The 5 Best Body Washes for Men

Long gone are the days of a select few companies dishing out a ‘one-size-fits-all’ soap for men with ingredients most college grads would have trouble pronouncing; Whether you’ve suffered from dry skin for far too long or are just looking for a more environmentally-conscious alternative, body soap is a self-care essential far too many men take for granted. Over-the-top fragrances can be comprised of hundreds of harmful (and unnecessary) chemicals, while budget brands with higher acidity, parabens or sulfates can wreak havoc on your body. Below we’ve gathered together our top five brands of male body washes, at various price points, aimed at both rejuvenating irritated skin & leaving a scent a bit more alluring than your 17 year-old nephew’s can spray for PE class.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Liquid Soap

Organic Soap's Standard Bearer

Dr. Bronner’s fabled 150+ year history is nothing to scoff at; this product’s wide variety of scents has something for everyone.

Best Overall

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If modern consumption habits have trained you to believe that one product equals one use, prepared to have your mind blown by Dr. Bronner. While an exhaustive explanation of its touted 18 separate uses would be overkill, suffice it to say that this versatile product will clean everything from your clothes to your body to your floor, all with ease.

Depending on the fragrance you choose, this olive oil-based cleanser has no more than 12 ingredients, 90% of which are organic while the remaining 10% are eliminated during the rendering process, as explained on both the company’s website and physical product. Short of molding bars of soap yourself, we believe you’d be hard-pressed to find a product with less irritating chemicals at such an impressive price point – especially one that’s produced through truly sustainable practices.

Pros:

Made in the USA
Vegan formula ideal for sensitive skin
Highly concentrated & long-lasting

Cons:

Avoid eye contact at all costs
Must dilute with water for various applications

Neutrogena’s Body Clear Body Wash

The Banisher of Breakouts

Antioxidants put in extra work to prevent acne and cut down on particularly oily skin without a prescription.

Best Body Acne Treatment

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Neutrogena brings out the big guns with its Body Clear Body Wash, a potent remedy to eliminate pesky body acne for good. What truly places this product above the competition is the all-important salicylic acid, considered the benchmark when treating non-inflammatory acne by killing the underlying bacteria in affected regions.

Combined with a pleasant, but not overwhelming, grapefruit smell and infused Vitamin C, Body Clear straddles the line between medicinal product and consumer essential, and this fact should be taken into consideration. While infused antioxidants & vitamins are put to task in order to prevent dry skin, discretion should be used when applying to areas of the body without problematic body acne to prevent loss of moisture.

Pros:

Subtle scent noticeable throughout the day
Competitive price for niche usage
Maximum Salicylic acid content

Cons:

Not ideal for acne-free folks
Long list of non-organic ingredients including dyes

Everyone 3-in-1 Soap

Cleanser for the Common Man

Don’t let the bulk style fool you. This company's products boasts environmental accolades and ethical formulas that don’t break the bank

Best Budget Option

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Everyone’s product offering is reminiscent of Dr. Bronner when it comes down to putting the planet first, just with a few extra creature-comfort ingredients typically found in more traditional body cleansers.”s. The addition of vitamin E and B5 is most certainly a benefit in the realm of moisturizing, and the lack of parabens and dyes will certainly help win over your Greenpeace-activist relatives.

While having a base of coconut oil vs. the more traditional olive oil may give the extremely scent-conscious consumer an inadvertent trip to Southeast Asia during their morning shower, Everyone’s 3-in-1 Soap accomplishes everything a traditional soap should while being GMO and cruelty-free. An ideal product for price-conscious men of all ages.

Pros:

Made in USA
Ready to use hand-pump
Can also be used on hair without dilution

Cons:

Not entirely sulfate-free
Water-like consistency is difficult to lather

CeraVe Hydrating Body Wash

The Bane of Dry Skin

Used in conjunction with a moisturizer for serious cases, CeraVe will remind you what soft skin devoid of cracks & dander feels like.

Best Moisturizing Wash

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CeraVe has been a mainstay in the skin maintenance world for years, and its unsurprising that their Hydrating Body Wash is a major contenter in preventing dry skin before needing to resort to their standalone skin moisturizers. Devoid of fragrances and our usual chemical culprits which lead to undesirable skin conditions, CeraVe also contain Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid, (a naturally-occurring lipid in the case of the former & sugar molecule with respect to the latter) components of our skin which lock in moisture but can degrade over time due to exposure and/or poor diet.

Although this product sounds as if it’s intended user has been sitting next to a space heater 16 hours a day all winter, CeraVe’s Hydrating Body Wash is more than applicable to the average consumer concerned about skin appearing not as soft as it once was. If dry weather is infringing upon your body’s right to bear natural moisture, CeraVe will bring your skin right back into line.

Pros:

Works well for all skin types
A little goes a (very) long way
May help relieve eczema & psoriasis

Cons:

Thick consistency can be hard to wash off completely
Costs a pretty penny

Anthony Invigorating Rush Hair + Body Wash

Nostril-Bound Nirvana

This luxury body wash will leave others pining for your scent while not requiring you to sacrifice too much on the eco-warrior front.

Best Scent

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If you find yourself in a position where you need to impress upon your opposing party an air for the finer things in life, look no further than Anthony. While the brand doesn’t boast about any specific therapeutic properties, it doesn’t need to; Anthony is several steps above mass produced competition in terms of being free of most corrosive chemicals (GMOs, Phthalates) without that being the product’s primary pitch.

Our team of varying opinions can most certainly agree on one fact about the scent: its damn bold. Visualize a cross between Bear Grylls and James Bond if you will. The infused eucalyptus provides you with an electrifying sensation that could wake a grizzly from hibernation, while its final scent, reminiscent of a crisp alpine forest at daybreak, will last throughout a rigorous day and into an even more rigorous night if you catch our drift (Or a nice dinner out if we’re just getting to know each other). Regardless of your situation, Anthony’s will put you in a position to impress with an unforgettable fragrance that has the mileage to outlast competitors.

Pros:

Can be used on hair and skin
Allergy-tested & cruelty-free

Cons:

May be hard to justify the cost
Similarly-priced competitors have cleaner ingredient profiles

Frequently Asked Questions

What chemicals should I stay away from when looking for a body wash?

Specifically, we want to avoid parabens, phthalates, propylene glycerol and similar compounds in high concentrations. This infamous batch of three are traditionally used as artificial preservatives, increasing the shelf life of our product, but can lead to (in constant doses over significant periods of time) hormone disruption, kidney damage and tissue damage, respectively. Sulfates, too, have been shown to damage the dermis and hair when overused.

How often should I be using my body wash?

While an answer of daily or 2x/day may have seemed obvious years ago, mounting scientific evidence suggests that over-cleaning might be worse for us than the opposite. For a typical office worker with a less-than-rigorous gym schedule, the consensus says you should use body wash every 2 or 3 days in order to preserve your body’s natural defenses against dry skin, which can be worn away by the best body wash. Preserving our skin’s own ecosystem of beneficial bacteria is paramount to our bodies functioning properly, and while a physically demanding job or exercise routine may necessitate daily showering (if not for you than for the sake of everyone around you), application of body wash should be used sparingly and in a localized manner to prevent skin irritation.