If there's one thing I know to be true from my career as a beauty editor, it's that all good bodycare routines can be further elevated with the addition of a decadent and velvety-smooth body cream that may border on being slightly oily to the touch. In fact, the simple act of slathering a body cream onto the skin can transform its look, feel, and overall health. Did you know that by using thick body creams, you can even lock more moisture into the skin than with lighter formulas? It's truly one of the best ways you can keep your skin smooth, plump, and soft.
I recently asked my fellow Who What Wear beauty editors which rich body creams they like to use for year-round hydration, and quickly realized how many of their top product picks featured similar luscious, whipped cream-like textures and gentle ingredients. To fully understand why body creams that happen to be thicker work so well, I also tapped a dermatologist who broke things down for me. Below, I'm sharing what she said, plus 16 body creams the dermatologist and beauty editors have ID'd as being the best of the best.
Finding the Perfect Thick Body Cream
While it's a well-known fact that full-body moisturizers should be used to deliver hydration back into the skin, knowing what to keep an eye out for while on the hunt for a thick body cream can pose quite the challenge without some guidance. It's no secret that having so many products on the market available to us at all times can be overwhelming. To help you land on your perfect product match, we reached out to board-certified dermatologist Tia Paul, MD, to provide some helpful insight.
Shopping for a body cream may seem daunting, but Paul assures us that all it takes is paying attention to how formulas can support the health of your skin and which ingredients are behind them. "I look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid to draw in moisture, ceramides to strengthen the skin barrier, and occlusives like shea butter or coconut oil to seal in hydration," explains Paul. So, the next time your searching for a body cream in-person or online, consider taking a closer look at the list of ingredients and doing some research before making a final decision.
Getting the Most Out of Using a Body Cream
While thick body creams can help boost the health of your skin barrier by adding instant hydration, plumping qualities, and much more, you should always consider your skin type. If you have sensitive skin, for example, Paul warns against using any products using fragrances, dyes, and potential irritants such as alcohol or harsh surfactants. She also shares that those with acne-prone skin should avoid heavy, comedogenic oils that can clog pores. A patch test can help reveal which products will work for or against you.
To get the most out of using body cream as part of your beauty routine, apply it immediately after taking a shower while your skin is still damp as body cream will help lock in moisture and prevent dryness. Unsure of if you should be using a body lotion or body cream? Paul has the answer to that too. "Body lotions are typically lighter and water-based, making them ideal for normal to oily skin or warmer climates," Paul says. "Body creams, on the other hand, are thicker and oil-based, providing deeper hydration for dry to very dry skin or colder weather."
No matter which thick body cream you land on, however, remember it's all a matter of personal preference. Keep scrolling to see which luxe body creams dermatologists and beauty editors agree are worth trying.
The Best Rich Body Creams, Listed
- Kiehl's Crème de Corps
- Murad Retinal ReSculpt Body Treatment
- Nécessaire The Body Cream
- L'Occitane Ultra Rich Body Cream
- Flamingo Estate Manuka Rich Cream
- Tronque Firming Butter
- Augustus Bader The Body Cream
- Le Prunier Plumbody Hydrating Antioxidant Body Creme
- Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter in Vanilla Vibezzz
- Origins Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream
- Sol de Janeiro Delícia Drench Body Butter
- CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
- Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream
- Beekman 1802 Pure Goat Milk Whipped Body Cream
- Mutha Body Butter
One of the biggest qualms I've heard about the body creams touted as possessing rich formulas is that once the product makes contact with your skin, it can feel sticky and greasy. This hydrating body moisturizer quickly absorbs into the skin, nourishing it with antioxidants, squalane, cocoa butter, aloe, and more for a smooth, silky finish.
Customer Review: "This is a rich and hydrating formula that leaves skin soft and hydrated. It has a neutral smell and doesn’t leave skin greasy. I definitely recommend!"
Product Details: 8.4-ounce bottle
When asked which products Paul swears by, she shared with us that this new release by Murad is at the top of her list. "The Murad Retinal ReSculpt Body Treatment unique formulation with encapsulated retinal technology, which delivers powerful anti-aging benefits while minimizing irritation," she says. "It can help with crepey skin and fine lines on the body and overall stimulate collagen production."
