The 25 Best Body Butters for Dry Skin of 2023

Best Overall

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter

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If you don’t immediately fall in love with Josie Maran’s Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter after just a glance at the luxe glass packaging, we promise you’ll become infatuated once you try the lightweight yet nourishing formula for yourself.

Josie Maran claims that a jar of this body butter is sold every 14 seconds, and we’re not clueless as to why. With 100% pure argan oil, shea butter, avocado oil, and white tea extract as its key ingredients, this whipped formula deeply moisturizes, actually keeps moisture locked in all day or night, and even protects your skin with its antioxidant properties. Even the driest areas of skin on your body will feel relief after slathering on this body butter, and it works its magic especially well post-shower or bath. This butter’s non-greasy finish also won’t bug you if you snuggle into bed after you apply it—a plus if you’re a nighttime slatherer like myself.

There’s not one, not two, but seven scents to choose from (Fresh Berry Breeze and Peachy Vanilla are exclusive to Josie Maran’s site), plus an unscented version if fragrance isn’t your thing.  

Price at time of publish: $38

Key Ingredients: Argan oil, shea butter, white tea extract | Scent: Vanilla Bean, Sweet Citrus, Vanilla Apricot, Vanilla Fig, Fresh Berry Breeze Peachy Vanilla | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Budget

Petal Fresh Pure Body Butter

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While we love some of our higher-budget picks, there’s nothing quite like a high-performing product that doesn’t break the bank like the Pure Body Butter from Petal Fresh. This SoCal-based body and haircare brand uses natural, sustainably-sourced ingredients to make their ultra-rich body butter formulas, and it comes in six fruity formulations that will surely give you a serotonin boost each time you slather it on. 

Made with certified organic argan oil, shea butter, and coconut oil, Petal Fresh’s formulas will give any crispy area of your body the long-lasting hydration it needs, whether you’re applying it at the very beginning of your day or right before you head to sleep. Plus, we love how a little goes a long way with this formula (which comes in an eight-ounce jar), making it a true value pick in our eyes. 

Price at time of publish: $13

Key Ingredients: Coconut oil, argan oil, shea butter | Scent: Coconut, Honey & Coconut, Guava Nectar, Hibiscus & Papaya, Mandarin & Mango, Pomegranate & Grapefruit | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Splurge

Augustinus Bader The Body Cream

4.8

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Your ultra-dry skin deserves a “treat yourself” moment every once in awhile, or, at least that’s what we’re telling ourselves in order to justify splurging on this heavenly body butter from Augustinus Bader. Everything from its signature, luxurious blue packaging to the ultra-creamy and rich texture of the formula itself has us convinced that the over-100-dollar price tag on The Body Cream is worth it. Plus, with ingredients like nourishing shea butter and soothing bisabolol, as well as the inclusion of Augustinus Bader’s trademark, skin-renewing TFC8 technology, you know you’re getting the results your dry skin is (literally) itching for. 

Price at time of publish: from $105 for 100 ml

Key Ingredients: TFC8, shea butter, bisabolol | Scent: None | Size: 100 ml, 200 ml | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Drugstore

Raw Sugar Body Butter

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If you’re not heading to a luxury beauty store anytime soon, luckily your local drugstore likely has one of our favorite, also budget-friendly, body butters in stock from Raw Sugar. Formulated with all of the hydrating, nourishing, and soothing oil extracts you’d want in a body butter (including macadamia, sweet almond, safflower, cold pressed olive and jojoba), Raw Sugar’s Body Butter comes in four different scent and ingredient variations that target your specific skin concerns—there’s even a specific formula for sensitive skin with green tea leaf, aloe vera, and cucumber extracts. 

Price at time of publish: $12

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, macadamia oil, sweet almond oil | Scent: Raw Coconut + Mango, Lemon Sugar, Green Tea + Cucumber + Aloe Vera, Pineapple + Maqui Berry + Coconut | Size: 7 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Hydrating

Osea Undaria Algae Body Butter

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While lots of body butters claim to hydrate the skin from head to toe, not all formulas on the market include ingredients like Undaria seaweed and oat kernel extract that replenish your skin’s moisture barrier to keep that hydration intact all day or night long. These are the star ingredients in Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Butter, alongside shea butter, dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, and saccharide isomerate, which work to deeply hydrate even your driest areas. This is an exceptional body butter for those with mature skin as well, as the thick, rich formula can help reduce the appearance of crepiness thanks to the ingredients’ skin-revitalizing and smoothing powers. Although this is a pricier pick than others on our list, we think the ingredients designed to repair moisture barrier make it worth the spend. 

