Wenjulan Wants Body Care to Mean Something

Thoughtful from head to toe.

For a category that spends so much time telling us we need more, Wenjulan Whole Body Care is asking what can be left out. The brand has no fragrance story or in-depth routine for you to follow. Just thoughtful body care with a clear point of view and an even clearer purpose.

After supporting a loved one through cancer, Dave Landis, the founder of Wenjulan found himself asking bigger questions about what we put on our bodies, and why.

"The original gap wasn't really perceived to me, at first, as a gap per se," he tells me. "I had experienced a loved one's journey through sickness, hair loss and healing."

And interestingly enough, the original vision wasn't body care at all. Wenjulan was supposed to be a haircare line designed with those experiencing chemotherapy-related hair loss and alopecia in mind. But after speaking with formulators (one of whom had worked on Paul Mitchell products), Landis was encouraged to begin elsewhere.

"We decided to launch with three different soap bars and body wash first, because it's a great introduction to complete body care, both from the brand and a consumer's perspective."

The brand recently went through a rebrand, but Landis doesn’t view it as a makeover. "It really is a refinement," he says. "What was getting lost was that this brand was actually created for everyone and every body."

Landis’ new goal was to communicate what he calls "responsible luxury." Meaning, beautiful products that are intentional and sustainable. 

"One of our internal taglines is 'compassion crafted with purpose,'" he says. And this philosophy shows up everywhere—from the formulas to the packaging to the causes Wenjulan supports. Through its C.A.R.E. initiative (Cancer and Alopecia Research Endeavor), the brand donates a portion of every sale to cancer and alopecia research.

When it comes to its formulas, Landis refers to the ingredients he’ll never formulate with “as the holy trinity of toxicity: parabens, sulphates and phthalates." He shares that "I didn't purposefully intend for fewer than ten ingredients in any one product, but after all was said and done, that's exactly what wound up happening."

Facial skincare has stolen the spotlight in the beauty world since COVID, but Landis points out that "If we think about it for a moment, the first thing that effectively touches our skin every day, aside from water, is some form of body care."

And he's right.

Body care is often treated like an afterthought. But our showers and handwashing rituals are the moments we repeat most every single day. 

If you’re interested in trying the brand, here are my top recs: 

1. Southwest Cedar Cleansing Soap Bar ($14.50): Cedarwood, sage oil, and chlorella create a subtle sensory experience inspired by the New Mexico landscape. Landis describes it as bringing "the spirit of the desert" into your routine. 

   
   

2. Unscented Body Wash ($18): Rosemary extract, glycerin, and citric acid deliver hydration and balance without unnecessary fragrance or filler.

   
   

3. Sensitive Skin Cleansing Soap Bar ($14.50): Pink kaolin clay, ylang ylang, and lavandin oil come together for a gentle cleanse that feels super soothing. 

   
   

For Landis, every new product starts with the same three-letter word: WHY. 

"The WHY is the key factor for every decision we make and will remain central to everything we do," he says.

It feels like the beauty landscape is getting more and more crowded by the day, but some brands like Wenjulan are here to show people you really don’t need more. You just need high-quality products with ingredients you can trust. 

And maybe that's the greatest luxury of all.