We've all been through periods of dry skin, or even very dry skin, especially during winter. While body lotions are a good shout and do the job well, for those with drier skin, they're just not hydrating enough! Using body oils after shower will save your skin from dehydration, whether you have sensitive, ageing, or acne prone skin, or even eczema. Usually a blend of natural oils such as coconut, grape seed, or jojoba oil, they can nourish dry skin, ease stretch marks and smooth cellulite, with visible and satisfying results.
So which one should you buy? We've ranked the 9 best body oils from L'Occitane, Elizabeth Arden and more, all available from Amazon, Boots and John Lewis and all ready to bring your glowing skin back. Moreover, we have partnered with Dermatologist Felipe Partarrieu for reviewing and fact-checking the article so that we can deliver you the best information.
Quick List - Top Body Oils
Felipe Partarrieu is a dermatologist, who is GMC registered with a full licence to practise in the UK. Specialising in cosmeceuticals, facial skin care, and hair disorders, we worked with Felipe to bring you top quality information to help you make informed buying decisions and understand more about what goes onto your skin.
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Felipe Partarrieu is a final year dermatology resident, who is GMC registered with a full licence to practise in the UK. Specialising in cosmeceuticals, facial skin care, and hair disorders, we worked with Felipe to bring you top quality information to help you make informed buying decisions and understand more about what goes onto your skin.
Body oils aren't limited to a specific blend, and whilst they will all be able to be absorbed by the skin quickly, each one contains different vitamins and antioxidants and offers distinctive benefits. Here are the details on the most commonly used:
Looking for in-shower moisturisers? Check out our top picks!
As well as the wonderful benefits of the oils themselves, sometimes extracts from plants or flowers are added for their own special skin-loving properties. For example, frangipani extract helps to tackle dry skin, ginger root extract helps to improve skin texture and tone, and rose can soothe and calm redness.
Rose oil has a number of compounds such as antioxidants, anthocyanins, polyphenols and flavonoids. Besides its known soothing capacities, some studies suggest that rose may be useful in helping wound healing, act as an antioxidant, and may also have antibacterial properties.
If you want your skin to benefit from plant extracts as much as possible, it's always worth checking the label to see what other ingredients besides oils are used, and the properties that the product has because of them.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that not only moisturises and nourishes your skin, but also helps to reduce wrinkles, scars and stretch marks. So it's no wonder it's often found in body oils! Though while most products specifically indicate that vitamin E is added, some oils don't necessarily advertise as such. Argan oil is another great source of vitamin E, as it has three times the amount compared to olive oil.
If you happen to come across a product not knowing if it contains vitamin E, check the ingredient label – if sweet almond oil is used, then you'll know it contains vitamin E. As an additional note, although coconut oil can retain skin moisture, it sadly contains extremely low vitamin E content.
Seeing as body oils consist of natural ingredients that can be gently and easily absorbed by our skin, you'll often find that some of them can be used on other body parts as well. But while it's safe to use a body oil that indicates it can be used on your face and hair, we'd suggest you be extra cautious while trying a product out on those areas that doesn't specifically mention this.
For instance, coconut oil is highly comedogenic, so it will block your pores if used on the face. So, to avoid any potential allergic or uncomfortable reactions, and to get the best results, be sure to check what the product is best used for.
Did you know that having SPF protection for your lips is as equally as important as protection for the face? Browse our favourite SPF lip balms!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Naissance Cold Pressed Golden Jojoba Oil | ![]() | Pure, Natural Jojoba Oil to Moisturise From Head to Toe | |
2 | NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Body Oil | ![]() | Enjoy the Benefits of 7 Different Oils All at Once | |
3 | Alba Botanica Kukui Nut Organic Body Oil | ![]() | A Must-Bring for Your Beach Holiday | |
4 | My Trusty Moisturising Sunflower Face & Body Oil | ![]() | An Eczema-Friendly Oil for All Ages and Skin Types | |
5 | Weleda Sea Buckthorn Body Oil | ![]() | A Great Choice for Those Wanting an Ethical, 100% Natural Product | |
6 | L'Occitane Almond Supple Skin Oil | ![]() | Nourish With Fresh Almonds From the South of France | |
7 | Burt's Bees Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil With Vitamin E | ![]() | Specially Formulated for Your Pregnancy Journey | |
8 | Palmer's Moisturizing Body Oil with Vitamin E | ![]() | The Best Bedtime Oil for Very Dry Skin | |
9 | Elemis Frangipani Monoi Body Oil | ![]() | With a Delicious Coconut-Floral Scent for Hair and Body |
Our top pick is incredibly gentle yet versatile: it can bring volume to your hair; it can be used as a natural makeup remover or face moisturiser, it can even be used as a carrier oil for massage.
