With high-performing picks from Josie Maran, Petal Fresh, Augustinus Bader, and more
As someone with perpetually-dry and irritated skin, I’m constantly on the hunt for body care products that will provide my skin with nourishment that actually lasts. While traditional body lotions are always in my stash of products, they don’t always do the trick on those days where my usual skin sensitivities flare up, whether I’m experiencing a few patches of itchy eczema on my legs and inner elbows or suffering through the casualties of dry winter air. This is where body butters, thicker and more emulsifying than lotions, can save dry skin.
If your skin is struggling to stay hydrated, no matter if it’s a year-round issue or a problem that only pops up seasonally or after a full-body shave, a body butter is something you should consider adding to your daily routine. According to Dr. Nava Greenfield, MD, board-certified dermatologist at NYC-based Schweiger Dermatology Group, body butters often contain nourishing ingredients like shea butter, cocoa butter, and natural oils like almond, sunflower seed, and olive oil to provide long-lasting hydration and a soft and supple feel for your entire body.
We conducted hours of research to find the best body butters for dry skin, with many including those aforementioned moisturizing ingredients, considering different textures, scents, price points, benefits, and uses during the process. Further, we consulted Dr. Greenfield for some of her dermatologist-approved picks. After considering dozens of options, we landed on these top options for body butters. Rejoice at the fact that your ultra-dry skin is about to be saved.
Best Overall: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter
If you don’t immediately fall in love with Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter after just a glance at the luxe glass packaging, we promise you’ll become infatuated once you try the lightweight yet nourishing formula for yourself.
Josie Maran claims that a jar of this body butter is sold every 14 seconds, and we’re not clueless as to why. With 100% pure argan oil, shea butter, avocado oil, and white tea extract as its key ingredients, this whipped formula deeply moisturizes, actually keeps moisture locked in all day or night, and even protects your skin with its antioxidant properties.12 Even the driest areas of skin on your body will feel relief after slathering on this body butter, and it works its magic especially well post-shower or bath. This butter’s non-greasy finish also won’t bug you if you snuggle into bed after you apply it—a plus if you’re a nighttime slatherer like myself.
There’s not one, not two, but seven scents to choose from (Fresh Berry Breeze and Peachy Vanilla are exclusive to Josie Maran’s site), plus an unscented version if fragrance isn’t your thing.
Best Budget: Petal Fresh Pure Body Butter
While we love some of our higher-budget picks, there’s nothing quite like a high-performing product that doesn’t break the bank like the Pure Body Butter from Petal Fresh. This SoCal-based body and haircare brand uses natural, sustainably-sourced ingredients to make their ultra-rich body butter formulas, and it comes in six fruity formulations that will surely give you a serotonin boost each time you slather it on.
Made with certified organic argan oil, shea butter, and coconut oil, Petal Fresh’s formulas will give any crispy area of your body the long-lasting hydration it needs, whether you’re applying it at the very beginning of your day or right before you head to sleep. Plus, we love how a little goes a long way with this formula (which comes in an eight-ounce jar), making it a true value pick in our eyes.
Best Splurge: Augustinus Bader The Body Cream
Your ultra-dry skin deserves a “treat yourself” moment every once in awhile, or, at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves in order to justify splurging on this heavenly body butter from Augustinus Bader. Everything from its signature, luxurious blue packaging to the ultra-creamy and rich texture of the formula itself has us convinced that the over-100-dollar price tag on The Body Cream is worth it. Plus, with ingredients like nourishing shea butter and soothing bisabolol, as well as the inclusion of Augustinus Bader’s trademark, skin-renewing TFC8 technology, you know you’re getting the results your dry skin is (literally) itching for.
Best Drugstore: Raw Sugar Body Butter
If you’re not heading to a luxury beauty store anytime soon, luckily your local drugstore likely has one of our favorite, also budget-friendly, body butters in stock from Raw Sugar. Formulated with all of the hydrating, nourishing, and soothing oil extracts you’d want in a body butter (including macadamia, sweet almond, safflower, cold pressed olive and jojoba), Raw Sugar’s Body Butter comes in four different scent and ingredient variations that target your specific skin concerns—there’s even a specific formula for sensitive skin with green tea leaf, aloe vera, and cucumber extracts.
