helps dirty hands [SEP] we do a lot of house work art construction work and gardening we use a lot of soap that orange goop with pumice in it is our normal heavy duty hand cleaner this soap is equivalent to that soap without the orange scent you definitely do need water for it to be effective even though the bottle claims you do not the hand cream is a great heavy duty healing lotion similar to eucerin i have not noticed an appreciable difference in the ease of cleanymy hands after using the barrier cream however