The future of the humble bar of soap may in be hot water as more people are choosing to use liquid hand wash and hand sanitiser . Baths were also on the decline with more people opting for a quick shower over a long soak , according to a new report . Despite falling sales of the traditional bar of soap , people are actually washing more with over a third of adults are washing their hands more often than they were a year ago . The proportion of people buying liquid hand soap at least once a month has risen from 56 per cent in 2013 to 62 per cent in 2014 . Experts believe the nation 's changing hygiene habits could be down to the public fear over international health scares such as last year 's Ebola outbreak . Charlotte Libby , Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel , said : 'With health scares making headlines around the world throughout 2014 , the spread of disease has raised awareness of how hand hygiene plays a part in preventing infection , causing an increase in the frequency of consumers washing their hands . ' Professor Vincent-Wayne Mitchell , a consumer marketing specialist at the Cass Business School in London , added that years of MRSA oubreaks and food hygiene scares had made people 'hygiene hyperconscious . ' The proportion of people buying liquid hand soap at least once a month has risen from 56 per cent in 2013 to 62 per cent in 2014 . Research by Mintel found that 87 per cent of people are more likely to purchase liquid soap than bar soap , 71 per cent . More than half of us also use hand sanitiser gel , with a third buying it once a month or more . Professor Isabelle Szmigin , a consumer behaviour expert at the University of Birmingham , said the shift to liquid soap was 'purely an improvement ' 'The large majority of young Brits purchasing hand sanitiser shows that , despite preconceptions , this group have a particularly cautious attitude towards spreading germs , ' added Ms Libby . Humans have been using soap for thousands of years . The earliest bar discovered dates back to around 2800 BC in ancient Babylon . The first mass-market transparent soap was Pears , which was first sold in 1807 . Professor Isabelle Szmigin , a consumer behaviour expert at the University of Birmingham , said the shift to liquid soap was 'purely an improvement ' . 'This is what we call a continuous innovation , where the basic formula is the same but the product is better , ' she said . Shower washes were the most frequently purchased body cleansing product of 2014 , as they were the previous year , with one in five taking less baths than they did a year ago . Ms Libby said : 'Consumers have started to realise that being environmentally friendly can translate to money-saving and are making greener choices to benefit their own pockets . ' Experts believe the nation 's changing hygiene habits could be down to the public fear over health scares such as last year 's Ebola outbreak . Young men , aged 16-24 , were the most likely to still choose a bath over a shower with a quarter claiming that the bath is their cleaning method of choice , compared to the national average of 19 per cent . One in five men young men said they are taking more baths compared to three years ago with a quarter of describing the bathroom as their 'sanctuary . ' Prof Mitchell said the increasing use of baths by young men reflects the rise of male grooming and the metrosexual phenomenon . 'Young men can prove an important target for innovation in the soap , bath and shower sector , and could be encouraged into habits that they maintain as they age , ' Ms Libby concluded . The soap , bath and shower category experienced declining sales over the past two years , falling from £660 million in 2012 to an estimated £638 million in 2014 .
Study found numbers buying liquid soap rose from 56 % to 62 % last year . More than half also use sanitiser gel with a third buying it every month . Experts change could be down to fear over health scares such as Ebola .