Best Hydrating: Osea Undaria Algae Body Butter
While lots of body butters claim to hydrate the skin from head to toe, not all formulas on the market include ingredients like Undaria seaweed and oat kernel extract that replenish your skin’s moisture barrier to keep that hydration intact all day or night long. These are the star ingredients in Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Butter, alongside shea butter, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, and saccharide isomerate, which work to deeply hydrate even your driest areas.This is an exceptional body butter for those with mature skin as well, as the thick, rich formula can help reduce the appearance of crepiness thanks to the ingredients’ skin-revitalizing and smoothing powers. Although this is a pricier pick than others on our list, we think the ingredients designed to repair moisture barrier make it worth the spend.
Best Whipped: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter
The whipped formula found in Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter truly puts the “butter” in “body butter,” especially considering its slight yellow hue. Made with honey, shea and jojoba butters, and sweet almond oil, the whipped consistency makes it so the formula doesn’t feel too heavy or goopy without skimping out on actually nourishing your skin. Plus, the honey scent is super subtle, so anyone who struggles using products with overwhelming fragrance will be pleased with this formula.
Best Thick: Keys Soulcare Rich Nourishing Body Cream
If you’re struggling with extra-dry, tight, and flaky skin, don’t fret: it’s no match for a good, thick body butter. The Rich Nourishing Body Cream from Keys Soulcare is known for its ultra-dense formula, which is packed with moisturizing ingredients like shea and cocoa butter and rose of jericho (which is said to have amazing hydration benefits), as well as moisture-retaining ceramides and oats that soothe skin and keep moisture intact in your skin barrier all day and night.56 Keys Soulcare recommends using the Rich Nourishing Body Cream post-shower or bath, while your skin is still slightly damp, to ensure the best results.
Best Scented: Silk + Noir Cocoa Butter + Cashmere Whipped Body Cream
If you want to smell expensive without breaking the bank for a luxury body cream, look no further than Silk + Noir’s Cocoa Butter + Cashmere Whipped Body Cream. The scent combination of cocoa butter, spices, olive wood, and coconut provides an air of warmth and elegance that will make you forget that this body butter is only 20 dollars—its skin benefits are just an added bonus. Not only does the Whipped Body Cream include cocoa butter and shea butter, a.k.a. our go-to ingredients for an ultra-moisturizing formula, but also rosehip seed oil, which is chock full of vitamins A, C, and E that promote cell turnover, brighten skin, and repair your skin’s moisture barrier, respectively.789
Best Unscented: Humanrace Humidifying Body Cream
Not everyone wants a fragrance in their body butter, especially those with sensitive skin where a heavy scent could further trigger rashes and itchiness.10 Humanrace’s Humidifying Body Cream boasts a fragrance-free formula, complete with ingredients like shea butter and snow mushroom extract, which is said to infiltrate your skin barrier and add hydration faster thanks to its smaller molecular size. The “Humidifying” feature in the product’s name is a testament to this formula’s moisturizing effects—it’s like a humidifier for your skin in a thick cream form. Although this is a pricier option than others on our list, we love that this formula was tested by dermatologists to work on even the most sensitive skin.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Cetaphil is a name in the skin and bodycare game you’ve likely heard of already—their gentle products are famous for those dealing with skin sensitivities from excessive dryness to eczema—and the thick, fragrance-free formula found in its Moisturizing Cream will quench your dehydrated skin thanks to its included glycerin and panthenol. I always like to keep a tub of this (it comes in a 16-ounce container!) around the house for those times where my skin’s acting up and I need something gentle to get me through the day or night.
