Have you ever wanted a body wash that doesn't have a strong scent? Or something that can moisturize your skin? Well, why not both? Japanese body washes are known for their gentle scents, formulas, and great feel. That's why we scoured popular e-commerce sites in Japan like Amazon, Rakuten, and Kakaku.com to find the best body washes available online. Then we purchased some of the most popular products and tested them for the following:
Keep reading to find out our 10 best Japanese body washes available online.
You might be wondering how body wash could possibly be any different in Japan. Well, there are two major differences. One is that Japanese body washes tend to have milder fragrances or are completely unscented, since Japanese consumers tending to prefer subtle or natural scents, rather than strong, artificial smells.
The other major difference is that, unlike some western body washes, they don't leave your skin feeling slippery and slimy. While there are many theories as to why this is, with some citing differences in water hardness, one thing that's certain is that Japanese consumers prefer to have their skin feeling fresh after showering.
If you want a body wash that won't clash with other fragrances you might like to use, or simply don't want something that smells too strong, and don't like that slimy feeling when rinsing off, consider using a Japanese body wash.
Image | 1 ![]() Max | 2 ![]() SHIRO | 3 ![]() Rohto | 4 ![]() ORBIS | 5 ![]() Rohto | 6 ![]() Kao | 7 ![]() Kracie | 8 ![]() Matsuyama Yushi | 9 ![]() Kracie | 10 ![]() Stella Seed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Name | Moisturizing Additive-Free Body Soap | Savon Body Wash | Deoco Medicated Body Wash | RELEASE BY Touch Body Shampoo | CareCera Moisturizing Foam Body Wash | Bioré u Body Wash | Lamellance Premium Body Wash | M-mark Kettle-Crafted Body Wash | Naive Body Soap | Amino Mason Whip Cream Body Soap Moist |
Features | A Highly Moisturizing, Gentle, and Foamy Soap | A Moisturizing Body Wash With a Refreshing Scent | The Best Deodorizing and Moisturizing Body Wash | Creates a Fine Foam and Cleanses Well | Best Foam-Type With Mild Cleansing, but Ingredients That Retain Skin Moisture | Gentle Scents and Bouncy Foam | Fluffy Foam With a Gorgeous Scent | A Body Wash Made With Traditional Methods | Mild and Easy to Use, but Lacking in Moisturizing Ability | An Incredibly Foamy Body Wash |
Price | $5.30 | $50.27 | $19.90 | $9.88 | $7.64 | $14.44 | $6.45 | $6.92 | $13.14 | $26.00 |
Japanese | マックス うるおう無添加ボディソープ | SHIRO サボン ボディソープ | ロート製薬 デオコ 薬用ボディクレンズ | オルビス リリースバイタッチ ボディシャンプー | ロート製薬 ケアセラ 泡の高保湿 ボディウォッシュ | 花王 ビオレu ボディウォッシュ | クラシエ ラメランスプレミアムボディウォッシュ | 松山油脂 M-mark 釜焚きせっけん ボディソープ | クラシエ ナイーブ ボディソープ | ステラシード アミノメイソン ホイップクリーム ボディソープ モイスト |
Type | Liquid | Liquid | Liquid | Liquid | Foam | Liquid | Liquid | Liquid | Liquid | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | N/A | Soap | Sweet Floral | Unscented | Pure Floral | Fresh Floral | Aquatic White Floral | Unscented | Peach (formulated with peach leaf extract) | Classic Rose Bouquet |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin | Glycerin | PG | DPG | Sorbitol | PG | Glycerin | Glycerin | Glycerin | Betaine |
Effective ingredients | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap | Soap | Soap | Soap | Amino acids | Carboxylic acids | Amino acids | Soap | Soap | Sulfates |
Fragrance-free | Yes | N/A | N/A | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | N/A |
Pigment-free | Yes | N/A | N/A | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Alcohol-free | Yes | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Paraben-free | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes | N/A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Volume | 500ml | 280ml | 350ml | 500ml | 450ml | 480ml | 480ml | 600ml | 530ml | 450ml |
Overall score | 3.72 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.65 | 3.50 | 3.49 | 3.48 | 3.46 | 3.42 | 3.41 |
Cleansing | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
Moisturizing ability | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.3 |
Ingredients | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
Feel | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.6 |
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We tested each of the body washes for the following: how well they cleaned and moisturized our skin, how much good stuff was in them, and how rich of a foam they produced. Then, based on how they performed on our tests, we graded and chose 10 of the best Japanese body washes available online.
※Japanese prices for some of the products are given; they’ve merely been converted into USD for easy viewing.
