5 body lotions that might change your life
Hyperbole? Heaven forfend.
It’s the time of year when everyone in the northern hemisphere is going wild in the sun and not moisturising enough, and where everyone in the southern hemisphere is wearing layers and not moisturising enough.
Here are the answers to your scaly prayers:
1) Amlactin 15% Rapid Relief Restoring Lotion (400ml)
This stuff kept being recommended by US dermatologists on my Insta feed. So (as is my process), I cross-referenced with the skincare obsessives on Reddit and decided to give it a go.
This stuff is legitimately incredible. It genuinely worked overnight, turning legs that I’d been slathering other moisturisers on - with limited effect - to smooth, silky skin that I cannot stop touching.
The lactic acid is the miracle ingredient here. It’s a chemical exfoliant and this formulation is amazingly effective.
Now, every rose has its thorn1.
This has that medicinal smell that Eucerin has (although this doesn't contain urea). So the fragrance is unlikely to drive your lover wild. But your skin definitely will. Life is full of dichotomies.
In the US, this is easily available at Walmart/Costco/Target (online)/Ulta. In the UK, you can only get it via Amazon or iHerb and it’s significantly more expensive than the US. I paid about £25 on Amazon.co.uk for a 14oz (400ml) bottle vs $24.
400 ml is a lot of product, so this might feel spendy, but it should last you a while. I can’t pretend it’s as cheap as a Dove, or a Nivea, but it shits all over those from an efficacy perspective.
When you Google this, you’ll see there are 2 other versions2, the blue bottle, pictured, is the one you want. It’s also available in a smaller size if you’re commitment-shy.
Gold Bond Age Renew Crepe Corrector Body Lotion, Replenishing & Smoothing Formula (400ml)
When I was researching the Amlactin3, I kept finding reviews that compared these 2 products. So I bought this one as well. Because I totally lack impulse control.
And this one is also incredible.
It works differently to the Amlactin4. This one contains retinol, so boosts collagen production under the skin.
If you’re over 40, you need this in your life. IT WORKS.
Similarly to the Amlactin5, it’ much easier to buy in the US (Walmart, Target, Amazon) than in the UK. Again, I bought it from Amazon.co.uk for about £25 for 400ml.
This one also comes in a variety of formulations. For this brand, the reviews are pretty great across the board, so take a look and see if anything wets6 your whistle.
Oh and it sort of smells of nothing.
La Roche Posay - Lipikar Baume AP+Max Body Moisturizer (400ml)
Just so you don’t think I’ve been body-snatched, of course here is an LRP recommendation.
This was my utilitarian body lotion of choice before its insurrection by the 2 newcomers above. It’s really good. And I still keep a tube of the 200ml in my beach bag.
It’s just not quite as effective as the other 2 above. But it’s much, much easier to find. You can buy this basically everywhere7.
Palmer’s Tahitian Vanilla Daily Body Lotion (250ml)
Obviously Palmers has been around since time began and it’s known to be a stalwart of the body lotion cohort.
But I’ve never been a fan of their cocoa butter - I don’t want to walk around smelling like a day-old chocolate bar8.
I do, though, at all times, want to walk around smelling like vanilla. I am borderline obsessed with smelling like vanilla. I have an opinion of every high-end vanilla perfume on the market9.
And this stuff is an absolute beauty. Not too sweet, not too Play-Dohy. Just gorgeous. And it works and is always on offer somewhere. Even at full price, it’s about £5 for 250ml. Sold everywhere.
There’s also a body butter and a body oil. Hard recommend on all 3.
Mixa Niacinamide Bright & Bronze Gradual Tan (250ml)
Full disclosure: I haven’t used this. My tan comes as nature intended: from the sun.10
However, if you have a more responsible approach to tanning, this has been recommended all over the place. It’s a minor reformulation of the Lait Soleil11, it contains the same amount of tanning active, but more shea butter. An absolute bargain at £7.99 for 250ml.
This whole range is recently very widely available in the UK. It’s yet another highly-regarded French pharmacy brand. There doesn’t seem to be a duff product in the range, if you want to experiment with some keenly-priced face and body moisturisers.
US readers - I’m sorry, this is not distributed over there.
Until the next time! x
You’re welcome
The Green Bottle (Daily Nourish, lower lactic acid concentration) and The Purple Bottle (the KP version - the skincare mavens of Reddit are actively angry about this one; it’s more expensive and less effective).
Literally the product above. If you’d already forgotten what it was called, it might be worth getting a diagnosis of some sort.
See footnote 3, above
See footnotes 3 and 4, above
It’s not whet.
Disclaimer: it’s, weirdly, not on the LRP website at time of writing. It was reformulated in the last 12 months, so I’d be astonished if they were discontinuing, but you can still buy it all over the place in the interim.
You are entitled to your preferences, and I to mine.
My current prevailing one is that I very much want my future husband to smell like Tuxedo by YSL. Ooof.
OK, often from the sunbed. I am not advocating for this, but I’m also not going to pretend that I’m fake tanning.
Which looks like this.