Best for Eczema: Skinfix Eczema+ Extra Strength Body Cream
This one’s for my fellow eczema-havers: Skinfix’s Eczema+Extra Strength Body Cream is a thick butter formulated with two percent colloidal oatmeal and four percent sweet almond oil, a.k.a. “two fantastic and soothing ingredients for eczema and inflammation prone skin,” according to Dr. Greenfield. Plus, not only was this tested by dermatologists themselves (says SkinFix), but the National Eczema Association also gave this rich butter its Seal of Acceptance, so you know your eczema-prone skin will love this. This formula even comes in a tube rather than a jar like other body butters, so the application process is a little more seamless.
Best Smoothing: Sol de Janerio Bom Dia Bright Body Cream
While all body butters aim to hydrate, not all can also boast exfoliating properties like Sol de Janerio’s Bom Dia Bright Body Cream can. Created with fruit AHAs derived from banana and mango, this formula exfoliates your skin to leave it ultra-smooth post-application. These aren’t the only ingredients worth mentioning in this formula—vitamin C helps brighten your skin’s appearance while the inclusion of cupuaçu butter works wonders for hydration.11 Sol de Janerio is also known for its amazing scents, and the Bom Dia Bright Body Cream’s heavenly fragrance notes of Black Amber Plum, Vanilla Woods, and Jasmine Bloom prove just why they’re so beloved.
Best for Stretch Marks: Mutha Body Butter
Whether you’re a mother-to-be with a growing belly or are just looking to lighten any stretch marks around your body, MUTHA’s Body Butter will become your new go-to. Its formula is chock full of skin-regenerating ingredients like mango seed butter, which is full of vitamin C for skin brightening and vitamin A to boost cell turnover and leave renewed, firm skin behind, cocoa seed butter for improved skin elasticity, and, of course, our go-to hydration hero shea butter.121314 Although this is a pricey product, we think the formula of active ingredients is worth it especially if you’re looking to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.
Best for Anti-Aging: Nature Well Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream
Nature Well’s Clinical Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream is an ideal body butter if you’re seeking not only something to moisturize your ultra-dry skin, but also a formula to minimize the signs of aging. Thanks to its ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, the retinol in this formula can have an anti-aging effect on your skin with consistent use.15 Plus, despite its super rich and creamy texture, the Clinical Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream won’t feel greasy on your skin, so it’s a feasible option to use before you head out for the day or right before bedtime.
Best with Oils: Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream
While lots of luxe body butters feature some nourishing oils on their ingredients lists, nothing compares to the seven oils found in Fenty Skin’s Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream formula. With kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut, and jojoba oils (as well as shea butter, mango seed butter, and moisture-retaining glycerin), this Fenty Skin body butter will do anything but leave your skin tight, dry, and itchy from lack of hydration.16 Plus, the shine that shows up on your skin is an added bonus that you won’t get from run-of-the-mill lotions and moisturizers.
Best for Post-Shave: Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter
Body butters are a great addition to any body care routine for those with dry skin, but it’s especially crucial to have a good one on hand for after you shave. Putting a razor to your skin can result in a flare up of bumps, nicks, and other sensitivities that can make your already-dry skin feel worse—Dr. Greenfield suggests the Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter from Vaseline for a head-to-toe supple feel post-shave. She says: “Shaving leaves your skin with fewer layers of dead skin cells and a butter should provide an environment for the skin to rebuild. This Vaseline Smoothing Body Butter is a good choice because of its pure cocoa butter which provides long lasting occlusive hydration.”
Best Soothing: Tatcha Indigo Soothing Body Butter
Ultra-dry, itchy, rashy skin is no fun for anyone, especially if you have certain conditions like eczema or psoriasis that cause your skin to flare up more than the average person. When looking to soothe skin sensitivities, Tatcha’s Soothing Body Butter with Japanese indigo is a fabulous way to go—this unique ingredient is known for its healing and calming effects and is said to work wonders for those struggling with any aforementioned conditions.17 Don’t be turned off by the blue hue, though—it shows up colorless once rubbed into your skin.
