The 16 Very Best Body Lotions for Dry Skin

Ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid | Price: 12 ounces (Approx. $1.30/ounce)

If your skin isn’t super dry, or you just prefer something a bit more lightweight, CeraVe’s Daily Moisturizing Lotion is a good everyday option. The blend of ceramides and hyaluronic acids make it deeply moisturizing despite its thinner consistency. It has similar ingredients to the thicker moisturizing cream but without any of the added weight, and if your skin doesn’t love heavier oils, this works well. It’s recommended for normal to dry skin, and from my experience with it, I’d say that’s exactly right. If you’re a bit ashy or not in need of some deep reparative TLC, I like it a lot, but it’s a no-go if your skin is showing signs of true dehydration.

Ingredients: Vitamin E, mineral oil, sunflower oil | Price: 6.7 ounces (Approx. $4/ounce)

While most lotions won’t do much for your skin once you’ve reached the cracked-skin stage, this one will help you out. It’s designed for people with very dry, itchy skin, including eczema (it has the National Eczema Association seal of approval), and has an ultrathick texture that’s deeply moisturizing. Despite its consistency, it’s wearable without being greasy and contains vitamin E along with a mix of oils, like mineral, evening primrose, and sunflower. Dermatologists also love this stuff because it can be recommended for people with both sensitive and very dry skin. Four that I spoke to recommended it, including L.A.-based dermatologist Dr. Annie Chiu, who says she’s “a big fan” of Avène’s cream because of its density. “Severely dry skin typically calls for a thicker cream, balm, or ointment rather than a lotion because they can trap in moisture better,” she says.

Ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid | Price: 19 ounces (Approx. $1/ounce)

At $34, the Avène isn’t exactly expensive but isn’t cheap either, which is why I’m also recommending the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. It’s thicker than its cousin product, the daily moisturizing lotion, but thinner than the ultrarich Avène. This one is also approved by the National Eczema Association and was recommended by almost every dermatologist I talked to as a good all-around hydrating treatment for dry skin. It’s a dependable staple and one I come back to often, especially if I don’t want to lug around a separate body and face moisturizer. The fact that I can (and do) use it for both is a testament to its gentleness and Goldilocks-like consistency (my face doesn’t play well with fragrance or super-heavy stuff). It contains three essential ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and glycerin, a hydrating combination that won’t clog your pores and is generally well tolerated. When asking dermatologists about best application tips, Dr. Shari Marchbein recommended slathering it on right after your shower and letting it sink into the skin.

Ingredients: Niacinamide, shea butter | Price: 13.5 ounces (Approx. $1.49/ounce)

I’ve struggled over the years to find a body cream that doesn’t seem to vanish after a few hours, particularly in the winter. I can apply Lipikar Balm at night and wake up still moisturized, which, given my ultradry alligator skin, is an impressive feat. It’s ultrathick, so thick that by the end I have to scrape it out because it’s too thick for the pump. I try to get every last bit because it’s that good. It’s also sensitive and irritated-skin-friendly, and has been signed off on by the very discerning National Eczema Association. It’s a good moisturizer if you’ve taken actives a bit too far because it’s designed to help fortify and support the skin’s barrier. Unlike some of the other moisturizers on this list, it performs a “unique prebiotic action on the skin microbiome,” making it a favorite of Mitchell. This restores and preserves the skin’s barrier and gives longer-lasting results. If this is a touch too thick, Hirsch likes this almost identical cream from La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar line, calling it a “super-solid product” that features glycerin, shea butter, and niacinamide, which similarly helps to repair (and strengthen) the skin barrier.

Ingredients: Petrolatum, propylene glycol | Price: 16 ounces (Approx. $0.90/ounce)

If you’re truly sensitive, like anything-could-break-you-out sensitive, my go-to recommendation will always be Vanicream, which specializes in such things. It’s why we’ve recommended this cream a bunch over the years, and why dermatologists bring it up whenever I start asking about truly sensitive skin. In fact, five of them — Dr. Debra Jaliman, Mitchell, Palep, Idriss, and Hirsch — mentioned it for this piece. “It’s free of almost everything,” Idriss says. “If you’re extremely sensitive or don’t have the time to figure it out, then this is probably a good go-to product.” Hirsh agrees: “The brilliance of this is what’s not in it because it’s free of essentially all the main ingredients that can cause issues.” Though it leaves a lot of things out, it does contain petroleum and glycerin, which are useful moisturizers.

