Top 12 Of The Best Body Washes/Shower Gels I Have Ever Used

 I shifted to body washes/shower gels almost a decade ago because of my dehydrated/dry skin which tends to get worse during winters. Mild and moisturizing soaps like the Dove soap didn't do it for me anymore, especially during harsh winters in colder weather countries like the US or Netherlands. This is mostly because soaps in general tend to be more stripping while body washes/shower gels tend to have milder surfactants along with oils, butters, etc. that keep the skin moisturized while cleaning it. So this was an obvious choice for me.

That said, not all body washes/shower gels are as moisturizing. There are many gentle ones that I still find to be stripping. On the other hand, there are ones that are way too moisturizing and not cleansing enough. In the last 10 years or so I have tried a lot of body washes/shower gels that didn't quite have what I was looking for but I also found many good ones. Some of them were so good that I have repurchased them many times. My checklist for all body washes/shower gels, in general, is quite simple: they must smell really good, they must lather enough and cleanse well, and they must not be stripping/drying.

Note: This list contains body washes/shower gels that I have tried from many different countries around the world so they might not always be available where you live. But no matter which country you are from, I am sure you will definitely find something here. Also, I did not stick to a budget when selecting these because that would have been very difficult when picking the best ones that check all the boxes. And since fragrance was one of the things on my checklist, these might not be for people with sensitive skin.

Here are the top 10 of the best body washes/shower gels that I have ever used.

Fa Sense Divine Moments Shower Cream

This was an easy pick for me because it's available at most supermarkets/drugstores around Europe. I remember when I was younger we used to get Fa deodorants and soaps back in India. I am not sure if these are available in Asia. I think these should be available everywhere in the world because they are seriously good and also have the best pricing. I've tried many shower gels from this brand and they were all equally good but this one smelt the best of all so I had to pick this for the list. Since scent/fragrance can be subjective you might not like what I like but these shower gels are available in a lot of other fragrances so I am sure you will easily find something you like.

Caudalie Thé Des Vignes Shower Gel

When I think about this shower gel the first thing that comes to my mind is the scent. OMG! This is seriously the strongest-smelling one out of this entire list. The scent lingers on my body for many hours every time I use this product. It gives such a luxurious feeling. I bought this from an Apotheek (Pharmacy) when I was visiting Paris. But Caudalie is a very well-known and easily available brand internationally so if you can find this get it without another thought. I wish I had picked up a bigger size but I had no check-in baggage to carry back so travel size it is.

Olay Moisture Ribbons Plus Shea + Lavender Oil Body Wash

I thought Olay only had skincare until I came across this gem while shopping for supplements on an international website. I bought it because I thought it was unique with the swirls of different colors that you can see through the bottle. I had a tiny thought that it might just be gimmicky and the product might not be as good but since Olay was a trusted brand I wanted to give it a shot. And Oh boy! was I surprised. This not only smells amazing but it lathers and cleanses so well without drying out the skin at all. In fact, it moisturizes the skin quite a bit. The only problem is the cap. It's quite flimsy and broke off after a few uses so it was inconvenient while using. Other than that this product is perfect.

Lush Posh Chocolate Body Wash

I was never really a huge fan of Lush and I never really understood the hype. I am still not a fan but there are a few tried and tested favorites I have from this brand and this is one of them. First of all, they captured the smell of chocolate so accurately. Add to that the texture of this product, it really feels like you are rubbing creamy chocolate on your skin. The ingredients are quite good too with not many essential oils or dyes added to it. But most of all the luxurious experience you get when you use this product is just wow.

Treaclemoon The Honeycomb Secret Bath and Shower Gel

This is also another brand easily available in drugstores and supermarkets around Europe. Go to any shower product aisle and you will find this almost everywhere. They also run sales quite often so it's an easy thoughtless buy. The huge bottles also last quite some time. The formula, the smell, and the packaging are really quite pleasing and give a good experience whenever I use it. I have tried many other variants from this brand but the honeycomb secret has got to be my favorite of all. The first time I bought this was in 2016 when I was traveling, hence the travel size in the picture, but ever since then I was hooked and have repurchased this many times. One other variant which I really liked was the vanilla sponge cake one but that was a limited edition so I didn't want to include that in this post. One thing I want to note here is that treaclemoon products have gone down in quality over the years. They are also not very consistent with the formula even though the ingredients seem similar. Some of them are more creamy while others are a bit runny.

Yves Rocher Jardins Du Monde Velvety Shower Cream with Coffee Beans from Brazil

This is an affordable/popular French brand for body and shower products. You will find this mostly around Europe but I think you can also find this in many places worldwide. I came across the Yves Rocher stores several times during my travels to different EU countries and also in malls locally in the Netherlands. So it was hard to resist. Not to mention, they often have sales on top of the already reasonable prices. So I ended up trying a lot of shower gels from this brand. And they are all good but this one stood out for me with the amazing creamy coffee scent. Also, the creamy texture feels like you are putting some kind of creamy coffee-infused beverage on your skin. You might wonder why anyone would want to do that but my morning showers are difficult for me, especially during winter when it is still super dark outside but I have to get ready and rush off to work. Shower products like these are a pick-me-up to make my dull mornings brighter.