Customer Review: N/A
Product Details: 5-ounce jar
Associate beauty editor Kaitlyn McLintock flagged Nécessaire's The Body Cream as having one of the best thick formulas on the market, but it's a favorite of mine as well. The fragrance-free body cream is filled to the brim with ingredients to promote skin barrier repair using 5% niacinamide, five essential ceramides, and hydrating hyaluronic acid.
Customer Review: "I’ve been using this brand for a long time and every product they have is great. This body moisturizer is a good size product. I apply it after showering and gives me healthier-looking skin while making it soft and smooth."
Product Details: 6.8-ounce jar
L'Occitane's The Ultra Rich Body Cream is infused with 25% nourishing shea butter to support a strong skin barrier by nourishing and protecting skin from dryness. The formula is also infused with the fresh scent of jasmine and ylang-ylang and housed in an eco-friendly aluminum jar. I love to use this one with the brand's other shea-based products (the Shea Nail and Cuticle Oil, and Shea Butter Hand Cream).
Customer Review: "I love the way my skin feels after using this product. My legs feel and look so much better, less dry and dull. And the container is everything! Makes getting more so much easier than having to reopen and push out product."
Product Details: 7-ounce jar
This Flamingo Estate favorite is another recommendation from McLintock. It's a rejuvenating, richly formulated hand cream that provides fast relief to dry skin and supports healthy cellular turnover for a strong barrier using soothing manuka honey, hydrating lanolin oil, calendula flowers, olive oil, and shea butter. Plus, it's delicately scented with Australian Wattle Flowers and carrot seed essential oils for a fragrance that's reminiscent of the manuka flower.
Customer Review: "I love this cream. I tend to have dry skin during the winter and my skin is so soft and buttery after I apply this. I bought an old-fashioned tube roller so I could squeeze out every precious drop. I'm a convert!"
Product Details: 2.5-ounce tube
Our Beauty Director Erin Jahns highlighted the Firming Butter as a must for anyone who's looking to add hydration while further smoothing and firming their skin. It's crafted with a cocktail of 22 skin-loving ingredients (including Atlantic Ocean Kelp, New Zealand Red Seaweed, and red maple bark) to keep your skin looking youthful. It also helps repair and brighten the skin tone and combat hyperpigmentation.
Customer Review: "This is not your normal body butter, this is magic! The application of this butter after a shower every day has caused my skin to be so incredibly soft, I cannot stop feeling it! No more neglected body skin for me I have found my lifetime companion. Divine."
Product Details: 6.8-ounce jar
Of all the luxury body creams I've had the opportunity to experience over the past couple of years, Augustinus Bader's The Body Cream has one of the most memorable thick formulas. It has a rich, fluffy consistency that absorbs quickly into the skin for instant hydration. It leaves the skin with a hydration look and feel thanks to the addition of bisabolol and shea butter in its formula.
Customer Review: "When I first got this I wasn’t sure about it because it’s not really creamy, more of a stiff consistency. But I continued to use it and now I can’t live without it! My legs look awesome!"
Product Details: 6.8-ounce jar
Not all rich body creams can boast being rich in antioxidants, but that's not the case for Le Prunier's Plumbody Hydrating Antioxidant Body Creme. By fusing clinical skincare and the brand's patented plum extract (Midnight Muir), this body cream deeply moisturizes and soothes using a formula crafted with Eragrostis Tef Extract to help waken fatigued skin. It's also noncomedogenic, vegan, and crafted without added fragrances.
Customer Review: "Smooth, luxurious texture that makes me feel like I'm giving myself a spa treatment when I put it on. Easily absorbs into my skin without feeling greasy. A lovely, natural smell."
Product Details: 6.8-ounce jar
This one has also received praise from all of our beauty editors but is a huge standout for Jahns. Not only does this air-whipped full-body moisturizer absorb rapidly into the skin for velvety-soft, long-lasting hydration, and an all-over glow, but its formula also only uses 100% plant-based essences for its warm, spicy fragrance. Plus, it pairs beautifully with the brand's best-selling argan oil–infused scrub.
