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While a lot of people focus on facial skincare, caring for our body’s skin is essential for overall health and well-being. Maintaining skin hydration is important to prevent flaking, discomfort, and premature aging, support the barrier function, and improve shine and elasticity.
Body moisturizers, such as lotions and butters are the key to achieving smooth and moisturized skin. However, body lotions and butters have a few key differences and we’re here to help you understand those differences and which is better for you!
What is the difference between a body lotion and a body butter?
The body moisturizers are designed to hydrate, smooth, and protect our skin. But texture is the biggest difference between a body lotion and a body butter.
Lotions have a higher water content and a more liquid consistency, while body butters are usually thicker and creamier (…almost like butter)!
Body butters are also richer in natural fats, which means they provide long-lasting hydration.
Body lotions usually go through more processing stages and contain more water, which makes them absorb faster and spread easily.
Body lotions vs body butters: which one is better for you?
When choosing between a body butter and lotion, there are a few factors to consider:
- Your skin type: If your body skin is dry or very dry, a body butter might be better for you, since they provide long-lasting hydration. If you have normal to oily body skin, a body lotion is ideal, since it absorbs faster and has a lighter texture. Acne-prone skin will benefit from a lighter texture since it won’t clog pores.
- The seasons: During the summer or hotter months, our body retains moisture more easily, which means a lotion is usually enough. Body butter might be a good idea for the winter months.
- Your preference: Of course your personal preference is also a factor to consider. If you like a refreshing sensation and a fast-absorbing moisturizer, go for a body lotion. But if you like to feel smooth and hydrated for longer, body butter is the way to go.
You don’t need to choose between one or the other, use both!
You can have both and use them alternatively depending on the situation. For example, you may want to use a body lotion daily or when you’re on the go and still use a body butter once or twice a week or whenever you want some extra hydration.
Extra tips on body lotions
As we said previously, body lotions are excellent for everyday use. Lotions are often water-based as opposed to oil-based and include more mild hydrating compounds, such as squalane, glycerin, and carrier oils.
Body lotions also offer a wider range of products that usually target specific needs, such as firming body lotions, lotions with SPF, moisturizing lotions for atopic skin or eczema, and others.
You can also choose to apply a lotion on some parts of the body, such as the chest and back, and a body butter on drier parts of the body like elbows and legs.
If you need help choosing your body lotion, here are some excellent options:
Cerave Moisturizing Lotion
Are you looking for a simple, effective, and affordable moisturizing lotion? You can’t go wrong with the classic Cerave Moisturizing Lotion.
This light moisturizer wraps the skin in prolonged hydration while reinforcing its natural defense ability.
As usual, it features a combination of ceramides (1, 3, 6, 6-II), hyaluronic acid, MVE, cholesterol, and phytosphingosine for a moisturizing, regenerating, and smoothing action.
One of the biggest advantages of this lotion is that it is fragrance-free and suitable for sensitive skin, meaning it can be used for the whole family and on the face and body.
Cantu Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Lotion
If you want super hydration, but still prefer a body lotion, rather than a body butter, this rich Cantu lotion is for you!
The Canty Hydrating Coconut Oil Body Lotion is rich in natural ingredients and keeps the skin moisturized all day long. Its incredible formula contains coconut oil, with moisturizing properties, and a blend of shea butter, cocoa and mango butter, jojoba oil, argan, aloe vera, and vitamin E for a truly soothing, antioxidant, and nourishing action.
With a fast absorbing comfortable texture, this lotion is ideal for normal and dry skin.
Weleda Skin Food Nourishing Body Lotion
This is a great deal if you’re looking for a vegan formula suitable for sensitive, dry, or even irritated skin.
This Weleda Skin Food nourishing and repairing body lotion helps restore hydration and reduce skin irritation. Its formula contains sunflower seed oil and shea butter to nourish, smooth, and boost skin radiance.
With high-tolerance and bio-certified, it is another excellent moisturizing lotion.
