The 12 Best Products for Treating Keratosis Pilaris, According to a Dermatologist
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The Best Products for Treating Keratosis Pilaris
Best Overall: ISDIN Uradin 10 Lotion
Best Exfoliating Moisturizer: CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
Best Exfoliating Pads: Replenix Glycolic Acid 20% Resurfacing Peeling Pads
Best Moisturizing Lotion: Eucerin Roughness Relief Body Lotion
Best Body Cream: Ebanel 40% Urea Cream
Best Body Scrub: DERMAdoctor KP Duty Dermatologist Formulated Body Scrub
Something you might know of as “chicken skin” could actually be Keratosis Pilaris, or KP, a surprisingly common skin condition. Keratosis Pilaris can cause rough and bumpy skin textures, and is most commonly treated around upper arms, legs and buttocks areas of the body. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can affect about 50% to 80% of teenagers and 40% of adults at some point in their live.
In fact, it’s so common that most dermatologists don’t consider Keratosis Pilaris condition at all. The Mayo Clinic explains that Keratosis Pilaris simply happens when there’s a “buildup of keratin — a hard protein that protects skin from harmful substances and infection.” The keratin then clogs the opening of hair follicles, causing patches of rough, hyper-pigmented bumpy skin. There’s currently not enough research for dermatologists to say conclusively why certain people have Keratosis Pilaris, but “it might happen along with a genetic disease or skin conditions such as eczema.”
While there’s currently no cure, it can be managed with gentle and consistent skincare routines. The best Keratosis Pilaris treatments not only help promote cell turnover, but smooth the look of skin — so you’ll be seeing less patches in no time. This includes a combination of physical and chemical exfoliants to buff out the bumps and rich moisturizers to soften your skin.
We consulted board certified dermatology and Assistant Clinical Professor at Mount Sinai Hospital Department of Dermatology in New York, Dr. Rachel Nazarian, to determine what the best and most effective product recommendations are for treating KP.
Expert-Recommended Products to Treat Keratosis Pilaris
The expert we spoke to emphasized that the best treatment for KP depends on your skin type, but below are a few recommended products to keep in mind that could aid in managing flare-ups.
1. ISDIN Body Lotion Uradin 10
$42.00
$42
Though it may not be specifically formulated for KP, ISDIN’s Uradin 10 lotion is one of the top picks for helping treat it for a reason. “It’s a very lightweight lotion, so that makes it great choice for people who have Keratosis Pilaris on their thighs or arms,” says Dr. Nazarian. “It uses 10% Urea, and also has skin-softening ingredients like glycerin and shea butter.” When it comes to preventing rough, scaly skin, Urea as an ingredient is the gold standard, due to its ability to lock in moisture and loosen dead skin cells (as gross as that may seem).
2. CeraVe SA Lotion for Rough & Bumpy Skin
$14.99 $19.99 25% off
$19.99
Dr. Nazarian says that CeraVe’s SA lotion is another great way to treat Keratosis Pilaris if you’re looking to start experimenting with a mild exfoliant. “This time the active ingredient is a low concentration of salicylic acid, which can gently decrease the bumps, but is a little bit easier on sensitive skin than a full-on chemical peel.” Like most of CeraVe’s other skincare products, this lotion is also formulated with essential ceramides (1, 3, 6-II) that are found naturally in the skin, which can help restore and maintain your skin’s natural barrier. Our VP of Commerce Jessica Seib has also tried this lotion paired with the SA body wash, and found the combination of both “works wonders to clear bumps almost completely.”
3. Eucerin Roughness Relief Body Lotion
$12.79
$12.97
Dr. Nazarian says Eucerin’s Roughness Relief lotion is a great option for people who not only have KP, but also suffer from very dry skin. “It also has Urea, which we classically use to decrease the bumps, but combines it with ceramides, and natural moisturizing factors, which help improve the skin barrier.” That also makes the body lotion more suitable for daily use on sensitive skin, and it’ll help lock-in moisture for up to 48 hours, according to the brand.
Best of the Rest: Products for Treating Keratosis Pilaris
From exfoliating lotions to hydrating cleansers, in addition to Dr. Nazarian’s approval, the below products for Keratosis Pilaris also carry overwhelmingly positive consumer reviews.
4. Replenix Glycolic Acid 20% Resurfacing Peeling Pads
$36.50
$36.50
If you’ve got facial Keratosis Pilaris, especially on your cheeks, try these exfoliating face pads in lieu of a physical scrub. The latter can help on larger areas of your body, but chemical exfoliants are recommended for the delicate skin on your face. These are pre-soaked with medical-grade Glycolic Acid to promote even skin tone and visibly reduce the appearance of hyperpigmentation. Additional vitamins A, C and E deeply nourish that skin precious barrier while revealing smoother, brighter complexion — all without the irritation of a harsher peel.
5. Ebanel Urea Cream 40%
$15.95 $19.99 20% off
$15.99 $19.99 20% off
Want to get a little more aggressive with your treatment on the roughest, driest areas of your body? This Ebanel cream ups the amount of Urea to 40% — the highest potency possible (although Nazarian says a lower concentration still gets the job done) along with 2% salicylic acid to deeply exfoliate while still smoothing out and softening the most affected patches of skin. Best of all, this cream enriched with anti-inflammatory ingredients like tea tree oil, green tea leaf extract, aloe vera, and coconut oil to help reduce a lot of the redness associated with KP.