Best for Winter: Silk + Noir Milk, Oats & Honey Whipped Body Cream
Cocoa Butter + Cashmere is not Silk + Noir’s only Body Cream formula; Dr. Greenfield loves its Milk, Oats, & Honey version for that extra-dry, flaky, and scratchy winter skin that many have to deal with once the temperatures go down in December. “For winter you should use a cream that contains multiple sources of oils for your skin,” says Dr. Greenfield. “Silk and Noir Milk, Oats, & Honey Whipped Body Cream contains shea butter, cocoa butter, and rosehip seed oil, providing much needed hydration from multiple sources in winter time.” Thankfully it comes in a nine-ounce tub as well—it’s not unlikely that you’ll need to slather more product on during the colder months.
Best for Summer: Hempz Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Butter
Trust me when I say there is no scent quite as summery as the one found in Hempz’ Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Butter formula. It’s made with pineapple and honey melon extracts, which give it that fruity fragrance that transports you right to a tropical vacation post-application, and the inclusion of pure hemp seed oil (which retains moisture and keeps skin looking renewed), coconut oil, and shea butter give your post-pool, post-beach—whichever outdoor area you’re spending time in during the summer months—skin the nourishment it needs to stay supple.18
Best with SPF: Supergoop! Body Butter SPF 40
While SPF is a necessary step in your routine no matter the season, this Supergoop! Body Butter with SPF 40 is a body butter you should keep on hand during the summer months as well, considering the much stronger UV index. Supergoop!’s Body Butter is the perfect kill-two-birds-with-one-stone product, providing your skin with both deep hydration and daily protection from the sun’s rays with broad spectrum SPF 40—it even has vitamin A- and E-abundant sea buckthorn fruit extract to help lessen the visible consequences of sun damage. You won’t smell any typical sunscreen scent either with this formula, rather it smells deliciously of eucalyptus, clove, and vanilla.
Best with Tint: Isle of Paradise Even Skin Tone Self-Tanning Body Butter
A body butter that not only hydrates your parched skin but also leaves it looking bronzed and glowy? That’s the magic of Isle of Paradise’s Even Skin Tone Self-Tanning Body Butter, which takes the gradual tanning aspect of your favorite self tanner and combines it with the nourishment of a rich body butter. With avocado and coconut oils as well as green color-correcting actives included in this formula to keep skin aptly hydrated and even-toned, the Self-Tanning Body Butter allows you to build your ideal color—just apply as many layers as you desire (as you would with a traditional self-tanning product).
Best Natural: Weleda Skin Food Body Butter
If you struggle with dry skin, you’ve likely wanted to try (or have already tried) a product from Weleda’s Skin Food line, which includes this ultra-nourishing, all-natural Body Butter in it. With cocoa seed butter, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil, as well as Skin Food’s signature chamomile and calendula flower extracts, your skin won’t be able to get enough of this delectable whipped butter. And, despite its drugstore presence, it comes in a luxe-looking glass jar which you can even recycle through Weleda and TerraCycle’s recycling program.
Best Vegan: Cake Beauty Vegan Body Cream
Everyone has different priorities in mind when it comes to finding the best body butter for their skin—if one of your must-have features is a vegan formula, the Heavy Cream Smoothing Body Butter Balm from Cake Beauty is a great, sweet-smelling option. This shea butter-dominant formula absorbs into your skin flawlessly despite its rich consistency, and the vanilla scent smells just like the brand’s name: cake. Not only does Cake Beauty formulate its Body Butter Balm to be vegan, but also without the addition of parabens, mineral oils, phthalates, sulfates, or talc.
Best with Pump: bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter
You know this body butter is the real deal when the formula has been used in the bliss spa for years and years and comes in an industrial-sized, 32-ounce pump version (so you won’t run out so quickly!). The Lemon and Sage Body Butter from bliss is made with shea butter, coconut oil, and candelilla wax, a.k.a. a vegan alternative to beeswax, to hydrate skin and keep it hydrated, and its signature lemon and sage fragrance will make you feel like you’re at the spa, even if you’re not at bliss’ New York City location. You can grab the regular 6.7-ounce tube version or this much larger, 32-ounce version that comes with a pump feature that allows you to apply this formula with just one hand instead of two.