Price at time of publish: from $26 for 1.7 oz

Key Ingredients: Undaria seaweed, oat kernel extract, shea butter | Scent: Grapefruit, lime, cypress with notes of mango mandarin | Size: 1.7 oz, 6.7 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Whipped

Kiehl's Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter

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The whipped formula found in Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter truly puts the “butter” in “body butter,” especially considering its slight yellow hue. Made with honey, shea and jojoba butters, and sweet almond oil, the whipped consistency makes it so the formula doesn’t feel too heavy or goopy without skimping out on actually nourishing your skin. Plus, the honey scent is super subtle, so anyone who struggles using products with overwhelming fragrance will be pleased with this formula. 

Price at time of publish: $45

Key Ingredients: Honey, shea butter, jojoba butter | Scent: Honey | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: No

Best Thick

Keys Soulcare Rich Nourishing Body Cream

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If you’re struggling with extra-dry, tight, and flaky skin, don’t fret: it’s no match for a good, thick body butter. The Rich Nourishing Body Cream from Keys Soulcare is known for its ultra-dense formula, which is packed with moisturizing ingredients like shea and cocoa butter and rose of jericho (which is said to have amazing hydration benefits), as well as moisture-retaining ceramides and oats that soothe skin and keep moisture intact in your skin barrier all day and night. Keys Soulcare recommends using the Rich Nourishing Body Cream post-shower or bath, while your skin is still slightly damp, to ensure the best results. 

Price at time of publish: $36

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, cocoa butter, rose of jericho | Scent: Sage and oat milk | Size: 170 ml | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Scented

Silk + Noir Cocoa Butter + Cashmere Whipped Body Cream

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If you want to smell expensive without breaking the bank for a luxury body cream, look no further than Silk + Noir’s Cocoa Butter + Cashmere Whipped Body Cream. The scent combination of cocoa butter, spices, olive wood, and coconut provides an air of warmth and elegance that will make you forget that this body butter is only 20 dollars—its skin benefits are just an added bonus. Not only does the Whipped Body Cream include cocoa butter and shea butter, a.k.a. our go-to ingredients for an ultra-moisturizing formula, but also rosehip seed oil, which is chock full of vitamins A, C, and E that promote cell turnover, brighten skin, and repair your skin’s moisture barrier, respectively.

Price at time of publish: $20

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, cocoa butter, rosehip seed oil | Scent: Cocoa butter, spices, olive wood, and coconut | Size: 9 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Unscented

Humanrace Humidifying Body Cream

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Not everyone wants a fragrance in their body butter, especially those with sensitive skin where a heavy scent could further trigger rashes and itchiness. Humanrace’s Humidifying Body Cream boasts a fragrance-free formula, complete with ingredients like shea butter and snow mushroom extract, which is said to infiltrate your skin barrier and add hydration faster thanks to its smaller molecular size. The “Humidifying” feature in the product’s name is a testament to this formula’s moisturizing effects—it’s like a humidifier for your skin in a thick cream form. Although this is a pricier option than others on our list, we love that this formula was tested by dermatologists to work on even the most sensitive skin.

Price at time of publish: $54

Key Ingredients: Snow mushroom extract, shea butter, bakuchiol | Scent: None | Size: 6.4 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Sensitive Skin

Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

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Cetaphil is a name in the skin and bodycare game you’ve likely heard of already—their gentle products are famous for those dealing with skin sensitivities from excessive dryness to eczema—and the thick, fragrance-free formula found in its Moisturizing Cream will quench your dehydrated skin thanks to its included glycerin and panthenol. I always like to keep a tub of this (it comes in a 16-ounce container!) around the house for those times where my skin’s acting up and I need something gentle to get me through the day or night. 

Price at time of publish: $15

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, panthenol, sweet almond oil | Scent: None | Size: 16 oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Eczema

Skinfix Eczema+ Extra Strength Body Cream

4.2

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This one’s for my fellow eczema-havers: Skinfix’s Eczema+Extra Strength Body Cream is a thick butter formulated with two percent colloidal oatmeal and four percent sweet almond oil, a.k.a. “two fantastic and soothing ingredients for eczema and inflammation prone skin,” according to Dr. Greenfield. Plus, not only was this tested by dermatologists themselves (says SkinFix), but the National Eczema Association also gave this rich butter its Seal of Acceptance, so you know your eczema-prone skin will love this. This formula even comes in a tube rather than a jar like other body butters, so the application process is a little more seamless. 

Price at time of publish: $39

Key Ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal, sweet almond oil | Scent: None | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Smoothing

Sol de Janerio Bom Dia Bright Body Cream

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While all body butters aim to hydrate, not all can also boast exfoliating properties like Sol de Janerio’s Bom Dia Bright Body Cream can. Created with fruit AHAs derived from banana and mango, this formula exfoliates your skin to leave it ultra-smooth post-application. These aren’t the only ingredients worth mentioning in this formula—vitamin C helps brighten your skin’s appearance while ​​the inclusion of cupuaçu butter works wonders for hydration. Sol de Janerio is also known for its amazing scents, and the Bom Dia Bright Body Cream’s heavenly fragrance notes of Black Amber Plum, Vanilla Woods, and Jasmine Bloom prove just why they’re so beloved. 

