When selecting a body wash, you should avoid ingredients known to be harsh irritants, potential hormone disruptors, or environmental pollutants. The primary ingredients to avoid are:
Seek out gentle, nourishing components like aloe vera, oat kernel, shea butter, and essential oils. These ingredients offer hydration, soothe inflammation, and support the skin's natural barrier. Many natural body care products use botanicals that are not only effective but luxurious to use.
Look for these signs your body wash may be expired: Scent fade or sour smell: A sign that fragrance compounds have broken down.
Biotique has a range of natural body washes and biotique shower gels that are chemical-free, cruelty-free, and dermatologically tested to keep your skin safe, healthy, and glowing. A versatile range of Biotique body washes is available at unbeatable body wash prices.
Most common toxic ingredients you'll find in hand and in hand & body washes:
Best Overall: Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash
Board-certified dermatologists Dhaval G. Bhanusali, MD, and Marisa Garshick, MD, both highly recommend Dove's nourishing formula. “It's simple, has a great ingredient profile, and is tolerated by all skin types,” says Dr. Bhanusali.
5 Harmful Chemical Lurking In Your Soaps
Use ecogolik to check cosmetics ingredients and find out how safe the product is. Ingredient evaluations are based on two factors: Safe for you and Safe for Planet. This means that an ingredient known to be safe for use in cosmetics may receive a poor ecogolik rating because it pollutes nature.
How long do skin care products last after opening? Skin care products generally remain “good” for six months to three years: Cleansers, body washes and scrubs: 1 year. Toners: 6 months to 1 year.
The best body wash brands vary by need, with top-rated options including Nécessaire (overall/luxe), Dove (budget/sensitive skin), Sol de Janeiro (moisturizing/scent), Aveeno (sensitive skin), and CeraVe (dermatologist-recommended/barrier repair), offering solutions for dryness, sensitivity, and premium experiences, often featuring hydrating ingredients like oils, niacinamide, and plant-based cleansers for gentle yet effective cleansing.
Skin cleansing remains Dove's largest category and in the US, Dove's Deep Moisture Body Wash isn't just the No. 1 selling body wash, it's also the one most recommended by dermatologists (Opens in a pop-up window ).
Don't. Don't use soaps or shower gel, including feminine hygiene products to cleanse your genitals. These products are often the leading cause of genital dryness, itching and irritation.
The "1 rule" in skincare often refers to the "1% line" on ingredient lists, meaning anything listed after it is used at 1% or less (like preservatives or fragrances). However, the most crucial skincare practice is daily sunscreen, while the best routine principle is applying products from thinnest to thickest consistency (like cleanser > serum > moisturizer > SPF) for proper absorption, with consistency and a simple, solid base being more important than complex products.
Scrubbing with any tool can exacerbate conditions like psoriasis,eczema, and acne, so using just your hands is best in these cases. The next-best hygienic shower tool? A bar of soap. “Cleansing bars, like the Dove Beauty Bar ($4) or anything like that, can also be used,” says Dr.
SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) In Soap: This troublemaker is a common ingredient known for its foaming properties. However, it is known to irritate sensitive skin and trigger acne breakouts. Plus, it's notorious for clogging pores – not exactly what we want in our skincare routine.
Get the ThinkDirty & EWG Skin Deep Apps
These two apps rate products for safety and toxicity. You can like either scan product bar codes or search by product name, product type, and brand. They help you identify harmful ingredients in products as you shop, and help you find safer alternatives.
Unfortunately, the Dove soap ingredient list contains chemicals and preservatives, which can have harmful effects on sensitive skin. The Castile Goat Milk Soap is our gentlest soap with the fewest ingredients. It is the goat milk soap that we recommend for newborn babies.
Preservatives commonly found in body wash are parabens, quaternium-15, and glyoxal. Two of the most well-known parabens are ethylparaben and isoproplyparaben. They are known to disrupt hormones and mimic estrogen, additionally, they are linked to breast cancer and reproductive harm.
Our top 10 picks for natural body washes and soaps
May Dry Out Skin
Bar soaps can contain skin lipid-removing sulfates and surfactants, which are known to dry out skin. And Dr. Lal adds that some bar soaps are even antibacterial, "which could mess up the skin microbiome." After all, it is known to leave it feeling squeaky clean. Dr.
Always search for moisturizing, nourishing and skin-loving ingredients. Vitamin E is a great place to start – this goodie helps lock moisture while keeping your skin super-soft. Other hyper-hydrators to look for in your body wash or shower gel include shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter.
While it varies by product type and region, La Roche-Posay is frequently cited as the #1 dermatologist-recommended skincare brand overall for its gentle, effective, and fuss-free formulas for sensitive and problematic skin, closely followed by brands like CeraVe and Cetaphil, which are also top contenders known for barrier support and affordability.
Dove's dermatological testing ensures that the product is safe, gentle, and effective, with no harsh chemicals that could irritate the skin. With its dermatologist-approved formula, Dove body washes provide a cleansing experience that contributes to long-term skin health.
Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) is a cleaning product that kills germs. Daily baths with CHG reduce the spread of infections in hospitals. CHG baths are especially helpful in intensive care units (ICUs). For several reasons, patients staying in the ICU have a high risk of getting a new infection.