Plus, 11 dermatologist-approved formulas with intensely hydrating and skin-softening benefits.
We all know about the importance of keeping your face moisturized. After all, flaky skin is not cute — and even if your skin is more on the oily side, avoiding moisturization can actually increase oil production and leave you with a slick face in no time. Moreover, with all that care you put on your face, you should make sure that your body gets some TLC, too. This will help you deal not only with weather transitions, but it’ll also make sure your skin stays soft and supple throughout the year.
How Moisture Loss Affects the Skin Barrier
Before we dive into the products themselves, some background on what moisture and, on the opposite end, moisture loss, does to your skin. “The function of the skin is to be a protective barrier of the underlying tissues, protecting the internal organs from infections and irritation,” Birmingham, Atlanta-based board-certified dermatologist Corey L. Hartman, MD, explains. “Desiccation and stress disruption of the protective barrier can lead to the increase of transepidermal water loss, and therefore conditions that are associated with skin, dryness, and irritations.”
Who Should Use a Body Butter?
When it comes to the best way to keep your skin hydrated, most dermatologists agree that very dry skin would benefit best from body butter, which Dr. Hartman describes as “a waterless, thicker version of a body lotion.” However, especially during the drier, winter months, anyone could benefit from using a heavier formula.
What Ingredients to Look Out For in Body Butters
Ingredients to look out for are familiar, hydrating powerhouses, Dr. Hartman notes, “such as shea butter, cocoa butter, and oils like coconut and avocado, as well as vitamin E, which softens skin and protects the skin’s moisture barrier.” (Spoiler: you’ll notice that most of the picks listed below will boast shea butter, a rich emollient that heals cracked skin, thanks to a composition that includes vitamins A, E, and F.) Dr. Hartman also adds that it’s best to avoid any ingredients that will dry out the skin, like alcohol or witch hazel.
When and How You Should Use Body Butter in Your Routine
Since there’s very little to no water present in body butters, New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Julie E. Russak, MD, says the best time to use one is when you’ve just stepped out of the shower — when your skin is damp. “Pat the skin dry, and while the skin is still moist, apply body butter to all the areas that are rough and dry, including feet, hands, ankles, and elbows,” she says. “This locks in the moisture that has been obtained from the shower decreases trans-epidermal water loss and helps to repair the barrier.”
To find the best body butters for any skin type — dry, sensitive, and everything in between — we spoke to several dermatologists, tried some out ourselves, and looked at products with the best reviews from several popular retailers, both high-end and affordable. Keep reading to learn about 11 body butters that are well worth the hype, induce intense hydration, and will leave your skin feeling amazing during the winter months — and, really, all year long.
Paula’s Choice Ultra-Rich Soothing Body Butter
Indie Lee Whipped Body Butter
Nashville, Tennessee, board-certified dermatologist Michael H. Gold, MD, is a huge fan of Paula’s Choice Ultra-Rich Soothing Body Butter. “It’s very gentle on the skin, and I’m a big fan of the eczema-friendly ingredients in it,” he says. Case in point: this unscented, paraben-free body butter contains a special blend of shea and mango butters for softness, as well as oat extract to calm inflammation.
This Whipped Body Butter is free from 1,300 potentially harmful ingredients that Indie Lee stays away from (including mineral oils, sulfates, and parabens). However, what you will find inside are some rich moisturizers — such as shea butter and marula, bergamot, and jojoba oils — that hydrate and protect skin against environmental stressors.
Weleda Skin Food Body Butter
Supergoop! Body Butter with Sea Buckthorn SPF 40
A budget-friendly find that goes a long way, the Weleda Skin Food Body Butter wins top points from Dr. Gold due to its plant-based skin-care ingredients. It contains a mix of shea butter, sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, and pansy extract, which gives this body butter a smooth texture that very easily melts into the skin for full absorption.
“I like Supergoop’s Body Butter since it incorporates sunscreen right into the formula, and the easier it is to apply sunscreen, the more likely you will actually do it,” Dr. Hartman stresses. This formula works to protect the skin from UV rays, while sea buckthorn adds an extra dose of fatty acids to protect the skin from drying out in the sun and prevent loss of elasticity.
Osea Undaria Algae Body Butter
Mutha Body Butter
Slather on a dollop of Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Butter for hydration that lasts up to three days, attests Dr. Gold. “Ingredients include shea butter and ceramides, which help repair the skin’s moisture barrier.” Nutrient-rich undaria seaweed is another star ingredient, as it contains tons of minerals and antioxidants to reveal firmer, brighter skin with continuous use.
Board-certified dermatologist Lian Mack, MD, who is based in Scarsdale, New York, vouches for Mutha’s Body Butter, which she used all the time while she was pregnant. This incredibly rich formula boasts shea butter, coconut oil, mango seed butter, avocado oil, and grape seed oil, to name a few, to seal in moisture and minimize the appearance of stretch marks. Not only is this product quite appropriately named but the Mutha Body Butter is also “extremely hydrating to combat dry skin associated with pregnancy, and it’s paraben and phthalate-free, which makes it a safe option for babies.”
Tata Harper Redefining Body Balm
Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter
Dr. Hartman trusts Tata Harper due to its clean ingredient list and recommends the Redefining Body Balm for those looking to add intense moisture and skin-firming qualities to their routine — making it a fabulous option for mature skin. “The botanical smell is very soothing and I also love the combination of shea butter, cocoa butter, rosehip oil, and olive oil, which altogether provide a plumping effect on the skin,” he notes.
Enriched with soy milk and honey, the Whipped Body Butter by Kiehl’s smells absolutely ah-mazing, but that’s not the only reason why you should add it to your routine. Unlike other body butters that may feel too heavy to wear during the day, Kiehl’s lightweight, non-greasy formula easily absorbs into the skin and lasts up to 24 hours for supersoft skin any time of the day.
Goop Goopgenes Nourishing Repair Body Butter
Tatcha The Indigo Body Butter
Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter
Goop’s GoopGenes Nourishing Repair Body Butter is an ultra-luxurious pick that promises to keep skin supple and smooth for up to 72 hours. Not only that, but it also contains three very unique ingredients: bacuri butter, which nourishes skin with minerals, caviar lime, which improves cell turnover, and mulberry leaf, which helps fight free radicals. The result is a blissful body butter that melts on contact to relieve dry skin from its scaly fate.
Allure contributor Nikhita Mahtani uses Tatcha The Indigo Body Butter every single day in the winter, and for good reason. “It’s packed with Japanese indigo, which is a really soothing ingredient filled with antioxidants, so it really makes my skin glow,” she says. Indigo is joined by a team of glycerin, squalane, and green tea that calms redness down almost immediately — so it’s an ideal pick for more sensitive skin.
According to Dr. Gold, argan oil is very rich in vitamin E, which helps keep skin soft and supple and guards the skin against free radicals. The Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter has a lighter texture than other options on this list but is still considered a huge boon for dry skin, due to the amount of argan oil in the product. Other ingredients, such as white tea extract, aloe vera, and avocado oil also add to the high antioxidant content of the product.