While face moisturizer tends to dominate the conversation, finding the best body lotion for men is just as important. After all, taking care of your skin isn’t just about looking good—it’s about maintaining your skin’s health and protecting it from dryness, irritation, and other environmental stressors. When your skin stays hydrated, smooth, and resilient, you’ll feel more comfortable both in and out of your clothes.
Having dealt with on-and-off dry skin since I was a kid, I’ve shopped through dermatologists and tried dozens of different products over the years, including ones geared towards staying preventatively moisturized and those meant to help repair damaged or cracked skin. Ready to upgrade your home bodycare ritual? Here are 12 of our tried-and-tested picks of the best body lotions for men—and what each one is best for.
The Best Men’s Body Lotions, At a Glance
- The Best Body Lotion for Men Overall: Soft Services Carea Cream, $40
- The Best Body Lotion for Winter: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps, $37
- The Best Scented Body Lotion: Aesop Resolute Hydration Body Balm, $100
- The Best Fast-Absorbing Body Lotion: Malin + Goetz Vitamin B5 Body Moisturizer, $45
- The Best Body Lotion for Radiant Skin: Nécessaire The Body Vitamin C, $55
- The Best Anti-Aging Body Lotion: Blu Atlas Nourishing Body Lotion, $35
- The Best Body Lotion for Skin Repair: Perricone MD Hyaluronic Intensive Body Therapy, $55
- The Best Body Serum: REN Aha Smart Renewal Body Serum,
$46$32 - The Best Body Oil: Hume Supernatural Desert Bloom Dry Body Oil Mist, $25
- The Best Body Lotion for Moisture Retention: Dr Jart Ceramidin Body Lotion, $28
- The Best Unscented Body Lotion: Hawthorne Ultra Rich Body Lotion, $15
- The Best Affordable Body Lotion: CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion, $18
Looking for Something Specific?
The Best Body Lotion for Men Overall: Soft Services Carea Cream
Ideal for men with combination skin, this lightweight lotion is my daily go-to. It tops our list for going beyond basic hydration to address a range of skin concerns, from bumpy texture to persistent dryness. The key ingredient is urea, which hydrates while also gently exfoliating—smoothing rough patches and reducing the build-up of dead skin. Urea also acts as a humectant, which draws water into skin and forms a protective barrier, preventing moisture loss and keeping skin nourished throughout the day. For the sake of convenience and sustainability, we also love that the brand sells refills and provides a reusable plastic pump.
The Best Body Lotion for Winter: Kiehl’s Creme de Corps
This cult-favorite lotion is known for being extremely rich and buttery. Yet despite its thick texture, it absorbs easily and quickly, leaving your skin feeling soft and smooth without any excess residue. The blend of cocoa butter and squalane deeply moisturizes and repairs even the driest skin, so you can really lean on this cream during cold months when your skin needs extra protection from wind. Plus, it’s gentle enough for sensitive skin, offering long-lasting hydration without any irritation.
The Best Scented Body Lotion: Aesop Resolute Hydration Body Balm
If you don’t have super sensitive skin, your options for a scented product are wider. This body balm offers more than just moisture—it also provides an indulgent, distinctively spicy scent. The warm, earthy blend of black pepper, patchouli, and bergamot imparts a sophisticated, masculine fragrance that lingers on the skin. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys a lotion that doubles as a light fragrance. In addition to its pleasantly spicy scent, the formula is packed with hydrating oils that deeply nourish the skin, leaving it feeling smooth, soft, and moisturized for hours without feeling heavy.
The Best Fast-Absorbing Body Lotion: Malin + Goetz Vitamin B5 Body Moisturizer
If you hate waiting for your lotion to absorb, this lightweight formula offers quick hydration without the wait. It soaks in almost instantly, making it ideal for busy mornings or a quick refresh throughout the day. Despite its lightweight texture, it still provides excellent hydration thanks to vitamin B5, which locks in moisture, and shea butter, which nourishes the skin. It’s also enriched with oat, which helps soothe and calm irritation for all skin types. There is a slight citrusy fragrance to the lotion, which makes it nice and bright for daytime use.
The Best Body Lotion for Skin Toning: Nécessaire The Body Vitamin C
Nécessaire’s radiance serum is a powerhouse when it comes to brightening and evening out skin tone. Delivered in the form of a bioavailable, hypoallergenic tetrahexyldecyl (THD) ascorbate, the product’s namesake vitamin C works to reduce dark spots and enhance radiance. Meanwhile, tranexamic acid tackles dark spots and hyperpigmentation, and niacinamide helps strengthen the skin’s barrier. What we love most is how this lotion adds a noticeable glow to your skin. Plus, its clean, fragrance-free formula makes it okay for daily use, even for those with sensitive skin.
