9 Best Body Lotions, Tested by Our Pros in the Beauty Lab
Our scientists tallied up the results from 1,062 consumer surveys to prove it.
Reviewed by Chiara ButlerBeauty and Personal Care Lab Reviews AnalystTested by Danusia WnekSenior Chemist
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Body lotion is one of the simplest, most effective solutions for healthy, glowing skin. Moisturizers "should be used day and night," says Dendy Engelman, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York. "Even if skin does not seem dry, it still needs that layer of protection. Everyone benefits from reinforcing the skin barrier."
Our top picks
- Best overall: Vaseline Intensive Care Advanced Repair Unscented Lotion
- Best for extremely dry skin: Curél Ultra Healing Intensive Lotion
- Best for glowing skin: Vaseline Radiant X Even Tone Nourishing Coconut Oil Body Lotion
- Best unscented: CeraVe Intensive Moisturizing Lotion
Whether you're looking to quell dryness, scaliness, or flaking or just maintain a strong, healthy barrier, a good body moisturizer is key. To find the best body lotions, our Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty & Personal Care Lab scientists test them via technical Lab tests and consumer feedback. In the most recent test, we analyzed over 6,000 hydration measurements and consumer responses to identify the top-performing lotions on the market.
Best Deal
A steal at under $8, Vaseline's scent-free glycerin and shea butter formula proved to be a powerhouse, winning the GH Beauty Lab body lotion test.
Hydration: It increased skin hydration by an impressive 60% over six hours in measurements with the Corneometer device, which gauges skin moisture content—one of the highest levels ever recorded in Lab testing.
Texture and absorption: Even though it's a heavy-hitting moisturizer, the texture is light: 100% of consumer testers said it absorbed quickly and didn't feel tacky on skin. "My skin felt moisturized all day," one commented. "It went onto my skin very smoothly and spread easily and evenly."
Scent: The unscented, fragrance-free formula goes on odorless, and though some testers preferred a scented lotion, others loved its undetectable scent.
Features at a Glance
| Key Ingredients | Glycerin, shea butter |
GH Beauty Lab scientists have long used this fragrance-free drugstore Curél lotion, made with ceramides and glycerin, as a benchmark for skin moisturization.
Hydration: In our calculations with the Corneometer device, it boosted skin hydration by 56% for over six hours and earned a perfect score with testers for spreading easily.
Texture and absorption: Several testers reported that the lotion's lightweight texture felt "light and silky." However, several commented that the finish felt slightly "sticky" or "tacky," which is common in highly hydrating formulas with a lot of occlusives.
Scent: While this lotion is fragrance-free, most testers said it "had no smell" at all, but it may have a slight citrus scent from the included orange peel oil.
| Key Ingredients | Ceramides, glycerin |
This GH Beauty Award-winning lotion is budget-friendly, lightly scented, and enriched with emollients that make skin look and feel deeply hydrated.
Hydration: It received a near-perfect score from our consumer testers for making skin appear less ashy and flaky. Testers all said it made skin feel "soft" and "moisturized" for even days after use.
Texture and absorption: Our testers loved that this emollient-rich lotion absorbed quickly without leaving a greasy or tacky finish. "It goes on smooth, absorbs quickly, and really hydrates...all day [and] leaves my skin feeling very silky."
Scent: Most testers didn't notice the mild scent, though those who did enjoyed that it wasn't overpowering, with one calling it "a very pleasant, very light, clean scent, maybe with a hint of vanilla and coconut." But if you prefer a boldly-scented lotion, this isn't the one for you.
| Key Ingredients | Niacinamide, coconut oil, vitamin C, peptides |
Nivea’s inventive gel-like formulation with glycerin, shea butter, and soybean oil melts in like water when in contact with skin, thanks to a formulation that allows for fast absorption without the heavy barrier.
Hydration: The brand claims it ups skin hydration for 48 hours. "I have never found such a quick-absorbing yet hydrating formula like this before," said one expert tester. "Leaves skin velvety smooth," said another.
