The winter blues are real (shorter days, colder temps), so we like to maximize our time spent indoors by indulging in more self-care. The best brightening body washes, for example, help us bring back our glow, even on the dreariest January day. Anyone who feels their skin looks lackluster, dry, and dull will benefit from using a brightening body wash, but exfoliating, resurfacing formulas are particularly useful for people with rough, bumpy skin; dry elbows, knees, and hands; razor bumps or acne marks, says Alicia Zalka, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in western Connecticut.
Our Top Brightening Body Washes
Best Gel Overall: Iota Brightening Body Wash, $23
Best Oil Overall: Dove Beauty Serum + Radiance Oil Body Wash, $13
Best Bar Overall: Kitsch Kojic Acid Brightening Body Wash Bar, $12
Best for Body Acne: CeraVe SA Body Wash for Rough and Bumpy Skin, $14
Now, we know what you’re thinking: Don’t these brightening formulas just go straight down the shower drain? Technically, yes, they do, but that doesn’t mean they don’t leave a lasting nourishing and exfoliating impact. It’s all about using gentle, thoughtfully formulated cleansers made with the right ingredients instead of harsh soaps or alkaline body wash; Dr. Zalka compares it to doing the laundry. “You use gentle detergent for some fabrics and bleach for others,” she says. “These get washed down the drain, but while they are in contact with the clothing fabric, they have their effect.”
Sound like you? It might be time to swap your shower gel for the best brightening body washes, which we’ve rounded up below.
Best Gel Overall: Iota Brightening Body Wash
Why it’s worth it: With a sleek, minimalist bottle that wouldn’t look out of place at a fancy boutique hotel and a sparklingly cheerful, but still elevated mandarin orange fragrance, Iota’s Brightening Body Wash turns a daily chore into an entire experience. The combination of citrus fragrance and airy, fluffy bubbles lifts your spirits, and the blend of brightening ingredients, including powerhouse vitamin C, smooths and evens skin. The winter blahs don’t stand a chance.
Best Oil Overall: Dove Beauty Serum + Radiance Oil Body Wash
Why it’s worth it: Allure contributor Kara McGrath isn’t the only one who loves this nourishing, silky oil wash; multiple editors crowned this formula with a 2026 Best of Beauty Award for Best Oil Body Wash. The glow factor comes from a whopping 50% glycerin, which deeply nourishes thirsty skin and intensely softens without feeling sticky, greasy, or heavy—perfect for everyday use or prepping for a big night out when you want your limbs to really shine. And yes, that silky, supple radiance sticks around long after you hang up your bath towel.
Best Bar Overall: Kitsch Kojic Acid Brightening Body Wash Bar
Why it’s worth it: Today’s bar soaps have the range! They can do it all, including brightening things up where your bod is concerned. Kitsch’s face and body bar is formulated with kojic acid and turmeric, a clever combo that works in tandem to help fade hyperpigmentation and banish uneven tone. Don’t worry about missing the foamy lather from your favorite shower gel, either; the Kojic Acid Brightening Body Wash Bar provides all the suds and bubbles you want as it cleanses, with hyaluronic acid and shea butter helping to leave skin feeling soft and supple. It’s also a great option for anyone who wants to reduce their plastic usage. (The paper packaging the soap bar comes in is recyclable.)
Best for Bumpy Skin: Naturium The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash
Why it’s worth it: Naturium has only been on the market for a few short years, but in that time, it’s become a truly beloved body-care brand for its high-quality formulas at budget-friendly prices. Naturium’s smoothing exfoliating body wash is formulated with a group of AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids)—including 5% glycolic acid, which has smaller molecules than its AHA peers that penetrate more deeply into the skin—to exfoliate dead, dry skin cells and bumpy, rough texture like keratosis pilaris without stripping or stressing skin. “I like this option for dull skin and uneven texture, particularly on the arms and legs,” says Jenna Queller, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Florida. “It can be especially helpful for rough, bumpy skin, although persistent dark spots typically require additional treatment.” Add The Smoother Glycolic Acid Exfoliating Body Wash to your weekly everything shower and bask in your newfound glow.
