Experts Say These Moisturizers Won't Dry Out Your Skin

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YES, THE POINT of a body wash is to cleanse your skin, but as dermatologist are so fond of saying “skincare starts in the shower.” That means that if you’re not using your body wash to also help treat skin issues, then you’re missing a golden opportunity. These days, body washes come in all different types—usually based on your skin type or what skin issue you’re hoping to address. Dry skin is an overwhelmingly common skin issue that most guys have dealt with at some point in their lives—whether it’s due to seasonal elements like cold weather and dry air or something more chronic like eczema.

Best Moisturizing Body Washes

Using a moisturizing body wash to tackle dry skin is a no brainer. Not only do you use it with water, but these specially formulated body washes contain ingredients like humectants, which help draw moisture (like from your shower) into your skin and occlusives, which help lock it in. Many will also contain moisturizers like plant oils and hyaluronic acid, which help to give your skin even more moisture. On top of all that, many are also suitable for sensitive skin (often, very dry skin can also be sensitive and easily prone to irritation) and contain soothing ingredients like oats, aloe vera, and vitamins. Overall, these moisturizing body washes leave your skin feeling more hydrated than it did before you stepped into the shower—and they help keep it that way even after you turn off the faucet.

Whether you have chronically dry skin or not, a good moisturizing body wash is a good thing to keep in your shower arsenal. As for which one to choose, we tested as many as we could get our hands on and these are the cream of the crop.

What to Consider

Not all body washes are created equal and you’ll notice that many are designed for specific skin types or skin issues. Moisturizing body washes are no exception. Here’s what to look for when choosing a moisturizing body wash.

Ingredients

The most important thing in a moisturizing body wash is, well, moisturizing ingredients. You’ll want to make sure there are a lot of moisturizing ingredients listed on the bottle and that they are fairly high up on the list (the higher they are on the list, the more there is in the formula). Moisturizing ingredients generally fall into two categories: humectants and occlusives. Humectants, like hyaluronic acid, help to draw moisture into the skin (like from the air or water from outside sources aka the shower) and occlusives, like oils and glycerin, help to seal it in so it doesn’t evaporate out (that’s called transepidermal water loss). You’ll want to make sure the formula contains both as both are important to keeping your skin well moisturized.

Cleansing Agents

Also called surfactants, these are the ingredients in the formula that actually remove dirt and oil and cleanse your skin. Many traditional surfactants are very harsh and can remove too much oil from your skin, which disrupts your skin’s protective barrier and can thus make your skin dry out quicker. A good moisturizing body wash will use gentle surfactants, often plant-based, to clean your skin but help keep the protective barrier intact.

Fragrance

Most body washes have some type of fragrance - it’s what we expect! But if you have sensitive skin or very dry skin, you may want to avoid fragrance in general. It can sometimes further dry out skin and cause irritation in sensitive skin. If you find that your skin is reactive to heavily fragranced products, you’ll likely want to look for something that’s fragrance-free.

How We Selected

We've personally tried hundreds of moisturizing body washes over the last couple years and have narrowed down our picks to the best of the best. We put these products to the test and evaluated each one how they took to our skin. In addition to performance, we also carefully vetted the quality of ingredients, cleansing agents, and fragrance.

Hydration Boost Body Wash

The classic Dove body wash is ultra-hydrating on its own and the creamy, moisture-rich formula of this one is the same, except now there’s also an extra dose (6% to be exact) of hyaluronic acid serum mixed right in. The creamy texture transforms into a rich lather that leaves your skin feeling so soft and moisturized you won’t be able to stop touching it. Out of all the body washes we tried, this left our skin feeling the most hydrated both immediately after our shower and for the longest time afterward.

The Body Wash

This hypoallergenic body wash is packed with ingredients that your skin craves like niacinamide, Vitamins A, C and E and omega fatty acids. This gel blooms into a gentle lather that cleanses your body with ease and leaves skin feeling incredibly hydrated thanks to the natural plant oils in the formula. It also utilizes gentle plant surfactants that clean but never strip your skin, ensuring that it feels smooth and clean but not tight or dry.

Hydrating Body Wash

This ultra-gentle, fragrance-free body wash is specifically designed to restore super dry skin. It not only contains important moisturizers like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, but there are also three different ceramides in this formula, which help to strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and keep moisture inside the skin where it belongs (instead of evaporating out. Yes, that’s a thing). And because very dry skin can also often be sensitive, it’s free from anything that potentially cause irritation.

Daily Moisturizing Body Wash

This nourishing, creamy wash is formulated not just for very dry skin, but for sensitive skin as well. The addition of prebiotic oats helps to calm irritation and soothe sensitive skin, while nourishing and moisturizing ingredients like glycerin help to impart that all-important moisture. Keep in mind, this has a little bit of added fragrance, but it’s still non-irritating for most cases of sensitive skin.

Body Wash

For those of us that like a gel wash, but don’t want to compromise moisture, this body wash is exactly what you are looking for. It uses super gentle plant-based surfactants to effectively cleanse skin without stripping it of its natural moisturizing oils (none of that telltale dry, tight feeling).

There’s also soothing aloe leaf juice and Vitamin E, both of which help to leave skin feeling smooth and irritation-free. This one gives a lot of lather and, while it’s available in multiple scents, we are partial to the fresh, aquatic Glacier + Granite scent that leaves your skin with just the right amount of scent.

Body Wash Moisturize with Shea Butter

If you’re a fan of skin-moisturizing hero shea butter, then you’ll love this body wash that’s packed with the stuff. The lather is rich and fragrant (it smells like a rich, creamy vanilla) and the plant-based cleansers work to deep clean your skin without leaving it with a hint of dryness. In fact, this wash is so moisturizing thanks to the shea butter in the formula, you may not even need to use body lotion after your shower.

Lipikar Body Wash

This incredibly gentle, lightly foaming body wash is specifically formulated for both extra dry and sensitive skin. It contains not only thermal spring water that is soothing and rich in antioxidants (that also contains a patented probiotic that helps bolster the strength of your skin’s microbiome), but also ultra soothing and moisturizing shea butter. It’s the ultimate combination to both impart serious moisture into your skin and help soothe irritation (and prevent it from coming back).

Skin Calming Body Wash

This oil-rich, lightly foaming body wash isn’t just super gentle and ultra moisturizing, but it’s also tailor-made to help soothe especially dry and itchy skin. The formula is packed with omega oils and lipids, which help to instantly soothe itchy skin but also impart much needed moisture to the skin and promote a healthy skin barrier, which helps to control dryness and itch in the long run. It’s also free from anything that could potentially irritate sensitive skin like fragrances and dyes.

Maximum Hydration Body Wash

Not only is this uber moisturizing body wash packed with great ingredients like glycerin and plant oils, but it’s also rich in aloe vera, which helps to soothe and condition skin leaving it soft as hell. This one hits the exact right balance between cleansing power and moisturization without sacrificing one for the other. Your skin is left deeply clean, but smooth and supple. And yes, there is added fragrance so it may not be perfect for sensitive skin, but most people will find this has more than enough moisturization power to keep their skin from drying out.

Moisturizing Body Wash

When we talk about dry and sensitive skin, we’re often told to avoid fragrance which can be drying and irritating. But those with more mild cases enjoy a little scent in their washes now and again and if you’re one of those people, this body wash is the answer. Come for the luxurious, spa-like fragrance that leaves your skin with just a touch of fresh scent, stay for the ultra-moisturizing formula that contains good-for-your-skin ingredients like moisturizing coconut oil and Vitamins E and B5.

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