Texture and absorption: The GH Beauty Award-winning lotion “absorbs lightning fast yet still moisturized well,” there’s “no wait for it to soak in before dressing,” and skin is “silky,” expert evaluators reported.
Scent: One of our only selections that includes fragrance, this lotion has a fresh floral scent.
Features at a Glance
| Key Ingredients | Shea butter, vitamins E and C |
A trusted staple for those with sensitive skin who prefer moisturizers sans scent, GH Beauty Award winner Lubriderm’s simple, scent-free formula has proven hydrating effects.
Hydration: A study on 27 people found that the fragrance-free lotion kept skin moisturized for a full day after application, according to Beauty Lab data analysis.
Texture and absorption: According to data reviewed by our Beauty Lab, 91% of consumer testers agreed that the product absorbs quickly, and 93% agreed that it doesn't leave skin feeling greasy or oily.
Scent: Lubriderm's formula is fragrance-free, which is often ideal for sensitive skin.
| Key Ingredients | Ceramides, glycerin, shea butter |
A fragrance-free, moisturizing powerhouse, CeraVe's intensive iteration scored top marks for hydrating skin while leaving a non-greasy finish.
Hydration: The brand claims it's clinically shown to relieve key signs of extra dryness for 72 hours after application, and in our tests, it was second-best for making skin look and feel moisturized all day, with 96% of testers agreeing.
Texture and absorption: A fan favorite, this lotion earned perfect scores from 100% of testers for spreading easily and not leaving a tacky or greasy finish. Testers rated it second-best for absorbing quickly, with one saying, "I liked that it's not too greasy or thick, the texture is just right, and it absorbs quickly into the skin."
Scent: This fragrance-free formula is truly scent-free (100% of testers agreed). "It has no scent, which I love because it feels clean and isn’t overpowering like some other moisturizers," said one.
| Key Ingredients | Ceramides, shea butter |
Designed to tackle bumpy textures like keratosis pilaris, this hydrating lotion resurfaces skin and exfoliates with a blend of mandelic, lactic, and salicylic acids. Improving texture and tone, the formula also helps prevent dullness and ingrown hairs.
Hydration: This product is infused with squalane for skin barrier support and hydration; in Beauty Lab testing, it wowed testers by making skin look moisturized. Testers called out that it left skin feeling soft and moisturized all day long, plus it looked less crepey and visibly smoother. “I loved the way my skin felt afterward and how long it felt good and totally moisturized—even when entering the shower/bath, my skin felt moisturized,” a tester said. “Can’t give this enough points for how well I liked this product!”
Texture and absorption: Boasting a lightweight yet creamy texture, it earned perfect scores during Beauty Lab testing for quickly absorbing, not feeling greasy, and spreading easily onto skin.
Scent: With notes of bergamot, geranium, and cedarwood, testers liked the pleasant scent. One tester said, “I loved, loved, loved the scent!”
Features at a Glance
| Key Ingredients | Mandelic, lactic, and salicylic acids; squalane |
Do double duty with CeraVe's fragrance-free, lightweight formula, which can be used on both the body and the face.
Hydration: Loaded with ceramides and hyaluronic acid, it improved skin moisturization by 37% in the Lab's body lotion test. (It was also a winner of the Beauty Lab's face moisturizer test!).
Texture and absorption: Most testers agreed this do-it-all lotion was non-greasy, but some wished it were faster-absorbing. Testers also noted that it didn't feel exceptionally hydrating, which was echoed in our Beauty Lab evaluations. The tradeoff is how lightweight it feels on the skin.
Scent: The fragrance-free formula is truly unscented; several testers called it "odorless."
| Key Ingredients | Ceramides, hyaluronic acid |
Of all the body lotions tested, Mary Kay's was the best at making skin look moisturized and glowing while smoothing dull, flaky skin.