Best for Body Acne: CeraVe SA Body Wash for Rough and Bumpy Skin
Why it’s worth it: Body acne happens to the best of us, but the evidence of those chest and back breakouts doesn’t have to stick around forever. CeraVe’s SA Body Wash for Rough and Bumpy Skin is formulated with one of the biggest acne fighters, salicylic acid, to decongest pores, exfoliate dead skin cells, and help prevent future breakouts, leaving your complexion looking and feeling clearer, smoother, and brighter over time. “Salicylic acid helps exfoliate dead skin cells and improve the appearance of rough, bumpy texture,” explains Dr. Queller. And while you may think such powerful ingredients will put your skin through the wringer as they banish bacne and buttne, worry not: Nourishing, hydrating ceramides keep stressed, breakout-prone skin calm and balanced. Dr. Zalka says she’s recommended this body wash “innumerable times,” especially for patients with post-acne pigmentation. “The salicylic acid ingredient targets acne while the ceramides help maintain the skin barrier.”
Best Scents: Nécessaire The Body Wash in Hinoki
Why it’s worth it: AHAs, BHAs, PHA—the gang’s all here in this dreamily scented Nécessaire The Body Wash in Hinoki, which blends the exfoliating acids with glycerin and niacinamide to make skin feel extra soft and smooth without throwing your pH out of balance. Though the formula sounds clinical, the experience is anything but. The woody scent, a blend of cedar, vetiver, citrus, and basil, is an herbal-inspired wake-up call, turning your morning shower or evening wind-down routine into a sensorial treat. (There’s a reason commerce market editor Sarah Hoffmann calls herself a “certified Hinoki Head™” below.)
Best Physical Scrub: Goop Microderm Instant Glow Body Polish
Why it’s worth it: There are two types of exfoliants: chemical exfoliants, like AHAs, and physical exfoliants, like scrubs. The latter gives you that “instant refresh” feeling, like you’ve exfoliated away all the dullness and emerged from the shower newly reborn with glowing skin. The rough, even painful chunky exfoliants are a thing of the past today; Goop’s body polish uses quartz powder to smooth rough spots without feeling like you’re scraping sandpaper across your limbs—Dr. Zalka refers to it as “just the right amount of grit”—while hibiscus flower aids in chemical exfoliation. Rounding out the formula is kakadu plum seed oil, rich in vitamin C, to brighten overall tone. Even if you don’t live in a Montecito paradise like Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, the scrub’s fresh green scent will make you feel like you’re gallivanting through her garden.
Best Scented: Sol de Janeiro Bom Dia Bright Body Wash
Why it’s worth it: When you think about body care and fragrance line Sol de Janeiro, you probably think of the beloved Bum Bum Cream and body sprays. But you shouldn’t ignore the Bom Dia Bright Body Wash, which comes in a coral bottle to invite a bit of Brazil to your bathroom. Inside is a clarifying, exfoliating combo of fruit AHAs (papaya, mango, banana, oh my) and salicylic acid to send those dead skin cells down the drain and get your body ready for a beach vacation or night out dancing in your little black dress. And since this is a Sol de Janeiro product, we’ve gotta talk about the fragrance: The Cheirosa 40 scent is a luxurious medley of juicy plum, sensuous jasmine, and creamy orchid, vanilla, and musk. It smells so good, you won’t want to get out of the shower.
Buff, brighten, and smooth from head to toe with the best in body care:
Allure Best of Beauty 2026: Body Winners
8 Best Body Washes for Dry Skin for Hydration, Relief, and Beyond
8 Best Body Scrubs for Baby-Soft Skin All Year Round
Now, watch our favorite celebs spill secrets while sipping the truth serum:
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