If you’ve seen BOB’s refillable body wash bar and that chunky applicator pop up on your feed and wondered whether it’s actually any good or just a clever gimmick, you’re in the right place.
I’ve been testing as many men’s soap bars as I can get my hands on for my big UK men’s soap bar roundup, and BOB has ended up as one of the best I’ve tried. It scored 8.5/10 overall, joint second on my list. But there are a couple of things you should know before you order.
As always, this is a No BS review. I paid for it myself, used it properly in real baths, and I’m going to tell you exactly what I thought.
You can get 50% off your first order by visiting this link – No code needed!
Who Are BOB?
BOB is a small UK company founded by Mike, Max and Will. They got started because they were frustrated with the amount of plastic waste in the bathroom, and spent 18 months developing what they describe as the world’s first hard refillable body wash bar and applicator. They originally got going through Kickstarter.
So rather than a traditional bar of soap you hold in your hand, you get an applicator that holds small refill bars. When one runs out, you pop a new one in.
My Overall Score: 8.5/10
| Category | Score | My Thoughts |
|---|---|---|
| Smell | 10/10 | Quite strong, but not too overpowering. Smells clean. |
| Feeling on my skin | 10/10 | Feels great on the skin, with no tugging or dryness! |
| Price | 9/10 | £0.43 per wash – the cheapest I’ve tested so far. |
| Range of scents | 4/10 | Only 4 scents to choose from at the time of writing. |
| Marketing/Branding | 10/10 | Really cool brand, and the applicator is useful, not just a gimmick. |
| Customer Service | 10/10 | Really quick and friendly response to my email. |
| Weight Transparency | 10/10 | Every refill is meant to be 41g. I weighed all 8 and every one was heavier. |
Smell – 10/10
The scent is on the stronger side, but it never crosses into overpowering. It just smells clean, which is exactly what I want from a body wash. It’s soap, not aftershave!
How It Feels on Your Skin – 10/10
If you’ve tried soap bars before, you’ll know that weird dry, tugging feeling some of them leave on your skin. I nearly got put off soap bars completely because of it. BOB had none of that. It felt great on my skin from start to finish.
Price – 9/10 (The Best Value I’ve Tested)
This is where BOB really surprised me. The cheapest way to buy it is through the subscription, which works out at £30.99 for 8 refills (£3.88 each). They also usually have a cheaper introductory deal that includes the applicator.
I got 9 washes out of each refill, which works out at £0.43 per wash. That makes it the cheapest per wash of every soap I’ve tested so far, edging out The Black Stuff (£0.46), Bare Bar (£0.55) and Scottish Fine Soaps (£0.63). For comparison, Dr. Squatch worked out at £1.10 per wash and Major Nuts at a painful £1.50.
What About the Subscription? Is It Hard to Cancel?
This is a big one for me. When I was ordering soaps for my roundup, I noticed some brands are pretty sneaky about opting you into subscriptions. So I deliberately bought BOB through the subscription just so I could test the cancellation process for you.
Good news: it was really simple. No phoning a retentions team, no hoops to jump through. Just click to cancel and that’s it done. Exactly how it should be.
Range of Scents – 4/10
This is BOB’s weakest area. At the time of writing, there are only 4 scents to choose from. If you like switching things up regularly, you might get bored. For comparison, Dr. Squatch had 20 scents when I reviewed them, and Bare Bar, Scottish Fine Soaps and Shower Blocks all have a much wider range.
Branding & That Applicator – 10/10
The brand is genuinely cool, and the applicator is actually handy rather than just a marketing gimmick. It makes the whole thing fun to use.
But (and this is why BOB didn’t score higher overall)… as much as the applicator is a great idea, it makes cleaning your… intimate areas really tricky. I’ll leave that one with you!
The Wall Holder Is Rubbish
The holder you get to stick to the wall is pretty terrible. Mine fell off all the time. I ended up buying a tray from Temu with much better suction and use that instead. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing before you order.
Customer Service – 10/10
I emailed them and got a really quick, friendly response. Can’t ask for more than that.
Weight Transparency – 10/10
Each refill is supposed to be 41g. I weighed all 8 refills, and every single one came in heavier than advertised, some by quite a bit. That’s the opposite of what I found with Dr. Squatch, whose bar was advertised as 142g but only weighed 131g.
BOB Soap Pros and Cons
What I liked: the cheapest price per wash I’ve tested (£0.43), no tugging or dryness, a clean and strong (but not overpowering) scent, an easy subscription cancellation, generous refill weights and great customer service.
What I didn’t like: only 4 scents, a wall holder that keeps falling off, and an applicator that makes cleaning certain areas awkward.
Final Verdict: Is BOB Soap Worth It?
Yes, I think so. If your main priorities are value for money, how it feels on your skin and cutting down on plastic, BOB is one of the best options I’ve tried. It’s the cheapest per wash on my list, it smells great, and there’s no annoying tugging.
The limited scent range and the awkward applicator (plus that useless wall holder) are what hold it back from my top spot. That still goes to Bare Bar, which scored 9/10. But BOB is a very close contender.
You can get 50% off your first order by visiting this link – No code needed!
If you want to see how BOB stacks up against Bare Bar, Dr. Squatch, The Black Stuff, Scottish Fine Soaps and more, check out my full UK men’s soap bar review.
And if you’re switching to more natural products, I’ve also been testing natural deodorants. The results were a lot better than I expected. You can read my natural deodorant review here.
BOB Soap FAQs
How much does BOB soap cost per wash?
Through the subscription, 8 refills cost £30.99 (£3.88 each). I got 9 washes per refill, which works out at £0.43 per wash.
Is the BOB subscription easy to cancel?
Yes. I tested it myself. You just click to cancel online. There’s no need to phone anyone.
Does BOB soap dry out your skin?
Not in my experience. I had no tugging or dryness at all.
How many scents does BOB have?
At the time of writing, there are 4.
Is BOB a UK company?
Yes. It’s a small UK company founded by Mike, Max and Will.
Got a soap brand you’d like me to try next? Let me know here!
