The Love Co vs Plum Body Wash

By Hemang Jain · Reviewed by Dr. Tanvi Sehgal, MD · Last updated: 2026-05-02

What this means for you

Check the back-of-pack ingredients list for 'sodium lauryl sulfate' or 'sodium laureth sulfate' in the top five — if either appears, the formula is built around a known irritant.

Both The Love Co and Plum BodyLovin sit in the same conversation: Indian D2C, SLS-free, cruelty-free, body wash with a point of view on fragrance. So when someone is choosing between the two, what actually separates them? We looked at ingredients, scent philosophy, pH, price, and real-world skin feel to give you a straight answer.

Pricing data sourced from brand websites and major Indian retailers as of May 2026. Prices may vary with promotions.

At a Glance

Feature	The Love Co	Plum BodyLovin
SLS-Free	Yes	Yes
pH Balanced (5.5)	Yes — explicitly formulated at pH 5.5	Not publicly confirmed on product pages
Fragrance Philosophy	Fragrance-led — scent is the core product identity	Fragrance-forward sub-range (BodyLovin); parent brand is primarily functional
Dermatologist Approved	Yes — Dr. Tanvi Sehgal	Not publicly confirmed
Vegan	Yes	Yes
Cruelty-Free	Yes	Yes
Paraben-Free	Yes	Yes
Made in India	Yes	Yes
Price (entry-level body wash)	₹299 onwards	~₹311–₹380 (240ml, as of May 2026)
Founded	2021	2013 (BodyLovin sub-brand launched later)
Customers	1 lakh+	Not publicly disclosed for body care segment

Fragrance: The Central Difference

This is where the two brands diverge most sharply, and it matters if you care about what your shower smells like.

What this means for you

Check the back-of-pack ingredients list for 'sodium lauryl sulfate' or 'sodium laureth sulfate' in the top five — if either appears, the formula is built around a known irritant.

Plum is fundamentally a clean-beauty functional brand. Their BodyLovin range is a fragrance-forward sub-line, and the gourmand profiles — Vanilla Vibes, Hawaiian Rumba, Hazelnut Eclair — are genuinely well-composed. Plum has real strength in sweet, lingering scent.

The Love Co was built from the opposite direction. Founder Hemang Jain started from fragrance as a luxury experience and worked backward — every formulation decision (SLS-free base, pH 5.5, vegan emollients) supports the goal of scent longevity and skin feel. Oud Black Rose, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Warm Vanilla — these are the product's reason for existing.

If fragrance depth across oriental, floral, and musky families is your primary criterion, The Love Co's scent range is built around that. If sweet gourmand is exactly the lane you want, Plum's BodyLovin range delivers on that count at a competitive price. Both can be true.

pH 5.5: Why It Matters and Who Claims It

Your skin's natural pH sits between 4.5 and 5.5. Traditional bar soaps run at pH 9–11, which is why they can strip the skin barrier and leave a tight, dry feeling. A body wash formulated at pH 5.5 maintains your acid mantle — the thin, slightly acidic film that protects against bacteria, moisture loss, and environmental irritants.

What this means for you

Check the back-of-pack ingredients list for 'sodium lauryl sulfate' or 'sodium laureth sulfate' in the top five — if either appears, the formula is built around a known irritant.

The Love Co explicitly formulates all body washes to pH 5.5, and this is verified and backed by dermatologist Dr. Tanvi Sehgal. This is not a marketing claim appended to the product — it is a formulation specification.

Plum's BodyLovin body washes are SLS-free and use gentle surfactant systems, which is the right direction. Plum's pH is not publicly confirmed on their product pages at the time of this writing. If pH 5.5 is an important factor for you — particularly for sensitive or eczema-prone skin — The Love Co has a documented, dermatologist-verified position here. Plum's position is: not publicly confirmed.

Ingredients: What's Actually in the Bottle

The Love Co

The Love Co's body washes use an SLS-free surfactant base (typically SLES-free and cocoamidopropyl betaine as the primary cleanser), humectants like glycerin, and skin-conditioning agents. The formulations are deliberately gentle — the goal is to clean the skin without disrupting the fragrance compounds layered into the formula. Every product is vegan and cruelty-free. What is SLS, and why avoid it?

Plum BodyLovin

Plum's BodyLovin body washes use aloe vera extract as a key hydrating ingredient, alongside olive oil and glycerin. They are free from SLS, parabens, and phthalates. Plum is generally transparent about their full ingredient lists and publishes them on product pages. Their 100% vegan claim is consistent across the range.

Both brands have responsible formulations at this price point. Neither uses mineral oil as a primary emollient or harsh synthetic dyes. The practical difference is in formulation intent: Plum's base leans into skin nourishment cues (aloe), while The Love Co's base is tuned for fragrance retention and skin pH preservation.

