Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap

Most of us are exposed to enough chemicals and pollutants without getting more from our hand soap. Some common hand and face soaps are surprisingly high in synthetic chemicals – even products from companies whose names you “trust”. An example is Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar which contains triethanolamine – a possible cancer causing agent.

An Alternative?

While exploring the aisles of a natural food market, I came upon Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap, a relative newcomer to the world of soaps and cleaners. I was impressed with the fact that the company uses primarily natural ingredients such as essential oils. According to their website, when they do use a synthetic ingredient it’s one that has a good safety record. They also don’t do testing on animals.

How is Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap Packaged?

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap is available in several scents including geranium, basil, lemon verbena, and lavender. The soap comes in a 12.5 ounce pump plastic bottle which makes it easy to dispense. It’s completely biodegradable.

What’s It Made Of?

Upon studying the ingredients, I noticed that most are natural including olive oil and various essential oils, but it does have some ingredients that are questionable from a health standpoint such as cocamidopropyl betaine which can cause allergic reactions, and the preservative sodium benzoate which is an endocrine disruptor in some animal studies. To be fair, it appears to be a safer alternative to most of the other hand soaps out there. Even natural products containing essential oil can cause allergic reactions and skin irritation, so there’s no soap that’s completely safe for everyone.

Is Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap Pleasant to Use?

I chose the lemon verbena scent since it sounded light and fresh. After opening the bottle and using the easy-to-operate pump to wash my hands several times, I was struck by the overpowering scent. Although it has a pleasant, lemony-citrus scent, the odor remained on my hands no matter how long I rinsed and dried. Even more disturbing is the fact that when I popped a piece of gum into my mouth after washing my hands, the gum tasted like Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap. The experience was similar every time I used this product.

Would I Buy Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap Again?

Probably not. I found the scent to be overpowering and I didn’t like the way the odor stayed around for hours after I used it. Possibly, it could be diluted with water to reduce the scent which would also make it last longer – making the price of $6.95 easier to justify. If you like a powerful scent, by all means, try this product; but if you’re looking for something more subtle I wouldn’t recommend it.