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The Best 9 Light Body Creams For Dry Skin — But No Slick Residue

Alexandra Engler
Author:
April 05, 2023
Alexandra Engler
mbg Beauty Director
By Alexandra Engler
mbg Beauty Director
Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.
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Image by Guille Faingold / Stocksy
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We carefully vet all products and services featured on mindbodygreen using our commerce guidelines. Our selections are never influenced by the commissions earned from our links.

Struggling to find a body cream or lotion you enjoy is a real Goldilocks scenario, huh? On the one hand, if you go too dense, you run the risk of feeling like a sticky, goopy mess. On the other, if it's too light for your skin's needs, it's simply not going to hydrate well or long term. Yikes. 

Now where you fall on this skin care spectrum is probably dependent on a few skin care factors: What time of year it is, where you live, your skin type, your personal sensorial preferences, and your beauty habits (i.e., do you loathe to apply products, or do you do a 10-step-routine every morning?). As you can see, a lot goes into finding the one that suits you just right. 

Now, a light body cream or lotion tends to meet a lot of needs. The slip is just so that it smooths over skin with ease. The texture is rich, yet spreadable. The hydration is turned up to the max, without leaving a greasy residue. Plus, many of these options below come with added benefits—whether that be soothing scents, antioxidant properties, or firming actives. 

Here, our favorites.

How we picked

Thoughtful formulas

The products here only use clean ingredients that support skin health. We also consider the planet and prioritize sustainability.

Tested & recommended

Many of these have been tested by our mbg team or trusted source. We also utilized customer feedback and reviews when researching for this list.

Texture

At the end of the day, you’re not going to use something you don’t like the application and texture of. We paid close attention to the feel of the product when vetting.

Variety

Everyone has unique skin care needs, ingredient considerations, goals, and budgets. So we tried to include an assortment of products that can serve a wide range of folks.

Best light body creams

Best organic: True Botanicals Pure Radiance Body Butter

Pros

  • Deeply hydrating
  • Organic ingredients are shown to be higher in antioxidants.

Cons

  • Contains essential oils, if you’re sensitive to those.
  • One of the richer, thicker options here if you’re really only looking for “light” body creams.

Considerations:

VeganCruelty freeOrganic ingredients

Ingredients:

Mango seed butterGreen teaRosehip seed oilAvocado butterTucuma Seed oilSea Buckthorn Oil

Fragrance profile::

Earthy

Size::

7.4 FL OZ / 237 mL

True botanicals is known for prioritizing high-quality organic ingredients, and their body products are no exception. In this blend there’s organic green tea, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, rosehip seed oil, sea buckthorn oil, plus a few more. The antioxidant rich blend can brighten tone, ease the appearance of fine lines, and help your skin deal with free radicals.

Best for fine lines: Caudalie Vinosculpt Lift & Firm Body Cream

Pros

  • Contains organic ingredients such as grape water and shea butter
  • Designed for mature skin

Cons

  • Not cruelty free or vegan
  • Some complaints of the strong fragrance (which is natural petitgrain)
  • Pricey

Considerations:

Dermatologist approvedOrganic ingredients

Ingredients:

Shea butterGrapeseed oilPolyphenols

Fragrance profile::

Petitgrain

Size::

8.4 FL OZ / 250 mL

One of the thicker options on the list, this cream is great for those who have mature skin and are looking to address fine lines and sagging skin. The base is a rich shea butter, but then it’s topped with potent antioxidants such as polyphenols from grape extracts and flavonoids from irish moss. These antioxidants can help fight free damage that contributes to signs of premature aging. 

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Best for uneven texture: Biossance Squalane + Caffeine Toning Body Cream

Pros

  • Niacinamide has a brightening effect on the skin, and can even help manage breakouts (great for body acne)
  • Velvet finish

Coons

  • Consistency is more liquidy than most on the list

Considerations:

VeganCruelty free

Ingredients:

SqualaneCaffeineNiacinamide

Fragrance profile::

Fragrance free

Size::

6 FL OZ / 200 mL

Caffeine is a popular ingredient in skin care products not only for its antioxidant properties, but because it can temporarily firm and tighten the skin. It’s a vasoconstrictor, which means it encourages your blood vessels to constrict, which ultimately has a smoothing effect. This formula utilizes caffeine from green coffee beans, as well as the brand’s signature sugarcane derived squalane and niacinamide.   

What our reviewer says:

“While it’s not a long-term solution, caffeine can help with the appearance of uneven texture—which is why it’s a popular addition to cellulite creams. This certainly helps improve the tone of the skin, which I suspect also has to do with its hydrating properties alongside the caffeine and niacinamide.” — mbg beauty director Alexandra Engler

Best with retinol: Chantecaille Retinol Body Cream Treatment

Pros

  • Effective encapsulated retinol

Cons

  • Not recommended for pregnant people or mothers (due to the retinol)
  • Pricey

Considerations:

Cruelty free

Ingredients:

Vitamin EShea butterEncapsulated retinolEdelweiss extractRose waterMacadamia oilJasmine

Retinol has become a popular addition to body products for much of the same reasons it’s used on the face: It can help firm skin, boost collagen production, fade dark spots, and even help deal with body acne. In addition to an encapsulated retinol, this contains a bouquet of stunning botanical extracts, such as edelweiss extract, rose water, macadamia oil, jasmine and more. 

