Abstract: The laundry detergent bars of the present invention comprise from about 10% to about 60% by weight anionic surfactant, from about 5% to about 60% by weight detergent builder, and from about 0.75% to about 10% by weight fatty alcohol having an alkyl chain containing from 10 to 22 carbon atoms, wherein the anionic surfactant comprises alkylbenzene sulfonate having a linear or branched alkyl chain, or mixture thereof of from 10 to 22 carbons atoms, and alkyl sulfate having an alkyl chain of from 10 to 20 carbon atoms, where the weight ratio of alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactant to alkyl sulfate surfactant is from 9:1 to 1:9. The laundry detergent bars are substantially free of fatty acid. By "substantially free of fatty acid" is meant less than about 1% of C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 fatty acid.