These Body Lotions Smell So Delicious, You'll Want to Eat 'Em (But Pls Don't)

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Good skincare doesn't end at the neck. The best skincare routine can do wonders, both for your skin and your mood, and if you haven't extended that self-care to the rest of your body, trust me, you're missing out. Body skincare routines are also a form of self-care, and they don't have to be elaborate. It can be as simple as using a luxe body wash for dry skin and massaging your damp skin with a yummy-smelling body lotion.

Of course, the best-smelling body lotion is subjective. Like perfumes, body lotions can range from floral, powdery scents to warm vanilla and sandalwood. Depending on the formula and concentration, scented body lotions can also vary in strength and lasting power. To help you find the best-smelling body lotion for you, I tested countless moisturizers and polled fellow Cosmopolitan editors for their faves—from perfume-enhancing vanilla lotions to floral retinol body lotions. Ready to level up your scent game? Keep scrolling for the crème de la crème.

You may have to kiss a few frogs before finding your prince, but once you find the scented lotion that's right for you, you'll wonder how you ever managed life without it.

Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

The one, the only, the icon—of course, I had to include Sol de Janeiro's signature Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. This thick lotion smells like a tropical vacation and is formulated with super moisturizing cupuaçu butter and guaraná seed extract to help firm and tighten the skin.

• Smells like: Salted caramel, pistachio, vanilla
  

• Key ingredients: Guaraná, Cupuaçu butter

Glowing Customer Review: "This has such a delicious and potent, long-lasting scent! Everywhere I go people ask what I'm wearing and my friends will text days after I've left their house saying it still smells like me. It dries quickly and no greasiness."

Shea Better Body Lotion—Vanilla Cashmere

This eos body lotion has been all over TikTok recently as the perfect base for sandalwood perfume lovers. The vanilla cashmere scent is light enough not to overpower any fragrance you layer on top but potent enough to keep you smelling delicious all day long. (Pro tip: When layering scents, spritz your perfume right after applying your body lotion to make it last longer.)

• Smells like: Vanilla, caramel, musk

• Key ingredients: Glycerin, shea butter, sunflower seed oil

Glowing Customer Review: "The TikTok girlies made me buy it and it did not disappoint. It's rich and smooth, keeps me moisturized for the entire day. Let's talk about the smell: the vanilla cashmere is so nice. It's not as strong as I thought, but it's definitely a pleasant sweet vanilla and soft musk—almost smells edible."

Barrier Repair Cloud Body Cream

54 Thrones is known for its thick, shea butter body butters, but the Barrier Repair Cloud Body Cream is just as luxe. Made with shea butter and argan oil, this body lotion is super moisturizing without being heavy. And for those who prefer gourmand over floral, it also comes in a vanilla honey scent.

• Smells like: Kenyan hibiscus, Moroccan rose, pear

• Key ingredients: Shea butter, argan oil, rose damascena flower oil

Glowing Customer Reviews: "I love the Rose Hibiscus body cream—the way it makes my skin feel and smell after I put it on... Feels like silk and it's light and refreshing. Great for bedtime or when you might have someone close to you but you don't want to do too much with perfume."

Butta Drop Refillable Whipped Oil Body Cream

I have bought multiple refills of my Fenty Skin Butta Drop because of its silky smooth application and sweet but not overpowering scent. I love how luxurious it feels and the fact that I can use a fruity lotion all over my body without smelling like I just bathed in Jamba Juice.

• Smells like: Fresh tropical fruit

• Key ingredients: Coconut oil, shea butter, mango seed butter

Glowing Customer Review: "I've bought this product so many times from the refills to the minis, I wanted to make sure I never ran out... I love that this products keeps you moisturized, but doesn't leave an oily film on your body. It's easy to layer this product with other scents and products."

Retinol Body Lotion

Retinol is basically the closest thing to a superhero ingredient in skincare. It's used to combat hyperpigmentation and acne, so why wouldn't you want it on your body? This retinol lotion combines the anti-aging perks of retinol with the antioxidant benefits of ferulic acid in a fresh, floral scent.

• Smells like: Sweet chamomile

• Key ingredients: Retinol, vitamin E, ferulic acid, shea butter

Glowing Customer Review: "I've been searching a long time for something for my body. I'm in my 40s and my skin is changing drastically. And this lotion is a game changer. It helps with holding moisture and the crepey skin. It's amazing."

Melrose Place Moisturizing Body Creme

Cosmopolitan Senior Social Media Editor Maddie Hiatt swears by OUAI's Melrose Place Body Creme. "Whenever I use it, I always get compliments, and it actually makes my skin super soft and moisturized," she says, adding that she was so obsessed with the powdery, floral scent that she bought the matching candle!

• Smells like: pink peppercorn, berry, lychee, peony, jasmine, bergamot, sandalwood

• Key ingredients: Capuaçu butter, squalane, coconut oil

Glowing Customer Review: "This body cream is deliciously silky with a beautiful scent! A little goes a long way, which is great so this container should last a long while. It leaves my skin feeling buttery soft and not sticky."

Find Comfort Hydrating Body Lotion

Cosmopolitan beauty editor Beth Gillette loves the scent of Rare Beauty's new Comfort line. "It's very soft and light, so it won't compete with perfume, but smells like cashmere and fresh laundry with a lil vetiver and woodsiness," she says.

• Smells like: Lemon zest, violet, vetiver

• Key ingredient: Niacinamide, ashwaganda extract, shea butter

Glowing Customer Review: "I absolutely LOVE this product!! Your skin is not left greasy, the fragrance is not intense, my skin looks beautiful after using it. It smells like heaven and the formula isn't like any other cream."

