Blueland Spent 3 Years Developing Its New Body Wash—And It’s a Shower Game-Changer

First, the gel itself: It arrives in powder form, which you pour into Blueland’s reusable body wash bottle, along with water, and shake to combine. After an hour, it’s turned into a jelly-like solution that’s ready to use. The wash has been dermatologist-tested, checking off the major boxes: sulfate-, paraben-, aluminum- and phthalate-free; certified Made Safe Non-Toxic, EWG Skin Deep and Cradle to Cradle. Oh, and it’s hypoallergenic.

Second, the scent: The Starter Kit comes with three scents—raspberry hibiscus, waterlily dew and sandalwood sage. Waterlily Dew is our early favorite, since it has a mellow, fresh rain scent with just a tiny whiff of nectarine. Once you determine your fave, you can order refills in whichever one you please. (At $16, the Starter Kit seems pricey, until you factor in that it makes three full bottles of body wash. Refills are $9—not the cheapest option, but for the quality, it’s reasonable.)

Third, the eco-friendly factor: The powder packets make for lighter, less bulky packaging that’s easier to ship to homes (and it’s compostable). Plus, once you have your initial “Forever Bottle,” you can just keep refilling and reusing it, rather than buying a new bottle every time your supply runs low. And the gel itself is made of natural ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about what’s going down your drain either.

Blueland estimates that if we can collectively reuse 10 percent of the packaging that the personal care industry produces annually, we’ll reduce the waste that winds up in the ocean by nearly 50 percent. That alone was reason for us to give it a shot; the moisturizing results are what’s getting us to stick with it.