Sustainable Body Wash

Do you want to reduce your environmental footprint and at the same time use a healthier and chemical free alternative to body wash and shower gels? We provide you with a list of the best options below.


What should you look for in a sustainable body wash?


In order to be environmentally friendly it’s important that your body wash contains natural ingredients (made with plant-derived oils) without any harmful chemicals, foaming agents or artificial fragrances. You should also look for a green packaging that is plastic-free, easy to recycle, can be reused or refilled, or even composted (like paper, cardboard or kork) generating zero waste. As soap production uses a lot of water, make sure you buy from a brand that is committed to reduce the environmental costs of production by reusing waste water, producing with renewable energy or by hand without any machines.



Look for this criteria to buy the most eco-friendly soap

• Natural and organic ingredients that are biodegradable without any harmful chemicals, no foaming agents (like sodium lauryl sulfate)
• A plastic-free packaging that can be reused, is easy recycled or is compostable
• Energy & resource efficient production that reduces the environmental impact

What are good natural and organic ingredients and what chemicals should you avoid in body wash?

• good soap is based on plant-derived oils and lye
• contains naturally occurring glycerin 
• is not containing ingredients such as synthetic fragrances & colors, sulfates, parabens, foaming agents, phthalates, formaldehydes, oxybenzone, ethoxylated ingredients, polysorbates, triclosan, TEA/DEA or phenoxyethanol and petrochemicals
• No micro-plastics used for plastic microbeads in exfoliant and peeling toiletries

What soap packaging is eco-friendly, plastic-free and zero-waste?

• In paper wrapped Bar soap
• Body wash that is packaged with plant based plastics (like polyethylene tubes from sugarcane)
• Shower gel in a glas suspender
• Body wash in a metal suspender that can easily be recycled
• Bar soap wrapped in a compostable cloth
• Body wash containers that can be refilled and reused

What body wash brands are eco-friendly?

• Ethique Eco-Friendly Bodywash Bar
• Aleavia Enzymatic Body Cleanse
• The Soap Haven Goat Milk Soap Bars
• Botanik Natural Organic Bar Soap
• Osmia Organic Coffee Mint Soap
• True Botanicals Wash Grove
• PLANT Apothecary Wakey Wakey Body Wash
• 100% PURE Natural Body Wash
• Captain Blankenship Sea Mineral Soap
• Soapwalla - Activated Charcoal & Petitgrain Soap Bar
• Dr. Alkaitis Organic Body Wash
• LILFOX Body Cleanse
• Dr. Bronner’s - Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

Are body wash fragrances bad?

The average scented body wash contains many chemicals (like diethyl phthalate, synthetic ketone) which can harm the body in many ways. They can be the cause for headaches, allergy problems or skin irritations like skin rash. Also left-over soap that goes down the drain is often not biodegradable and therefore causes problems with the environment and water based plants and animals.

Non-scented body wash on the other hand is skin friendly, is not causing much dryness and is more healthier for the body if used on a daily base. If you use clean clothes and wash on a regular base there is no need in masking your natural scent.