You may have heard this ample times already but more is less when it comes to hydrating your skin, so we must reiterate this – moisturising is one of the MOST important steps to healthy, glowing skin. And if you’re someone with dry skin, even more so. Dry skin occurs when the upper layer of your skin loses water. While you must NEVER skip moisturising, you also have to be extra careful about which moisturiser you use. Especially if you have eczema because skin conditions need you to be all the more mindful.
Not moisturising your skin and using the wrong moisturiser can lead to flaky, sandpapery skin, and skin that feels really tight. Here are our picks for the most intense moisturising body lotions for dry skin:
12 Best Intensely Moisturizing Body Lotions
Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion
We are huge fans of Cetaphil in general. Their straightforward approach to skincare is what we love about them because it’s all science no frills. The moisturising lotion is another winner from the good folks at Cetaphil. It has a super rich and creamy formula which not only feels really hydrating but actually keeps your skin hydrated for 24 hours. Its formulation of emollients (which work by forming a layer on the outer layer of skin that locks in the water) and humectants (which draw water from your body to the top of your skin) binds water to the skin, thereby preventing loss of water and keeping your skin replenished and glowing.
L’Occitane Shea Ultra Rich Body Cream
Not 24… not 48… but 72!! This super rich, super delicious-smelling cream keeps your skin intensely moisturised for a whole 72 hours! Apricot oil and moisturising extracts like linseed, marshmallow, sweet almond, and honey moisturise skin without leaving that greasy look. Not just that but their new formula comes with 25 percent more shea butter than the previous formula, which is harvested in a totally sustainable way and in a fair-trade partnership with the lovely sub-Saharan women that produce it. Need we say more?
Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion with Vitamin E
It helps that they have pure cocoa butter going for this because not only does it smell like dessert in a bottle but also means it’s super, duper hydrating! Cocoa butter has been known to be very rich in antioxidants and so, the same extends to your skin as the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Body Lotion penetrates deep into the farther layers of your skin, truly locking in all of the generous moisture it bestows. This one really went the extra mile, isn’t it? In combination with some good old vitamin E, it keeps your skin really healthy and soft as well!
Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Restore Body Lotion
This one’s an all-time classic and an all-time favourite. It’s also been clinically proven to restore dry skin and so, just because you can find it in the nearest drugstore doesn’t mean it’s not freakin’ amazing! Formulated with glycerine and microdroplets of Vaseline jelly, the Vaseline Intensive Care Deep Restore Body Lotion doesn’t just moisturise dry skin but heals it from the inside for hydrated skin that restores itself over a long period of time. It’s affordable, it’s backed by science, and it’s well and truly intensely moisturising.
Kiehl’s Crème de Corps
Formulated with beta-carotene (rich in vitamin A), cocoa butter, and squalene (a highly-refined botanical lipid derived naturally from olives, squalene helps replenish the skin’s barrier), Kiehl’s Crème de Corps is a non-greasy oil-free body cream that leaves your skin feeling super soft, so smooth, and intensely moisturised.
The Body Shop Olive Body Butter
We adore the Body Shop’s range of oh-so-delicious and hydrating body butters in general, but if you have dry skin, the Olive body butter is what you should be going for. Specifically formulated for “very dry skin”, it literally melts into the skin and keeps it nourished for a whole 48 hours.
Dove Essential Nourishment Body Lotion
Another drugstore brand, another BoldLyfe favourite, the Dove Essential Nourishment Body Lotion honestly gives its fancier counterparts a total run for their money! Dermatologically tested to get rid of dry, flaky skin, not only does this lotion reduce flakiness of your skin and its general texture within minutes of slathering it all over your skin, but actually deep conditions and repairs dry skin right up until its deepest layer. So you know your glow isn’t just all surface but actual science at work!
Forest Essentials Ultra-Rich Body Milk Mashobra Honey and Vanilla
Honestly, when it comes to skin care, nothing quite comes close to the brilliance that is Ayurveda. It’s all-natural, all organic, and it goes back a couple of thousand-something years! We at BoldLyfe like to go all out Ayurveda whenever we can, just because of its one million benefits (and no harm really) and that’s why anything Forest Essentials is an absolute win! Especially their ultra-rich body milk in Mashobra honey and vanilla for those of us with dry skin, because it’s formulated with natural hydrators that well and truly nourish the skin from within. We’re talking burnt cane sugar, beeswax, cream of milk, and apricot oil and we’re also talking completely chemical and paraben and petrochemical-free!
Juicy Chemistry Mango, Argan, and Shea Baby Butter Cream
Yes, yes, we know what you’re thinking- what’s a baby cream doing in a list of creams for grown-ups but hear us out! Firstly, it smells like a DREAM! Secondly, it’s made with butters and plant oils that are super rich in saturated and unsaturated fatty acids ergo, super healthy, and super moisturising. Thirdly, it’s packed with plant vitamins- A, C, and E, which not only keep your skin hydrated but also make it brighter. Fourthly, cocoa butter means flavonoids which in turn means it protects your skin from free radicals. We are not done here – there is argan oil which is really rich in phenols and carotenes, basically fancy words for super healthy antioxidants. And finally, it evens out skin tone and improves the barrier of your skin. Wait, did we already mention it smells like a total dream?
Nivea Cocoa Nourish Body Lotion
This very affordable, highly hydrating drugstore lotion is more than just a lotion because it’s actually a blend of oil in a lotion formula. That means you get all the hydrating benefits of an oil without any of its infamous stickiness.
Venusia Max Intensive Moisturising Lotion
Crafted with a unique combination of 4 butters- cocoa, aloe, mango, and shea, what sets the Venusia Max Intensive Moisturising Lotion apart, is that it actually enables your body to consistently and sustainably increase its natural hydration. What that means is that instead of imposing continuous moisturisation upon your skin, it actually gets your skin to hydrate itself! Science, ftw!
Ponds Triple Vitamin Moisturising Lotion
Loaded with vitamins such as vitamin B3, vitamin E, and vitamin C, this dual-action lotion by Ponds hydrates your skin while also brightening it. And not at the expense of feeling heavy, oily, or greasy! Packed with SPF20, not only does it reduce damage from sun exposure (PS Kylie Jenner swears by sunscreen as her go-to for gorgeous skin) but also reduces dark spots, and creates an even base.
So there it is our take on what moisturising products you absolutely, totally must have if you have dry skin. And with winter just around the corner, you bet you’re gonna wanna load up on them!