The best perfumed body washes to elevate your shower routine (2025)

For some, a shower is a daily task that warrants minimal thought. But if, like us, you view your shower as an important opportunity to add a touch of luxury to your daily routine, then incorporating a perfumed body wash is a non-negotiable. After all, we're all searching for more moments of calm and self-care in our everyday, and infusing fragrance is an easy way to do so.

While perfumed body washes once existed as an addition to Christmas gift sets, an increased interest in bodycare, scent and wellbeing has created a growing desire for a wider range of body-specific cleansers. Brands responded to the call, and we now have as many options for in-shower scents as we do in our perfume cabinet.

"Our sense of smell is directly linked to a part of the brain known as the limbic system, which is responsible for mood, memories and emotions. In fact, up to 75 per cent of our emotions are tied to smell," explains the consultant dermatologist and founder of Joonbyrd, Dr Alexis Granite.

"You spend up to six months of your life showering, so it makes sense to invest in a scented wash that boosts your mood."

You'll find some of your favourite fragrances have been reformatted in foaming body cleansers, while dedicated body-care brands have pivoted to ensuring scent is a main focus in their products, calling on some of the biggest names in the perfume industry to help them do so. You also won't have to compromise on skincare benefits; as Dr Granite explains, it's a myth that a perfumed body wash will be more drying on your skin than non-fragranced versions. "It all comes down to the formulation, so there is no reason why a fragranced body wash can’t be deeply hydrating," she says.

Whether you're looking for a formula that contains nourishing skincare ingredients, one that delivers a scintillating scrub, or that's been fragranced to encourage optimal wellbeing, we've rounded up the very best perfumed body washes that will have you smelling divine long after you step out of the shower.

Loewe's Tomato Leaves scent transports you straight to an English countryside greenhouse overflowing with verdant tomato plants. It's fresh, green and lingers on the skin for a nostalgic, gourmand scent that's unlike any other.

Le Labo's shower gel is fragranced with its wildly popular Thé Noir 29 perfume, which centres around the ingredient of black tea leaves and combines woody, fresh notes of bergamot, vetiver, cedarwood and musk, with a hint of tobacco.

The Somerset-born holistic brand Commune adopts an "appreciation for the beauty in the details" in the curation of its products, an approach which is very much evident in its decadently scented body cleanser. Restorative notes of geranium and lavender, alongside comforting cypress oil and hiba wood oil, immediately help to untangle your mind and relax your body.

The scent of Ouai's St.Barts body range was so highly requested by its customers that the brand had to make it a stand-alone fragrance, so you know it must be something special. Lather up its hydrating formula and let the uplifting scent of orange blossom, tuberose and amber fill your bathroom and scent your skin, leaving you refreshed and cleansed.

The ultimate aspirational body cleanser, Dior's Ambre Nuit marries indulgent amber notes with Turkish rose that suffuses the skin with a warm and sensual fragrance for hours upon end. The sleek bottle dispenses the golden-hued formula which transforms into a silky lather on the skin for a truly luxe experience.

Layer up your favourite Byredo perfumes with their accompanying range of luxury body washes. Gypsy Water was one of the first fragrances to be launched by the brand and has retained its status as a cult favourite, with a woody, fresh, and spicy aroma. Byredo's iconic round-domed lid also features on the curved body wash bottle, so your minimalist shower aesthetic won't be left wanting.

Arket has just launched a line of tasteful body products, tapping the perfumer Jerome Epinette to help develop the new fragrances featured in the formulations. Epinette is the nose behind high-end fragrances from Byredo, Victoria Beckham and Vilhelm Parfumerie, to name a few, so it's no surprise that the scents in his latest collaboration are brimming with luxury. Album is one of our particular favourites, blending comforting notes of sandalwood, cashmeran, and wild fig.