100% Virgin Coconut Oil Daily Hydration Body Lotion

This SheaMoisture body lotion is every coconut lover's dream, combining coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut water with super hydrating glycerine and shea butter. It smells just like coconut, but it's not overpowering. If you enjoy the scent of coconut body lotion while applying, but don't want to be smelling like it for the rest of the day, this one's for you.

• Smells like: Coconut

• Key ingredients: Glycerine, shea butter, gluconolactone (PHA)

Glowing Customer Review: "Lovely light scent, not overwhelming. The coconut lotion moisturizes beautifully without being greasy or sticky ever. Truly the best lotion I've ever found."

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

Yes, technically this is a body butter, but as someone who has used both Kiehl's Creme de Corps body lotion and whipped body butter, I am here to tell you that the whipped body butter is superior. Not only is the scent amplified, the whipped texture makes this body butter melt into the skin, versus the lotion which I found required more work applying.

• Smells like: Almonds, honey

• Key ingredients: Shea butter, jojoba butter, honey

Glowing Customer Review: "My skin has been dry, blotchy and irradated for months. I've tried everything! One application of Crème de Corps and my skin is gorgeous and glowing."

Smooth + Seduce Contouring Body Cream

Cosmopolitan Assistant News Editor Samantha Olson loves JLo Beauty's Smooth + Seduce body lotion because it contains micro-reflects that make her skin glow and smells exactly like Lopez's 2005 perfume, Glow by JLo.

• Smells like: Glow by JLo eau de parfum, which has notes of orange blossom, grapefruit, jasmine, musk, and sandalwood

• Key ingredients: Caffeine, niacinamide, cetearyl olivate

Glowing Customer Review: "The cream absorbed quickly, leaving my skin feeling nourished, soft, and supple. I appreciate that it doesn't leave any residue, allowing me to apply it just before getting dressed without any worries. The scent of this body cream is absolutely divine."

Côte d'Azur

In the words of Cosmopolitan Associate Editor Chaise Sanders, "This sh*t smells so good." Oribe's Côte d'Azur body creme offers a woody scent, matching the brand's Côte d'Azur perfume, the signature scent of Oribe hair products.

• Smells like: Bergamot, jasmine, sandalwood

• Key ingredients: Sweet almond oil, meadowfoam oil, starflower oil, shea butter

Glowing Customer Review: "This Oribe Cote d'Azur Restorative Body Creme goes on smoothly. I love that it rubbed into my skin really easily and has a good scent that's not too overpowering."

Roma Heirloom Tomato Lotion

You might not think that you want to smell like fresh heirloom tomatoes, but trust me when I tell you that every Cosmo editor I asked to try this lotion loved the sent. The body moisturizer itself is thin, but rich, and dries down quickly on the skin, leaving behind a fresh fragrance that'll have you smelling like you just emerged from a vegetable garden.

• Smells like: Tomato leaves, tarragon, black pepper

• Key ingredients: Jojoba oil, avocado oil
  

Glowing Customer Review: "This is so green and earthy. The perfect herby lotion. Incredibly moisturizing without being tacky."

Lavender and Rose Body Lotion

Lavender scent is believed to have a calming effect, that's why people recommend lavender essential oil for sleep. If you find the scent calming and you enjoy a night shower, then you'll love this Native moisturizer. Not only will it hydrate your skin, it's sweet scent will help you relax, just in time for light's out!

• Smells like: Lavender, rose

• Key ingredients: Squalane, aloe barbandenisis leaf juice

Glowing Customer Review: "The fragrance is lovely. The lotion does not leave my hands/body feeling sticky, and it soaks in pretty quickly."

Beija Flor Collagen-Boosting Elasti-Cream

I'll be honest: every Sol de Janeiro lotion smells amazing (hence why it makes this list twice!), but Beija Flor Elasti-Cream might be my fave after the Bum Bum Creme. I love that it has a more fruity, floral scent (still light and fun, but less sweet) and contains vegan collagen to help make your skin look plump and juicy.

• Smells like: Pink dragonfruit, jasmine, transparent vanilla

• Key ingredients: Cacay oil, vegan collagen, plant squalane

Glowing Customer Review: "This cream smells soo good! If you like a floral scent, this is perfect for you. The cream is also very thick, so it helps hydrate while also helping you smell good."

How to find the best-smelling lotion for you:

There are a few ways to find the best-smelling lotion for you, other than just following your nose.

Look out for key ingredients

Before you try a lotion, determine what you want to use it for. Do you want intense hydration and repair? Skin-smoothing and firming? Or something that just smells downright amazing? Not all body lotions contain strong, active ingredients like retinol or salicylic acid, but some do. If you want a body lotion to help promote collage and firm skin, try a retinol body lotion. If dryness is your main issue, try one without active ingredients that instead focuses on hydration.

Compare your favorite perfumes

Perfume enthusiasts should consider what scents they like and wear before choosing a scented body lotion, as the two fragrances will have to co-exist. If you already have a signature fragrance, look for a lotion with a complimentary scent or one so lightly scented it won't interfere with your perfume.

Know your skin type

Any body lotion with fragrance can be irritating, especially for sensitive skin types. If you're concerned, try a patch test—dab a little on the inside of your wrist or side of your neck and see how your skin reacts before putting it everywhere else.

Why trust Cosmo?

Olivia Truffaut-Wong is an editor at Cosmopolitan with 10 years of experience writing about culture and beauty. She is a makeup lover who can be found writing about everything from the best mild shampoos to UV nail lamps. She loves trying out new fragrances and is currently dabbling in layering different perfumes to find her signature scent.

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