9 best luxury handwashes that nourish the skin and smell divine

Beloved by trendy restaurant bathrooms everywhere, the woody, herbal reverence aromatique has notes of vetiver, petitgrain and bergamot and is a very unisex smell, being not at all floral. It contains tiny beads of pumice to gently exfoliate and leaves skin feeling soft, supple, smooth and, most importantly, clean.

Molton Brown may have been relegated to stocking filler territory for many, but that association is unfair. Its fiery pink pepper scent has been a favourite of ours for more than a decade. It’s invigorating, sultry and lightly spicy, with pink pepper and citrus at the top and patchouli and cedarwood at the base.

Cowshed’s refresh scent range is our absolute favourite of the spa brand’s offering for its classic enlivening citrus scent, with grapefruit and orange, plus lavender for a little sweetness. As well as essential oils for fragrance, it contains vitamin E, which moisturises and helps strengthen your skin’s natural barrier. As it’s on the lower end of our price range, too, why not combine it with the matching hand lotion (£20, Spacenk.com)?

This being at the more affordable end of the luxury handwash spectrum and its simple, minimalist branding makes it a favourite of interiors aficionados. The formula contains algae and seaweed so it’s moisturising and soothing; we’d particularly recommend it for those with dry, irritated hands. The scent has the sweet, floral and slightly spicy fragrance of marjoram, plus herbaceous rosemary and lavender, and earthy vetiver. We love the on-trend face decal on the packaging, too.

We love Byredo hand soaps and lotions for their incredibly long-lasting scents; it’s almost like wearing perfume. Suede is, as you’d expect from the name, a smooth, soft and warm scent, with bergamot, lily of the valley and violet complemented with a base of amber and musks. It’s elegant and slightly woody.

Bamford, the luxury spa brand founded by the owner of Daylesford Farm, is all about letting natural ingredients do their thing. Its best-selling geranium hand and body wash has a fittingly calm, fresh, green scent with notes of eucalyptus, peppermint, lavender and, of course, geranium. It foams beautifully and leaves skin soft and not stripped of moisture.

Pomegranate noir is an absolutely classic scent from the high-end fragrance brand: it’s both refreshing and rich, with notes of pink pepper, Casablanca lily, patchouli and, of course, pomegranate. The scent is potent, meaning it fills the bathroom while you’re washing and lingers on your hands for at least an hour afterwards. It lathers very well, too, so you only need a little.

This, from the Danish home fragrance brand, has an unusual rugged, breezy, sea air sort of scent, with notes of hawthorn, coastal rose and salt, making it perfect for a bathroom. It is made with more than 90 per cent natural ingredients, including 43 per cent organic, and has a gentle lather, so hands are left refreshed but not dry.

A much more affordable way to inject some cult-chic Le Labo into your house than with the brand’s perfumes, this handwash is creamy at first and then develops a light foam; using it feels like a real, luxury experience. There are two options – basil or hiinoki – and we love the latter for its exotic, alluring scent.