Struggling to find a body cream or lotion you enjoy is a real Goldilocks scenario, huh? On the one hand, if you go too dense for your liking you run the risk of feeling like a sticky, goopy mess. On the other, if it’s too light for your skin’s needs, it’s simply not going to hydrate well or long term. Yikes. Now where you fall on this skin care spectrum is probably dependent on a few skin care factors: What time of year it is, where you live, your skin type, your personal sensorial preferences, and your lifestyle (i.e., do you loathe to apply products, or do you do a 10-step-routine every morning?). As you can see, a lot goes into finding the one that suits you just right.
Now, a light body cream or lotion tends to meet a lot of needs. The slip is just so that it smooths over skin with ease. The texture is rich, yet spreadable. The hydration is turned up to the max, without leaving a greasy residue. Plus, many of these options below come with added bonuses—whether that be soothing scents, antioxidant protections, or firming actives.
If this sounds like your preferred sensorial experience, check out the list below—plus, what the options can do that adds a little extra.
Best all-around: mindbodygreen postbiotic body lotion
As one user put it: “The body lotion is silky smooth and my skin feels hydrated well into the next day. A seriously dramatic improvement in my skin!” This is thanks to the high-quality master blend of cushiony butters and oils (shea butter, coconut oil, moringa seed oil, and oat oil) and deeply hydrating humectants (an organic aloe vera). Additionally, the potent antioxidants (coenzyme Q10 and a fruit complex) and biotic ingredients (an innovative pre- and postbiotic combo) nurture your skin’s surface and microbiome. Combined, it creates a hydrating lotion that penetrates for lasting hydration and protects the epidermis for results you can see. A bonus: it’s fragrance-free and formulated for sensitive skin.
Best for firming: Juice Beauty Green Apple Firming Body Moisturizer
Just like the skin on your face loses elasticity and sags over time, so does your body. Now, the face is more susceptible to these changes (it’s thinner after all), but the body does need some care and attention, too. This blend uses a combination of unique antioxidants that combat free radicals—or the things that damage collagen and elastin in the first place—as well as peptides for tone. The base is a blend of jojoba, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil to provide its smoothing texture.
Here, coconut oil lends its famously hydrating slip and safflower seed, acai pulp, and babassu oils provide conditioning, balmy properties. But the healthy aging aspect is all due to the sea-derived ingredients that the brand is known for. The gigartina seaweed and alaria esculenta extracts tighten skin and even tone.
Best brightening: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Pro Retinol Body Butter
This lovely whipped argan oil has an almost fluffy texture, which then sinks into skin, delivering the fatty acids and antioxidants from the argan oil. With it, it carries a pro-retinol pink algae and the antioxidant quercetin. The algae encourages skin cell turnover (much like retinol), making skin brighter and firmer with time. The quercetin protects the skin by neutralizing free radicals.
Best for sensitive skin: Weleda Unscented Body Lotion
This simple formula relieves tightness, itchiness, and irritation—common signs of sensitive skin—with its soothing blend. The pure coconut and jojoba oils comfort the skin, and the plant-derived squalane provides a gentle coating to protect the skin from environmental aggressors. Plus, it’s fragrance-free—a skin care must for those with easily inflamed skin.
Best soothing: Shea Moisture Pink Himalayan Salt Relaxing Body Cream
A skin-calming blend that’s perfect for a nighttime slather. The plant-heavy cocktail consists of shea butter, coconut oil, mango seed butter, sunflower seed oil, and clary sage, an extract known for its calming properties. Who doesn’t want to wake up to hydrated, supple skin?
An elegant everyday option that uses rich butters and olive oil to feed the skin a variety of nutrients, like lipids, fatty acids, and antioxidants. Then it’s topped with an essential oil blend that sparkles with citrus notes—you’ll feel refreshed and ready to start the day with each use.
Most unique texture: Crabtree & Evelyn Velvet Body Melt
A transforming texture is always a delightful surprise: It starts out as a very thick cream and then melts into a lightweight oil when it hits your skin’s natural body heat. A few of the highlights in this botanical mix: Rosehip seed oil has healthy aging properties, cottonseed oil is high in vitamin E, murumuru butter is rich but not greasy, and mallow flower helps your skin retain moisture naturally.
This body lotion blend contains a neat formula of aloe, coconut, sunflower seed oil, and shea butter—providing a well-rounded combo of emollients, humectants, and occlusives. We love it for the trio of scents, which are an inviting sandalwood, peppy mint, and bright grapefruit. A fun bonus: This also has coffee extract, commonly used in body products to achieve a supple, smooth skin texture.
At mbg, high standards are earned—and there are no shortcuts. Our beauty editors stay up to date on the latest ingredient research and innovation. It’s a dynamic, continuously evolving space, and it’s important we look into the science so we can make informed choices about which formulas earn our stamp of approval (figuratively speaking).
Our high standards also come from testing products—many, many products. Our editors and writers rigorously test and research the products featured in our roundups to offer you the best, most informed recommendations. When we write reviews, you can trust we spend quality time with the formulas: We don’t simply rave about products we’ve slathered on the back of our hand. We endorse products we’ve tried and loved.
Learn more about our testing process and clean beauty standards here.
