The shower staple is better than ever, both inside and out. We’re sharing all the exclusive details.
If someone asks you to name your favorite body wash, what’s the first brand that comes to your mind? For myself, and probably a good percentage of the world, it’s Dove. It sat in the bathroom of my childhood home (my mom would buy it in bulk from Costco), and it’s still a staple in my body care routine today. And for all its years in existence, the standard Dove Body Wash formula has not been tweaked and its packaging remained in that teardrop-shaped bottle — that is, until today.
Don’t panic: The new version has the same refreshing scent, impressive lather, and accessible price point as its predecessor. But now, you can get to every last drop. The brand has retired the point-tip bottle in favor of a sleek, new version that’s easy to squeeze and flip upside down: “We knew we could make it more ergonomic,” says Ellen Shepard, Unilever R&D Director, Personal Care for North America, tells Allure. But it wasn’t a quick decision (there were multiple failed attempts with the consumer, as a matter of fact). “We had to do a tremendous amount of testing if we were going to change something that’s so iconic,” Shepard adds.
Of course, what’s on the inside also counts — and the beloved formula got an upgrade, too. If you have sudsed up with the creamy wash before, it’s hard to imagine how it could be more hydrating… But the seemingly impossible is possible thanks to new proprietary “nano technology” which was in development for 10 years. “At Dove, we have a philosophy of approaching skin care in the shower two ways: with mild cleansing, first and foremost, and then secondly with effective moisturization,” says Shepard. That’s always been their approach, but the latter half is being improved: Using nano technology, Dove is “reducing the size of moisturizer droplets from standard microns, into millions of microscopic nano-sized droplets, so tiny droplets are able to get into all the nooks and crannies of the skin for a more even deposition, [and therefore] it deposits moisture more effectively,” Shepard explains.
The powerful boost of hydration has been infused into 16 varieties, including favorites like Deep Moisture and the Refreshing Body Wash with Cucumber & Green Tea, as well as three new options (Dove Revitalizante Body Wash with Cherry & Chia Milk, Dove Invigorating Body Wash with Aloe & Eucalyptus Oil, and Dove Calming Body Wash with Oatmeal & Rice Milk).
Cosmetic chemist Ginger King compared the new ingredient lists with the old one and noted “they are almost the same, but the [new body wash] has an increased amount of lauric acid,” which is a fatty acid. King gave it her stamp of approval: “This is well-formulated with mild surfactants and the use of stearic and palmitic acids build an occlusive barrier, which will surely add more moisture to the skin,” she says. “This will be great for people prone to dry skin.”
We put the classic Deep Moisture Body Wash to the test and were impressed (and, yes, a bit relieved it was just as great as the original body wash we have known and loved for so long). “It’s so hydrating that I find myself stepping out of the shower and skipping body lotion — and that says a lot because I love all my post-shower lotions and potions,” says senior commerce writer Angela Trakoshis, who has been a fan of Dove body wash since middle school. Personally, I found it more moisturizing than the original. After showering in the morning, I’m used to reapplying lotion throughout the day, and now my skin remains soft until the evening, which is a particularly tough feat in the height of winter. Hydrated skin is healthy skin — and ours has never felt better…or softer.
Dove Body Wash is now available at retailers including Target and CVS for $7 for a 20 oz bottle.