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

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.

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. 

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.