Customer Review: "I love this body butter! Some body butters are far too thick and sticky, but the Josie Maran body butter has a light, whipped formula and sinks in quickly. I also love the warm vanilla scent. After using this product, my skin feels wonderfully soft. This is a product that I would recommend and repurchase."
Product Details: 13.4-ounce tube (refill size)
Within the first couple of days that this ginger-infused whipped body cream by Origins was added to my nightly bodycare routine, I noticed how much it transformed my skin. It's formulated using aromatic ginger, nourishing olive oil, grape-seed oil, rice bran oil, and apricot-kernel oil. The product is a fix for persistent dryness, sensitivity, and crepeyness that's also budget-friendly.
Customer Review: "This is a wonderful body cream if your skin type is dry, as mine is. The scent of ginger is heavenly and very soft, and the cream is the perfect consistency to massage into my dry legs and arms following a bath. I've bought several different body creams searching for something softly scented and effective, and Ginger Souffle is perfection."
Product Details: 6.7 ounce jar
I've only been slathering my dry skin with this Sol de Janeiro body butter over the last few weeks and have already started seeing improvements to how moisturized it stays throughout the day, as well as its overall tone and texture. The secret ingredient behind its fast-working formula? Bacuri butter, prebiotic hibiscus, and the brand's innovative Brazilian Soothing Complex.
Customer Review: "This body butter smells and feels great. I can tell after using it my skin is glowy and hydrated. But if you do not like really thick body butters do not get this."
Product Details: 8.1-ounce jar
For another budget-friendly option, look no further than this rich body cream that was developed by dermatologists. It helps restore the protective skin barrier and helps retain its natural moisture levels. "[The CeraVe Moisturizing Cream] a great option for sensitive skin, this fragrance-free cream is packed with ceramides to strengthen the skin barrier," Paul tells us.
Customer Review: "I just love this product. It is so hydrating and has no scent making it so good for the skin! The packaging is easy to use and it has amazing and clean ingredients for your skin!"
Product Details: 2-ounce tube
One of my favorite products from Caudalie is the Vinosculpt Lift and Firm Body Cream because it uses a blend of antioxidant-rich grape polyphenols, iris extract, grape-seed oil, and shea butter to visibly firm, lift, and tighten skin. I also love the delicate orange blossom fragrance that lingers long after the body cream has been absorbed.
Customer Review: "This body cream is so rich and smells wonderful. The results are really pretty instant! I notice that my skin is so much smoother, firmer, and more hydrated."
Product Details: 8.4-ounce jar
Goat milk is one of those underrated products that delivers huge benefits but doesn't always get praise for it since it's, well, from goats. That said, this goat milk-infused whipped body cream shouldn't be ignored for two reasons: 1) It's gentle enough for daily use on all skin types, and 2) it keeps the skin's microbiome well-balanced which prevents irritation, sensitivity, and premature aging.
Customer Review: "This stuff is amazing. It’s thick, but it has a kind of yogurt consistency. I love how smooth it is going on my skin, and I also love that there’s no residue or greasiness left behind; I put this on right out of the shower and it leaves my skin feeling soft. Sometimes 'unscented' translates to a cooking spray scent or something else unpleasant, but the unscented is truly unscented."
Product Details: 8-ounce jar
Not only can this velvety body cream soothe dryness, and restore moisture to help maintain the skin's elasticity, but it can also help treat and prevent razor burn thanks to a powerful blend of skin-loving ingredients such as organic shea butter, avocado oil, anti-inflammatory mango butter, essential fatty acids, and vitamins A, D, and E. No wonder this one is McLintock's favorite!
Customer Review: "Absolutely incredible. The packaging is stunning, the formula of the body butter is rich and luxurious, and hydrates my skin better than any other body butter I’ve ever used! How can you go back to anything else after experiencing this?!"
Product Details: 5.5-ounce jar
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