The 9 best vegan shower gels to lather up with

Bower Collective Body Wash

• Price: from £1.40/ 100ml
• Packaging: reusable pouch and plastic refill bottle

Where do I start with this ‘best overall’ body wash? Price, quality, environmental credentials, fragrances, the fact that it’s made in the UK so not transported half way around the world? This Bower Collective body wash fulfils all those and more and I think it’s a real find.

With its natural ingredients and essential oils, I love the luxurious smell and feel of this body wash and don’t experience any dryness or sensitivity. But that’s not all because with this brands commitment to reusing and refilling, I have also completely removed any plastic waste coming out of my bathroom which is amazing.

You can either buy one of their starter kits, or build your own bundle. Once you have the refillable bottles – made out of plastic that was once headed for our oceans – you simply buy the refill pouches which you can return to the Bower Collective for reuse and recycling. And they make lots of other lovely zero waste ranges too – read about their haircare products in my Best Vegan Shampoo & Conditioner guide.

All this at a very competitive price too, so I really can’t recommend this product enough.

Wild Body Wash

• Price: from £1.66 / 100ml (excluding case)
• Packaging: bamboo refill bottle
• Discount code for Wild: VEGANMUM

From one of the originators of natural refillable deodorants, comes this lovely body wash with a good range of fragrances – my favourite is Thunderstorm which I find really fresh and invigorating. And this is probably the most glamorous refill I’ve seen and so I think it would make a lovely gift too! The attractive aluminium outer case comes in a variety of colours (particularly useful if you’re someone who likes their bathroom to be a harmonious environment!) and is in just 3 parts, so very simple to use.

The actual shower gel comes in a bamboo bottle which was initially a bit of a tight fit for the outer case but I think Wild have fixed that issue now because subsequent refills have been fine. Once you’ve got the refill in, you simply remove the bamboo bottle top and insert the pump dispenser.

When it comes to disposing of the refill, you can compost it at home or through council collections if available. If not, you will need to put it into your normal waste. However, the good news with that is that it will decompose within 2 years without any lasting negative impact on the environment. And this is good value for money too, particularly if you use my discount code – just click below and it’s applied automatically at Wild’s checkout.

AKT Body Wash Concentrate

• Price: from £22.10
• Packaging: aluminium tube
• AKT Discount code: VEGANMUM12 (not subscriptions)

If it is possible to be in love with a body wash then I admit it, I’m in love. The fragrances are staggeringly good and leave that lovely ‘just showered’ smell that lasts all day. And with 5 different scents in the range, the only problem you’ll have is which one to choose.

But alongside the exhilarating fragrances, I find this olive squalane and Vitamin E enriched formula to be very effective at locking in moisture and my skin never feels dried out after using it in the shower.

It is expensive, but because it is concentrated I’ve found that it actually lasts quite a long time. I use the tiniest amount of the body wash with AKT’s konjac sponge (made from plants) and it creates a fabulously fragrant, luxurious lather – heaven.

And if all that isn’t enough, the packaging is made from recyclable aluminium, it’s completely plastic-free (even the lid), made in the UK, concentrated (you add the water in the shower!) and it contains no unpleasant ingredients.

AKT 12% discount code VEGANMUM12 (not subscriptions)

Purely Soap Store

• Price: £2.60 / 100ml
• Packaging: recyclable PET plastic bottle

If you want to go truly sustainable, natural and hand-made then Purely Soap’s range of body washes could be for you. This lovely product contains essential oils and no parabens, SLS or any other scary ingredients that so many of us want to avoid nowadays and have the EU’s safety assessment certificate. Made on a very small scale by Wendy, the owner of the online store, these body washes come in 5 fragrances:

• Vanilla and Sandalwood
• Lively Lemongrass
• Luscious Lavender
• Wild & Woody
• Citrus Burst

These body washes are very reasonably-priced and are well worth a try. If you have any allergies or sensitivities, make sure to check out their full ingredients list but otherwise, these are about as natural as you can get.

Faith in Nature Body Wash

• Price: from £1.62 / 100ml
• Packaging: recycled plastic and aluminium bottles

If you are looking for a shower gel that uses very natural ingredients, then this good value body wash fits the bill. Faith in Nature uses essential oils which I think are very apparent, and whilst it can smell quite strong when I’m using it, the lasting scent is much more subtle. I use the grapefruit and orange version which has a bright and sunny aroma, but for something more soothing you could try their lavender and geranium.

