The Best Body Moisturisers for Dry Skin

If seriously dry skin on your body is the bane of your existence, we completely understand your struggle. Rather than just picking out whatever body lotion you happen to find at the store, we’ve taken the guesswork out by curating a list of things you should look for when shopping for your next body moisturiser to help perfect your dry skincare routine.

Transforming Extremely Dry Skin with Body Moisturisers

For VERY dry skin, body butters with richly emollient ingredients like shea, mango, and jojoba are incredibly helpful. Body butters like these which are formulated specifically for dry skin, are even suitable for skin prone to eczema.

For all-over smoothing, seek out fast-absorbing, body creams that feature barrier-repairing ceramides, peptides, and antioxidants for all-day dry skin relief. This is a great option for moisturising from the neck down. For the extra-dry areas, you can also apply body butter over them to moisturise the skin further.

If you’re looking for the best body lotion to smooth skin, the secret is to opt for one with a built-in, leave-on exfoliant. The perfect solution for those who are sensitive to body scrubs or simply do not have the time to exfoliate their bodies on a weekly basis, these leave-on exfoliating body lotions are a convenient choice — multi-tasking skincare doesn’t get much better than this.

Find it a hassle to use foot peels to remove any dead skin on your lower extremities? To soften and smooth dry, rough patches or thickened skin (think knees, elbows, feet), go with an AHA moisturising body lotion for dry skin. Higher strengths of AHA are helpful for dry body skin, so an option with a concentration of 10% can yield impressive results.

If bumpy, “chicken skin” like that which many of us have to deal with after shaving our legs is your main concern, use a moisturising body treatment for dry skin featuring 2% BHA (beta hydroxy acid, also known as salicylic acid).Products that have such ingredients with exfoliating properties helps banish other types of clogged pores from the neck down, and leaves skin feeling extra silky — say hello to smooth legs!

What about body lotions with antioxidants?

When looking for a body lotion with antioxidants, opt for a body lotion with the anti-ageing powerhouse — retinol. The retinol will help diminish advanced signs of ageing, including those on the neck and chest.

Other Body Moisturiser Ingredients for Dry Skin

Body creams for dry skin often contain the following ingredients, some are good and some are bad. Take note of these ingredients so that you can avoid the bad ones to ensure that your skin does not suffer. Keep them in mind when shopping for your ideal body moisturiser.

Good Ingredients:

1. Argan Oil
2. Cocoa Butter
3. Coconut Oil
4. Ceramides
5. Evening Primrose Oil
6. Glycerin
7. Niacinamide
8. Petrolatum

Bad Ingredients:

1. Fragrance
2. Essential Oils

Learn more about dry skin and how to get better skin.

Shop hydrating skincare for dry skin here.

References for this information

Clinical, Cosmetic, and Investigational Dermatology, August 2015, pages 455–461
Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America, February 2013, pages 55–60
British Journal of Dermatology, September 2014, pages 19–28
Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, June 2011, pages 45–55
Journal of Oleo Science, 2010, pages 169–176