Price at time of publish: $48

Key Ingredients: Fruit AHAs, vitamin C, cupuaçu butter | Scent: Black Amber Plum, Vanilla Woods, and Jasmine Bloom | Size: 240 ml | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Stretch Marks

Mutha Body Butter

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Whether you’re a mother-to-be with a growing belly or are just looking to lighten any stretch marks around your body, MUTHA’s Body Butter will become your new go-to. Its formula is chock full of skin-regenerating ingredients like mango seed butter, which is full of vitamin C for skin brightening and vitamin A to boost cell turnover and leave renewed, firm skin behind, cocoa seed butter for improved skin elasticity, and, of course, our go-to hydration hero shea butter. Although this is a pricey product, we think the formula of active ingredients is worth it especially if you’re looking to reduce the appearance of stretch marks.

Price at time of publish: from $45 for 1.7 oz

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, mango seed butter, cocoa seed butter | Scent: Subtle citrus | Size: 1.7 oz, 5.5 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Anti-Aging

Nature Well Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream

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Nature Well’s Clinical Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream is an ideal body butter if you're seeking not only something to moisturize your ultra-dry skin, but also a formula to minimize the signs of aging. Thanks to its ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, the retinol in this formula can have an anti-aging effect on your skin with consistent use. Plus, despite its super rich and creamy texture, the Clinical Retinol Advanced Moisture Cream won’t feel greasy on your skin, so it’s a feasible option to use before you head out for the day or right before bedtime. 

Price at time of publish: $23

Key Ingredients: Retinol, coconut oil, glycerin | Scent: Floral | Size: 16 oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best with Oils

Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream

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While lots of luxe body butters feature some nourishing oils on their ingredients lists, nothing compares to the seven oils found in Fenty Skin’s Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream formula. With kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut, and jojoba oils (as well as shea butter, mango seed butter, and moisture-retaining glycerin), this Fenty Skin body butter will do anything but leave your skin tight, dry, and itchy from lack of hydration. Plus, the shine that shows up on your skin is an added bonus that you won’t get from run-of-the-mill lotions and moisturizers.

Price at time of publish: $44

Key Ingredients: Kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut, and jojoba oils, shea butter | Scent: Floral | Size: 6.7 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Post-Shave

Vaseline Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter

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Body butters are a great addition to any body care routine for those with dry skin, but it’s especially crucial to have a good one on hand for after you shave. Putting a razor to your skin can result in a flare up of bumps, nicks, and other sensitivities that can make your already-dry skin feel worse—Dr. Greenfield suggests the Intensive Care Cocoa Radiant Smoothing Body Butter from Vaseline for a head-to-toe supple feel post-shave. She says: “Shaving leaves your skin with fewer layers of dead skin cells and a butter should provide an environment for the skin to rebuild. This Vaseline Smoothing Body Butter is a good choice because of its pure cocoa butter which provides long lasting occlusive hydration.”

Price at time of publish: $17

Key Ingredients: Cocoa butter, shea butter, Vaseline jelly  | Scent: Warm | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty Free: No

Best Soothing

Tatcha Indigo Soothing Body Butter

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Ultra-dry, itchy, rashy skin is no fun for anyone, especially if you have certain conditions like eczema or psoriasis that cause your skin to flare up more than the average person. When looking to soothe skin sensitivities, Tatcha’s Soothing Body Butter with Japanese indigo is a fabulous way to go—this unique ingredient is known for its healing and calming effects and is said to work wonders for those struggling with any aforementioned conditions. Don’t be turned off by the blue hue, though—it shows up colorless once rubbed into your skin. 

Price at time of publish: $49

Key Ingredients: Japanese indigo, glycerin, squalane | Scent: Light floral | Size: 6.8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Winter

Silk + Noir Milk, Oats & Honey Whipped Body Cream

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Cocoa Butter + Cashmere is not Silk + Noir’s only Body Cream formula; Dr. Greenfield loves its Milk, Oats, & Honey version for that extra-dry, flaky, and scratchy winter skin that many have to deal with once the temperatures go down in December. “For winter you should use a cream that contains multiple sources of oils for your skin,” says Dr. Greenfield. “Silk and Noir Milk, Oats, & Honey Whipped Body Cream contains shea butter, cocoa butter, and rosehip seed oil, providing much needed hydration from multiple sources in winter time.” Thankfully it comes in a nine-ounce tub as well—it’s not unlikely that you’ll need to slather more product on during the colder months. 