Whichever one of their many fragrances you choose though, I like the fact that this trusted brand doesn’t include any unnecessary chemicals or additives in their range, so I know I’m buying something that is – as far as is possible for a commercially-made product – very natural.

In addition, they have recently introduced a refillable aluminium bottle (for which I purchased a reasonably-priced pump) and so in future, I can buy their large refills, hopefully helping the planet out a little bit more and saving some money too. But be warned, the refill is big so you’ll need the storage room for it.

Evolve Super Berry Bath & Shower Oil

• Price: from £8.64 / 100ml
• Packaging: recycled plastic bottles

This luxuriously moisturising, largely organic shower oil is a bit fab and perfect for my dry skin. But if you’re worried that it will be sticky – it isn’t! When I use it, it turns into an emulsion on contact with my damp skin, and cleanses as well as moisturises, just more gently than many shower gels. Amazingly, it doesn’t turn the shower tray into a skating rink either which is a bonus!

I love the smell too – very berry and cherry focused. It is fairly pricey, but I really do feel like I’m using a premium product, and I haven’t found any need to use moisturiser afterwards either which suits my rather lazy personality! I haven’t tried this in the bath, but I love using it in the shower and it does leave my skin feeling like it has been moisturised, but without the faff!

Evolve does have other vegan body washes that are in a lower price range too – and you will still be getting a lovely product. Just make sure you filter on their website for their vegan range because they do have some that aren’t.

Another point worth noting here is that this bath & shower oil is suitable for use by pregnant people – important because you do have to look out for some essential oils when pregnant. See my FAQs below if you would like to find out more about that.

Green People Scent Free

• Price: from £7.22 / 100ml
• Packaging: sugar cane plastic

This gentle fragrance free shower gel is perfect for sensitive skin and being unscented, contains no essential oils either. With a high percentage of organic ingredients, this body wash soothes with aloe vera, and also contains prebiotics which they claim help to protect your skin. Green People state that it is also suitable for those with eczema, so this really is very gentle.

This brand also has good environmental credentials, and uses sugar cane plastic for most of their products that come in squeezy tubes.

Again, this is in the higher price bracket than many other shower gels, but you are paying for a high quality, eco-friendly, largely organic product. They do offer a subscription too which will make you some savings if you decide to sign up.

Original Source

• Price: from £0.38 / 100ml
• Packaging: plastic bottle

This good value for money shower gel has been around for many years, and because of its price and choice of straightforward fragrances, it’s a firm favourite with many people. This tingly mint & tea tree is particularly popular although because of its zinginess, you do have to be careful where you apply it!

And to be honest, the Original Source brand appears to be pretty eco-friendly. The shower gel is made in the UK using natural fragrances, it’s vegan and cruelty free (obviously), comes in fully recyclable bottles and all made – they claim – using renewable energy. So, feelings of guilt and the use of budget-friendly options don’t always have to go together!

I like this product and find the fragrances really refreshing, although it can make my skin feel a bit dry so perhaps it doesn’t have the moisturising properties of some of the others. However, I haven’t tried the coconut and shea butter one which might be better, but I tend to ‘shy’ away from coconut fragrances.

So, if you want a straightforward shower gel that’s not going to break the bank, then this could be for you.

Green People Organic Children bath & shower

• Price: from £5.50 / 100ml
• Packaging: sugar cane plastic

This is a lovely gentle bath and shower wash for kids. Many children suffer from skin sensitivities and conditions like eczema, so products like this offering from Green People are great. Certified as 80% organic, it contains soothing ingredients including aloe vera and yucca, and avoids any harsh ingredients known to irritate sensitive skin, so free from things like SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) and ethanol – see my FAQs below for more information on SLS.

As with other Green People products, the tube is made from sugar cane plastic, a much more environmentally-friendly option, which is easily recycled alongside other plastic products. And whilst it may seem a bit pricey, a little does seem to go a long way (although you won’t see the same level of bubbles and foam that you would see with a product containing SLS). In addition, you are buying a high quality product that Green People say should be safe for most children’s sensitive skin.

I have a tube of this at home for when my 4 year old grandson comes to stay and he loves it too, but if you have younger ones as well, Green People also do a lovely range suitable for babies. All make great gifts too!

FAQs