Body wash is one of those products most people never think twice about. You grab a bottle, use it until it is empty, and grab another. But the body wash aisle has the same problem as every other "natural" personal care category: the brands that look independent are often not.
Dr. Squatch, the body wash brand with the lumberjack branding and the viral ads about "real" ingredients? That is Unilever now -- acquired in 2025 for $1.5 billion. Nubian Heritage, the brand built on African-inspired body care traditions? Also Unilever, bought through their Sundial Brands acquisition in 2017. SheaMoisture? Same deal.
The pattern is consistent across every personal care category. A brand earns your trust by looking small and transparent. A multinational buys that trust at a premium. The packaging stays the same. The story stays the same. The ownership does not.
We researched the ingredient lists, ownership structures, and funding histories of every natural body wash brand on the market. Each one received two scores: ingredient safety (is the formula genuinely clean?) and independence (who actually owns this company right now?). These five brands scored highest on both axes.
1. Everyone by EO -- Clean Body Wash at a Real-World Price
Ingredients: 10/10 · Independence: 10/10
Everyone is the accessible line from EO Products, founded by Susan Griffin-Black and Brad Black. The couple started EO in 1995 making essential oil-based personal care products in Marin County, California. Everyone launched as a family-friendly extension of the EO line -- same ingredient standards, lower price point, larger bottles.
The formula is built on plant-derived surfactants from organic coconut oil, organic aloe vera, and pure essential oils for scent. No sulfates, no synthetic fragrance, no parabens, no phthalates, no formaldehyde donors. The entire Everyone line is EWG Verified, meaning every single ingredient has been independently screened by the Environmental Working Group and deemed safe.
What makes Everyone remarkable is not just the ingredient quality -- it is the price. At roughly $10-13 for a 32-ounce bottle, this is cleaner body wash at a price point that competes with conventional drugstore brands. Most "natural" body washes charge that much for 12 ounces.
The Griffin-Black and Black family still owns and operates EO Products. The company runs its manufacturing out of a solar-powered facility in San Rafael, California. They have never sold to a conglomerate, and they have never taken outside investment that diluted their control.
Why we love it: EWG Verified at a price that makes it a realistic everyday purchase for a whole family. The solar-powered facility is not a marketing talking point -- it is their actual production site. The 32-ounce bottles mean less plastic per ounce. If we had to recommend one body wash from this list for the average person, this is it.
One heads-up: The lather is lighter than sulfate-based body washes. It cleans just as well, but if you are used to thick foam, the experience will feel different at first. Use a washcloth or loofah to increase the lather.
2. Bathing Culture -- The Shower as a Ritual
Ingredients: 10/10 · Independence: 10/10
Bathing Culture was founded by Tim Hollinger and Spencer Arnold in Northern California with a simple thesis: if you are going to stand in the shower every day, the product you are using should be worthy of the moment. Their flagship "Mind and Body Wash" is USDA Organic certified and fully biodegradable -- meaning you could use it in a river or a lake and it would break down harmlessly.
The ingredient list is short and impeccable: organic coconut oil, organic olive oil, organic hemp oil, organic jojoba oil, and essential oils. That is a castile-style formula similar to Dr. Bronner's but with a more refined scent profile. The signature "Cathedral Grove" scent is earthy and forest-forward -- like eucalyptus and moss and wet wood. It polarizes people. You either love it or it is not for you. They also offer an unscented option.
At $18-24 per bottle, Bathing Culture is a premium product. But the founders are transparent about the cost: organic certification, biodegradable formulation, and small-batch production all cost more than industrial-scale manufacturing with synthetic ingredients.
Hollinger and Arnold still own and run the company. They have kept the brand intentionally small, selling primarily through their own site and specialty retailers rather than chasing mass-market distribution.
Why we love it: USDA Organic and biodegradable is a combination almost no other body wash brand achieves. The product is genuinely different -- the formulation, the scent, the experience. It is also the only brand on this list you could take camping and use outdoors without guilt. If you care about what goes down the drain as much as what goes on your skin, Bathing Culture is the one.
One heads-up: The price. There is no way around it. At $18-24 per bottle, this is a premium product. If you are on a budget, Everyone by EO gives you EWG Verified quality at a fraction of the cost. Bathing Culture is for people who are willing to pay for an exceptional product.
3. Dr. Bronner's -- The Original, Still Family-Owned
Ingredients: 10/10 · Independence: 10/10
If you have set foot in a natural grocery store in the last 50 years, you know Dr. Bronner's. The label is famously covered in tiny text about unity and cosmic philosophy. The product inside is a pure-castile liquid soap made from organic coconut, olive, hemp, and jojoba oils. It works as a body wash, a shampoo, a face cleanser, a household cleaner, and about a dozen other things if you read the label closely enough.