Hydration: It had strong hydration benefits, raising skin moisture by 49%. One tester enthused that "my skin didn't look flaky, especially on my legs, which is my problem area."
Texture and absorption: Two testers reported a sticky, greasy feel on their fingers after application.
Scent: This pick contains fragrance, which many reviewers describe as "fresh" and most of our testers loved.
| Key Ingredients | Glycerin, mineral oil |
How we test body lotions
The GH Institute Beauty Lab determines which body lotions actually keep skin hydrated by evaluating a range of lotions, from drugstore to luxury brands, for their moisturization capabilities.
In the Lab, scientists use a Corneometer device to measure skin hydration before application and six hours after applying a controlled amount of each lotion (pictured) to see how well moisturizers keep skin hydrated over time.
Our experts mask the labels of the highest-scoring formulas from Lab testing and distribute them to consumer testers representing a range of skin types and concerns. Testers use the body lotions for at least 24 hours and report back on ease of use, performance, and overall satisfaction.
In the most recent body lotion test, GH Beauty Lab scientists collated 5,040 skin hydration data points and results from 1,062 consumer survey responses to identify the winning products.
What to look for in a body lotion
✔️ Format: Body lotions are available in a variety of formats, including thick, paste-like balms that come in tubs and water-like gels that are housed inside pump bottles. The best format is the one that feels best to you and that you're most likely to use regularly to foster healthy, hydrated skin.
✔️ Scent: Body lotions range from heavily scented to completely fragrance-free, and the right choice ultimately depends on personal preference. In testing, some participants gravitated toward unscented formulas, while others preferred products with a noticeable fragrance.
One thing to keep in mind: Fragrance can be a potential skin irritant, says Dr. Engelman, so if you have sensitive, reactive, or eczema-prone skin, you may want to stick with fragrance-free lotions. (And remember, if you're trying to avoid fragrance in products, "unscented" does not equal fragrance-free—always check the ingredient label for "fragrance" to be sure.)
✔️ Skincare ingredients: A good moisturizer typically combines a combination of ingredients to effectively soften and nourish skin.
- Emollients are hydrating ingredients like oils, squalane, fatty acids, and triglycerides that moisturize and soften skin.
- Humectants, like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, draw moisture into skin, explains Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek.
- Occlusives, like plant butters, petrolatum, and beeswax, form a barrier over skin to seal in hydration and prevent transepidermal moisture loss, says Wnek.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Jessica Teich is the former director of editorial commerce at Good Housekeeping, with 12 years of beauty editorial experience. To write this piece, she teamed up with Chiara Butler, reviews analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty & Personal Care Lab, who led recent Lab and consumer tests and authored testing reports for our latest rounds of moisturizer testing. Chiara regularly tests and reports on the best skincare on the market.
Celia Shatzman is the temporary beauty editor at Good Housekeeping and most recently updated this story. She has covered beauty for 20 years, including all things skincare.
GH Beauty Lab Senior Chemist Danusia Wnek conducted the Beauty Lab's testing for this piece. She has spent a decade overseeing the Lab's body and face skincare product testing, utilizing both lab instrumentation and consumer feedback.
Chiara (she/her) is a reviews analyst in the Beauty and Personal Care Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she’s been doing hands-on testing of beauty products since 2022. She also covers aesthetic treatments like injectables and lasers. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Columbia University. Before joining GH, she worked as a cosmetic chemist, formulating skincare products for a variety of brands and learning to decode ingredient lists, evaluate ingredient efficacy and scrutinize product claims. When not at GH, you can find her wandering the beauty aisles of the drugstore.
Danusia (she/her) is a senior chemist in the Beauty and Personal Care Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she evaluates haircare, skincare, cosmetics and beauty tools. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University and a M.S. in pharmaceutical sciences with concentration in cosmetic science from the University of Cincinnati. Danusia has over 15 years of experience in the personal care industry including formulation, product development, claim evaluation and performance testing. The number one skincare rule she lives by: never go to bed with makeup on.
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