On top of being unrefined and cold-pressed oil, this product contains the maximum nutrients and antioxidants that can benefit the skin and overall health. Since jojoba oil is very stable, you can store this product for as long as 2 years in your cupboard, ready to pamper yourself whenever you feel like it.
While a genie can only grant you three wishes, this travel-size product contains 7 different nourishing oils to moisturise your entire body. And with Tsubaki, argan oil and more, you'll notice a significantly improved skin tone too.
This product is so abundant in antioxidants from the oils it contains, it even has the property of limiting polluting particles adhering onto your skin. You'll be surprised how budget-friendly this oil is as well, so no more excuses for having dry skin!
If you're heading off on a beach holiday soon, we'd highly recommending bringing a bottle of this oil along. While it's a very affordable body oil that can keep everyone's skin moisturised, the kukui nut oil especially can effectively soothe sunburns and irritations!
This product has a sweet tropical scent too. It will take care of your skin as well as reminding you of the warmth of the sun. So if you're looking for a hypo-allergenic, deeply moisturising oil that will take you back to the tropics, this is it!
If you have a little one, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that babies as young as 8 weeks old can use this product. It's clinically proven to moisturise your skin for 24 hours, and is also particularly soothing for those suffering from eczema and psoriasis.
What's more surprising is that this product is developed by the NHS and the profits go back to them. What could be better than keeping your skin nourished while contributing to this amazing healthcare system!
Sea buckthorn is a small and red-golden grape-like fruit that contains high levels of vitamin E and antioxidants and even has anti-inflammatory properties. This fruity-scented oil can be absorbed easily and you'll love the wonders it can do for your skin.
Weleda is also one of the first worldwide companies awarded with the UEBT (Union of Ethical BioTrade) label, meaning the 100% natural ingredients used are sourced by respecting the environment and people involved. We don't see why you shouldn't give this product a go!
With over 50% of the formulation containing sweet almond oil, your skin will be left with a fresh almond scent and a smooth touch. Use this regularly and you'll find your skin looks firmer than ever!
Since the manufacturing of the oil is in France and only almonds from the south of the country are used, this product can be rather costly for those who are seeking for a more budget-friendly oil. But if that isn't an issue for you, this product is definitely worth a try.
Specially formulated for mothers-to-be, this product gently moisturises your baby bump and helps to eliminate stretch marks during your pregnancy. Even if you're not pregnant and simply love a natural lemon scent, this body oil will bring softness to your skin.
If you're regularly using the product twice a day, you might find the bottle capacity to be rather small, and find yourself needing to restock fairly often. We suggest stocking a few so you can just relax later in your pregnancy and not have to worry about running out of oils.
While the flavour of chocolate pleases your taste buds, cocoa butter itself pleases your skin, by hydrating and leaving behind a delicious and rich chocolate scent. With extra vitamin E added into this product, you'll be saying farewell to every last dry spot on your body!
We'll have to warn you that this product is extremely moisturising and the hydrated feeling will stay on your skin for the entire day. So best to use this product only if you have particularly dry skin, or perhaps before bed.
Besides moisturising your body, you can also use this oil to strengthen and nourish your scalp and hair. Its coconut oil-based formula is accompanied by a gorgeous floral scent, so it'll leave you with beautifully-smelling, smooth hair.
Due to the nature of coconut oil, this product will solidify at cooler temperatures, meaning you'll have to warm the bottle in a bowl and melt the oil before each use. Planning ahead is definitely necessary to enjoy this product, especially during the winter months!
Body lotions only keep the surface skin hydrated and aren't absorbed by our skin, resulting in a greasy feeling. They also tend to contain more chemicals and can be easily rubbed off. Body oils are concentrated oils which can effectively keep our skin hydrated, absorbing quickly without leaving greasiness and locking moisture into the skin.
If you need a moisturiser for dry skin, we have suggestions for you too!
To fully experience the wonders of body oils, it's best to use them after shower. Fully dry your body and massage the oil into your skin, leave it for 5 minutes and you'll find your skin well nourished by nature's finest.
Written and researched by Angina Chow
No. 1: Naissance|Cold Pressed Golden Jojoba Oil
No. 2: NUXE| Huile Prodigieuse Body Oil
No. 3: Alba Botanica|Kukui Nut Organic Body Oil
No. 4: My Trusty |Moisturising Sunflower Face & Body Oil
No. 5: Weleda|Sea Buckthorn Body Oil
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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