Best Luxury Body Wash: 7 Shower Gels and Oils Worth the Splurge

The best luxury body wash for most people is Aesop's Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser: a green, citrusy gel that smells like a good hotel and lathers without fuss. If your skin runs dry, the better splurge is L'Occitane's Almond Shower Oil, which turns from oil into a milky lather. If scent bothers your skin, get Nécessaire's Fragrance-Free Body Wash.

A luxury body wash isn't going to do much more for your skin than a good drugstore one. What you're paying for is the scent, the texture and the few minutes in the shower that feel like yours. So we picked these seven on what they smell like, how they feel, and who they suit, using the brands' own ingredient lists and what named editors at Who What Wear, Marie Claire and PureWow have said about them.

Quick picks

Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser

Best for: anyone who wants one beautiful bottle that smells clean, not sweet.

What we love

• The scent is green and citrusy: geranium leaf, mandarin rind and bergamot rind. Aesop describes the aroma as "green, citrus, fresh."
• PureWow food editor Katherine Gillen calls it her "favorite treat-yourself body wash," with a fresh, botanical, spa-like smell.
• Aesop says all its products are vegan and the bottle is made from at least 97% recycled plastic.

Keep in mind

• It contains fragrance components (limonene, linalool, citronellol, geraniol). If you're sensitive to scent, skip to Nécessaire.
• It's a straightforward cleansing gel. It doesn't claim to be extra moisturizing, so very dry skin may want an oil instead.

Key ingredients: geranium leaf, mandarin rind and bergamot rind oils.

How to use: pump it into your hands or onto a sponge, massage over wet skin from neck to toes, and rinse well.

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L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

Best for: dry skin, and anyone who shaves their legs in the shower.

What we love

• It's a shower oil: it pours like oil and turns into a milky lather the moment it hits water. Marie Claire's Brooke Knappenberger describes "the slippery, moisturizing feel of a body oil" that becomes "a decadent milky lather."
• Who What Wear named it its best cleansing oil, and its editors pointed to the easy lather and how well it works as a shaving base.
• L'Occitane suggests it for shaving and for pouring into a warm bath.

Keep in mind

• The almond scent is sweet and noticeable. Knappenberger loves it; you might not.
• It has fragrance and a sulfate surfactant (TIPA-laureth sulfate), so it isn't the pick for reactive skin.
• Oil on a shower floor can be slippery. Rinse your feet and the tiles.

Key ingredients: grape seed oil, sweet almond oil, sunflower seed oil.

How to use: apply to wet skin, massage into a lather, and rinse.

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Nécessaire The Body Wash, Fragrance-Free

Best for: sensitive skin, and people who'd rather their perfume or body oil did the talking.

What we love

• The listing says "Fragrance-free," with "no added fragrance or masking agents." That matters: the AAD recommends "fragrance-free" products over "unscented" ones, which can hide odors with other chemicals.
• It has niacinamide and glycerin, plus marula, cacay and meadowfoam seed oils.
• Nécessaire says it carries the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance and calls it non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic.
• The Body Wash was Who What Wear's runner-up for best overall, and its editors said "nearly every single beauty editor on our team is obsessed." That review covered the eucalyptus version; we picked the fragrance-free one.

Keep in mind

• No scent means none of the spa feeling that the rest of this list is selling. That's the point, but know what you're buying.
• Who What Wear's one con was that the scent is lighter than other washes. With this version, there isn't one.

Key ingredients: niacinamide, glycerin, marula, cacay and meadowfoam seed oils.

How to use: work a small amount into a lather on wet skin and rinse.

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Malin+Goetz Bergamot Hand + Body Wash

Best for: couples and housemates who share one shower and can't agree on a scent.

What we love

• A light, citrus bergamot scent that reads as neither masculine nor feminine. Malin+Goetz sells it as unisex, "for all genders and skin types."
• It's a foaming gel with amino acids and glycerin, and the brand says it cleans "without over drying the skin."
• It works at the sink too, so one bottle can do double duty as hand soap.

Keep in mind

• We found no editorial review of this exact wash. The picks above are better documented.
• It's fragranced, even if lightly.

Key ingredients: amino acids, glycerin, bergamot.

How to use: apply to wet skin, lather and rinse. Malin+Goetz says you can also pump it under running water for a foaming bath.

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Moroccanoil Shower Gel

Best for: people who want their skin to smell like their favorite hair oil.

What we love

• It has the signature Moroccanoil scent, which the brand describes as "spicy amber and musk with sweet florals." It's warm and lingers.
• Argan oil is the star ingredient, and the listing calls it a gentle, sulfate-free formula.
• If you already use Moroccanoil Treatment on your hair, the scents match.

Keep in mind

• It's a strong, sweet scent. Smell it in a store first if you can.
• We found no editorial review of the shower gel itself.

Key ingredients: argan oil, vitamin E.

How to use: lather on wet skin and rinse, like any shower gel.

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Kiehl's Made for All Body Cleanser

Best for: a family bathroom, a gym bag, or anyone who wants one bottle for everything.

