Yahoo LifestyleWe Found the Drugstore Body Washes That Will Leave You With the Best-Smelling Skin
- 1/16
We Found the Drugstore Body Washes That Will Leave You With the Best-Smelling Skin
Body wash is an essential skincare product — and lathering up with the right one can seriously upgrade your daily self-care routine. But buying an effective, high-quality body wash doesn't have to break the bank. Even if you're dealing with issues like dry, acne-prone or sensitive skin, there are plenty of excellent under-$20 body washes out there that rival luxury formulas — and you can find them at your local Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, Target or Rite Aid.
In the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab, our scientists and chemists are constantly testing the latest skincare innovations to help you achieve soft, beautiful skin, from body lotions to anti-aging serums to eye creams. To find the best body washes, we run a series of tests both in the Lab and with consumer testers. First, we use state-of-the-art skin imaging tools to measure skin hydration levels. Then, we send the body washes home with real consumer testers to get feedback on ease of application, lather, scent and, of course, the feel and appearance of skin after use. In our most recent test, we spent over 90 hours on in-Lab testing and parsed through 520 consumer surveys to find the best body washes on the market. Check out our picks below, a mix of GH Beauty Lab test winners, GH Seal Stars and editor favorites.
A quick look at our top picks:
So don't settle for any old soap: Instead, stock up on one of these top-rated drugstore body washes that smell good all day long while keeping you under budget (our expert-vetted picks start at just $5!).
amazon - 2/16
1) Deep Moisture Body Wash
Dove
walmart.com
$6.93
Our Beauty Lab experts are consistently impressed with Dove body washes, thanks to the brand's reliable and effective formulas — and Dove's Deep Moisture Body Wash in particular was a standout in our tests. Packed with gentle cleansers and moisturizers, many of our at-home testers raved about this product's skin-softening abilities. Our Lab experts also liked that the flip-top cap made it easy to pour with one hand in the shower, and that the bottle is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Pro tip: Apply this body wash with a shower pouf to produce double the lather.
Dove - 3/16
2) Daily Moisturizing Body Wash
Aveeno
amazon.com
$18.71
One of the most hydrating formulas in the GH Beauty Lab's most recent test of moisturizing body washes, Aveeno's cream-gel formula perfectly preserved the skin's moisture barrier in Lab testing of transepidermal water loss (a.k.a. the measurement of the barrier function of skin) — the sign of a good body wash. It also scored highest for having a luxurious lather and a pleasant-but-not-overpowering fragrance. "I loved the fresh, clean smell, and the lather was creamy without being too heavy," one consumer tester reported.
Price is for a pack of 2
Aveeno - 4/16
3) Dry Oil Moisture Body Wash
Dove
amazon.com
$25.00
Of all the body washes our experts have tested over the years, Dove remains the gold standard when it comes to increasing skin hydration levels; in tests, it kept skin moisturized for four hours — no body lotion needed! Infused with moisturizing argan oil beads, consumer testers raved that it dramatically softened their dry, parched skin after just one wash. "My skin was as smooth as if I'd applied a moisturizer," one said. "I used it at night, and my skin still felt moisturized in the morning," another marveled.
Price is for a pack of 2
Dove - 5/16
4) Mango Splash Body Wash
Tone
walmart.com
$13.72
Not only did this formula rank high in GH Beauty Lab tests for leaving skin feeling soft and clean, it also received top marks for its fruity tropical scent. "The scent was fantastic and made me happy even on dreaded mornings," one tester said. Plus, during the Lab's moisture-loss evaluations, it proved to be more gentle and less drying than other formulas tested. "The rich, creamy lather spread easily on my skin and rinsed completely without any unwanted residue — my skin felt soft, moisturized and luxurious," said another tester.
Tone - 6/16
5) Body Clear Pink Grapefruit Body Wash
Neutrogena
walmart.com
$6.68
Made with salicylic acid, a gold standard acne-fighting ingredient recommended by dermatologists, this body wash helps combat body breakouts by penetrating into pores and unclogging blackheads. But despite its serious skincare benefits, it doesn't smell medicinal: The fruity-sweet grapefruit scent is light and pleasant.
Neutrogena - 7/16
6) Maximum Recovery Body Wash & Soak
Degree
walmart.com
$5.47
This 2021 Beauty Award winner wowed our panel of judges for the soothing, spa-like bath experience it delivered. This two-in-one body wash and soak features Epsom salts to help relax sore muscles and lavender extract for aromatherapy benefits. Our Beauty Lab pros were all fans, noting the "scent was like aromatherapy," and the "lather was incredible."
