Looking to upgrade your body routine? These award-winning buys have hardworking formulas and ingredient lists worthy of your facial skincare routine.
A lot of us are guilty of neglecting the skin on our bodies. It’s worryingly easy to do, especially as in the UK most of us are wrapped up in thick layers for 10 months of the year, leading to mild panic when the weather warms up.
But using the best body creams or incorporating a body scrub into your routine will lead to softer, more supple skin that you’re happy to show off in your summer dresses. These products make the defrosting and de-fuzzing process a lot easier, with hardworking formulas and easy-to-use products that make an instant difference.
The award-winning body care buys at a glance
RRP: £48
Dry, scaly-looking skin? This scrub will come to the rescue immediately. It combines acids and gritty exfoliants which provides a super-smooth result.
RRP: £4.49
Clean and nourish your skin in one fell swoop with this fresh-scented shower cream. It’s recently been reformulated to better hydrate skin, leaving it feeling supple and soft.
RRP: £20.50
A deliciously-scented formula that glides over skin and leaves it feeling silky-soft and smooth. It turns your daily shower into a calming, spa-like experience.
RRP: £32
This is a seriously buttery body butter. Despite the rich texture it still manages to sink in quickly, which means you won't have to wait around before getting dressed.
RRP: £12.99
There are so many things to like about this bargain lotion – the lightweight formula, the softness of your skin and the bright, practical pump packaging.
RRP: £22.50
Get a golden glow without staining your sheets with this clear formula. It applies like a dream, never looking streaky or going orange.
RRP: £33
Pasty legs pre-party or for a surprisingly sunny day? This glistening oil is the ultimate quick fix, leaving limbs looking golden while nourishing the skin.
RRP: £40
Pamper your body and your mind with this lightweight oil. It blends CBD with lavender and eucalyptus for a dreamy sensorial experience, while soothing and hydrating skin.
8 award-winning body care buys with skincare-worthy ingredients
Best body scrub
A good body scrub should be your first step when your body is coming out of hibernation. It’ll slough away dead skin, leaving a smooth canvas that will help your body creams and fake tans apply and absorb better. This is a particularly excellent one, which combines the grittiness you’d expect from a body scrub with lactic and salicylic acids. These are chemical exfoliants that will break down any scaly areas incredibly efficiently.
Senior Beauty Editor Rhiannon Derbyshire loved testing this formula. “I’m going to keep one of these tubes in my shower all year round,” she promises. “It made an incredible difference to legs that had been pretty much ignored for seven months – they were smooth, soft and supple. I love all things Kate Somerville and this scrub is the perfect embodiment of why – it’s an effective, hardworking formula that absolutely does what it promises."
Facialist and skincare expert Michaella Bolder is also an enthusiastic fan. “I love, love, love this brand and this body scrub’s formula is excellent. The mix of chemical and mechanical exfoliants is the dream team.”
Best shower gel: savvy shopper
Dove’s hero body washes have had a revamp; they’re now much more moisturising and our judges were wowed by the results. Designed to clean skin while nourishing it, the new formula leaves skin feeling silky and soft, never tight, dry or crying out for moisturiser. They’re free from sulfates-SLES, which will keep your microbiome balanced. The scent is also so nostalgic and fresh – it makes you wonder why you’d ever use anything else. And with change from a fiver, you can’t really go wrong.
“This has a gorgeous texture that feels more like body moisturiser – it is so silky,” explains skincare expert and facialist Fiona Brackenbury. “Skin feels so smooth you feel you have exfoliated the skin. The brand's concept of microdroplets infusing the skin is innovative, especially when people are time-poor. This technology is clever and delivers results at an incredible price, a smart and super effective way to improve dryness and increase nourishment on the body whilst showering.”
“It’s so creamy, rich and silky with a beautiful soft powdery scent,” agrees Beauty Editor Stephanie Maylor. “It feels as nourishing as a moisturiser and quenches my dry skin.”
Best shower gel: Luxury
Luxe little touches can make a huge difference to how you feel daily. We’re not talking about swapping your Fiat for a Ferrari – it’s more about the smaller things that give your day a little lift, like splashing out on good olive oil or putting high thread count sheets on your Ikea mattress. Using a posh body wash is an easy, fairly affordable way to start your day with a spring in your step – and we can’t think of a better option than this hero buy.
The oil formula is incredibly silky without a hint of greasiness - it glides over skin and leaves it feeling so smooth and soft, with a delicious but subtle almond scent. This formula is also available in a refill pouch, so it's extra affordable (and eco-friendly) to stock up.
