I Tried Neutrogena's Body Oil and It Left My Skin Glowy and Soft

We put the Neutrogena Lightweight Body Oil to the test after receiving a complimentary sample from the brand. Keep reading for our full product review. 

Neutrogena Body Oil is a classic option for adding silky shine to your legs or adding a bit of hydration to your bath. But body oils can be sticky, too thick, or smell weird. Unlike typical moisturizers, there seems to be more room for error. Plus, is this particular body oil, which has been around for decades, really better than newer options on the market?

I tested out Neutrogena Body Oil to see if the affordable oil is worth the purchase.

About My Skin: Sometimes dry

My skin is mostly normal but can get dry during the colder months. I love using oils—they feel luxurious, and I love the way they leave a healthy-looking sheen behind. But despite my love for them, I don’t often work them into my body routine. Instead, I use whatever lotion I happen to have on hand at the time, recently that’s been Necessaire The Body Lotion and Epicuren After Bath Moisturizer. 

I used the Neutrogena Body Oil on its own to moisturize as well as in the shower.

The Feel: Lightweight and scented

The oil is very lightweight and it lacks that syrupy thickness some oils, like castor oil, have. This makes it enjoyable and easy to apply all over. It can be difficult to pour just the right amount out of the bottle though, and I found I often ended up with more than I needed.

The added fragrance is strong but not overbearing. I still smelled it on my skin hours later, but it tones down within a few minutes. If you don’t enjoy the scent, you can pick it up in the unscented version instead.

It stays oily on the skin for several minutes, but this depends on how much you apply in the first place. You don’t need much to start feeling the benefits, and it’s better to apply too little than too much. It requires some drying time, or else you may stain any fabric you touch or end up with crumbs or hair stuck to your skin. Before long though, the oily feeling fades.

The Results: Softer skin

I like to apply the oil as I would any other moisturizer, and like moisturizer, it does the best job at actually hydrating skin when applied immediately after a bath or shower. I even used it while shaving when I ran out of shaving cream, and while it sometimes clogged the razor it left my legs even smoother than they typically are after shaving. While I didn’t take a bath with the oil, that’s also a recommended way to use it if you’d like to counter the drying effects of the hot water.

So, what oil exactly is in this formula? The first ingredient is isopropyl syristate, followed by Sesame oil. Isopropyl myristate is an emollient that helps lock in hydration and keep the skin’s barrier protected. It also acts as a thickener, so it ups the viscosity of the oil. Sesame oil has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it has a low possibility of clogging pores. Together, these ingredients hydrate skin while providing beneficial vitamins and nutrients.

Just be cautious that the oil can stain fabric and you can end up with a big mess if you’re not careful—the oil leaked out of the bottle in my suitcase and just barely averted disaster.

The Value: Reasonably priced

The 16-ounce bottle that I tried cost around $20. This isn’t exactly cheap, but when compared to other options—and especially when comparing the bottle sizes—this body oil is reasonably priced. Many other options for body oils come at a steeper price and a smaller amount of product. Most often these have higher quality ingredients though, so consider that when deciding which might be right for you.

Similar Products: Other cleansers to try

Bio-Oil Skincare Oil ($13): Another classic is this body oil that uses a mix of plant oils and vitamins to repair and protect the skin. It’s a little pricier than Neutrogena due to the small bottle size, but it’s worth it if you have stretch marks or scars you want to fade. A 4-ounce bottle costs around $15.

Herbivore Jasmine Glowing Hydration Body Oil ($44): For an extra indulgent experience (and a fragrant jasmine scent), Herbivore’s body oil is the hydrator to choose. It’s a steep $44 for a 4-ounce bottle, but in return, you’ll get a very clean, very hydrating body oil.