A skin cleansing composition comprising a salt of lauric acid; a salt of stearic acid; and at least one surfactant that is not a salt of a fatty acid; wherein the ratio of the salt of lauric acid to the salt of stearic acid, calculated as the ratio of lauric acid to stearic acid by weight, is from 2.5:1 to 3.5:1. Also provided are methods of using the compositions.