What our reviewer says:

“I’ve come around to the idea of retinol for the body, and this high-quality (albeit, pricey) option helped get me there. Not only does it contain a gentle encapsulated retinol, it contains several ingredients I love including shea butter, hyaluronic acid, vitamin E, rose water, and so on. However, I don’t use it regularly—not only is it too expensive for that, my skin struggles with nightly retinol use.” — mbg beauty director Alexandra Engler

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Best retinol alternatives: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Pro-Retinol Body Butter

Pros

  • Comes in fragrance free and vanilla
  • A natural retinol alternative that’s gentler on the body
  • Light, whipped texture

Cons

  • While it has “retinol” in the name, it’s a bit misleading. The pink algae is a retinol alternative (hence, the category), but if you want retinol, you’ll need to find another product

Considerations:

VeganCruelty freeOrganic ingredients

Ingredients:

AloeShea butterPink algaeQuercetinArgan oil

Fragrance profile::

Fragrance freeVanilla

Size::

8 FL OZ / 240 mL

Want retinol-esque results without the side effects? There are many natural alternatives to the ingredient, including this “pro-retinol” derived from pink algae. It’s a beta-carotene that acts similar to retinol when on the skin, and is shown to have similar benefits including reducing fine lines and dark spots. The base of the formula is pure argan oil, along with several other botanical oils and butters. 

What our reviewer says: 

“I’m a sucker for a whipped, airy consistency, and this bubblegum-pink confection nails that buttery texture without feeling greasy on your skin. The cell turnover powers come from pink algae extract, with its natural vitamin A content, but it’s still gentle enough to use daily. If you’re thinking about dabbling into retinol body lotions, this is a great starter option to try.” – mbg beauty editor Jamie Schneider

Best brightening: Cay Skin Deepwater Body Creme

Pros

  • Vitamin C can also help improve collagen production
  • Sea moss and aloe are soothing for post-sun application

Cons:

  • No fragrance free option if you're sensitive to scent

Considerations:

VeganCruelty free

Ingredients:

AloeNiacinamideKakadu plum oilSea moss

Fragrance profile::

Grapefruit and vanilla

Size::

6 FL OZ / 200 mL

Sun damage does a number on the skin—notably, it can contribute to sun spots. If your primary concern is fading dark spots and improving overall tone, this cream is loaded with botanicals and antioxidants to do just that. The primary one to highlight is the kakadu plum oil, which is naturally high in vitamin C. It also contains niacinamide, sea moss, and aloe extracts—all of which have brightening properties.

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Best for irritated skin: Beekman 1802 Pure Goat Milk Whipped Body Cream

Pros

  • Allergy tested
  • Balances the skin microbiome

Cons

  • Contains goat milk, so not vegan

Considerations:

Dermatologist approved

Ingredients:

AloeMango seed butterVitamin EGrapeseed oilGoat milkGreen tea

Fragrance profile::

Fragrance free

Size::

8 FL OZ / 240 mL

For treating folks with sensitive and easily irritated skin, there are few brands I trust more than Beekman 1802. The brand’s star ingredient is goat milk, which has been used as a topical remedy for inflammatory skin conditions for ages. Goat milk is actually the same pH of the skin, so it’s able to balance the skin’s acid mantle and create an environment for your microbiome to thrive. Not only that, but it’s full of skin-supporting nutrients like lactic acid, fatty acids, and vitamins. The blend also contains mango seed butter (to help give it that whipped texture), aloe, and green tea, which can all soothe reactive skin.

Best smoothing: OleHenriksen BeamCream Smoothing Body Moisturizer

Pros

  • Gently exfoliating

Cons

  • Not ideal for those with sensitive or reactive skin

Considerations:

VeganCruelty free

Ingredients:

Mango seed butterShea butterCaffeineAHAsFruit enzymes

Fragrance profile::

Citrus

Size::

1.7 FL OZ / 50 mL6.4 FL OZ / 190 mL

Alpha hydroxy acids are gentle exfoliators that are water-loving, so they generally sit on the surface level of the skin and are often hydrating as well. These properties make them excellent additions to creams, such as this formula. The cream contains fruit enzymes and caffeine to further improve its smoothing efficacy—and then it’s buffered with plant butters and fatty acids.

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FAQ

Which is lighter cream or lotion?

Generally speaking, lotions tend to have a more liquid consistency than creams. Because of this, most folks consider them “lighter.” However, it is possible to have a light cream—in fact, there are many whipped textures that achieve this light-weight feeling, such as minbodygreen’s body cream.

What is the difference between body lotion and body cream?

In a nutshell: Body creams tend to have a more solid texture, while lotions are more liquid-like. "Lotions have a higher water content compared to creams," says board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, M.D., which makes the consistency thinner and more spreadable, with a non-greasy feel. Creams, on the other hand, typically call on heavier ingredients (like shea butter and coconut oil) to create a fortress of moisture. Read more about the difference between body creams and lotions here.

Do you wash off body cream?

Body creams are leave-on products and should not be washed off. They are best used on freshly cleansed, damp skin—so you should apply them just after getting out of the shower.

The takeaway

Finding a body cream texture that works for you isn’t an easy task. Hopefully, one of the above will be your perfect blend of rich creaminess and light effortlessness. Now, if you really want to level up your hydration, top your cream with one of these body oils.

Meet The Experts

Alexandra Engler is the beauty director at mindbodygreen and host of the beauty podcast Clean Beauty School. Previously, she's held beauty roles at Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, SELF, and Cosmopolitan; her byline has appeared in Esquire, Sports Illustrated, and Allure.com.

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