What we love

• Kiehl's says it's gentle enough for body, face and hair, and "safe for the whole family – ages 3+."
• It's made with aloe vera and soap tree extract, which Kiehl's says gives a mild, frothy lather. The brand says it's 95% naturally derived.
• The formula is biodegradable, according to Kiehl's, and the bottle is 100% post-consumer recycled plastic.

Keep in mind

• It's the least "luxurious" feeling pick here. It's about simplicity, not scent.
• We found no editorial review of it.

Key ingredients: aloe vera, soap tree extract.

How to use: wet your skin, lather, and rinse well.

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Bioderma Atoderm Shower Oil

Best for: very dry, tight, easily irritated skin, without paying luxury prices.

What we love

• It's a soap-free shower oil that Bioderma designed for dry to very dry, sensitive skin.
• It has glycerin and niacinamide, and Bioderma says it's suitable for the whole family and for both face and body.
• It costs much less than everything else here, so it's the one to try if you're not sure a shower oil is for you.

Keep in mind

• It contains fragrance, even though it's made for sensitive skin. If you react to scent, Nécessaire is the safer pick.
• It's not a spa-scented treat. It's a practical bottle.

Key ingredients: glycerin, niacinamide.

How to use: apply to damp skin, lather, then rinse, once or twice a day. Bioderma suggests following with a moisturizer.

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How to choose a luxury body wash

Decide on three things: the texture, the scent, and whether your skin has opinions. The brand name matters less than any of them.

Body wash, shower gel or shower oil?

• Shower gel or body wash (Aesop, Moroccanoil, Malin+Goetz): a clear or pearly gel that lathers. Most people use one already.
• Shower oil (L'Occitane, Bioderma): an oil that turns milky in water. It feels richer and suits dry skin, but it's slippery.
• Cream or "made for all" wash (Kiehl's): mild and simple, for people who don't want to think about it.

"Body wash" and "shower gel" mean almost the same thing on a label. Don't let the name decide for you; look at the texture.

Best scented body wash: pick by the notes

Scent is most of what you're paying for, so read the notes like you would a perfume:

• Fresh and green: Aesop Geranium Leaf (geranium, mandarin, bergamot).
• Bright citrus: Malin+Goetz Bergamot.
• Sweet and nutty: L'Occitane Almond.
• Warm and ambery: Moroccanoil (amber, musk, florals).
• None at all: Nécessaire Fragrance-Free.

Our take: if you wear perfume most days, choose a wash with a light scent or none, so the two don't compete. Our guide on how to smell good all day covers layering.

Best body shower gel for dry skin

Choose a shower oil or a wash with oils and glycerin high on the list: L'Occitane, Bioderma or Nécessaire. Then fix the shower itself. The AAD suggests limiting showers to "five to ten minutes, using warm water," and putting on moisturizer right after you pat dry. A fancy wash can't make up for a 20-minute hot shower.

Body wash for sensitive skin

Look for "fragrance-free" on the label, not just "unscented." Of our seven, only Nécessaire's is fragrance-free. The AAD also says some products, "such as deodorant soaps, are too harsh for dry, sensitive skin."

How to get the most from a pricey bottle

1. Use less than you think. Start with one small pump on a sponge or washcloth. You can always add a second.
2. Keep the water warm, not hot. The AAD says warm water and five to ten minutes. That's for your skin, but it also stops you rinsing a nice wash away in a hurry.
3. Let the scent sit for a few breaths. Lather, then wait a moment before rinsing. That's when you'll notice the notes you paid for.
4. Pat dry and moisturize right away. The AAD's advice is to apply moisturizer "immediately" after patting dry. Our guide to fixing dry skin on your body has the whole routine.
5. Keep the pump bottle on a ledge, not under the spray. A bottle sitting in the stream of water is easy to knock over and harder to grip. Our take, not a brand rule.

Comparison table

FAQs

Is a luxury body wash worth it?

For your skin, not much more than a good drugstore wash. For the experience, it can be. You're paying for a scent you love, a nicer texture and a bottle you like seeing. If that makes your shower the best ten minutes of your day, it's money well spent.

What's the difference between a body wash and a shower oil?

A body wash is a gel or cream that lathers. A shower oil starts as an oil and turns into a milky lather with water. Shower oils usually feel richer on dry skin, but they can make the shower floor slippery.

What is the best scented body wash?

It depends on the notes you like. Aesop Geranium Leaf is fresh and green, L'Occitane Almond is sweet, and Moroccanoil is warm and ambery. If you wear perfume, a light scent is easier to pair.

What body wash is best for sensitive skin?

A fragrance-free one. Nécessaire's Fragrance-Free Body Wash is the only one of our picks with no added fragrance. The AAD recommends products labeled "fragrance-free" rather than "unscented."

Can I use body wash on my face or hair?

Only if the brand says so. Kiehl's Made for All is made for body, face and hair. Bioderma says Atoderm Shower Oil works on face and body. For the others, use a face cleanser and shampoo instead.

Choose by scent first and texture second, keep the water warm, and moisturize right after. That's how a nice bottle earns its place.