Best for Travel: Kopari Mini Ultra Restore Body Butter with Hyaluronic Acid
My rule of thumb is to never trust hotel bath products to properly moisturize my body post-shower, which is why I never travel without a mini body butter in my toiletry bag. My go-to is Kopari’s Mini Ultra Restore Body Butter with Hyaluronic Acid—the tiny, 2.1-ounce container was enough to add moisture to my entire body for a four-day-long tropical vacation back in the fall, which is saying a lot considering how dry and scaly I get after long days in the sun. Ever since that trip, I’ve been obsessed with this hydrating body butter and can no longer travel without it. Its lightweight, whipped formula absorbs into your skin instantly and the heavenly scent combination of coconut, vanilla, white musk, and jasmine will have you tempted to buy one to throw in your purse, backpack, or gym bag as well as your carry-on. There’s a full-size version available, too!
Final Verdict
Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter was our top body butter for dry skin. Not only does this luxe, whipped formula deeply nourish dehydrated skin with 100% pure argan oil, shea butter, and avocado oil, but the inclusion of white tea extract also provides antioxidant protection for the skin. If you’re seeking a more budget-friendly pick, Petal Fresh’s Pure Body Butter is under 20 dollars and has six different scent formulations that each target different skin concerns (like smoothing or restoring).
What to Look for in a Body Butter for Dry Skin
Ingredients
Possibly the most crucial element of a good body butter is its ingredients list. Without hydrating, occlusive, and skin-renewing ingredients, a body butter won’t be able to give your scaly skin the nourishment it needs. Dr. Greenfield suggests finding a body butter with solid components like “glycogen, glycerin, cocoa butter, [and] shea butter,” as well as “natural oils [like] linseed, almond, sunflower seed, [and] olive.” She states that her list is “not exhaustive,” though—body butters can boast tons of other ingredients that also deeply moisturize and relieve skin irritations like argan oil, found in Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter, or soothing Japanese indigo, found in Tatcha’s Soothing Indigo Body Butter.
Consistency
A body butter should have a consistency that is much thicker than a traditional lotion, yet should also “spread easily on your skin,” according to Dr. Greenfield. Some formulas have a more lightweight texture to them, though, especially if they are whipped like Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter and Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter. However, options like Keys Soulcare’s Rich Nourishing Body Cream or Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Butter are fabulous for anyone seeking a much thicker consistency.
Absorption
Despite their usual thicker consistencies, your body butter should actually absorb into your skin in order to feel its moisturizing benefits. “It should take less than 10 [minutes] to absorb,” says Dr. Greenfield. “If after ten minutes it still feels like the butter is sitting on top, try massaging it into your skin for another one to two minutes.”
FAQ
What is the difference between body butter and lotion?
Although body butters and lotions may, at first glance, seem like they are essentially the same type of product, Dr. Greenfield notes a few key differences: “A body butter will have a thicker consistency because it has less water content and more oil in its formulation. It will be more difficult to spread after application compared to a lotion, but a butter may be more hydrating and occlusive.”
Are body butters good for dry skin?
“They can be!” says Dr. Greenfield. She loves a “body butter with a favorable ingredient list,” which she mentions “can be very beneficial when applied liberally to dry skin.” These ingredients may include butters like shea and cocoa, or natural oils like almond or olive—many of which appear on the ingredients lists of the aforementioned products.
What is the best way to apply body butter?
While each brand provides distinctive application methods for their respective body butters, a general rule of thumb for applying most body butters is this, according to Dr. Greenfield: “Apply a generous layer to damp skin and massage into skin 1-2 times per day.” Applying body butter post-shower is usually a good way to ensure that the moisture from the formula properly soaks into your skin.19
