These Fancy, Affordable Body Washes Bring the Spa to Your Shower

Smelling good is nice, but you know what’s better? Smelling like a dewy sunrise in the Japanese countryside, or a rich person’s home spa in Topanga Canyon. At this age, you deserve only the best body washes that can deliver a complex, alluring yet subtle smell that won’t irritate your skin, and will beguile your friends, enemies, lovers, and H&R Block agent. 

We have been a proud member of the cult of fancy hand soaps for some time, and the same could be said of the Freemason society of fancy body washes. We will happily shell out an extra $18 for a body wash if it will give the impression that we are a hot, well-read person with several Noguchi lamps and a JSTOR account (meaning, we should cop this hinoki body wash), but there are also plenty of affordable, luxurious body washes that don’t cost the price of a boozy lobster dinner. 

Gone are the days of settling for overly perfumed soap that smells like an Altoid. The best-smelling body washes for men, women, and everyone else deserving of some bougie suds run the gamut of sensory experiences, from moisturizing body washes for dry skin to body washes for acne with gentle ingredients. Whether you want a virtually fragrance-free formula or the musky allure of an erudite lumberjack, we have a body wash for you.   

There’s a specific kind of nostalgia that all Californians have for the smell of sun-baked canyon chaparral. It’s earthy, warm, just a little bit spicy, and it has been successfully bottled by the organic Los Angeles’ lifestyle brand Flamingo Estate. The brand’s Rosemary & Clary Sage Body Wash is an herbaceous blend of organic sage, eucalyptus, Mediterranean rosemary, and a touch of California lavender that makes me smell like a misty SoCal hiking trail. Big love. 

OffCourt’s body wash packs the brand’s signature scent of fig leaves, vetiver, rosewood, and white musk (think, crisp and clean), while the sulfate-free formula’s inclusion of glycolic and lactic acids makes for a gentle, particle-free exfoliation that won’t irritate skin or strip it of its natural oils. No wonder the brand has crowned it “The Swiss Army of body washes.”

Have you ever been to the hinoki bath at SoJo Spa Club in New Jersey? Trust me, you would remember. I don’t have a spa day in the books anytime soon, but Salt & Stone’s bergamot and hinoki body wash is the next best thing. The formula has a distinct but not overpowering aroma, and is made with seaweed extracts, vitamin C, and niacinamide and hyaluronic acid (designed for boosting hydration and plumping skin). A spa day in a bottle if ever there was one. 

If you want some suds with supreme exfoliation powers that aren’t big on fragrance, look no further than the GOATed bodily ambrosia that is CeraVe’s fragrance-free body wash with salicylic acid, which is designed to help treat acne and bumpy skin. The body wash has earned a 4.6-star average rating on Amazon from a whopping 28,800 reviewers who say it has helped everything from breakouts to uneven, bumpy skin. As one stan writes, “No burning, no stink, no tinglies, no adverse reactions—only rainbows and sunshine in this bottle.”  

There’s a reason famous people (Kardashians) and peasants (us) alike ball out on Aesop’s luxurious products, and it’s because they really do leave you smelling rich and wonderful throughout the day. The brand’s Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser is perfect for those in search of a bright, citrus scent, and will look equally aesthetic next to the Elf Bar ikebana floral arrangement in your bathroom. 

Native’s lavender and rose body wash is perfect for anyone who wants a slightly headier floral body wash, and at under $10, it’s definitely one of the most affordable picks on our list. The coconut oil-based, vegan formula is also free of dyes, phthalates, and sulfated surfactants, so you can rest assured that you’re not adding a bunch of gunk to your pores.

Once upon a time, we siphoned sandalwood oil into a spray bottle with distilled water for our perfume. Now that we have a slightly bigger budget, we’re bringing home Nécessaire’s sandalwood body wash with niacinamide to scrub off the toils of the day. This body wash makes for an especially great gift, because it’s designed to suit oily, sensitive, and dry skin alike. 

Everyone wants to fuck Dr. Bronner! Who doesn’t like Dr. Bronner’s body wash? It’s a bougie corner-store staple for a reason, and an excellent choice for those with sensitive skin who want a GMO-free, vegan solution with no fragrance. As one of the 10K+ Amazon reviewers writes about the body wash, “A little goes a long way. Small amount creates lots of lather. Used to wash my dogs and on my own hair! Now we all have hair shine.” 

Malin+Goetz bergamot body wash uses amino acid-based cleansing agents to enrich and purify your skin, and tops everything off with some hydrating glycerin to leave sensitive skin feeling extra nourished. Plus, the graphic bottle just looks cool. 

Here’s to smelling like the most expensive eucalyptus bouquet at the farmer’s market. 

The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter.