For most of my life, I’ve been a bath and shower gel kind of person versus the bar soap kind mainly because I find shower gels do a better job at making the skin feel clean without leaving any film or making the skin feel dry. My favorite go-to shower gel has been the Neutrogena Rainbath Refreshing Shower Gel in the Original Scent. It’s one of the classic staples that is gentle enough for my super sensitive skin. I like it because it lathers up really well and leaves the skin feeling super clean and it’s also unisex. For scented shower gels I’ve tested quite a few over the years. There is nothing like a beautifully scented shower gel to wake you up in the morning or to help you relax at the end of a day. I have a roundup of my favorites that I’ve purchased numerous times along with a few new discoveries.
Diptyque has a few of their fragrances available in shower gel form including the Tam Dao, Do Son, and L’Ombre Dans L’Eau to name a few. These are quite spendy but if you’re a fan of the fragrances this is another nice way to experience it. I’ve tried a couple – Tam Dao is very lightly fragranced with a thicker gel-like texture. It doesn’t lather up like some others but makes for a nice bubble bath. L’Ombre Dans L’Eau has a stronger scent to it (it’s the fragrance version of their Baies candle) and a better lather. A little goes a very long way. Out of all the shower gels from Diptyque my favorite is the Revitalizing Shower Gel for Hair and Body. I can’t count the number of times I’ve bought this one, it’s worth every penny in my opinion because it lathers up really nicely and smells refreshingly clean and unique. My husband really likes this one as well (for him). It leaves the skin feeling super soft and lingers on the skin but won’t interfere with your perfumes. Ingredients listed online here.
Next up is the Jack Black Turbo Wash Energizing Cleanser for Hair and Body (also available in a smaller size). This one is designed for men and is my husband’s all time favorite, but I like to borrow it too. My husband is all about products that multi-task, this one really is good for both hair and body. This one is his favorite because it suds up really well and cleans the skin without leaving any film or residue. It has a mix of rosemary, eucalyptus and juniper berry which makes it smell incredibly fresh and crisp. The eucalyptus has a cooling feel that energizes the body and wakes you up in the morning but it’s not as sharp or strong as other scents with eucalyptus making it softer around the edges. I’ve bought him a number of travel sized minis from other brands to try out but this one remains his favorite. Ingredients listed online here.
My latest discovery is the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Cleansing Gel for Face and Body. This one is designed for dry skin. It has that sweet honey and sunflower scent which I usually find too powdery or floral in other lines but it’s something Nuxe does the best. It’s really thick and concentrated so a little goes a very long way. I like that it lathers up to a gentle lather – since it’s on the thicker side it won’t foam up like some others making it adhere better to the skin when you’re in the shower or bath. That being said it does rinse off completely but leaves the body feeling well hydrated. I haven’t tested this on the face yet but if you have dry skin and like honey-scented products this is amazing for the body.
Ingredients:
Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser is a staple but also extremely pricey. This has a gel texture that lathers up nicely but since it’s more liquid than others it won’t necessarily foam up like the Diptyque or Neutrogena. It’s a nice soft geranium scent that is very mellow but still refreshing. You only need two pumps for the entire body and it cleans the skin like nothing else I’ve tried. Ingredients listed here.
Last but not least is the L’Occitane Bonne Mere Rosemary Shower Gel. I’m normally not a fan of rosemary scents for the body because they are often too sharp and too herbal-smelling. This one is very different. It’s incredibly difficult to describe but it’s a softer more refreshing version of the Jack Black Turbo Wash minus the eucalyptus. The entire Bonne Mere collection is designed to be extremely gentle on the skin. I’ve tried several items from the line and love the Rosemary Shower Gel, Olive Shower Gel and Liquid Marseille Hand Soap. The Rosemary has been repurchased 4 times already.
Ingredients:
If you’re in the market for a new bath or shower gel I hope you found this roundup helpful. There are a number of scented showers gels I love for the fragrance but aren’t so great in terms of giving the skin a good clean feeling. The ones above do both for me and are gentle enough for my sensitive skin. Do you have a favorite splurge? I would love to hear about your favorites!