$5.30
Japanese | マックス うるおう無添加ボディソープ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | N/A |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | Yes |
Pigment-free | Yes |
Alcohol-free | Yes |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 500ml |
Overall score | 3.72 |
Cleansing | 3.3 |
Moisturizing ability | 5.0 |
Ingredients | 4.0 |
Feel | 3.6 |
$50.27
Japanese | SHIRO サボン ボディソープ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Soap |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | N/A |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 280ml |
Overall score | 3.65 |
Cleansing | 3.3 |
Moisturizing ability | 5.0 |
Ingredients | 3.5 |
Feel | 3.8 |
$19.90
Japanese | ロート製薬 デオコ 薬用ボディクレンズ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Sweet Floral |
Major moisturizing ingredients | PG |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | N/A |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 350ml |
Overall score | 3.65 |
Cleansing | 3.5 |
Moisturizing ability | 5.0 |
Ingredients | 3.3 |
Feel | 3.5 |
$9.88
Japanese | オルビス リリースバイタッチ ボディシャンプー |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Unscented |
Major moisturizing ingredients | DPG |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | Yes |
Pigment-free | Yes |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | N/A |
Volume | 500ml |
Overall score | 3.65 |
Cleansing | 4.0 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.5 |
Ingredients | 3.5 |
Feel | 3.5 |
$7.64
Japanese | ロート製薬 ケアセラ 泡の高保湿 ボディウォッシュ |
---|---|
Type | Foam |
Fragrance tested | Pure Floral |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Sorbitol |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Amino acids |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | N/A |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 450ml |
Overall score | 3.50 |
Cleansing | 3.3 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.5 |
Ingredients | 5.0 |
Feel | 3.4 |
$14.44
Japanese | 花王 ビオレu ボディウォッシュ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Fresh Floral |
Major moisturizing ingredients | PG |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Carboxylic acids |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | N/A |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | N/A |
Volume | 480ml |
Overall score | 3.49 |
Cleansing | 3.5 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.4 |
Ingredients | 3.5 |
Feel | 3.5 |
$6.45
Japanese | クラシエ ラメランスプレミアムボディウォッシュ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Aquatic White Floral |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Amino acids |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | N/A |
Alcohol-free | N/A |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 480ml |
Overall score | 3.48 |
Cleansing | 3.3 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.4 |
Ingredients | 4.0 |
Feel | 3.8 |
$6.92
Japanese | 松山油脂 M-mark 釜焚きせっけん ボディソープ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Unscented |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | Yes |
Pigment-free | Yes |
Alcohol-free | Yes |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 600ml |
Overall score | 3.46 |
Cleansing | 3.5 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.3 |
Ingredients | 4.0 |
Feel | 3.3 |
$13.14
Japanese | クラシエ ナイーブ ボディソープ |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Peach (formulated with peach leaf extract) |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Glycerin |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Soap |
Fragrance-free | Yes |
Pigment-free | Yes |
Alcohol-free | Yes |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 530ml |
Overall score | 3.42 |
Cleansing | 4.0 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.2 |
Ingredients | 3.5 |
Feel | 3.5 |
$26.00
Japanese | ステラシード アミノメイソン ホイップクリーム ボディソープ モイスト |
---|---|
Type | Liquid |
Fragrance tested | Classic Rose Bouquet |
Major moisturizing ingredients | Betaine |
Effective ingredients | N/A |
Major cleansing ingredients | Sulfates |
Fragrance-free | N/A |
Pigment-free | Yes |
Alcohol-free | Yes |
Paraben-free | Yes |
Volume | 450ml |
Overall score | 3.41 |
Cleansing | 3.5 |
Moisturizing ability | 3.3 |
Ingredients | 3.3 |
Feel | 3.6 |
We put each of the 10 popular body washes we purchased through a series of four tests to gauge their effectiveness.
We tested each product for the following:
Each product was given a score on a scale ranging from 1 to 5 for each test, and we calculated the overall score based on how each product performed.
We first tested out a body wash's most important factor: cleansing ability.
We first applied artificial sebum onto a microscope slide. We then applied our body wash to the slide and rinsed it off with warm water.
We then checked to see how much artificial sebum was left on the slide.
Assuming that the best body washes shouldn't remove excessive amounts of sebum, for this test, we set the ideal maximum removal amount at 70% sebum removal.
Next, we tested each body wash for its moisturizing ability.
To do this, we first used a Corneometer, a special device that can measure moisture levels in the skin, to check the amount of moisture in our tester's arms.
We then rubbed each body wash for roughly 20 seconds, then rinsed it off. After waiting for 15 minutes, we then measured moisture levels again.
Using these two figures, before and after, we then calculated how much moisture was left in the skin and made our evaluations based on this number.
In order to evaluate the ingredients in each body wash, we turned to our expert Kaori, who is a scientific beautician and a beauty expert.
We asked her to evaluate each product for the following:
Some products that we tested are classified as quasi-drugs, which is a unique Japanese classification of products that sits in between cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Manufacturers are not obligated by law to label all their ingredients for quasi-drugs, so Kaori only evaluated those products based on what was written on the label.
Finally, we tested how each product feels.
For this test, we had Japanese testers from our editorial team actually use each body wash. We then had them evaluate each product for the following points:
For details on how to choose a body wash, see our buying guides in the articles below!
Washing your body in the shower seems so... obvious, right? You've likely been doing it for years with no issues. Well, technically, the best way to wash your body is to wash using only the foam produced from your soap or body wash. Using your hands, a sponge, or a loofah can actually create too much friction. The foam is good enough to remove most dirt and grime.
At the beginning of your shower, make sure to start by washing areas that tend to produce more odor, like under your arms, your chest, and your crotch. Don't forget to wash between your toes, since your feet also produce a lot of moisture!
Finally, finish off by washing your legs. Since your legs don't produce as much sebum in comparison to your upper body, make sure to do it last so your skin doesn't dry out. Additionally, if your skin feels dryer than usual, be sure to not lather up your upper body excessively.
Washing? Done. Now it's time to make sure you're using only the best for your follow-up skin care.
Author: Yurie Katafuchi/Translation: Shannon McNaught, Mitsuki Nagasawa/Photos: Yuuki Inagaki, Ayumu Sasaki
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