The short version

  • Check the first few ingredients: that’s what the wash is mostly made of.
  • If your skin feels tight after showering, try a wash without SLS, or a gentler bar of soap.
  • “Parfum” can mean a mix of many ingredients. Essential oils are listed by name, with any natural allergens listed separately.
  • Any wash containing water needs a preservative. That’s a good sign, not a bad one.

Body wash is one of our customers’ favourite things to stock up on, and it’s also one of the most confusing to shop for. Bottles say “natural”, “gentle” and “pure” without much to back it up. Here’s how to read the label and choose one that suits your skin.

Start with the first five ingredients

Ingredients are listed in order of quantity, using their international (INCI) names. In most body washes, water (aqua) comes first. The next few ingredients do most of the work:

  • Cleansers (surfactants) lift away dirt and oil. Look for names like cocamidopropyl betaine, coco-glucoside, sodium coco-sulfate or sodium lauryl sulfate.
  • Moisturisers (humectants) such as glycerin and aloe vera juice hold water in the skin.
  • Thickeners such as xanthan gum or salt give the wash its texture.

SLS and the tight-skin feeling

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a cheap, effective cleanser that makes plenty of foam, but it’s known to strip oil from the skin. If your skin feels tight, dry or itchy after a shower, an SLS-free wash is an easy thing to try. Our guide to what SLS is and who might want to avoid it covers this in detail, including its close relatives.

Fragrance, essential oils and allergens

  • “Parfum” or “fragrance” on a label can be a blend of many ingredients that don’t have to be listed one by one.
  • Essential oils are listed by their plant names, for example Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (sweet orange) oil.
  • Allergens such as limonene, linalool and coumarin have to be listed separately above certain levels, even when they come from essential oils.

If your skin is very sensitive or you have eczema, a wash with fewer scent ingredients is usually the safest place to start. Patch test anything new.

Why preservatives are a good sign

Anything made with water can grow bacteria and mould once it’s opened, so it needs a preservative to stay safe. A water-based wash sold as “preservative-free” is something to be wary of. Look instead for gentle preservatives. Our Vigour8 family body wash, for example, uses one approved by the Soil Association.

Bar soap or liquid wash?

Bar soap Liquid body wash
Packaging Little or none Bottle, ideally glass, aluminium or recycled
Feel on skin Real soap is alkaline, which some people find drying Can be made closer to the skin’s natural pH
Good for Normal skin, travelling, cutting plastic Dry or sensitive skin, families, baths

The body washes we sell, and who they suit

  • Vigour8 SLS-Free Family Body Wash. Aloe vera, glycerin and essential oils, in Fruit Punch, Sports or Lemon Burst. SLS-free and vegan, and it doubles as a bath soak. A good everyday choice for the whole family.
  • Sweet Dreams Concentrated Body Wash. Ylang ylang, lavender and tonka bean, handmade in Wales in recycled glass and aluminium. Lovely for an evening shower. It contains sodium coco-sulfate, so choose another if you’re avoiding sulfates.
  • Patchouli and Sandalwood Soap. A traditional bar made with coconut, rapeseed and shea butter. Plastic-free and long-lasting if you keep it on a draining soap dish.

Follow your shower with a body cream if your skin is dry. Our Vanilla Chai Body Cream has cocoa butter and argan oil. Or end the day with magnesium oil spray.

Shop the guide

See everything in bath and body.

Questions we get asked

Is natural body wash better for eczema?

Many people with eczema find gentler, SLS-free and lightly scented washes more comfortable. Your GP or dermatologist may recommend an emollient wash instead, so follow their advice.

Why doesn’t a natural body wash foam as much?

Foam mostly comes from strong cleansers like SLS. A wash with gentler cleansers can foam less and still clean properly.

How long does a bottle last?

Concentrated washes like Sweet Dreams only need a small amount on a sponge or cloth, so they go further than they look.

More from the journal: plastic-free bathroom swaps that actually work and switching to natural deodorant.