Dr. Bronner's has been family-owned for five generations. Emanuel Bronner started the company in 1948. Today, it is run by his grandsons, David and Michael Bronner, who have turned it into one of the most socially conscious companies in the personal care industry. All major supply chains are Fair Trade certified. The company caps executive pay at 5x the lowest-paid position. They donate significant portions of revenue to social and environmental causes.
The body wash use case is straightforward: dilute the castile soap (a few drops on a wet washcloth is plenty), lather, and rinse. The concentrated formula means a single bottle lasts months. Scent options include peppermint, lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree, citrus, almond, rose, and unscented ("Baby Mild"). Pricing ranges from $5 for 8 ounces to $22 for 32 ounces, making it one of the most affordable per-use options on the market.
Why we love it: Five generations of family ownership with zero compromise on ingredient quality or ethics. The Fair Trade supply chain is not a marketing badge -- Dr. Bronner's helped pioneer Fair Trade certification in the personal care industry. The concentrated formula means you use less product per shower, which makes the per-use cost extremely low despite the bottle price. And the versatility is unmatched: one bottle replaces your body wash, hand soap, and shampoo if you want it to.
One heads-up: Because it is a pure castile soap, it can feel "squeaky" on skin if you use too much or do not dilute it. Castile soap also reacts with hard water, which can leave a slight film. If you have very hard tap water, you may want to follow up with an apple cider vinegar rinse or choose a formulated body wash like Everyone by EO instead.
4. Cocokind -- Bootstrapped Transparency
Ingredients: 9/10 · Independence: 10/10
Cocokind was founded by Priscilla Tsai after years of struggling with acne and eczema. Tsai, who had worked in finance, bootstrapped the company from her kitchen -- no venture capital, no angel investors, no accelerator funding. That is rare in the beauty space, where VC money is essentially the entry ticket to getting shelf space at Sephora or Target.
Cocokind's body care line focuses on simple, effective formulas. Their body washes use plant-derived surfactants, organic oils, and minimal ingredient lists. The brand publishes the cost breakdown of every product on the packaging -- what they call "sustainability facts" -- showing you exactly what the ingredients cost, what the packaging costs, and what the markup is. No other brand on this list does this.
We scored the ingredients 9/10 rather than 10/10 because some Cocokind products use "natural fragrance," which is a term without strict regulation. It is likely essential oil-derived, and Cocokind is transparent about it when asked, but the ambiguity costs them a point in our scoring.
Pricing is $9-18 depending on the product and size -- reasonable for the quality. Tsai still owns and runs the company.
Why we love it: Bootstrapped with zero outside capital means zero investor pressure to sell. Tsai built Cocokind the hard way, and that independence shows in every decision the brand makes. The pricing transparency is genuinely uncommon and refreshing. When a brand shows you exactly how much they mark up their products, it signals confidence in the value they are providing.
One heads-up: The body wash line is smaller than the skincare line. Cocokind is primarily known for face care. If you are looking for a wide range of body wash scent options, Everyone by EO or Dr. Bronner's will have more variety.
5. ATTITUDE -- EWG Verified Everything
Ingredients: 10/10 · Independence: 10/10
ATTITUDE is a Canadian brand founded by Jean-Francois Bernier that has done something almost no other personal care brand has achieved: every single product in their entire line is EWG Verified. Not one product. Not a "clean" sub-line. Everything. Body wash, shampoo, baby care, household cleaners, laundry detergent -- all of it independently verified.
The body wash formulas are plant-derived and mineral-based, free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic fragrance, and known carcinogens. ATTITUDE is also carbon-neutral certified, offsetting their manufacturing and shipping footprint through verified carbon reduction programs.
What stands out about ATTITUDE is the breadth of their line. They make body wash for adults, kids, and babies -- all at the same EWG Verified standard. For families looking to switch every product in the shower to a verified-clean option, ATTITUDE is the simplest way to do it. Pricing runs $8-14, which puts them in line with mainstream brands.
Bernier still owns and operates the company from Quebec. The brand distributes across North America through natural grocers and their own site.
Why we love it: EWG Verified on the entire line is a commitment that goes beyond marketing. It means every formulation choice, across hundreds of products, has been independently screened. The carbon-neutral certification adds another layer of accountability. And at $8-14 for body wash, the pricing makes clean body care accessible to anyone. If you want to replace every product in your shower without researching each one individually, ATTITUDE makes it easy.
One heads-up: The brand aesthetic is more functional than luxurious. If you are looking for a premium shower experience with a distinctive scent, Bathing Culture is a better fit. ATTITUDE is about substance over style -- the ingredients are excellent, but the product itself is designed to be practical rather than indulgent.