The Nuxe and L’Occitane were press samples provided for review consideration. All other items purchased and repurchased by me.
Such amazing products! I love the L'Ombre Dans L'Eau scent, so I can imagine how unbelievable it would smell in the shower. I'm really interested in trying the Nuxe shower gel too ❤
munchies&musings
Good old Jack Black! My husband and two sons are thoroughly addicted to the Turbo Wash and so I stock up on it for them during Sephora's F&F sale. For me, I'm an easy keeper 🙂 I like Dove's Go Fresh body wash with nutrium moisture. I have several different scents: Plum & Sakura, Blue Fig & Orange Blossom, and Mandarin & Tiare Flower.
My favorite shower stuff comes from Weleda. It's very inexpensive comparatively, it moisturizes well and rinses clean. I also like the Tea Tree body wash from Trader Joes. It's perfect for after a work out!
The Nuxe cleansing gel sounds amazing! I have very dry skin so anything that helps to hydrate the skin gets a thumbs up from me 😀 x
FARFROMPERFECTIONXO
I had been using a variety of expensive shower gels…then I went back to Dove. During the winter I like their limited edition Winter Care, and I'm now back to Pistachio Cream with Magnolia. It really does the job, doen't dry out my skin, and it's about $8.00! Win win!
I like the Aesop too but my favorite is Ren Seaweed & Sage. My newest acquisition and I think my new favorite is Murad's Detoxifying White Clay Body Cleanser (Nordstrom sells it online). It is creamy and really lathers up nicely and leaves my skin really soft and moisturized. It has glycolic acid in it as well as the clay so it will really help keep my skin tone evened up and bump free.
FYI, I found the Nuxe shower gel at Target last week! One of my favorite luxury shower gels is the Bulgari au The Blanc Shampoo and Shower Gel. I love the scent, love how softly it foams up and cleanses the skin without substantial dryness, but mostly I love it as I can actually use it on my hair as well!
I adore Aesop! Kind of wish it didn't cost a kidney to buy though haha. Smells amazing though! x
I am eyeing on that Nuxe Rêve de Miel Cleansing Gel for Face and Body. This seems like a good one especially for dry skin. I wanna try this out for I am kinda having dried out skin lately.
The Dyptique Revitalizing Shower Gel is indeed something special. Such a fresh and invigorating yet sophisticated fragrance. It is the French knowhow about everything beautiful and chic bottled up. However, shame on Diptyque because the formula is almost dishwashing liquid. Why a Lauryl Sulfate? One of the harshest and skin unfriendliest surfactants around. That's also the reason why it produces copious amounts of thick and luxurious foam.
Every time I pick up a candle I ask the Diptyque rep at Nordstrom for a sample. The 10 ml pack is sufficient for 3 showers – very economical. Every time I make up my mind to pick up a full bottle on my next visit. Then I read the ingredients again and cannot forget how bad the formula is. I curse the curse of knowledge. Ignorance is bliss 🙂
Enjoy your shower gel. It really is some experience.
I love Aesop Geranium body cleanser!! You must also try the same scent in the scrub!! Love It! I'm going to try the Diptyque Revitalizing gel on your recommendation!
I loooove that Aesop body cleanser! I don't usually spend so much on body wash, but I had such a great experience with this one, I bought the biggest bottle.
This is a very nice list. The Aesop is great and L'Ombre dans L'Eau is one of my absolute favourites for spring/summer. I also like Byredo Pulp for when I want something fruity and sunny and Hermes shower gels (Narcisse Bleu especially) for something more understated. If I don't feel like bankruptcy, I often go with Korres: the fig one is especially good.
I want to try NUXE shower gel now. And you may like Costes, the scent is amazing!
I love all things Molton Brown – wether it is their hand wash or bath gels they feel exotic, expensive and I love the fragrance options!
Some people doesn't use soap because of infection. For that peoples or athletes, they can use shower gel.