Body cleansers are a staple in most showers, sitting next to the colorful loofah. They’re perfect for getting fresh for the day ahead or washing your day away. Just lather up, scrub yourself, and rinse off. Most body washes will leave you feeling moisturized and smelling great long after leaving your shower. 

The best body cleansers preserve your natural oils and skin components, unlike some bar soaps that can strip those away, leaving your skin feeling dry. With so many skin types and sensitivities, the best body wash brands have curated a selection for everyone, from babies to adults. They effectively reduce dryness and enhance body care. And they come in a range of scents so you can smell like a bouquet of flowers, a fresh coconut, or stick to an unscented product. It’s up to you.

If you want to find the best body wash for you, here’s a list of exceptional choices. Many of these brands have body oils, body lotions, and bubble baths, so you can smell and feel your best whether or not you’re in the shower.

1. Softsoap Exfoliating Coconut Butter Body Wash Scrub

Butter up. Gently exfoliate and renew your skin with biodegradable cleaning ingredients tested by dermatologists.

We recommend Softsoap’s Coconut Butter Body Scrub, an affordable option you can find alongside other great brands like Olay and Dove. This scrub uses coconut and jojoba butter, leaving the skin feeling smooth and beautifully scented. It’s definitely one of the best smelling body washes on the market.

Shop now: Softsoap Exfoliating Coconut Butter Body Wash Scrub

2. St. Ives Body Wash Oatmeal & Shea Butter

Keep calm and soothe on! Made with 100% natural oatmeal and shea butter extracts, St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Soothing Body Wash wraps your skin in an indulgent, creamy lather, leaving your skin refreshed, and your mind soothed. A key ingredient of the body wash is shea butter, an excellent emollient (a fancy word for moisturizer) known for its skin-soothing qualities. It also contains oatmeal, which is fantastic for soothing skin. So, we finely mill, grind, soak and filter ours to get all that skin-calming goodness.

This body wash is formulated with plant-based cleansers and pampers the skin, leaving it soft, supple, and hydrated. Our paraben-free, dermatologist-tested formula does not contain animal-derived ingredients. This cleanser’s packaging features a bottle made with 100% recycled plastic. Treat yourself to a full-body cleanse.

Shop now:St. Ives Body Wash Oatmeal & Shea Butter

3. Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash

If you have sensitive skin, you know that it needs special care — and how much relief it is to find a body wash that does just that. Dove is one of the best body wash brands, now offering a sulfate-free body cleanser that uses Dove Moisture Renew Blend technology, a combination of skin-natural nourishers and plant-based moisturizers.

Made with 100% gentle cleansers, Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash is gentle to the skin’s microbiome, its living protective layer. It creates a rich lather that moisturizes and replenishes skin while also leaving it cleansed and feeling cared for.

Shop now: Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash

4. Olay Body Wash Age Defying with Vitamin E

Beautiful, healthy skin you can see and feel — Reveal beautiful, healthy-looking skin with Olay Age Defying Body Wash with Vitamin E. Now formulated with Olay’s Vitamin B3 Complex, it hydrates to plump surface skin cells, locking in natural moisture. Our advanced formula, with Vitamin E and Olay moisturizers, indulges skin in leaving it spa-soft and touchably smooth.

Shop now: Olay Body Wash Age Defying with Vitamin E

5. Method Body Wash Pure Peace

Turn your shower into the kind of escape you need right now. This purifying body wash is infused with peony, rose water, and pink sea salt, leaving your skin feeling soft, moisturized, and smelling like a no-stress zone. Plus, the good vibes keep going with a cruelty-free, biodegradable formula, plant-based cleansers, and a bottle made with over 50% recycled plastic (PCR). Peace out — proudly doing business with a purpose.

Shop now: Method Body Wash Pure Peace

6. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

This moisturizing body wash is gentle enough for sensitive skin and helps replenish the skin's natural moisture while cleansing. The daily nourishing formula contains soothing oats and rich emollients.

Aveeno has created a line of products incorporating natural ingredients to create some of the best body washes for women. The Daily Moisturizing Body Wash cleans and hydrates the skin without stripping it of essential oils. 

Shop now:Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

7. Oars + Alps California Coast Body Wash

Moisturizing Jojoba spheres and antioxidants leave skin hydrated and fresh all day long. This formula contains no alcohol that can leave skin dry and itchy. The Scent is California Coast. It’s a clean, light citrus scent balanced by dark tones of patchouli, ylang-ylang, and sandy amber — one of the best smelling body wash options. 

These natural spheres are created from a jojoba blend and provide extreme moisturizing benefits enhancing your skin’s hydration and radiance.

This product is never tested on animals, is made with natural ingredients, and is suitable for any skin type. Its environmentally-friendly jojoba spheres provide deep moisture while vitamins and antioxidants nourish and refresh the skin. Proudly made in the United States and free from parabens, sulfate, phthalates, and talc.

Shop now: Oars + Alps California Coast Body Wash

8. Ivory Aloe Clean Body Wash

Ivory Body Wash is dermatologist tested and formulated to be mild and gentle to your skin. Lather up with this rich, refreshing body wash that won’t dry out your skin. It leaves skin clean and hydrated (versus regular soap) and is free of dyes, parabens, phthalates, and heavy perfumes. 

Ivory reflects over 140 years of experience creating gentle products the whole family can trust.

Shop now:Ivory Aloe Clean Body Wash

9. Salt & Stone Antioxidant Body Wash Bergamot & Eucalyptus

A powerful yet gentle hydrating gel cleanser infused with antioxidant-rich botanical extracts and niacinamide. Leaves skin clean with a silky-smooth finish without dehydrating.