Degree - 8/16
7) Skin Calming Body Wash
Eucerin
amazon.com
$7.97
Formulated for sensitive skin that's easily inflamed or dehydrated, this Eucerin body wash is made with skin-coddling botanical oils, like soybean and castor. It contains a small number of ingredients but no fragrances or soap surfactants in order to reduce the chance of irritation. Post-shower, skin "feels comfortable, not itchy and dehydrated," a consumer tester found.
Eucerin - 9/16
8) Deep Moisture Shower Foam
Dove Beauty
amazon.com
$18.72
This lightweight, pillowy foam leaves skin feeling soft, not stripped, thanks to gentle cleansers and hydrating glycerin. Even better, each bottle holds a whopping 250 pumps! "The most lush, abundant suds I've ever experienced from a body wash, and it was so light and refreshing," one tester reported. "My skin felt clean and soft — no residue or post-soap tightness," another said.
Dove - 10/16
9) Fresh Outlast Body Wash
Olay
walmart.com
$21.29
A GH Seal Star and pas GH Beauty Award winner, Olay earned praises from our Beauty Lab experts for its supreme lather and light scent, which make for a refreshing bath experience. Our Lab evaluations found that its pH level was gentler on skin when compared to classic bar soaps. We also give it major points for its creamy formula that leaves behind silky smooth skin and its light fruity-floral smell.
Price is for a pack of 2
Olay - 11/16
10) White Peach & Jasmine Body Wash with Nourishing Serum
NIVEA
amazon.com
$4.99
GH Chemist Danusia Wnek stocks up on this Nivea formula, calling it her "tried-and-true" body wash. Its creamy, foamy texture leaves skin feeling refreshed after each rinse. What's more, she says its soft, subtle white peach and jasmine scent smells pleasant without overpowering the senses.
NIVEA - 12/16
11) Ultra Moisture Shea Butter Body Wash
Olay
amazon.com
$14.20
Stamped with the Good Housekeeping Seal, Olay's creamy body wash does more than, well, just wash: It deeply hydrates skin with its primary ingredient, shea butter. Our GH Beauty Lab tests confirm that this top-performing body wash effectively cleanses skin yet leaves it feeling soft and moisturized.
Olay - 13/16
12) Ultra Gentle Body Wash Fragrance Free
Cetaphil
amazon.com
$25.70
Formulated free of any fragrance or masking scents that can irritate sensitive skin (and noses), this Cetaphil shower gel also contains skin-conditioning aloe vera, glycerin and vitamin B5. Associate Product & Reviews Editor Jacqueline Saguin strictly uses this body wash for her eczema. "It's the only formula I've found that's safe for my sensitive skin," she says. "Though you miss out on the lather, its creamy gel formula cleanses without stripping my skin of moisture."
Price is for a pack of 3
Cetaphil - 14/16
13) Foaming Silk Mousse Body Wash (2-Pack)
Nivea
amazon.com
$21.61
Like a rich shaving cream you can use all over your body, Nivea's foaming body wash, a past Good Housekeeping Beauty Award winner, does double duty, cleansing and laying the groundwork for a smoother shave. “It's fun to use, spreads easily over your body in seconds and feels pampering and indulgent,” one tester said. “It left my skin silky and subtly fresh-scented,” another added.
Price is for a pack of 2
Nivea - 15/16
14) Radical Refresher Cleansing Body Mist
Love Beauty and Planet
walmart.com
$7.71
Like a spray-on body wash, this unique no-rinse body cleansing mist can be spritzed on from head to toe to freshen up fast thanks to skin-cleansing and conditioning ingredients. A great pick to throw in your gym bag, Beauty Lab testers loved its subtle sweet scent and called it “good for those times when you can’t take a full shower."
Love Beauty and Planet - 16/16
15) Evenly Gorgeous Exfoliating Body Wash
Caress
walmart.com
$4.77
You can streamline your routine and skip the separate body scrub with this 2-in-1 option. A longtime favorite of GH beauty editors, it's laced with natural silica beads to gently slough off skin as you suds. With a warm, sweet scent smell of brown sugar and musk, one beauty editor says a giant bottle lasts "forever."
Caress
