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The more beloved a beauty product, the greater the risk when a brand decides to change its formula—even if that change in formula is intended to make it better. (Don’t believe me? There are more than a few message boards dedicated to tracking down the original versions of everything from eyeliner to nail polish.)
So when Dove decided to refresh perhaps the most beloved body wash of all time—its Best of Beauty-winning Deep Moisture Body Wash—we at Allure held our collective breath. It was a big swing… and a big hit. After testing the new formula, I can confidently say that it still has all the qualities that made me fall in love with the OG, but leaves my skin even softer.
Okay, okay: Longtime Dove fans will flag that this isn’t actually the first time the product has gotten an upgrade. In 2023, Allure reported on its new packaging, a flat-top bottle intended to be more ergonomic and allow users the option to flip it upside down to more easily access every last drop of cleanser.
But now the formula, too, has gotten more than a tweak: This new iteration is made with a souped-up version of the brand’s “MicroMoisture” technology. What does that mean? Let’s revisit the science of skin. If you think of your skin like a brick wall, the individual cells are the bricks and the "mortar" around them is “a mixture of lipids that are important to the barrier properties of our skin,” says cosmetic chemist Kelly Dobos. When those lipids become disrupted and depleted, she says, the result is dryness. To undo the damage, you’ve got to go deep: "Those channels around the cells are tiny, so the smaller the droplets of moisturizing ingredients are in a formula, the better chance they have of penetrating and supplementing that ‘mortar,’” Dobos says.
With that thinking in mind, Dove infused its body wash with millions of teeny-tiny droplets that metaphorically and literally fill in the cracks. “These droplets carry emollients and moisturizing factors, like stearic and palmitic acids, that then get deposited into the crevices of our skin,” says cosmetic chemist Marisal Mou. “This is quite unique to a body wash because most have surfactants that attach themselves to the oil and dirt on your skin and wash it away [without doing much else].”
The result of this small but mighty technology? Skin so smooth, soft, and hydrated, one might even feel empowered to forgo body lotion (more on that in a moment). Speaking of lotion, you’ll know you’ve gotten your paws on the latest and greatest if your bottle is labeled “All Day Lotion-Soft Skin.” (The new bottles look identical to the preexisting ones otherwise, so make sure to double check.)
I brought my own bottle into my lab—okay, my shower—for testing. Because I’ve been doing this beauty editor thing for a while, I approach new products with a healthy degree of skepticism—so I resolved to wash one half of my body with Dove and the other with what was already sitting in my shower, a $25-ish wash that’s stocked at Sephora.
Lo and behold, Dove excelled in every category. The lather? Luscious. The way the scent filled my shower? Unparalleled. (I used the Original, which has that signature fruity-yet-floral aroma, though the new formula is being rolled out in all dozen-plus fragrance varieties.)
But the true test came when I toweled off post-shower. As this was not a very, um, controlled study, I was momentarily worried I would forget which wash I used on which side of my body. But there was no mistaking it. A sniff of that telltale Dove fragrance confirmed what was already immediately clear: Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash left my skin far, far softer than the other. So much so that not only did I skip my usual application of body lotion, but I actually felt more comfortable in my clothes all day. Turns out, I didn’t know my skin was dry until it wasn’t. Now, it never will be.
Read more about caring for your skin from the neck down:
- Every Product Allure Editors Use in Their Everything Shower Routines
- I Swear by This Body-Care Routine for Clear, Ingrown-Free Skin
- 16 Best Body Lotions for Buttery-Smooth Skin
Done reading? Now, watch Keke Palmer react to TikTok trends:
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