Shop now: Salt & Stone Antioxidant Body Wash Bergamot & Eucalyptus

10. Love Beauty And Planet Coconut Water Body Wash

Our promise: Love Beauty and Planet Radical Refresher Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Paraben Free Body Wash for a jolt of energizing freshness.

Our Radical Refresher body wash formula, infused with Organic Coconut Oil for skin, leaves your skin deliciously soft and instantly refreshed. It’s a vegan product infused with Coconut Water, known to hydrate, and a refreshing shot of handpicked Mimosa Flower. Yes, coconut oil for skin; yes, ethically-sourced mimosa flower; yes, vegan body wash; and yes, sensitive skin body wash.

This body wash is proudly paraben-free, silicone-free, dye-free, cruelty-free, phthalate-free, sulfate-free. The ingredients are 92% naturally derived, making it the ideal product for washing and refreshing your skin. It’s safe enough to use on all skin types.

Shop now: Love Beauty And Planet Coconut Water Body Wash

11. Every Man Jack Men's Sandalwood Body Wash and Shower Gel

Made from naturally-derived ingredients and as many plant-based ingredients as possible, this product is proudly free of parabens, phthalates, harmful chemicals, and dyes. 

Our scents are inspired by the outdoors, by nature — and this is a fan favorite blend of sandalwood, amber, vetiver, and vanilla. It’s made for men like you, active guys that would rather be outdoors. All you need in one bottle: a no-fuss, clean grooming product that works.

We’re certified cruelty-free and have never tested on animals. All Every Man Jack products are responsibly made in the United States. San Francisco born, sustainably made, manufactured in the USA.

Shop now: Every Man Jack Men's Sandalwood Body Wash and Shower Gel

12. Dove Men+Clean Comfort Body Wash

Men’s skin is 25% thicker and contains higher levels of protein. That means more sweat, lower hydration levels, and easily irritated skin. So, forget about harsh soaps. Try Dove Men+Care Clean Comfort Body and Face Wash for your skincare and shower routine — and learn why this is one of the best body washes for men. 

Dove Men+Care is a mild cleanser with plant-based moisturizers and skin-strengthening nutrients to help rebuild skin and skin proteins. This is an easy-to-rinse, hydrating body wash that is clinically proven to fight dry skin better than a regular men’s body soap or shower gel. Clean Comfort features a fresh, crisp scent that will leave you feeling refreshed long after your shower. 

Each Dove Men+Care body and face wash bottle is recyclable and made with 100% recycled plastic, and is PETA certified Cruelty Free.

Shop now: Dove Men Clean Comfort Body Wash

13. Old Spice High Endurance Pure Sport Body Wash

Old Spice High Endurance brings superior protection power to a higher level with a new formula for generating greatness. High Endurance Body Wash for Men confidently cleans your body with a refreshing lather. Because it’s a body wash, it cleans, you guessed it, your body — leaving you feeling fresh and manly. 

High Endurance is formulated to keep you smelling great longer with a long-lasting scent. So when you stand out in a crowd, it’s because of how good you smell. Old Spice is a good offense without smelling offensive. Grab Old Spice today because anything less than Old Spice isn’t Old Spice.

Shop now:Old Spice High Endurance Pure Sport Body Wash

14. Harry’s Men’s Stone Body Wash

Harry's Stone Body Wash provides a balanced clean. The creamy and full lather cleanses deeply without stripping your skin of its natural oils, leaving it feeling smooth and conditioned. The bright, rich scent of Stone is the perfect way to kick-start (or wash off) your day. Stone includes invigorating notes of yuzu, bergamot, and dry notes of charcoal. 

Shop now:Harry’s Men’s Stone Body Wash

FAQs

What is the best body wash to use?

This depends on your skin type and what you’d like to smell like while you lather up. 

If you have dry skin, choose a gentle body wash with more natural ingredients like Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Wash or Love Beauty And Planet Coconut Water Body Wash. For skin somewhere between dry and oily, you can pick a moisturizing body wash like Method Body Wash Pure Peace. If you have oily skin, your best bet is to choose a body wash that has been dermatologist-tested. Acne-prone skin may react well to exfoliating scrubs that get rid of grime and reduce breakouts.

Now, when it comes to the best smelling body washes, this is when you could stand in the grocery store for too long, smelling each bottle before you buy. So many refreshing smells are offered by different body wash brands. If you want to smell like a beach vacation, try the Softsoap Coconut Butter Scrub. If you crave an invigorating scent to help you wake up in the morning, go for the Salt & Stone Antioxidant Body Wash Bergamot & Eucalyptus. Of course, if perfumes don’t float your boat, you can opt for a fragrance-free body wash and get the same moisturizing effects.

Is it better to use bar soap or body wash?

Both options work well for your skin and keep you clean. However, soap can leave your skin dry or flaky because all the suds wash away. If this is the case for you, try switching to body wash or shower gel, which has more moisturizing properties than a bar of soap. Body wash reigns superior for those with dry skin, chronic skin conditions, and exfoliation. Please speak to a dermatologist before switching to body wash if you have a chronic skin condition.

Soap may be the winner for you if you prefer more eco-friendly products. While many of the body cleansers we listed are environmentally conscious, a bar of soap leaves a far smaller ecological footprint. It usually comes in a recyclable box and doesn’t contain preservatives, microbeads, or added ingredients to get that body wash feel. If you need a hypoallergenic cleanser, a bar of soap is generally better.

What is the difference between body wash and some of the best shower gels?

The primary difference is in the consistency of each product. Body washes are usually thinner with an added moisturizing ingredient and great foaming abilities. Shower gels tend to be thicker and more gel-like (surprise, surprise) and can be used on the body and hair.

If you want to look beyond our recommended list, browse through Gopuff’s full range of bath and body products. Run out of body wash? Order from our online drugstore and have your products delivered to your door.