Price at time of publish: $20

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, cocoa butter, rosehip seed oil | Scent: French vanilla, milk, nutty almond | Size: 9 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best for Summer

Hempz Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Butter

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Trust me when I say there is no scent quite as summery as the one found in Hempz’ Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon Herbal Body Butter formula. It’s made with pineapple and honey melon extracts, which give it that fruity fragrance that transports you right to a tropical vacation post-application, and the inclusion of pure hemp seed oil (which retains moisture and keeps skin looking renewed), coconut oil, and shea butter give your post-pool, post-beach—whichever outdoor area you’re spending time in during the summer months—skin the nourishment it needs to stay supple. 

Price at time of publish: $19 

Key Ingredients: Hemp oil, pineapple & honey melon extracts, shea butter | Scent: Pineapple and melon | Size: 8 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best with SPF

Supergoop! Body Butter SPF 40

4.2

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While SPF is a necessary step in your routine no matter the season, this Supergoop! Body Butter with SPF 40 is a body butter you should keep on hand during the summer months as well, considering the much stronger UV index. Supergoop!’s Body Butter is the perfect kill-two-birds-with-one-stone product, providing your skin with both deep hydration and daily protection from the sun’s rays with broad spectrum SPF 40—it even has vitamin A- and E-abundant sea buckthorn fruit extract to help lessen the visible consequences of sun damage. You won’t smell any typical sunscreen scent either with this formula, rather it smells deliciously of eucalyptus, clove, and vanilla. 

Price at time of publish: $38

Key Ingredients: 3% Avobenzone, 5% Octisalate, 10% Octocrylene, sea buckthorn fruit extract | Scent: Eucalyptus, clove, and vanilla | Size: 5.7 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best with Tint

Isle of Paradise Even Skin Tone Self-Tanning Body Butter

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A body butter that not only hydrates your parched skin but also leaves it looking bronzed and glowy? That’s the magic of Isle of Paradise’s Even Skin Tone Self-Tanning Body Butter, which takes the gradual tanning aspect of your favorite self tanner and combines it with the nourishment of a rich body butter. With avocado and coconut oils as well as green color-correcting actives included in this formula to keep skin aptly hydrated and even-toned, the Self-Tanning Body Butter allows you to build your ideal color—just apply as many layers as you desire (as you would with a traditional self-tanning product). 

Price at time of publish: $28

Key Ingredients: Avocado oil, coconut oil | Scent: Not listed, but reviewers mention a typical self-tanner aroma | Size: 6.76 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Natural

Weleda Skin Food Body Butter

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If you struggle with dry skin, you’ve likely wanted to try (or have already tried) a product from Weleda’s Skin Food line, which includes this ultra-nourishing, all-natural Body Butter in it. With cocoa seed butter, shea butter, and sunflower seed oil, as well as Skin Food’s signature chamomile and calendula flower extracts, your skin won’t be able to get enough of this delectable whipped butter. And, despite its drugstore presence, it comes in a luxe-looking glass jar which you can even recycle through Weleda and TerraCycle’s recycling program.  

Price at time of publish: $20

Key Ingredients: Cocoa seed butter, shea butter, sunflower seed oil | Scent: Pansy | Size: 5 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best Vegan

Cake Beauty Vegan Body Cream

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Everyone has different priorities in mind when it comes to finding the best body butter for their skin—if one of your must-have features is a vegan formula, the Heavy Cream Smoothing Body Butter Balm from Cake Beauty is a great, sweet-smelling option. This shea butter-dominant formula absorbs into your skin flawlessly despite its rich consistency, and the vanilla scent smells just like the brand’s name: cake. Not only does Cake Beauty formulate its Body Butter Balm to be vegan, but also without the addition of parabens, mineral oils, phthalates, sulfates, or talc. 

Price at time of publish: $10

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, aloe vera, camellia leaf extract | Scent: French vanilla | Size: 7 oz | Byrdie Clean: Yes | Cruelty Free: Yes

Best with Pump

bliss Lemon + Sage Body Butter

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You know this body butter is the real deal when the formula has been used in the bliss spa for years and years and comes in an industrial-sized, 32-ounce pump version (so you won’t run out so quickly!). The Lemon and Sage Body Butter from bliss is made with shea butter, coconut oil, and candelilla wax, a.k.a. a vegan alternative to beeswax, to hydrate skin and keep it hydrated, and its signature lemon and sage fragrance will make you feel like you’re at the spa, even if you’re not at bliss’ New York City location. You can grab the regular 6.7-ounce tube version or this much larger, 32-ounce version that comes with a pump feature that allows you to apply this formula with just one hand instead of two. 

Price at time of publish: $60 for 32 oz with pump

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, coconut oil, candelilla wax | Scent: Lemon and sage | Size: 32 oz | Byrdie Clean: No | Cruelty Free: Yes