The Best Body Lotion for Anti-Aging: Blu Atlas Nourishing Body Lotion
This men’s lotion does more than just moisturize—it helps your skin stay youthful and resilient too. The seaweed extract provides antioxidants that protect against environmental stressors, while mango seed butter and jojoba oil deeply hydrate and improve skin elasticity. Created with anti-aging in mind, this lotion helps to smooth out fine lines and keeps skin looking firm and healthy over time.
The Best Body Lotion for Skin Repair: Perricone MD Hyaluronic Intensive Body Therapy
Founded by a dermatologist, Perricone MD has skin care down to a science. This cream touts four forms of hyaluronic acid, plus two natural building blocks that hydrate and smooth the skin’s texture. Varied molecular weights allow ingredients to penetrate different layers of the skin. Brown algae extract, sourced from France, adds amino acids, antioxidants, and vitamins. Meanwhile, DMAE (a naturally occurring compound) tightens and plumps sagging skin, strengthening it from environmental factors. It’s a little on the pricier side, but is ideal for those who need a little extra love and care.
The Best Body Serum: REN Aha Smart Renewal Body Serum
This serum is built for exfoliation plus hydration. The proprietary formula centers on lactic acid for gentle exfoliation—helping to sweep away dead skin cells and smooth out rough or bumpy skin, while also evening out tone and texture. Shea butter further enriches the skin by locking in hydration, and xylitol from vegetable bark delivers a boost of moisture. This is a great first layer to use before adding a thicker cream.
The Best Body Oil: Hume Supernatural Dry Body Oil Mist
For increased protection of your skin’s outermost layer, also known as the lipid barrier, consider using a body oil in tandem with other lotions and creams. While some body oils can be a bit too shiny or greasy, we like this gender-neutral, sprayable mist which utilizes all-natural, plant-based ingredients—like apricot kernel oil, prickly pear oil, and olive oil—to nourish the skin. The spray format makes it easy to apply on-the-go, and it comes in three varieties: fragrance-free, desert bloom, and amber vanilla. As with all body oils, this product is best applied after a shower while skin is still damp.
The Best Body Lotion for Moisture Retention: Dr Jart Ceramidin Body Lotion
As someone with chronic dry skin, this is a moisture retention product I always keep in my skin care rotation. The star of the show is five ceramides, which help restore the skin’s barrier and lock in moisture, while hyaluronic acid adds deep hydration and plumping effects, and coconut oil infuses the skin with rich, lasting nourishment. What we love most is how well it keeps skin moisturized for hours, even in the driest conditions.
The Best Unscented Body Lotion: Hawthorne Ultra Rich Body Lotion
Hawthorne’s rich body lotion offers the perfect solution for those who prefer a straight-forward unscented product with intense hydration. This simple lotion is packed with nourishing ingredients like shea butter and olive oil that provide deep moisture, while squalane helps to lock it in for long-lasting softness. We love that it offers all-day hydration without any greasy feel, making it ideal for those with dry or sensitive skin.
You can find it at your local drugstore, it doesn’t cost too much, but it packs some of the most essential skin-empowering ingredients. For everyday use, don’t overlook CeraVe’s basic, fragrance-free lotion—which combines nourishing hyaluronic acid with three ceramides for strengthening the skin’s protective barrier. The product is designed to provide 24-hour hydration, using CeraVe’s proprietary science to ensure efficient delivery of the ingredients through a slow release.
What to Look for in a Body Lotion
Indeed, body lotions can vary greatly across key ingredients, functions, and fragrances—but as a general rule of thumb, look for ingredients like shea butter, ceramides, or hyaluronic acid, which are meant to lock in moisture. If you have sensitive skin, avoid harsh chemicals and fragrances that can irritate it. Depending on where you live, you might also want to consider trying different body lotions based on the season. For a year-round lotion, maybe try products that balance hydration with fast absorption and lightweight feel. Meanwhile, for colder winter weather, consider a thicker, creamier formula that will sit on top of the skin’s natural barrier and prevent excess drying. Once you’ve chosen a body lotion, remember it needs to be applied at least once a day, ideally after a shower or bath when your skin is still damp.
At the end of the day, the best lotions and skin moisturizers for your body will depend on your individual skin needs, but a few additional things to think about when picking a bottle to add to your skin care routine are whether you’re looking for natural ingredients, paraben-free formulas, and the addition of sunscreen—and if it’s the proper SPF. There are a ton of other ingredients out there that can help keep your skin soft and smelling great, too, from vitamin E and dimethicone to aloe vera, argan oil, and more, so don’t be afraid to branch out and find what works best for your skin.
