Somewhere between one in ten and one in six UK adults lives with eczema at some point, according to figures from the British Association of Dermatologists and the National Eczema Society. For most of them, the daily shower routine is one of the most reliable ways to trigger a flare. Not because water is the problem — because the body wash they were handed at the supermarket was formulated for a customer with no skin condition at all, and the actives that make it foam are the exact ones that strip the skin's natural barrier.

This is an honest guide to what actually helps and what makes it worse, written from the point of view of a founder who is currently building an eczema-friendly, plant-based, refillable body wash and putting it on Kickstarter in March 2027. If you have been quietly cycling through products for years, this is the version of the guide I wish someone had put in your basket.

What eczema actually is

Eczema — medically atopic dermatitis in most cases — is a chronic condition where the skin's outer barrier does not hold water and irritants out the way an unaffected skin barrier does. The result is dryness, itching, redness, sometimes cracking or weeping, and a sensitivity to soaps, fragrances, temperature changes and certain fabrics. It runs in families, often shows up in childhood, and typically settles into a manageable but recurring adult pattern.

The two things that make daily washing complicated are simple. First, the skin barrier is already compromised, so anything harsh will make it worse quickly. Second, washing removes the natural lipids that hold the barrier together, so anything that strips too aggressively removes the small amount of protection that is still there. A good eczema body wash cleans without stripping. Almost every supermarket body wash strips.

What in most body wash actually triggers a flare

Four things account for most of the “this new body wash set me off” reports.

Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES). These are the surfactants that give body wash its foam and its squeaky-clean feel. They are effective cleansers. They are also, for eczema-prone skin, the most consistent single trigger — they lift natural lipids off the skin and leave the barrier drier and more permeable than before. Every major dermatology guide flags SLS in particular as a “probable irritant” for atopic dermatitis.

Synthetic fragrance. A body wash listed with “fragrance” or “parfum” on the label can contain any of dozens of undisclosed compounds, some of which are recognised skin sensitisers. For most people they are tolerable. For eczema-prone skin they are one of the two or three most common flare triggers alongside SLS.

Methylisothiazolinone and methylchloroisothiazolinone (MI and MCI). Preservatives commonly used in liquid personal care. Widely restricted in leave-on products in Europe because of their allergen profile, but still permitted at low concentrations in rinse-off products including body wash. A meaningful minority of eczema sufferers react to them.

Denatured alcohol and drying carriers. Some “natural” and “essential oil” body washes use alcohol as a solvent for the fragrance oils. On healthy skin, that dries fast and disappears. On eczema-prone skin, it accelerates the barrier loss the washing itself is causing.

You do not need to memorise the chemistry. You need to read the first five or six ingredients, and if you see SLS, SLES, fragrance/parfum, or MI/MCI in that top block, that is not the product for you.

What actually helps

An eczema-friendly body wash tends to do four things well.

It uses gentle surfactants. The best-tolerated for atopic skin are the sugar-derived surfactants: decyl glucoside, coco glucoside, lauryl glucoside. Also good: sodium cocoyl isethionate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate. They clean effectively without stripping the barrier the way sulphates do. They foam less, which takes some getting used to but is not a sign the product is failing.

It leaves the barrier intact. Look for glycerin high in the ingredient list. Glycerin is a humectant — it draws water into the outer layers of skin and helps the barrier stay hydrated during and after washing. Colloidal oatmeal (avena sativa) is the other well-evidenced eczema ingredient; it soothes irritation and is one of the few actives specifically recognised by the US FDA for skin-protectant claims in atopic dermatitis.

It leaves out fragrance. “Fragrance-free” on the label means no fragrance at all, and is the version to look for. “Unscented” sometimes means a masking fragrance has been added to hide the natural smell of the base — not what you want.

It moisturises as it cleans. Ingredients like shea butter, sweet almond oil, coconut-derived actives, panthenol (pro-vitamin B5) and squalane add lipid back to the skin during the wash. For eczema-prone skin, that turns the shower from something the barrier loses ground on into something it holds steady through.

The shopper's checklist for an eczema-friendly body wash

Four questions get you most of the way to a confident answer at the shelf or on a product page.

• Are the top surfactants sulphate-free? Look for coco glucoside, decyl glucoside, lauryl glucoside, or sodium cocoyl isethionate. Rule out anything with SLS or SLES in the first five ingredients.
• Is it fragrance-free? No “fragrance,” no “parfum,” no long-list essential oils in the top block. Essential oils are natural, but for atopic skin they are still sensitisers.
• Is the preservative gentle? Sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, phenoxyethanol at low concentration are usually well tolerated. Avoid formulas with methylisothiazolinone or methylchloroisothiazolinone.
• Are humectants and lipids high in the list? Glycerin, colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, panthenol, squalane. Not just present in trace amounts near the bottom of the list — genuinely up in the top ten.

A founder note on why we are building a plant-based, refillable body wash

I have spent the last five years building Lifelong Deo, a refillable natural deodorant brand. The single most common message I get from customers is a version of “my deodorant is sorted now, please tell me you are working on a body wash too.” The answer, since last year, has been yes.