Klorane Fleur de Frangipanier Nourishing Shower Cream

This is another shower cream that I picked up from a French Pharmacy when I was visiting Paris. Klorane is a popular French pharmacy brand mostly known for its hair care products so I was surprised to see that they had body washes. And this was a pleasant surprise. This shower cream has a luxurious creamy floral scent that reminds you of something you would smell in a high-end spa. Your senses are comforted and pampered with this scent. The body wash lathers enough, cleans well, and gives a slightly moisturized feeling. I wish I had picked up a bigger size but I had no check-in baggage to carry back so travel size it is.

The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel

Out of all the bath/body care brands I have tried, The Body Shop is my favorite. I have used so many products from this brand. Name a range/line they came up with, whether their regular or limited editions, I would have used it at some point. Their products are really good quality with low pricing. They often have really good sales so it's light on the pockets. The Body Shop is also an international brand so you can easily find it wherever you are in the world. I have liked 99% of the products I tried from them but the one that stands out to me the most is the Satsuma line. So I had to pick this shower gel out of everything else. This is the best orange fragrance I have ever smelt in my entire life. Nobody else does orange fragrances this good. And the main reason for that is the orange scent note has the tendency to become tangy and scratchy easily thus irritating my nose/throat. But this one doesn't and that is the best thing to happen for someone like me who usually does not prefer citrus fruit fragrances like peach/orange/lemon etc. because of the potential allergies. That is another reason why I love The Body Shop. They just do fragrances so well and they mostly never cause any irritation or allergy. The formulas and ingredients are good quality too. I am only all praises for this brand.

Sol De Janeiro Brazilian4Play Moisturizing Shower Cream-Gel

Does anybody not know this brand by now? Sol De Janeiro's Brazilian line which comes in yellow packaging is the most famous one worldwide. I bought this sometime back in 2019 when almost every influencer I followed was recommending this line of products. And this is one of the few influencer-hyped products that I think is truly worth all the rap it gets. I haven't yet tried the cream but it's on my wishlist. I tried their Beija-Flor (pink packaging) cream but that one doesn't smell as good IMO. The Brazilian line fragrance is definitely the best out of all their fragrances. And they named this shower gel so aptly. It really feels like having an orgasm when I shower with this (lol sorry for the TMI). These people just got it right and they really know what they are doing at the Sol De Janeiro's labs. There is a reason for the popularity of this product worldwide. I love the design, the sturdy container, the bright/cheerful color of the packaging, the formula, texture, consistency, and the smell, literally everything about this product is absolutely gorgeous. Only a slight problem, I wish I could keep repurchasing this but unfortunately, it's not exactly in my budget. So I will occasionally splurge and treat myself on special occasions.

Philosophy Vanilla Birthday Cake Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath

This brand and its products used to be so hyped back in the OG influencer days. The vanilla birthday cake shower gel was one of the most hyped ones. Back then I was still into soaps and also never really had the budget for expensive shower products. I loved my Dove soap and used it religiously. But my skin slowly started changing with age, and because of health issues (Hypothyroidism, PCOS). It started getting more dry and dehydrated so I needed something more. Once I had this under my budget I decided to buy it, a few years back. And it's no surprise that this product is worth all the hype. The formula, the smell, the consistency, the lather, everything is perfect. And it doesn't dry out my skin while giving it a good clean. I would love to try some other flavors from this brand but they are not easily available here in the Netherlands.

Soap&Glory Clean On Me Creamy Clarifying Shower Gel

This is another hyped brand during the OG influencer days. Their body creams were so popular. And I had this on my wish list since then. So sometime in 2017, I ordered this from a UK website. I had to pay a lot of shipping but the product is really worth it. This brand really knows what they are doing when it comes to shower products. I tried some other Soap&Glory lines as well but the 'clean on me' shower gel is my favorite of all.

Love Beauty And Planet Shea Butter & Sandalwood Oil Majestic Moisture Shower Gel

This is one of those popular clean beauty, sustainable brands. This kind of marketing has been there since vintage times. What I don't understand is why they have to use it as their USP. Don't brands already need to do all of this anyway? Brands should not be putting toxic ingredients in our beauty products, should care about the planet, and should not test on animals, without trying to commercialize such deeds. But that's just how the capitalistic world works so let's move on. Coming to this brand's products, I like them. They are good quality, have reasonable prices, smell good, have good ingredients, and do what they are supposed to do. This particular shower gel was very creamy and moisturizing and worked great for winter. It might be a bit heavy for summer but they have non-creamy shower gels too which are more suited for summer. I want to try their body lotions but for some reason, they are not available here (Netherlands) in the drugstores/supermarkets. So I have to get them on my next trip to India or the US.

I have mild fragrance allergies but I was fine when using all of these body washes/shower gels. That said, this is just my personal experience and it might be different for you. So I would caution you that most of these body washes/shower gels do contain fragrance and dyes which are two ingredients that can cause skin irritation. Fragrance is also known to cause breathing problems, nausea, headaches/migranes, dizziness, cold/flu like symptoms etc. Hence, please use your own judgment before making a choice.