6. DERMAdoctor KP Duty Dermatologist Formulated Body Scrub
$52.00
$33
You can kiss chicken skin goodbye with this powerful, dermatologist-formulated body scrub made by DERMAdoctor, one of the first brands to create products specifically meant to help treat KP (not just “rough, dry” skin). The best scrubs for KP combine both a chemical and physical exfoliation, and this scrub blends glycolic and lactic acids to polish away rough bumps, along with hydrated silica to get a gentler exfoliation for smoother, touchably-soft skin. You’ll have to use it at least two times per week for around four to six weeks to start seeing significant results, but it also has the added benefit of working great for in-grown hairs and shaving bumps.
7. Oui the People Cheat Sheet Resurfacing Body Serum
$87.99
$45
Buzzy bodycare brand Oui the People is known for their products formulated for the most diverse skin types and concerns (including Keratosis Pilaris). But you shouldn’t sleep on their Cheat Sheet Resurfacing Body Serum, a clear gel you can literally apply on before you sleep to reap the benefits of its texture-clearing, brightening ingredients overnight. It’s packed full of dermatologist-recommended exfoliating ingredients for KP like glycolic acid, lactic acid, and PHA that’ll help dissolve away dead skin cells, leaving your skin smooth, clear, and bump-free. Bonus: the addition of Atlantic sea kelp also helps soothe skin over time.
8. The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + HA Serum
$16.20
$8.10
For helping treat Keratosis Pilaris, Nazarian says it’s important to go super gentle when it comes to acid-based serums. “Avoid irritating ingredients and lean towards ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier — that should be the goal.” This 5% lactic acid-based serum is one of the gentlest AHA’s we’ve found, and its hyaluronic acid base will help keep your skin extra hydrated. “I love ceramides, squalene, and hyaluronic acid, all of which are totally natural and helpful for all skin types.” If your skin starts to dry out too much, either use it every other night, or add a layer of rich, gentle moisturizer on top.
9. Glytone Mild Gel Cleanser
$36.00
$36
Like we’ve said before, you shouldn’t be excessively exfoliating your face with harsh scrubs for KP, as that’s likely to just make the redness and dryness even worse. For a facial cleanser with exfoliating acid active ingredients, Glytone’s oil-free Mild Gel Cleanser is formulated with 4.7% glycolic acid, but still remains gentle enough for regular use. It’ll thoroughly cleanse and exfoliate those patches of bumpy skin to help leave you feeling smoother and brighter, and can also be used to remove makeup and unclog pores if you’re breaking out.
10. The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution
$13.00 $15.79 18% off
$23.97
To avoid having your face feel extra dry and irritated by your toner, this solution from The Ordinary contains another one of Nazarian’s favorites — glycolic acid. The concentration is pretty low, but that works here because it offers an exfoliation so gentle you can use it up to twice a day. While we recommend it for your face, you can actually use it to help improve the appearance of skin texture on your body, too.
11. Avène Tolerance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Balm
$26.60 $38.00 30% off
$38
Finding a cream that’s extra gentle on your face is what you need if you want to avoid irritation from all the acid-based products you’re putting on. This ultra-rich skin balm from Avène is meant for hypersensitive, reactive skin types, and it’ll help hydrate and restore your skin’s barrier in 48 hours while calming down any hyperactivity or KP flare-ups that are already happening. Note that when we say rich we mean rich, so we’d save this one as a night cream and pair it with the lighter-weight Paula’s Choice moisturizer for the daytime.
12. First Aid Beauty Smooth Operators Trio
$63.00
$63 $78 19% off
This kit from First Aid Beauty is one of the best ways we’ve found to treat Keratosis Pilaris on the body. It includes a physical exfoliant to scrub away dead skin cells from the Bump Eraser Body Scrub (think of it like a pumice stone for your KP), along with a Smoothing Body lotion that combines the powers of 10% alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic acid with a moisturizing skin cream. Along with the Ingrown Hair Pads, when used together, this trio can help improve your skin’s texture and contribute to smoothing away any roughness.
Buying Guide: Our Expert’s Rationale for Recommended Keratosis Pilaris Treatments
According to Dr. Nazarian, maintaining a well-balanced skincare routine that includes products with both exfoliating ingredients and moisturizing ones is best if you struggle with Keratosis Pilaris. When narrowing down the above recommended products for treating KP, our expert recommended we consider these factors below:
Product Type: “Some people like to have their moisturizing ingredients in serum form, while others like lotions, and dryer skin types prefer creams,” says Dr. Nazarian. “For those who are really oily or acne-prone, I find that using lighter-weight serum moisturizer is a better fit.” We considered a variety of creams, lotions, and serums that combine hydrating ingredients with physical and chemical exfoliants.
Exfoliants: For the exfoliating products, we picked options with chemicals that would help remove dead skin cells, as Dr. Nazarin said urea does to help break down keratin. Physical exfoliants for KP like scrubs should only be used on the body, though, and not on your face.
Hydration: To prevent KP-prone skin from drying out or getting irritated (especially if you’re using exfoliants regularly), we chose products with ingredients that Dr. Nazarian recommended, like glycerin, squalene, hyaluronic acid and ceramides to hydrate your skin.
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