Lifelong body wash is currently in development, alongside a hand soap and a shampoo, and the three of them will launch together on Kickstarter in March 2027. The design brief is the same brief as the deodorant, applied to a wash-off product. Plant-based actives, no sulphates, no synthetic fragrance, gentle enough for eczema-prone skin. A refillable format, so the plastic bottle stops being a monthly disposable and starts being a one-time investment. Compostable refill packaging, so the refill itself does not become the new plastic problem. And a formulation designed around the ingredients dermatologists actually recommend for compromised skin — glycerin, colloidal oatmeal, sugar-derived surfactants, plant lipids — rather than the cheapest foaming system that fits inside a supermarket price point.

The Kickstarter is how we finance the first production run at a scale that keeps the price accessible. Backers get the product first, at a lower price than the eventual retail price, and their pre-orders let us commit to a run size that makes the plant-based formulation economically possible. If you want to be on the waiting list for that, the best place to sign up is on the Kickstarter waiting list.

In the meantime, if you are eczema-prone and shopping for a body wash today, the checklist above is the right shortlist. There are a handful of good UK options at the pharmacy, and a few small independents doing the work properly. What most of them do not yet offer is the refillable format — that is the piece we are trying to add.

Ingredients cheat sheet

Good for eczema: coco glucoside, decyl glucoside, lauryl glucoside, sodium cocoyl isethionate, glycerin, colloidal oatmeal (avena sativa), shea butter, sweet almond oil, panthenol, squalane, allantoin.

Avoid for eczema-prone skin: sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS), sodium laureth sulphate (SLES), fragrance/parfum, methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, denatured alcohol high in the list, long lists of undisclosed essential oils.

The honest summary

Eczema is common, chronic and largely manageable, and the daily shower is one of the levers with the biggest effect on how manageable it actually is. Switching from a sulphate-based, fragranced body wash to a plant-based, fragrance-free one, with gentle surfactants and real humectants, is one of the most reliable non-medical changes eczema sufferers make. It is not a cure. It just stops the shower being one of the daily triggers.

Plant-based body wash is genuinely different from the standard supermarket foaming version. It is what we are building for the Lifelong range, and it is what the March 2027 Kickstarter is going to fund. If you want to be on the list, the sign-up is here. If you want to keep reading in the meantime, the guides below cover the adjacent questions.

Further reading

• What Are SLS And SLES In Body Wash UK? An Honest Founder's Guide — the deeper dive on the two most common irritants.
• Best Natural Body Wash Sensitive Skin UK: A Dermatology-Led Buyer's Guide — the wider sensitive-skin category guide.
• Best Plastic Free Body Wash UK: An Honest 2026 Buyer's Guide — the format side of the story.
• The Lifelong Deo blog — more honest guides on natural personal care, plastic waste and independent beauty brands.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best body wash for eczema in the UK?

A sulphate-free, fragrance-free, plant-based formulation with gentle surfactants like coco or decyl glucoside, and high levels of glycerin, colloidal oatmeal and plant lipids in the top of the ingredient list. There are a handful of good UK pharmacy options and a few small independents doing this well. Lifelong body wash is currently in development for a March 2027 Kickstarter launch, built to this brief.

Are SLS and SLES the same thing?

Similar but not identical. Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) is the harsher of the two, sodium laureth sulphate (SLES) is slightly milder because of an added ethoxylation step. Both are effective foaming surfactants and both are recognised as skin irritants for eczema-prone users. For atopic skin, avoiding both in the top of the ingredient list is the safer starting point.

Is fragrance really that bad for eczema?

For a meaningful minority of eczema sufferers, yes. “Fragrance” or “parfum” on a label is a legal umbrella term that can cover dozens of undisclosed compounds, some of which are known skin sensitisers. Fragrance-free formulations are the safer default for eczema-prone skin. Essential oils, despite being natural, are also sensitisers and are better avoided at higher concentrations.

What ingredients actively help eczema?

Colloidal oatmeal is the best-evidenced — it soothes irritation and is one of the few ingredients specifically recognised by the US FDA for skin-protectant claims in atopic dermatitis. Glycerin is a strong humectant that helps the barrier hold water. Panthenol, shea butter, sweet almond oil and squalane add lipid back to the skin during the wash.

Does refillable make a difference for eczema-prone shoppers?

Not directly for the skin condition itself, but yes for the overall picture. A refillable format lets a small, mission-driven brand justify the higher cost of a proper eczema-friendly formulation, because the applicator is a one-time investment rather than a monthly disposable. It also removes the plastic bottle from the story, which is the second reason a lot of people are searching for a better body wash in the first place.

When is the Lifelong body wash launching?

The Lifelong body wash is launching on Kickstarter in March 2027, alongside a hand soap and a shampoo. The formulation is plant-based, sulphate-free, fragrance-free and designed for sensitive and eczema-prone skin. The refill format uses a compostable pouch. Backers on the Kickstarter get the product first, at a lower price than the eventual retail. The waiting list is on the Kickstarter waiting list.