“This is a cult classic that no other brands seem able to replicate,” says Beauty Director Sarah Cooper-White. “This leaves skin hydrated and delicately scented. It's a dream for shaving legs or underarms as it helps the razor glide over skin. And it never leaves skin greasy as the oil cleverly emulsifies into a milky wash. It’s just lovely.”
Best body butter
Think Rihanna’s range Fenty is all about youth, snazzy packaging and lip gloss? Think again. The brand's skin and body range is impressive and extensive, and we were especially impressed by this rich body butter. It combines seven oils as well as shea and mango butters for seriously intense hydration, while glycerin locks it all in for a moisture hit that lasts.
Butter by name, butter by nature – to begin with it’s incredibly thick and rich, but as you work it into a skin it transforms into more of an oil, which sinks in quickly while still leaving skin looking impressively supple. Even the most dehydrated of limbs feel replenished and softened, without feeling sticky or heavy.
“This is really thick and buttery but thins out when it hits the skin,” explains Digital Beauty Editor Aleesha Badkar. “It glides on silkily and feels refreshing – it’s not heavy at all. It also smells absolutely lovely, which is a bonus!”
Best body lotion
We’ve long loved BYOMA’s skincare range for its fuss-free, affordable products that also happen to look great – striking and brightly coloured. We were intrigued by their foray into the world of body care, which – unsurprisingly – is as impressive as their complexion collection.
The judges especially loved using the Hydrating Body Lotion, which uses a Tri-Ceramide Complex to repair and soothe skin while protecting its barrier. It's soft, soothing and sinks in quickly. Their styling packaging also delivers on a practical level – the pump is hygienic and easier to use than a big tub, and one pump delivers the perfect amount for each area.
“I really loved this product,” gushes Senior Beauty Editor Rhiannon Derbyshire. “I’m a bit of a body moisturiser dodger but the texture of this makes me actually want to use it. It’s lightweight while still making a difference to my rhino hide-like skin – my skin felt so soft after using it. I also loved the bright, sleek packaging and handy pump bottle, too. I’m definitely going to keep using it (which is a biggie for me!).”
Best bronzing essential
The world of tanning has come a long way. While previously you’d be faced with strong biscuit scents, streaks and stained bed sheets, the new formulas perform brilliantly and look just as good – if not better than the real thing. Bare by Vogue’s range is an excellent example of that – the products are fuss-free, easy to use and provide the most gorgeous golden glow.
The Clear Tan Water is a winner for its hydrating formula and believable bronze tones, which are available in deep and medium shades. The clear formula is stain-free and also means you can apply it in the morning and let it gradually develop throughout the day, rather than the tan formulas with a guide colour that you have to slightly hide away while you gradually become more orange (of course it washes off, but still – it's the fear).
“I’m always quite wary of clear tanning waters as you can’t see any bits you’ve missed,” explains Beauty Writer Annie Milroy. “But this is one of the best tans I’ve tried. It doesn’t have a strong tan smell, it applied evenly and doesn’t cling to elbows and knees. I can’t wait to use it again!”
Best shimmer oil
This French brand's oils are an earned beauty classic – they can be used on the face, body and hair and are incredibly nourishing without feeling greasy or heavy. Their scents are also a huge reason why they’re so iconic – they’re warm and sunny, like summer in a bottle.
The shimmering body oil was a winner for us for all those reasons, and also because it’s an incredible body bronzer. Even the pastiest limbs looked sunkissed and glimmering seconds after applying. It's the ultimate quick fix that will come to the rescue when you don't have time for the full self tan shebang.
"This body oil is a true summer must-have," agrees Digital Beauty Writer Naomi Jamieson. "The glimmering formula glides on so easily, leaving a gorgeous, sunny scent in its wake that really lingers. Despite being an oil, it absorbs and dries quickly but still feels very hydrating on the skin. Now onto the glow – my favourite places to apply this were the tops of my shoulders, down my arms and across my décolletage and I found that every time I did so, the shimmery particles would catch the light, affording my skin this subtle, sunkissed radiance that I just loved."
Best body oil
If you struggle with sleep or unwinding your mind, this body oil could help you in more ways than just simply nourishing skin (although it does a brilliant job of that, too). That’s down to the inclusion of CBD extracts that will help you relax, as well as lavender and eucalyptus for a bit of aromatherapy trickery.
A lot of body oils can feel heavy or greasy, but that’s absolutely not the case with this formula – it’s light and lustrous and sinks in like a dream. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a body massage, especially for tired limbs after exercise or before bed.
“This is a really lovely lightweight oil that had a gorgeous relaxing scent,” says Annie Milroy. “After a few uses, I felt it helped with achy joints and tired muscles. It's so easy to slot into your post-shower or bath routine and your body will thank you for it. I found I slept really well after using it in the evening, too.”
