingredient list, so if you have a known sensitivity, stay away — but many Amazon reviewers still give it the seal of approval for eczema.

One reviewer wrote: “I was using a popular brand of soap that was supposed to be good for eczema but made it worse. I tried this because I was desperately itching. It worked! Yes it's black and leaves a wonderful light oil residue! Probably the Shea butter!? It's much better than the dry itchy skin keeping me awake all night.”

• Also available at CVS, $21

Another National Eczema Association-approved option, Cetaphil's Pro Soothing Wash (formerly know as the Pro RestoraDerm Gentle Body Wash) is gentle enough to be used by babies as young as three months. The soap-free formula uses a filaggrin complex to create a creamy lather that leaves skin clean without stripping it of its natural oils. Ingredients like shea butter, sunflower seed oil, and niacinamide help soothe dryness and strengthen the skin's natural protective barrier to keep future flare-ups at bay.

One reviewer wrote: “This stuff worked wonders when our baby was suffering from eczema. It worked better than anything except Rx hormone creams, which we rarely had to use for flair ups thanks to this wash. We probably don't need to anymore, but still use it 3 years later out of habit.”

• Also available at Walmart, $13

Hands are one of the most common areas on the body where eczema occurs, and because you wash your hands throughout the day, finding a soap that won't exacerbate the condition is important. While most household hand soaps contain fragrances that can be particularly irritating, the Vanicream Liquid Cleanser (formerly known as Free & Clear) was designed with skin sensitivities in mind. The liquid soap is dermatologist-tested and can be used on your hands, face, and body. It's sulfate-free and betaine-free, in addition to being free of common chemical irritants like dyes, fragrance, lanolin, parabens, and formaldehyde/formaldehyde releasers. Plus, it comes in a traditional pump bottle, so it's easy to use and refill.

One reviewer wrote: “I love this product!! I have really bad eczema on my hands and this product helped! I’ve been looking for something that worked for my itchy dry flaky hands and within one week even my family noticed a huge changed on my hands.”

• Also available at Dermstore, $29

This Bioderma Atoderm Cleansing Oil might just be the most luxurious way to pamper sensitive skin. The cleansing oil is formulated with plant biolipids, like coconut and sunflower ester, to soothe dry, itchy skin and strengthen its barrier. Bioderma also uses a patented formula with seaweed extract to increase the skin's tolerance threshold while decreasing its reactivity and improving impermeability against aggressors like pollution and allergens. The soap-free and hypoallergenic oil still creates a creamy lather that provides skin with 24 hours of hydration without leaving behind a greasy film, and despite it containing fragrance, customers with eczema-prone skin swear by it.

One reviewer wrote: “I was in the middle of an eczema breakout that covered both legs and was spreading on my arms - this product and the lotion that goes along with it were recommended to me by my dermatologist to get my skin under control. After maybe 5 days of use all of my breakouts had almost entirely stopped itching and were beginning to clear up. I haven’t had a flair up or break out in 6 months apart from one that was my own fault; this product got that back under control in no time.”