How Does The Bath & Body Works Laundry Detergent Stack Up Against The Competition?

Bath & Body Works, the place of millennial shopping dreams, seems to have a product that goes viral every month lately. Known for its fragrances and perfumed self-care products, the viral retail giant has forayed into yet another realm of scented housewares — laundry detergent. Since the time of the detergent's release last year, social media–TikTok, in particular–has been abounding with reviews of the detergent. Coupled with 10 to 600 reviews on every scent of the detergent, the product appears to have some consensus: the scent in the bottle is fantastic. The performance is just ... meh.

Take the White Barn 'A Thousand Wishes' laundry detergent, for example. The listing describes a detergent with the aromas of prosecco and amber meant to evoke a "heartwarming celebration." All in all, the product has hundreds of positive reviews, praising the scent profile and the saturation of the scent in the bottle. However, a couple of dozen negative reviews mention their disappointment at how quickly the scent seemed to dissipate upon drying. TikTok User @mimi.the.rn candidly reviews the scent, saying that it just simply does not last on your clothes, and hundreds of commenters jumped in to echo how they wished Bath & Body Works had developed alternative products for laundry rather than these detergents with little payoff. Evidently, the competition appears to still have some skin in the game, and consumers are still opting for scent alternatives.

One commenter under @mimi.the.rn's review likened the Bath & Body Works detergent to an expensive room spray since it did nothing more than make the room smell nice. At $19.95 for a 32-fluid-ounce bottle, there are a handful of alternatives out there ... and realistically, you could double dip on some laundry scent boosters and use them around the house purposefully, too. "If it's not giving Gain Long Lasting scent ... I don't want it," says one of the comments. With a stronger scent, a 4.8 rating among over 4,000 reviews on Amazon, and a size that's five times the amount you'd get for the same price as the Bath & Body Works detergent, Gain + Odor Defense Liquid Laundry detergent may be the perfect alternative. A reviewer on the retailer's site was equally disappointed at how the Bath & Body Works detergent performed, naming Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent as a better choice for a decent fragrance. 

So, the verdict on these quite cutesy, playful bottles? If you're hoping for scents that will cling to your clothes, then perhaps this isn't for you, particularly for the price point and performance. For now, skip the Bath & Body Works detergent unless you've fallen in love with the aesthetic or a very specific scent and don't mind the price tag. At the end of the day, if none of these products give you the scent boost you need, try these laundry hacks that will leave your clothes smelling fresh. Of course, you can also focus your efforts on the drying stage of laundry, trying DIY laundry scent boosters that'll put your dryer sheets to shame.