The Full Comparison
All five brands at a glance. Both "Top Pick" brands combine perfect ingredient scores with accessible pricing.
| Brand | Ingredients | Independence | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyone by EO Recommended | 10 | 10 | $ | Top Pick |
| Bathing Culture | 10 | 10 | $$$ | Top Pick |
| Dr. Bronner's Recommended | 10 | 10 | $ | Top Pick |
| Cocokind | 9 | 10 | $$ | Top Pick |
| ATTITUDE | 10 | 10 | $ | Top Pick |
Who to Avoid
These brands market themselves as natural, rugged, or heritage body care. Both are owned by Unilever.
Dr. Squatch
Owned by Unilever
Acquired 2025Nubian Heritage
Owned by Unilever
Acquired 2017Dr. Squatch was acquired by Unilever in 2025 for approximately $1.5 billion. The brand's entire identity was built on being the anti-corporate body wash company -- the ads literally mocked big brands. Unilever now owns those ads, the brand, and the customer base. They also own Dove, Axe, Suave, and Degree.
Nubian Heritage was founded in Harlem in 1992 and built a loyal following around African-inspired body care formulas. Unilever acquired Sundial Brands (Nubian Heritage's parent) in 2017. The cultural story remains on the packaging. The ownership does not.
For more body wash options, check our body wash category page where we have scored every brand we have reviewed.
How We Chose These Brands
Every brand on Trusted Labels is evaluated on two axes:
- Ingredient Safety (1-10): Cross-referenced against EWG Skin Deep, verified for third-party certifications (EWG Verified, USDA Organic, Made SAFE), and evaluated for overall formulation quality. We scrutinize surfactant systems (plant-derived vs. synthetic sulfates), fragrance sourcing (essential oils vs. "natural fragrance" vs. synthetic), and preservative choices. Ambiguity costs points -- if a brand cannot clearly explain what "natural fragrance" means in their product, the score reflects that.
- Independence (1-10): Researched through Crunchbase, SEC filings, acquisition press releases, and corporate records. Founder-owned with zero outside investment earns a 10. VC-backed with founder in control gets 7-9 depending on dilution and board composition. Acquired by a multinational gets 1-3.
For this roundup, we started with every liquid body wash brand marketed as natural or clean, eliminated all corporate-owned brands, and ranked the rest by their combined scores. The threshold was a minimum of 9 on ingredients and 9 on independence.
We earn affiliate commissions on some products linked in this article. Our commissions do not influence our scores. See our affiliate disclosure for full transparency, and our scoring methodology page for details on how every number is calculated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a body wash "natural" vs. conventional?
A genuinely natural body wash uses plant-derived surfactants (like coconut-based cleansers) instead of synthetic sulfates such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) or sodium laureth sulfate (SLES). It avoids synthetic fragrances, parabens, phthalates, and petrochemical-derived ingredients. The word "natural" on a label means nothing legally -- it is not a regulated term in personal care. Look for third-party certifications like EWG Verified or USDA Organic rather than relying on front-of-label claims. If a body wash says "made with natural ingredients" but does not carry an independent certification, check the full ingredient list yourself.
Is Dr. Bronner's actually good as a body wash?
Yes, with one caveat. Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Liquid Soap is one of the most versatile body washes available. The formula is built on organic coconut, olive, hemp, and jojoba oils. It lathers well, rinses clean, and works on skin, hair, and even as a household cleaner. You do need to dilute it -- a few drops on a washcloth or loofah is enough for a full-body wash. Undiluted, it can feel drying because the formula is highly concentrated. It also reacts with hard water, which can leave a slight film. If your tap water is very hard, a formulated body wash like Everyone by EO may be a better daily choice.
Who owns Dr. Squatch?
Dr. Squatch was acquired by Unilever in 2025 for approximately $1.5 billion. Despite the independent, outdoorsy branding and the viral YouTube ads that mock corporate body wash brands, the company is now fully owned by Unilever -- the same corporation behind Dove, Axe, Suave, and Degree. When you buy Dr. Squatch, your money goes to one of the three largest consumer products companies on the planet.
Are sulfates in body wash actually bad?
Sulfates like SLS and SLES are effective surfactants -- they create foam and strip oil from skin. The problem is they strip too aggressively for many people. Sulfates can disrupt the skin's natural moisture barrier, leading to dryness, tightness, irritation, and eczema flare-ups. They are not dangerous in the acute-toxicity sense, but gentler plant-derived surfactants exist and clean just as effectively without the stripping effect. If your skin feels tight or dry after showering, sulfates in your body wash are a likely culprit. Every brand on this list uses sulfate-free formulas.