What Is The Nation’s Favourite Shower Gel?

For much of 2020 we spent a lot of time indoors.

So, naturally, we had more time to pamper and give ourselves some TLC; something that, in the normal world, we may forget to do. For many of us that means taking a lot more showers than we used to.

If you’re like me, you don’t peruse the shower gel aisle, you grab whichever body wash is on offer (preferably priced at £1, too really get me going) do a quick sniff test, to make sure it doesn’t smell to awful, and then shove it in your trolley.

With such an extensive range of shower gels, claiming to offer a host of moisturising, vitamin c boosting, keep your skin looking 25 forever, kind of benefits, we thought it would be interesting to uncover the nations most favourite shower gel.

We surveyed 1,000 people in the UK & Northern Ireland to discover the nation’s number 1 shower gel. Working alongside fragrance expert, Sue Phillips to uncover a deeper meaning as to why we prefer certain fragrances.

What did we discover about our washing habits?

Thanks to the new normal of working from home, one in 20 of us admitted to showering less – Yes you heard it right, people are showering LESS than they did at the start of the year.

I suppose not having human contact for the last few months is as good of an excuse than any though!

Thankfully, you aren’t all dirty girts as the survey also revealed that 62% of the UK shower daily – well done to you shower advocates.

DID YOU KNOW? To maintain a basic level of hygiene the NHS advise that you should wash your face daily and fully bath or shower at least twice a week.

Discover more about your bad bathroom habits here.

What are your favourite shower scents?

Fragrance expert, Sue Phillips explained why we have preferred smells,

“Different smells please different people because we love to feel connected to pleasant memories such as skiing in the crisp mountain air or summer vacations at the beach with family and friends. ‘Natural’ ingredients connect us with nature, which gives us that feeling of being care-free, relaxed and away from the stresses of work. It provides us with freedom.”

Coconut came in at no.1 for the most bought shower gel, one in four selected this as their preferred scent option.

Here’s the UK’s top five shower scents:

1. Coconut –15%
2. Mint – 12%
3. Lemon – 9%
4. Vanilla – 9%
5. Lavender – 8%

Sue told us  “Coconut flavoured gels remind us of summer vacations and having fun whilst our obsession with mint shower gels usually remind us of winter and happy memories of Christmas, as well as chocolate which is one of the most beloved ‘comfort’ foods.”

Vanilla is in the top five after the survey discovered one in 10 consumers pick this out in a shop, although it is known to be the most popular scent around the world and is a successful aphrodisiac, research has shown that vanilla increases the feeling of lust.

What was voted the nation’s favourite shower gel?

Drum roll please…

The votes are in and we have the official list of the UK’s favourite shower gels. We even popped them into a tier-ranking diagram. From Luxuriously Lathered God Tier to Boringly-Bubbly Bottom Tier for you to digest!

1. Dove – Shea Butter Body Wash – 15%
2. Original Source – Mint & Tea Tree – 11%
3. Imperial Leather – Foamburst Shower Gel – 10.5%
4. Radox – Fennel & Sea Minerals – 7%
5. Lynx – Africa – 6%
6. Sanex – Dermo Moisturising – 6%
7. Nivea – Indulgent Orange Shower Cream – 5%
8. Soap & Glory – Clean On Me – 4%
9. Molton Brown – Russian Leather – 3%
10. Baylis & Harding – Black Pepper – 2%

Based on our poll, nearly 25% of people said they DID NOT have a favourite shower gel and will shower with any gel they can get their hands on.

So there it is. We love a coconut scent and a respectively priced Dove Shea body wash. Surprisingly, Dove is the nation’s go-to body wash, due to it’s reasonable price and range size, it has an average rating of 4.6/5* online with users stating that the product has a soft and silky texture.

Do you have a shower gel favourite? Tell us all about it in the comments below!