When Courteney Cox launched Homecourt in 2022, she did so with a lineup of three products: hand wash, dish soap and surface cleaner. Hand lotion debuted shortly thereafter, followed by candles and room spray.
But it is the brand’s hand care that has become a runaway hit — it now accounts for 20% of the brand’s business, co-founder and CEO Sarah Jahnke told Glossy. Given the category’s success, the brand is expanding it with the launch of its new Exfoliating Hand Wash, out Wednesday and retailing for $38, $2 more than the brand’s regular hand soap.
“We have hand [care] emerging as a hero franchise, and the Cece fragrance is still our hero fragrance. And so, to keep building on this category, we knew that exfoliating hand wash would be the next step,” Jahnke said, noting that, for many brands, like Aesop, exfoliating hand soaps are “iconic” products.
She said she feels confident about the launch, based on the brand’s “Homecourt advantage,” which she explained is its “unique combination of fine fragrance; clean, nontoxic formulas and sustainable, 100% post-consumer recycled packaging.”
“You’re not going to find the combination of all that, plus a skin-care-[enriched] formula, in any other exfoliating hand soap,” she said.
The formula combines organic rosella extract to offer up to 72 hours of hydration, according to the brand, plus plant-derived saccharide isomerate to lock in moisture and organic argan oil to nourish the skin barrier.
To start, the Exfoliating Hand Wash is launching in one of the brand’s seven scents, Cece, its bestseller — Jahne said products in the Cece scent comprise 40% of the business. It contains notes of cedarwood smoke, sweet cardamom, cinnamon and white leather and is available in products spanning dish soap, laundry detergent, perfume oil and body wash. Given Jahnke’s ambitious goals for Homecourt’s hand-care category this year — she is projecting 93% category growth — additional scents are likely coming soon.
This new hand-wash formula took two years to nail down. As Cox puts it, she’s a “freak for details.” In the process, she tested over 30 pumps, ensuring that the volcanic pumice granules wouldn’t get stuck on their way out.
“We spent years trying to perfect this formula, and finally, we were able to find a balance between removing dead skin cells and buildup without it being too harsh and stripping your skin,” Cox said. “Sometimes exfoliating hand washes can be too harsh on your skin, they can dry your skin out. But the one we created is very hydrating. And, of course, it smells incredible. It’s my personal scent, Cece. … I’m very happy with the way this came out.”
Homecourt’s fans are loyal. In fact, the brand’s refills, across products, drive nearly a third of its DTC business, Jahnke said. The Cece hand wash refill is particularly popular. “We’ve really found this amazing repeat customer via our hand wash, which is an everyday luxury product, she said.
To build excitement for the upcoming launch, and to reward those loyal patrons, the brand chose to “surprise and delight” its top 10% of customers by sending them the new product.
“A few hundred customers have been able to try the hand wash pre-launch, and we’ve received amazing feedback,” Jahne said. “Courteney sent an email to these top customers, inviting them to preview the [product]. And we’re getting notes back saying, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing. It’s going to become my new staple.’ ‘This is the best exfoliating hand wash I’ve ever tried.’ It’s really nice to be able to surprise and delight that champion customer for us, and also get some early feedback on the product.”
Homecourt has already begun to tease the launch on Instagram. Cox has 15 million Instagram followers; Homecourt has 158,000.
According to Circana, luxury hand soaps — defined as brands with average price points above $100 — are seeing declining sales. Meanwhile, ultra-premium brands — with average price points between $60-$100 — are up 5% in dollar sales and flat in units, while value brands — priced at $30 and under — are growing 9% in dollars and 7% in units. The data reflects the latest 12-month period ending February 2026, compared to the prior year. With $36 regular hand soap and $38 exfoliating hand soap, Homecourt’s pricing sits right between these growing segments.
Luxury hand soap has become more crowded since Aesop first launched its exfoliating Reverence Aromatique in 2012 — it is now $47. Today, the market, even specifically for exfoliating hand soap, has many more options. There’s Paume’s $30 Exfoliating Hand Cleanser, Sidia’s $39 Soaked Hand Exfoliant and Natureofthings’ $48 Exfoliating Hand Wash, to name a few.
