Body wash that doesn't smell like food or flowers?

October 16, 2017 2:15 AM

Just what it says on the tin. I am tired of coconut vanilla sweetpea hydrangea mint or whatever and I like clean, fresh scents that are more reminiscent of fresh laundry than anything I'd eat or decorate with.

I have no particular allergies or sensitivities but I prefer cruelty-free products. If it helps, when I burn scented candles I almost exclusively burn things that have names like "Clean Cotton," "Campfire Smoke," and "Fresh Lawn."

posted by xyzzy to Shopping (29 answers total)

Best answer: You could take a look at the 'fresh and clean' line from Philosophy. I used their Pure Grace body wash for a long time and it just smelled clean to me, it didn't smell of anything floral. You've reminded me actually, I should pick up another bottle.
posted by Ziggy500 at 2:34 AM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

Neutrogena Rainbath doesn't smell like flowers or fruit.
posted by gemutlichkeit at 3:07 AM on October 16, 2017 [7 favorites]

Best answer: Pretty much everything that is marketed towards men smells clean and fresh.
Where in the world are you shopping? So that we know what is available to you.
posted by Too-Ticky at 3:27 AM on October 16, 2017 [3 favorites]

Neutrogena tests on animals.
Try Dr Bronners (they have many scents including "baby", eucalyptus and tea tree). The Body Shop (shea, tea tree, hemp) or Lush (Hidden Mountain, Olive Tree).
I love Coast soap from the grocery store, but it's not cruelty-free sadly.
posted by travellingincognito at 3:29 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I am in the US and have access to drugstore brands as well as a Bath & Body at the local mall.
posted by xyzzy at 4:02 AM on October 16, 2017

I personally use either White Citrus, White Citrus for Men, or Ocean for Men from Bath and Body Works. The White Citrus ones smell clean but not strong (to me)...they aren't overpoweringly ORANGE or LEMON. Ocean is a stronger scent but not fruity.
posted by MultiFaceted at 4:14 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Someone at work wears Bath and Body Works's Sea Island Cotton scent and she always smells incredible. Not fruity, not flowery, just fresh and clean.
posted by pecanpies at 4:31 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Just realized I linked to the body mist, but they have a full range of products in that scent.)
posted by pecanpies at 4:32 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Molton Brown has lovely body washes. My two favorites are Silver Birch and Cracked Black Pepper.
posted by Short Attention Sp at 5:08 AM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

I am male and I use the Eucalyptus Spearmint body wash from Bath & Body Works. It is refreshing and "clean" and not floral at all. I can't stand the generic "men's hygiene products" smell.
posted by briank at 5:37 AM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Dove body wash just smells like Dove.
posted by DarlingBri at 5:42 AM on October 16, 2017 [6 favorites]

I'm a I cannot stand to smell like food person too.

I seek woodsy scents, things like: sandlewood, cypus or pine (though I don't like pine).

Lush had a sandlewood soap for fathers day which I adore, but they probably aren't selling it anymore.

Ocean or water scents are my backup.
posted by AlexiaSky at 6:21 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Aveeno body wash, which I use because of the properties of the wash and not the fragrance, is a bit too... not flowery/fruity for my tastes. But you might love the scent.
posted by DoubleLune at 6:38 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: If you like woodsy, you'll like the Juniper Ridge products- apparently they forage all the ingredients in the woods, mountains, etc. You'd probably have to mail order them.
posted by cushie at 6:59 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Seconding regular Dove, which smells clean and makes my skin feel nice.
posted by tatiana wishbone at 7:29 AM on October 16, 2017 [2 favorites]

+1 juniper ridge -- they sell soap with scents like cedar, juniper, etc.
posted by salvia at 8:14 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Get thee to Lush and buy the shower gel entitled 'Happy Hippy' or if you can find it, 'Grass'.
posted by coldbabyshrimp at 8:32 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Old Spice smells great on any gender.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:56 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

The African Water Mint body wash from Shea Moisture was my jam this summer. Very herby. L'Occitane's lemon verbena is also herby and fresh without being "fruity" or floral, and I often go for that in summer.

Also lavendar may be a way to go - but look for a true lavendar. A lot of the drug store brands may claim to be lavendar but the scent is WAY more floral than actual lavendar oil; if you want a reference for what you're looking for, try smelling the Dr. Bronner's. True lavendar is definitely more "herbal" than floral (there is a bit of a floral undertone, though, so you may decide you still don't like it. But I've definitely found that a lot of what passes for "lavendar" in drug stores is really a weird floral fake-out.

I don't like overly flowery or fruity either, as a rule, and woody/herby/grassy is my jam too.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:00 AM on October 16, 2017

I use Dr. Bronner's eucalyptus, which is obviously very gender-neutral, and sometimes patronize a local shop that makes nice-quality shower gel in the clean/woodsy/citrusy genre. Nthing that shopping on the men's side of the aisle is a better bet.
posted by desuetude at 9:00 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: My favorite is Philosophy's Amazing Grace body wash. It smells like clean laundry and soap and, just, fresh. I can't abide anything floral or vanilla and tend to steer towards grapefruit scents, if anything, but this is my perfect scent. If you go on a sniffing tour of Sephora or Ulta, give it a huff.
posted by LKWorking at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Oh! If you can get your hands on a sample of frankinscence and myrrh scented stuff, check that out. It's a bit of an edge case; I have some lotion and I quite like it. It's got a bit of a floral note, but predominantly it's sort of spicy/resiny/exotic, and it's unusual enough for me to be drawn to it despite my usually not liking super-floral scents.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 AM on October 16, 2017

Another vote for Molton Brown. I've been hooked on Pink Peppercorn for a while. Blue Mercury stores stock their stuff. It's pricey at first glance, but lasts *forever*.

Kiehl's coriander body wash is also really clean and nice. I used that for years and years before switching over.
posted by dancinglamb at 10:22 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Seconding Aveeno Body Wash -- it has a very light, natural scent IMO.
posted by kylej at 11:15 AM on October 16, 2017

Best answer: Ivory Original just smells like soap.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 11:38 AM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

I came to mention Dr. Bronners, whose unscented castile soap is a bathroom standard in our house. We mix up a bottle of diluted castile soap to keep in the shower for daily use--a small bottle of the stuff lasts for months.

Unscented is the only thing that smells clean and fresh to my nose--all perfumes added to soaps smell like perfumes and I don't like how those smells linger on my body (yes, even plain white solid soaps like Dove and Ivory leave you smelling like Dove and Ivory).
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 5:58 PM on October 16, 2017 [1 favorite]

Nthing that basically any body wash marketed towards men will smell like neither food, nor flowers. I use Irish Spring Moisturizing body wash which smells pretty much like Irish Spring bar soap.
posted by Aleyn at 11:55 PM on October 16, 2017

Beekman 1802 makes goat milk bath products. Their WHITE WATER SOAP AND SHOWER GEL is exactly what you are looking for. You can order from their website OR from EVINE the shopping channel. If you are not pleased you can return in 30days for a refund.
posted by pamspanda at 3:26 AM on October 17, 2017

There are several Dial varieties that are more like "waterfall fresh" than "coconut lime verbena." For better or worse, they no longer seem to sell any with triclosan or other antibacterials. (Probably for the best, even if it is troublesome for a few)
posted by wierdo at 10:32 AM on October 17, 2017