Native Body Wash is a popular product made by the same brand that makes Native Deodorant. The brand highlights their “naturally derived ingredients” and positions their product as a healthier alternative to drugstore body wash products.

But does Native Body Wash contain research-backed ingredients for cleaning the skin and eliminating odor? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? What was our honest experience testing it for a month? And is Native Body Wash better or worse than other popular body washes like Dr. Squatch?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Native Body Wash to give our take on whether or not it’s likely to be an effective cleanser, and whether or not it's healthy.

We’ll also share our experience purchasing and testing it for a month, feature a video alleging hidden ingredients, and compare Native Body Wash to other popular body washes to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Healthier formulation than traditional body wash
• Some scents contain fragrance which we consider to be unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Native Body Wash

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in the unscented version of Native Body Wash are shown below:

Sodium cocoyl isethionate is an effective cleansing ingredient that’s naturally derived from coconut.

It’s been shown in medical research to be especially mild to the skin barrier, making it a safe and non-toxic choice compared to some harsher alternatives.

Sodium salicylate is another sodium salt that may actually have an anti-aging effect on skin, even though it functions as a preservative.

A 2010 clinical trial found that this ingredient reduced wrinkle depth and reduced skin roughness when applied topically.

There are two ingredients in this body wash that we generally recommend avoiding.

Sodium benzoate is a synthetic preservative that may be irritating to the skin and be harmful when ingested according to a medical review published in the International Journal of Toxicology.

Cocamidopropyl betaine is a synthetic detergent ingredient that was described as the “Allergen of the Year” in 2004 due to its potential to irritate skin, as we documented in our Monday Shampoo and Conditioner review article.

Fragrance may also be included in the scented versions of Native Body Wash, and a medical review on fragranced consumer products found that this ingredient may be toxic to humans depending on the scent compounds used.

We hope that Native updates their product pages to clarify whether the scented versions of their body wash use fragrance, or are naturally fragranced with ingredients like essential oils.

Native Body Wash has a simple and effective formulation for cleansing, and while the preservatives they use are rather mild, we do not recommend this product overall because we don’t recommend personal care products containing synthetic preservatives.

For consumers intent on purchasing this product, we recommend the Unscented version.

We Tested Native Body Wash

As the author of this article, I wanted to try Native Body Wash myself to share my thoughts on its scent and the overall product experience.

I purchased the Eucalyptus & Mint version from my local Target.

The smell is much more subtle than other body washes which I really like. As I documented in our article on is Dr. Squatch soap good, that brand had such a powerful scent that it filled my entire bathroom.

I really like the product packaging. It's sleek, and simply looks good in the shower.

My main complaint about this product is how short of a duration it lasts, and this is why I switched to bar soap from liquid soap. I shower daily, and finished this bottle in around two weeks.

At $9 per bottle, that can add up. My bar soap from Dr. Bronner's costs less and lasts longer.

I don't plan to buy this product again because I don't regularly use soap with fragrance, and the unfragranced version wasn't in any local stores. I would consider using this product again if I was traveling and had to pick something up at a drugstore.

Overall, I'd rate this body wash a 7/10.

Does Native Contain Hidden Ingredients?

A TikTok user named “bubbysapothecary” scanned the barcode of Native Body Wash in-store, and found an ingredient list containing not only fragrance but also artificial dye Basic Violet 3, which was found in a medical review published in the International Journal of Toxicology to have “carcinogenic potential:”

@bubbysapothecary Harmful ingredients in native body washes (fragrance, synthetic ingredients). & healthy alternatives at the end. This video is for educational purposes only. #cleanskincare #yukaapp #yuka #bodywash #cleanproducts #naturalbodycare #healthiswealth #naturalremedies #SelfCare #bodycare #naturalbody #naturalbeauty #healthyliving #nativebodywash ♬ Lo-fi hip hop - NAO-K

Native Body Wash vs. Popular Body Washes

Here's how Native Body Wash compares to other popular body washes in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:

Dr. Squatch

Contains naturally-derived active ingredients like pine tar, which is clinically shown to soothe the skin and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Unfortunately, every Dr. Squatch soap we reviewed contained fragrance upon our last analysis, which gives Native the edge from a health perspective.

Winner: Native Body Wash

Buff City Soap

Contains multiple harsh synthetic ingredients that we consider unhealthy.

We tested this brand and it caused our Product Tester to experience respiratory issues, as we documented in our Buff City soap reviews article.

Winner: Native Body Wash

Dr Teal's

Contains fragrance and harsh synthetic preservatives.

Winner: Native Body Wash

Native Body Wash Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Unscented version is available
• Active ingredients clinically shown to cleanse skin
• Mild preservatives

Cons:

• Scented versions contain fragrance
• Contains two inactive ingredients we consider (potentially) unhealthy
• Doesn't last long based on our tests
• One TikTok influencer alleged hidden ingredients
• Doesn't appear clinically tested

Conclusion

Native Body Wash contains some research-backed ingredients, but we don’t recommend the product overall due to the inclusion of synthetic preservatives and a potential skin irritant. 

We’re also concerned about the lack of clarity over whether the scented versions of this product contain fragrance and artificial dyes, because these ingredients are not currently listed on the Native website. We hope the brand clarifies this soon.

We still consider this product to be healthier than most commercial drugstore body washes which contain multiple artificial dyes, fragrance and harsher preservatives.

For consumers intent on purchasing Native Body Wash, we recommend the Unscented version, but it’s not currently available at Target which has the best prices on Native Body Wash.

We tested Native Body Wash ourselves and found it to be decent, but it didn't last long, and we much preferred unscented bar soap.

Even though we don't currently recommend it, we consider Native Body Wash to be a healthier option than Dr. Squatch, Buff City Soap and Dr Teal's Body Wash.