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Can I add essential oils to Sensitive Body Wash?Updated 2 minutes ago

TL;DR: We'd rather you didn't. Sensitive Body Wash is fragrance-free by design, and adding an essential oil changes the formula that was HRIPT dermatologically tested and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Koh can't stand behind a formula once it's been changed. Use it as it comes, and put your scent somewhere other than the skin you just washed.

Read on ↓

Can I add essential oils to Sensitive Body Wash?

Koh doesn't recommend it. Koh Sensitive Body Wash is fragrance-free by design, and adding an essential oil is a change to the formula that was HRIPT dermatologically tested and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Those results apply to the formula as it's made. Essential oils also aren't water soluble, so they sit on top rather than blending in, and prolonged contact can affect the inside of the pump bottle.

Adding an essential oil is a formulation change, and that's the heart of it. The formula that goes in the box is the one that was HRIPT dermatologically tested and the one recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Change what's in the bottle and those results no longer describe what you're washing with.

On a wash built for sensitive skin, that's not a trade Koh can recommend, and it isn't one we can stand behind if something goes wrong.

Two practical points as well

Oils don't blend in

Essential oils aren't water soluble. In a water-based wash they sit on top rather than mixing through, so you don't get an even scent anyway.

They can affect the bottle

Prolonged contact with undiluted oils can affect the inside of the Body Wash Pump bottle and its pump mechanism.


Why is Sensitive Body Wash fragrance-free?

Fragrance is one of the most common triggers for skin reactions, and it matters most for people with sensitive or eczema-prone skin. Koh Sensitive Body Wash leaves out synthetic perfume, perfume blends of any origin and essential oils, by design rather than as a compromise. The formula is pH 5.5, matching healthy skin, HRIPT dermatologically tested and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia.

Fragrance is one of the most common triggers for skin reactions, and that matters most for the people this wash was built for. So it isn't in there: no synthetic perfume, no perfume blends of any origin, no essential oils.

That was a design decision, not a compromise. The formula is pH 5.5, matching healthy skin, it's HRIPT dermatologically tested, and it's recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Leaving fragrance out is part of why.

Fragrance-free by designNo essential oilsHRIPT dermatologically tested

What if I want a scent?

Use Koh Sensitive Body Wash as it comes and put the scent somewhere else. A diffuser or a scented candle in the bathroom gives you the experience without putting perfume on freshly washed skin, and a fragrance applied to clothing or pulse points keeps it away from the skin you've just cleansed. If a fragranced wash is what you're after, this formula may not be the right fit.

Wanting a bathroom that smells good is fair enough. The simplest answer is to keep the scent and the wash separate.

1

Use the wash as it comes. One pump, lather, rinse.

2

Put the scent in the room instead: a diffuser or a candle gives you the experience without perfume on freshly washed skin.

3

If you wear a fragrance, apply it to clothing or pulse points afterwards rather than mixing it into the wash.

And if a scented wash is what you really want

Then this formula may not be the right fit, and that's a straight answer rather than a sales pitch. Sensitive Body Wash is built for people who need fragrance kept out.


Koh Sensitive Body Wash refill box

Sensitive Body Wash

Fragrance-free body wash with jojoba esters and glycerine. HRIPT dermatologically tested and recognised by the Eczema Association of Australasia. Made in Australia.

Fragrance-freeNo essential oils
Koh Body Wash Starter Kit

Body Wash Starter Kit

Pairs Sensitive Body Wash with the refillable pump bottle. Everything you need to start refilling, in one kit.

Refill boxRefillable pump bottle
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Last reviewed: October 2026 · Koh Australia

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