Natural body wash: how to choose a gentle one for your skin

A good natural body wash cleans with mild, plant-based cleansers, adds a little oil or glycerin so your skin doesn't feel tight, and is scented with essential oils or nothing at all. This guide is for anyone looking to swap their shower gel for something gentler: what to look for on the label, the best natural body wash for sensitive or dry skin, when a bar soap or castile soap makes more sense, and the hand soaps, bath soaks and bath bombs on our shelves.

What makes a body wash natural?

Any body wash is water plus something that lathers, something that keeps skin soft, a preservative and usually a scent. A natural body wash makes each of those choices more gently:

• Mild cleansers. Coconut- and sugar-derived surfactants like coco-glucoside, decyl glucoside and lauryl glucoside, or a saponified plant oil (true soap, like castile), instead of the harsher detergents in many conventional washes.
• Natural oils and humectants. Olive, sunflower, hemp, jojoba and avocado oils, shea butter, aloe vera and glycerin help protect your skin barrier while you wash, so you step out of the shower moisturized rather than tight.
• Essential oils or fragrance free. Many natural brands scent with lavender, citrus, peppermint or eucalyptus essential oils instead of synthetic fragrances. If your skin is sensitive, choose a fragrance free formula with no essential oils at all.
• No parabens or harsh sulfates. Most natural brands leave out parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate and artificial dyes, and many use biodegradable ingredients that rinse away more gently into our waterways.
• Plant-based, recyclable or refillable packaging. Large bottles, refills and bars cut down on plastic.

"Natural" isn't a tightly defined word on a cosmetics label, so the ingredient list is your best guide. Look for ingredients you recognise, a clean formula without harsh chemicals, and a scent you'll enjoy for everyday use.

Natural body wash by skin type

The best natural body wash for sensitive skin

If your skin reacts easily, start with a fragrance free natural body wash and as few ingredients as you can find.

Oneka makes shampoo, conditioner and body wash in Frelighsburg, Quebec. Its Unscented Shower Gel has no essential oils or fragrance, with a gentle plant-derived cleansing base, an organic infusion of calendula, burdock, sage and nettle, and hemp seed oil and panthenol to leave skin soft. Anointment Natural Skin Care has made natural skincare by hand in Sackville, New Brunswick since 1993. Its Body Wash & Bubbles is a three-in-one body wash, shampoo and bubble bath with aloe vera, coconut-derived cleansers, organic olive oil and organic calendula. The unscented version has no essential oil at all and is pH balanced, gentle enough for newborns and for grown-ups with sensitive skin.

Organic and moisturizing body washes for dry skin

In a Nova Scotia winter, skin that's fine in July can feel tight by January. A body wash with plant oils, glycerin or shea butter cleans without stripping, and following up with a lotion while your skin is still damp locks in hydration.

• Carina Organics has made hair and body care by hand on the North Shore of Vancouver since 1972. Its Moisturizing Body Wash is an organic body wash made with certified organic plant extracts and saponified coconut oil, plus olive, linseed, pumpkin seed, sunflower and avocado oils. It's vegan, hypoallergenic and biodegradable. The Citrus scent comes from tangerine oil, a refreshing pick for mornings.
• Beauty From Bees, a family company in Alberta, cleans with coco-glucoside and adds glycerin and a little beeswax to hold moisture in. Vanilla Sunshine smells like citrusy vanilla from vanilla, grapefruit, lime and sweet orange essential oils.
• Oneka Angelica & Lavender Shower Gel has the same calendula, hemp seed oil and panthenol as the unscented version, with a delicate lavender scent.
• Jason Calming Lavender Body Wash comes in a big 887 mL bottle with aloe, chamomile, avocado oil and vitamin E. It contains fragrance as well as lavender extract.

For the after-shower step, read our guide to body lotion, cream or balm.

Everyday shower gels with a fresh scent

ATTITUDE is a Montreal company whose personal care is largely EWG Verified. Its Super Leaves Soothing Shower Gel cleans with plant-based, sugar-derived surfactants and glycerin, with white tea leaf, watercress and moringa seed extracts and a fruity coconut and wild berries scent. It's hypoallergenic, vegan and in a recyclable bottle. For a woodsy option, Every Man Jack Sandalwood Body Wash uses coconut-derived cleansers with glycerin and a warm sandalwood scent.

Castile soap: the simplest body cleanser

Liquid castile soap is true soap made from plant oils, and it's one of the most natural body cleansers you can buy. Dr. Bronner's comes from a family of soapmakers going back to 1858, and its Pure-Castile Liquid Soap is made with certified organic and fair trade coconut, olive, hemp and jojoba oils. It's concentrated, so dilute it: a small squirt on a wet washcloth or loofah is enough for the whole body, and the same bottle works as hand soap and a gentle shampoo. Lavender is a favourite in the evening; Baby Unscented has no fragrance at all. Our castile soap guide has the dilutions.

