Body care is the skincare category that most people give the least thought to, with the greatest potential for straightforward improvement. The face skincare routine receives the research, the investment, and the ten-step consideration. The body, which represents the vast majority of the body’s skin surface, receives a shower gel and a cursory lotion application if time permits.
The gap between face and body care attention is disproportionate to the gap in benefit available. Quality body moisturiser applied consistently produces visible improvement in skin texture and tone. Body exfoliation improves the efficacy of moisturiser by removing the dead skin layer that prevents penetration. Body SPF — the most consistently skipped body care step — prevents the UV damage that accumulates on arms, legs, and décolletage as visibly as it does on the face.
Available at: Boots, Superdrug, Amazon, Lookfantastic
Best for: Those with keratosis pilaris, rough skin texture on arms and legs, or any bumpy skin concern.
CeraVe’s SA (salicylic acid) Smoothing Cream is the body moisturiser recommendation for those with keratosis pilaris — the “chicken skin” texture of small bumps on the upper arms, thighs, and buttocks caused by keratin plugging of hair follicles. The salicylic acid chemically exfoliates the keratin plugs while the ceramides and hyaluronic acid provide the moisture that rough, KP-prone skin requires.
Used consistently (twice daily on affected areas), the SA Smoothing Cream produces visible improvement in KP texture over four to six weeks that no standard body moisturiser achieves.
Available at: Frank Body (frankbody.com), ASOS, Lookfantastic
Best for: Twice-weekly body exfoliation that removes dead skin and improves the efficacy of body moisturiser applied afterwards.
Frank Body’s coffee scrub is the body exfoliation recommendation because the coffee grounds provide physical exfoliation at an appropriate particle size (fine enough not to cause micro-tears while coarse enough to effectively remove dead skin) alongside caffeine that provides some temporary tightening effect on the skin surface.
The specific recommendation: use once or twice per week in the shower, apply to wet skin in circular motions, rinse thoroughly, and apply body moisturiser immediately to damp skin while the skin is most receptive to absorption. The combination of exfoliation followed by immediate moisturiser application produces more visible improvement than either step alone.
Available at: Nécessaire (necessaire.com), Space NK, NET-A-PORTER
Best for: Those who want a body moisturiser with clean formulation, niacinamide and AHA actives, and the efficacy of a serum-grade body care product.
Nécessaire produces body care at a quality level previously available only in high-end spa products. The Body Lotion contains niacinamide, glycolic acid, and hyaluronic acid alongside standard moisturising ingredients — a formulation that treats the skin rather than simply hydrating its surface. The clean formulation (fragrance-free, silicone-free) reduces the irritation risk that fragranced body care often produces on sensitive skin.
Available at: Bondi Sands (bondisands.com), Boots, Superdrug
Best for: Those who want a buildable self-tan that can be mixed with body moisturiser for customisable colour development.
The self-tan drop format — concentrated tanning actives mixed with an existing moisturiser — is the most customisable and least commitment-heavy self-tan approach available. Bondi Sands’ Pure formula provides reliable colour development without the greenish tinge that cheaper formulations can produce. Three to five drops in the body moisturiser produces a natural sun-kiss over two to three days; more drops produce deeper colour.
Available at: Sol de Janeiro (soldejaneiro.com), Space NK, Sephora, Boots
Best for: Those who want a luxurious sensory body moisturiser with a distinctive fragrance and fast-absorbing texture.
The Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream has earned its cult status through the specific combination of a pistachio-and-salted-caramel fragrance (genuinely distinctive and genuinely appealing), a fast-absorbing cream texture that doesn’t require waiting to dress, and the guaraná caffeine complex that provides some temporary firming effect alongside the standard moisturising base.
At £45–68 it’s a luxury body moisturiser that justifies its price through the sensory experience it provides rather than the skincare efficacy of the formulation. For those who want body care that feels like a ritual rather than a task, the Bum Bum Cream is the specific product that achieves this.
Available at: Boots, Superdrug
Best for: Those who want comfortable, invisible daily SPF for body areas exposed to the sun.
Body SPF is the most skipped body care step and the one with the most significant long-term consequences for skin ageing on exposed areas. Altea’s SPF body formulations are the UK accessibility recommendation — the formulas apply comfortably without the white cast and heavy feel that makes most body SPFs impossible to use consistently.
Body care produces visible skin improvement from consistent basic practice. CeraVe SA Smoothing Cream for KP and rough skin texture treatment. Frank Body Coffee Scrub for effective physical exfoliation before moisturising. Nécessaire Body Lotion for the clean active body moisturiser with serum-grade ingredients. Bondi Sands Self Tan Drops for customisable, natural self-colour. Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream for the luxury sensory body moisturiser that makes body care feel like self-care. And Altea for the daily body SPF that most people consistently skip. Whatever you add — the step that makes the most cumulative difference is body SPF on exposed areas, every day, regardless of cloud cover.