Body Wash

Fact Checked

Thankyou cleans up best in body wash ratings

Showers aren’t just for singing while imitating dramatic music videos in our heads. It’s also a time to lather up your favourite body wash, helping your skin feel softer and smell a whole lot better. Plus, there’s an exciting variety of shower gels, creams, oils, and extra exfoliating and moisturising formulas out there. And let’s not even start on the wide range of scents.

In the third year of our body wash ratings, Canstar Blue has surveyed more than 1,600 Aussies to find out which brands are scrubbing up best – and which just stink! Brands were rated on their effectiveness, feel on skin, smell, consistency, packaging, value for money and overall satisfaction. The feedback we’ve received is reflected by the star ratings you see above.

While 17 brands made the cut, Thankyou had a smooth win as the only brand to get five stars for overall satisfaction and most categories.

Best Body Wash

Here are the best brands of body wash in Australia, as rated by consumers in Canstar Blue’s latest review:

1. Thankyou
2. Original Source
3. Dettol
4. Radox
5. Dove
6. Lux
7. ALDI Juliet
8. DermaVeen
9. Palmolive
10. QV
11. Johnson’s
12. Sukin
13. Nivea
14. Aveeno
15. Balnea
16. Lynx
17. Coles

Thankyou topped our ratings with five stars for feel on skin, effectiveness, consistency, packaging and overall satisfaction. Notably, only two brands managed to score five stars for value for money − ALDI Juliet and Balnea. Original Source also beat Thankyou with full marks for smell of product, while Dettol rated five stars for consistency.

All in all, most rated brands including big names like Palmolive, Nivea and Dove rated four stars for overall satisfaction, except for Coles which got three stars overall.

Now, let’s look at what consumers found to be most important when buying body wash.

What to consider when buying body wash

When it comes to body wash, there are several key factors to think about. Our research identified the following drivers of satisfaction, listed in order of importance:

• Effectiveness: 20%
• Consistency: 18%
• Feel on skin: 18%
• Smell: 15%
• Packaging: 15%
• Value for money: 14%

Just before we unpack the above factors, this is what else our survey revealed:

Effectiveness

This year, effectiveness was rated the most important driver of satisfaction when it comes to body wash. Why bother with it if it’s not doing the job? More than half (55%) of survey respondents said they’ve tried different brands and if our review is anything to go by, there are plenty of options in the pool of body washes. So, if one brand doesn’t cut it, it’s easy to switch.

• Thankyou was the only brand to receive five stars for effectiveness, while Dettol, Lux and most other brands got four stars. Coles ended up with three stars.

Consistency

Body wash comes in a range of textures, so you’d want to find one that makes you want to lather up every time you shower or bathe. Whether you like formulas that are silky smooth or with exfoliating beads, there are different options out there. However, no one enjoys a consistency that feels lumpy or gritty.

• Thankyou and Dettol were the only two brands to earn five stars for consistency, with most other brands on four stars. Aveeno, Balnea and Coles got on three stars.

Feel on skin

Body wash aims to clean your skin and in turn, helps leave it feeling soft. As it’s typically used every day, it shouldn’t make your skin dry by stripping off your natural oils or sting when you apply it. For different skin types – sensitive, dry or oily – you’ll find specific options targeting these factors.

• Thankyou was the only brand to receive five stars for feel on skin, while others like Dove and Sukin received four stars. Balnea and Coles got three stars.

Smell

While smell was further down the list of drivers of satisfaction, many people still said they like to try different scents/flavours of body wash. When asked which scent they most recently bought, 41% of respondents indicated fruit, followed by floral (36%), vanilla (29%), honey (25%), unscented (20%), woody (14%), musk (11%) and coffee (8%).

Many brands offer a variety of fragrances for different scent preferences, so having the option to change it up from time to time – but being able to stick with the same brand – is a plus. After all, you’re the only one who ‘nose’ what’s best for you.

• Original Source stood out with the only five-star rating for smell, followed by a mix split between 12 brands which got four stars and the remaining left on three stars.

Packaging

Packaging can make a difference to the overall experience of using body wash. While it doesn’t directly affect the end result, having a bottle that’s easy to hold, pour and use is a plus. Even one that suits the aesthetic of your bathroom can make you buy one brand over another.

• Thankyou was the only brand to receive a five-star rating for packaging, with most achieving four stars, except DermaVeen and Coles which got three stars.

Value for money

Getting good value for money is important for a product that’s usually used every day. Our survey found that 14% of Aussies always buy the cheapest brand. Certain skin concerns might also influence whether a product is value for money, which can result in extra costs. For example, a quarter of shoppers (25%) head towards options with additional benefits, such as exfoliating and moisturising, while 19% buy a specific brand for sensitive skin.

• ALDI Juliet and Balnea were the only two brands to get five stars for value for money, with the majority of brands receiving four stars. DermaVeen, Nivea, Aveeno and Lynx rated three stars.

We hope you’ve found this guide helpful! If your current body wash isn’t up to standard, why not try one of the brands at the top of our ratings.

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Lead, Megan Birot. She’s an expert on household appliances, health & beauty products, as well as all things grocery and shopping. When she’s not writing up our research-based ratings reports, Megan spends her time helping consumers make better purchase decisions, whether it’s at the supermarket, other retailers, or online, highlighting the best deals and flagging anything you need to be aware of.

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Picture credits: Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com, TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock.com, showcake/Shutterstock.com.