Will Body Wash or Soap Get You Cleaner? -- Savings Experiment

In recent years, body wash has zoomed past soap in the sud sales wars -- the creamy liquid is emerging as the body cleanser of choice for more and more Americans.

According to a recent report from Mintel, a consumer products and market research firm, liquid body wash now accounts for the largest segment -- nearly 40% -- of the total soap, bath and shower market.

And sales of liquid body wash are expected to surge 35% from 2009 to 2014, Mintel reports. For many consumers, body wash has replaced soap, the market research firm says, because of its ease of use and convenience: There's none of the goopy mess often associated with a bar of soap.

But what are the price and results difference between body wash and an old-fashioned bar of soap? We dipped into the suds of the matter to find out.