Dr. Bronner'sPure-Castile Liquid Soap, LavenderOrganic oils, lavender and lavandin.Shop →

Body wash or bar soap?

Both clean well. Body wash is quicker to lather on a cloth or loofah and easy to share in a family shower. Bar soap is the low-waste choice: no bottle, and a good bar lasts for weeks on a draining dish. Many handmade bars are made with natural oils and keep their glycerin, so they're gentler than old-fashioned soap.

From Nova Scotia, Flock & Tallow Co. is a small company started by a military veteran who renders the tallow himself from local beef. Its Unscented Tallow Soap Block is just local beef tallow, castor oil, virgin coconut oil, lye and water. See our natural bar soap guide for more Canadian small-batch soaps.

Flock & Tallow Co.Tallow Soap Block, UnscentedLocal beef tallow. Made in Nova Scotia.Shop →

Natural hand soap

Hand soap gets used dozens of times a day, so gentle matters. ATTITUDE Extra Gentle Hand Soap is unscented and oatmeal-infused for frequent washing, and its Super Leaves Foaming Hand Soap uses mild coconut-based cleansers with glycerin, in a foam pump that makes a little go a long way. Castile soap diluted in a foaming pump works too.

Bath soaks, bubble bath and bath bombs

For a slow evening, a bath soak or bath bomb turns the tub into a treat. Look for natural salts, oats, clays and essential oils, and skip artificial dyes if your skin is sensitive.

• Bathorium has made bath soaks in Ottawa since 2014. The Ancient Oat Hydration Crush is an effervescent soak with colloidal oat, mineral salts, clays, lavender essential oil and calendula petals, and the BECALM Bubble Elixir is an SLS-free bubble bath with Earl Grey tea, bergamot and lavender.
• All Things Jill makes natural body care by hand in Canada. The Milk + Oats Bath Bomb uses whole dried milk, oat bran and sweet almond oil to leave bath water silky.
• Sage & Sweetgrass Unwind Bath Bomb combines colloidal oatmeal, goat's milk, sweet almond oil, cocoa and shea butter with pure lavender essential oil.

What is the healthiest natural body wash?

The healthiest natural body wash for you is a gentle one your skin tolerates: mild plant-based cleansers, a little oil or glycerin, and either essential oils or no scent at all. For sensitive skin, a fragrance free wash like Oneka Unscented or Anointment Unscented is the safest place to start. For dry skin, choose a moisturizing body wash with plant oils, like Carina Organics.

What is the healthiest thing to wash your body with?

Lukewarm water and a small amount of a mild cleanser. You don't need to soap every inch every day: focus on the underarms, groin and feet, and let the rinse take care of the rest. Hot water and long showers dry skin out more than most body washes do, so keep showers warm rather than hot and moisturize afterwards.

What is the most natural body wash you can use?

A simple castile soap or a handmade bar of soap made from plant oils or tallow is about as natural as body cleansers get: oils, lye and water, with essential oils or no scent. Dr. Bronner's castile soap and Flock & Tallow's soap block are good examples. Diluted castile soap on a washcloth works as an everyday body wash.

Body wash questions we hear in the store

Can I use body wash as shampoo?

Only if it's made for both. Anointment Body Wash & Bubbles is a body wash, shampoo and bubble bath in one, and castile soap can be used on hair. Most body washes aren't designed for the scalp, though, so a regular shampoo is a better daily choice.

Is natural body wash safe for babies?

Choose one made for babies: unscented or very lightly scented, pH balanced and gentle. Anointment Body Wash & Bubbles Unscented and Dr. Bronner's Baby Unscented are popular with families. Castile soap isn't tear-free, so keep it away from little eyes. Our natural baby products guide covers baby wash, diaper cream and wipes.

How long does a bottle of body wash last?

Longer than you'd think if you use a washcloth, loofah or sponge: a dime-sized amount is usually enough for the whole body. Concentrated castile soap stretches even further once diluted.

Shopping for body wash at Luminate

You'll find our natural body washes, hand soaps, bath soaks and bath bombs together in the bath and shower aisle at both stores, and online in our bath, shower and soaps collection. Oneka and Carina Organics hair and body care are refillable on our low-waste bathroom shelf. Everything ships across Atlantic Canada in 1 to 3 business days, with free shipping in Canada on orders over $80, or comes the same day across Halifax, Bedford and Dartmouth with Luminate Express when you order by 11 am.

Product details come from our own product listings and brand pages. Patch test any new product if your skin is sensitive. This article is general information, not medical advice.