I never find more helpful salespeople in chains such as Sephora, Origins and The Body Shop than I do during the holidays. I like to imagine these outfits ramp up their help for confused gentlemen such as myself, who flood the stores this time of year to buy fancy bath products for ladies as Christmas gifts but end up stymied by the array of liquids, scents and packaging.
I must give a shout-out to the helpful and courteous saleslady tonight at The Body Shop on the Upper West Side who answered my most pressing question: What’s the difference between shower gel and body wash?
Ready? There is no difference. They’re both meant as substitutes for glycerin bar soap in the shower. I didn’t get into it with the saleslady why this name game is necessary, although I assume it has to do with marketing.
To over-generalize using the examples in my photo above, the Bergamot Body Wash seems positioned more as a masculine item. Citrusy and strong, the fragrance is an element of the original eau de cologne. Plus it’s in that manly dark-green bottle with a black cap. The Vanilla Spice Shower Gel, sparkling honey-gold in a transparent container, seems more of a stereotypically feminine scent.
So perhaps “Body Wash” was chosen for its descriptive bluntness, kind of a dumbing-down of the language for guys: Whatdaya do with this stuff? You wash yer body with it, just like Lava, only fancy-smelling. Whereas “Shower Gel,” like a lot of those mysterious cosmetic items ladies store in the bathroom, is more vague, positioned for experienced users only.