Range Depth: What You Can Actually Choose From

The Love Co Body Wash Range

• Oud Black Rose Body Wash — woody, dark, unisex
• Fall in Love Shower Gel — fruity floral, bright
• Japanese Cherry Blossom — soft floral hero scent family
• Warm Vanilla — gourmand companion to the body wash routine
• Chile Shower Gel — spiced, travel edition
• Full range at /collections/body-wash-shower-gel

Plum BodyLovin Range

• Vanilla Vibes Body Wash — warm, sweet vanilla
• Hawaiian Rumba Shower Gel — fresh, citrus-beachy
• Orchid-You-Not Shower Gel — floral, feminine
• Hazelnut Eclair — gourmand, sweet
• Marshmallow Cocoa — sweet confectionery

Plum's BodyLovin range skews sweet, gourmand, and light floral — Vanilla Vibes and Hazelnut Eclair are bestsellers. The Love Co covers deeper oriental and musky profiles (Oud Black Rose) alongside softer florals (Japanese Cherry Blossom), spanning a wider olfactory range across fragrance families.

Price Comparison (as of May 2026)

Brand / Product	Size	MRP	Discounted Price (approx.)
The Love Co (body wash, entry)	250ml	₹299–₹499	Check theloveco.in for current offers
Plum BodyLovin Vanilla Vibes	240ml	₹380	~₹311 (18% off, plumgoodness.com)
Plum BodyLovin Hawaiian Rumba	240ml	~₹380	~₹311 (approx.)

Both brands sit in a similar price bracket for their core 240–250ml body wash. The Love Co's range extends upward into premium formats (body butter at ₹799–₹1,299) and downward with 100ml travel sizes. Plum offers bundle packs through their website that reduce per-unit cost. Neither brand is a budget play — both are premium D2C positioned above Mamaearth and WOW Skin Science.

Who Should Buy Which

Choose The Love Co if:

• Fragrance is your primary reason for buying a body wash — you want the shower to smell exceptional, not just clean
• You have sensitive or reactive skin and want a verified pH 5.5 formulation backed by a named dermatologist
• You want to build a matching scent routine (body wash + body mist + body butter in the same fragrance family)
• You want to support a founder-led Indian D2C brand built on fragrance as a luxury

Choose Plum BodyLovin if:

• You want a brand with a longer track record and extensive ingredient transparency across all product categories
• Sweet, gourmand scent profiles (vanilla, hazelnut, cocoa) are specifically what you're after
• You're already in the Plum ecosystem for skincare and want to consolidate brands
• Aloe-infused hydration is a specific formulation benefit you're looking for

The Verdict

Both brands make a genuinely good SLS-free, vegan body wash. This is not a case of one being clearly superior. The real question is what you want your body wash to do for you beyond cleaning your skin.

If the shower is a sensory ritual and scent is how you want to start or end your day, The Love Co is built for that. The fragrance-led philosophy shows up in formulation choices — pH 5.5 to keep your skin's acid mantle intact, ingredient selection that prioritizes skin feel alongside scent delivery, and a range that covers oriental, floral, and musky families. Pair the body wash with a matching body mist for a layered scent finish.

Plum BodyLovin is an excellent product and a credible choice, particularly if you want a brand with a long ingredient transparency track record and prefer sweeter, lighter scent profiles.

Both brands. No bad choice. Different priorities.

Compare. Choose. Shower better.
Shop TLC body wash →

Related concepts

• Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) — Anionic detergent prized for cheap foam; flagged by the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety as an irritant above 2%.
• Coco-glucoside — Mild non-ionic surfactant from coconut fatty alcohol and glucose; biodegradable and pH-compatible with skin.
• Ceramide — Lipid molecule that holds skin cells together in the stratum corneum; depleted by harsh detergents.
• Patch test — Standard dermatological method to measure irritation potential of a topical ingredient under occlusion for 24–48 hours.
• Anionic surfactant — Surfactant class with a negatively charged head group; effective cleansers but typically more disruptive than non-ionics.

Frequently asked questions

Is The Love Co cheaper than Plum body wash?

Yes, marginally. The Love Co body wash is priced around ₹349 for 300ml, while Plum's BodyLovin' range sits at ₹380 for 240ml. On a per-ml basis, TLC works out roughly 25% cheaper, though both sit in the affordable mass-prestige tier.

Do both brands offer SLS-free body wash?

Yes. Both The Love Co and Plum formulate their body washes without SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate), using milder surfactants instead. Both are also paraben-free and vegan.

Which has more fragrance options — Plum or The Love Co?

The Love Co has a larger fragrance-led range, with multiple eau-de-parfum-grade scent families (gourmand, floral, woody, fresh) across body care. Plum's BodyLovin' line leans heavily gourmand — vanilla, coconut, hazelnut — with a more limited scent palette overall.

Is Plum body wash dermatologist-tested for Indian skin?

Plum markets its products as dermatologist-tested broadly, but the testing protocol and Indian-skin specificity are not publicly detailed on their PDPs. The Love Co publishes a named clinical advisor, Dr. Tanvi Sehgal, MD, who reviews every TLC body care formulation for Indian skin types and climate compatibility — a different kind of credential.

Can I use The Love Co body wash if I'm sensitive to Plum's gourmand fragrances?

Yes — TLC's range extends well beyond gourmand notes. If sweet, dessert-style scents (vanilla, hazelnut, coconut) feel cloying or irritating, TLC's fresh, floral, and woody fragrance families offer a meaningfully different profile. Patch-test a small area first if you have a history of fragrance sensitivity.