Piz Buin Moisturizing Sun Lotion SPF30
If you want to simplify your routine by hydrating and protecting your skin simultaneously, this sun lotion is amazing!
Piz Buin offers a texture like no other, super light, non-sticky, easy to spread, and fast absorbing – a great advantage of this lotion.
This moisturizing lotion features advanced UVA/UVB protection filters with SPF30 to protect your skin from premature aging and glycerin to keep it hydrated and smooth.
This lotion is perfect to use during the summer and suitable for all skin types, especially normal to oily body skin.
Extra tips on body butters
Body butters typically have a rich and creamy texture ideal for dry, rough skin.
This type of moisturizer helps replenish the skin’s natural oils and protect the skin from stressors that can exacerbate dryness or irritation.
Body butter often uses fats as raw materials, including shea butter, but also cocoa, palm, olive, avocado, or jojoba oils.
Because the formula is a little thicker, body butters can be used immediately after the shower, even while the skin is still damp. They can also be used almost like a mask, during the night, so that you wake up with glowing skin.
A little goes a long way, so they often last a lot.
Here are a few body butters you might like:
Caudalie Vinotherapist Replenishing Vegan Body Butter
Caudalie Vinotherapist is a vegan formula with a creamy texture that involves the skin in a long-lasting feeling of well-being while attenuating itching and tightening.
This formula combines grapeseed oil, desert palm oil, and bio shea butter for a nourishing and comforting effect. The skin remains moisturized for 24 hours while feeling soft and glowy.
With a vegan formula and 98% natural ingredients, this body butter is ideal for dry, sensitive, or even atopic-prone skin.
Weleda Skin Food Body Butter Intensive Nourishment
If you want to put an end to dry skin, this body butter from Weleda is here to stay!
This formula contains shea butter and coconut oil to deeply hydrate and nourish the skin. It also contains pansy flower extract, chamomile, and marigold flower to protect, calm, and regenerate.
With a rich and luxurious texture, this butter is ideal for dry to very dry skin.
Cantu Mango Butter Raw Blend
Do you want to treat dry skin and dry hair simultaneously? We’ve got you: this Cantu body butter is a 2-in-1!
The Cantu butter offers a creamy, mango-scented texture that can be used on the body, hair, and even lips to moisturize, revitalize, brighten, and elasticize skin and strengthen hair.
This formula is 100% natural with only 3 ingredients: organic and certified mango butter, which soothes the skin and strengthens hair follicles, preventing breakage and hair loss, shea butter, and coconut oil to deeply moisturize the body, hair, scalp, and lips.
If you want to be hydrated from head to toe and smell delicious, this is for you!
FAQs
Is body butter better than body lotion?
No, the best product for you depends on your preference, skin type, and ingredients.
Can body butter be used on the face?
Body butters can be a little “heavy” to use on the face, even if some are non-comedogenic. It’s always best to use a moisturizer specifically for facial skin.
Are body lotions suitable for dry skin?
Yes! Although body butters are generally more moisturizing than lotions, a lot of lotions are suitable for dry or even very dry skin!
Can body butter or lotion help with stretch marks?
Some body butters and lotions can help prevent stretch marks, but body oils are usually the best type of moisturizer to help with that issue. Here are a few recommendations: Bio-Oil 100% Natural Oil or Lierac Phytolastil The Concentrate. Read our blog if you want to discover the best stretch mark creams and oils.
Can cocoa butter lotion expire?
Yes, they can. Using lotion past its expiration date isn’t likely to cause any harm unless it is a jarred lotion, which may harbor bacteria over time.
But consider that even if expired cocoa butter won’t hurt you, it won’t necessarily help you, either because the ingredients won’t leave your skin as hydrated as they would do.
Conclusion
With this article, we hope you have better understood the difference between body lotions and body butters.
It’s up to you to choose the best option according to your skin and your tastes. But the most important thing is that you keep your skin healthy and moisturized all the time!