Richard Gray of the Daily Mail reports a fear of germs may be dooming the humble bar of soap as young, hygiene obsessed members of millennials turn to hand wash instead.

New figures have revealed that young people aged between 18 and 24 are choosing liquid soap over the old fashioned bars.

Sales of soap bars in the US fell by 2.2 per cent between 2014 and 2015 even though the overall market for bath and shower products increased by 2.7 per cent, Mintel has found.

Most of this decline in the use of soap bars has been driven by younger consumers and women.

But it appears traditional bars of soap are still popular with older members of society, particularly men who are over the age of 60, perhaps adding to its old fashioned image.

The figures fit within a growing trend that shows consumers are turning their back on traditional soap bars – since 2010 the number of households using bar soap has dropped by five per cent.

While some of this may be partly driven by the growing range of soap products now available, Mintel found that nearly half of all US consumers believe soap bars are covered in germs after use.

This was most strong in those aged between 18 and 24-years-old – the cohort often identified as Generation Z, or more widely as millennials.

A generation so much dumber than its parents

Came crashing through the window.