Ingredients: Ceramides, colloidal oatmeal | Price: 7.3 ounces (Approx. $0.60/ounce)

While lots of the moisturizers on this list are eczema-friendly and one is specifically soothing for dry, itchy skin (Avène), this one from Aveeno contains colloidal oatmeal, an ingredient beloved by people who have eczema because it calms inflammation. It’s also fragrance-free and contains ceramides, two ticks in the “good moisturizer” box. You should definitely consult with your dermatologist before you try anything new, but short of a prescription, Chiu, Idriss, and Levin (who says she has eczema herself) all recommend using this lotion on dry skin caused by eczema. “It really is very long-lasting,” explains Idriss. Levin also likes that it’s not greasy, a common feature of eczema-specific moisturizers. Aveeno even made this lotion a tad liquidy, allowing it to blend quickly and smoothly into the skin without the incessant kneading that some thicker lotions require.

Ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide | Price: 2 ounces (Approx. $16/ounce)

If you’re looking for something to specifically soothe inflammation caused by dry skin, which can range from just a little redness to more significant swelling, Palep and Levin recommend this one, in part because they can vouch for its effectiveness after using it themselves. Levin calls this EltaMD cream “probably one of my favorite products of all time,” adding that “it has dimethicone, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid, but it has squalane oil and mango-seed butter as well as niacinamide — all of which focus on inflammation.” She lists the formula’s kiwi-fruit extract and bromelain, more ingredients that she says dermatologists specifically “look for to help with swelling and inflammation.” Mitchell, another fan, appreciates that it’s long-lasting, which cuts down on the number of times you’ll have to reapply. It’s a lot pricier than some other lotions on this list, but Palep says the cost is worth it because the quality of this stuff is hard to beat.

Ingredients: Prebiotic thermal water, colloidal oatmeal | Price: 6.8 ounces (Approx. $3.3/ounce)

Inflammation isn’t exactly uncommon with dry skin, but if it’s severe or brand-new, and if you don’t have any preexisting conditions like eczema, you might want to consult your dermatologist as it could signal that your skin’s microbiome has been tossed out of whack. While this cream is technically formulated to treat eczema, Levin notes that it’s an overall great cream for calming the inflammation that can happen with dry skin. It’s also half the price of the EltaMD, and you’re still getting good-for-skin ingredients like shea butter and glycerin. It also contains niacinamide, which I mentioned earlier as good for soothing skin. Another hero ingredient here is “prebiotic thermal water,” which Levin says is generally “incredibly rich in minerals that focus on trying to rebalance your skin microbiome.” On the consistency front, it’s thicker than the CeraVe cream, making it a nice, rich option for skin that has some repairing to do.

Ingredients: Essential fatty acids, caffeine, AHAs, fruit enzymes | Price: 6.4 ounces (Approx. $5.9/ounce)

I used this sunny-smelling lotion from Ole Henriksen all last summer, and I’ve been happy with how it nourishes my very dry skin. I credit that to the ingredients — AHA exfoliants, nourishing butters and oils, and caffeine — which work together to gently slough away dry skin while also moisturizing the fresh, new skin underneath. The texture reminds me a bit of lightweight whipped shea, but smoother and easier to apply. And despite the presence of exfoliants, I’ve been able to use it daily without any irritation. Because AHAs can cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, I’d recommend applying this at night or being very good about sunscreen if you plan on exposing skin throughout the day. It’s also heavily fragranced, so I would skip if you’re typically sensitive to that.

Ingredients: Lactic acid, glycerin | Price: 14 ounces (Approx. $0.92/ounce)

Keratosis pilaris is characterized by spiky, dry, rough patches on the back of the arms and thighs. This can be addressed with topicals like the AmLactin body lotion, which, like the above Cetaphil cream, contains lactic acid. Over time, it’ll smooth the skin. It’s “really good for when you have a condition that needs a little exfoliation,” says Palep. The nongreasy formula sinks in immediately, she adds, and works to improve skin’s overall texture in the long run, too.

Ingredients: Niacinamide, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, omega 6 and 9 | Price: 6.8 ounces (Approx. $3.7/ounce)

Finding “clean” and natural beauty products can be tricky, especially because there’s no good definition for what constitutes clean beauty. It has come to generally reference products that don’t have sodium laureth sulfate, fragrance, or other synthetics and preservatives. This one from Nécessaire has none of those things and is also good at moisturizing. I went through a period of using it exclusively, and I still think it’s one of the best options on the market. It’s lightweight but deeply hydrating and has lots of skin-brightening and toning ingredients that help to even out skin over time.