Just like your face, your body needs lotion to keep your skin moisturized, smooth, and soft. Depending on the formula, body lotion has the ability to target specific goals beyond dryness, too, such as improved elasticity, shine, and less dry patches. No matter what your skin type or goals, year-round application of body lotion is the best and easiest way to keep skin glowing and hydrated, especially because you don't have to spend a fortune when looking for a good option.
When shopping for a body lotion, you want to look for a formula that contains both humectants and emollients, since these combination products are the most effective moisturizers, says Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. This is particularly important if your skin skews on the dry side, she explains. "Humectants like hyaluronic acid, allantoin, and glycerin are helpful, because they attract moisture and hydrate the skin, but you also need emollients to lock in the moisture and moisturize," says King. Good emollients include petrolatum, dimethicone, squalene, shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax, and ceramides.
If you have additional skin concerns, like anti-aging or eliminating redness, you can also look for formulas that contain specialty ingredients like soothing aloe vera or niacinamide, a derivative of vitamin B3 that has anti-inflammatory properties and helps protect the skin from infrared heat and helps prevent discolorations, says King.
But we get it: Ingredient lists are long and hard to decipher. So to help you pluck the best body lotions from the shelf, we asked dermatologists for their favorite picks. Keep reading for some of the best options on the market right now.