Method Body Wash: Every Scent In The Lineup

By 2002 the designer Karim Rashid had made a ten-inch dish soap bottle for a small San Francisco company. It had a bulbous head, a nipped waist and a conical body, and it dispensed from the bottom, with no cap to push and pull. Rashid nicknamed it the dish butler, because it sits proudly on your counter. That one bottle is the whole company philosophy, and it is the best way into Method body wash.

Adam Lowry, a chemical engineer, and Eric Ryan, who came from consumer marketing, started Method in San Francisco in 2000. Ryan has said the insight was that products on shelves seemed to say buy me, not live with me, and that they wanted things people would display instead of hide. Method became a founding B Corporation in 2002, and it runs a LEED Platinum, Zero Waste certified plant in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood. SC Johnson bought the company in 2017, and an independent review says it kept its B Corp status and Cradle to Cradle certification.

The body wash line brings that same attitude to the shower. The brand says the formulas use plant-based cleansers and moisturizers, without parabens or phthalates. The trick is to choose by mood, and the first grid is organized that way. Pure Peace is rose water, peony and pink sea salt, Wind Down is chamomile, starflower and blue lavender, and Daily Zen is cucumber, seaweed and green tea. Those three are the calm end of the shelf. Berry Balance, Coco Twist, Island Mist, Mindful Matcha and Serene Escape fill out the rest, and they are the ones I would smell in the aisle before buying.

Start with texture. If the classic gel is not your favorite, the rest of the Method shelf is where the formats change.

The three Body Wash Tonics are the lighter, more skincare-adjacent ones. The Barrier Supporting Tonic is the one I would reach for when skin feels dry, the Micro Buffing Tonic is for a once a week polish in the shower, and the Moisture Enhancing Instant Hydration Tonic is the one for a skin that needs a little extra. Dream Foam turns the wash into an actual foam, which is a nice choice for anyone who likes a fluffier lather.

The Limited Edition Feeling Jazzed and Artist Collection bottles rotate through the seasons, so I would treat them as a treat that will not be there forever. If you see one you like, buy it.

Then the finishing touches. The Body Lotion follows the same scent families, so you can wash and moisturize in one fragrance. The Body and Hair Mist carries it through the day without another rinse.

A pairing I like: a tonic in the shower, lotion within a few minutes of getting out, and mist on the days you want the scent to last.

What I would skip: layering a mist on top of a lotion in a different scent family. Let one fragrance lead.

Here is how I would pick a second bottle: decide what kind of shower you want to have. A wash is a small thing, but it sets the tone of the first ten minutes of the day.

For a fresh morning, Nécessaire's The Body Wash in Eucalyptus is my pick, and Salt & Stone's Santal & Vetiver Body Wash is the warmer, woodier choice for evening. Flamingo Estate's Rosemary Clary Sage Body Wash and Nature of Things' Restorative Floral Body Wash both feel a little like a kitchen garden, herbal and floral in turn.

For skin that is easily annoyed, OUAI's St. Barts Gentle Body Wash and Soft Services' Comfort Cleanse Ultra-Soothing + Moisturizing Body Wash are made to be softer. Hanni's Rich Rinse Moisture Serum Body Wash and CYKLAR's Sacred Santal Sensorial Body Wash for Moisture Barrier treat the wash as a moisture step, not just a cleanse.

A pairing I like: a herbal wash in the morning and something woody at night. It makes the shower feel like two separate rooms.

What I would skip: a rich, moisture serum wash on a hot summer day when you want to feel rinsed clean. Save it for winter and a heated bathroom.

A rule for scented washes: buy the one you would happily smell on your hands at the end of the day. A wash stays on your skin briefly, but the scent lingers in the room.

At the perfume end, Byredo's Rose Of No Man's Land Body Wash and Blanche Body Wash carry the same scents as the house's fragrances, so they make a good way to try a perfume before you commit to the bottle. Matière Première's Vanilla Powder Hand and Body Wash and Commune's Seymour Body Wash do the same from smaller houses. Sangre De Fruta's Garden of Earthly Delights Body Wash looks like it belongs on an apothecary shelf, which is half the reason to buy it.

Then the pantry end. By Rosie Jane's ROSIE Everyday Body Wash is the plain, no fuss one for every day. Kopari's Jumbo Coconut Hydrating Body Wash is the big bottle for coconut lovers, and Sephora Collection's Vanilla + Almond Softening Body Wash is the easy, sweet one, closer to something baked than something sprayed.

A pairing I like: a perfume-house wash on the weekend and a pantry scent on weekdays. It is the same logic as a good outfit rotation.

What I would skip: a strongly scented wash if you already wear a perfume that fights with it. Keep the two in the same family or pick one.

I think a shower shelf needs three bottles: an everyday wash, something special for the weekend, and a lotion in a matching scent. Method is my pick for the first, since a plant-based formula that is easy to replace does not have to be precious.

Save the perfume-house bottle for the day you want the shower to feel like an event, and grab a limited edition when you see one. Rashid's dish butler sat proudly on the counter. Your body wash should be good enough to do the same on the edge of the tub. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Marula Oil, From Drunk Elephant's Face Oil to Body Wash and Lipstick and PanOxyl Body Wash, From an 1847 Soap Maker to Back Acne.