The Most Iconic Body Products in Beauty
Body talk is back.
Skin care’s latest frontier delves below the neck. The body care category exploded during the pandemic and has a flurry of M&A activity, such as L’Oréal’s $2.5 billion deal to buy Aesop this year and L’Occitane’s 2021 purchase of Sol de Janeiro.
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Beauty Inc polled nearly 400 executives, editors, financiers, retailers, executives, influencers and chemists on their favorite products across key segments of skin care. Under anonymity (the full list of those willing to be identified as electors appears in this story, though the content of their ballots remains confidential), the results speak to timely trends — the premiumization of body care, for one — and tried-and-true innovation. One product, for example, boasts a hero ingredient that has propelled that brand into every iteration of this franchise.
Here, the most iconic body care products, as voted on by industry insiders and compiled by Beauty Inc editors.
Augustinus Bader The Body Cream
Launched: 2019
Formula: Augustinus Bader’s body care extension boasts the brand’s proprietary ingredient, TFC8, in addition to clinically validated improvement of cellulite and stretch marks.
Results oriented: The brand’s first body product is also its top selling in the category.
Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion
Launched: 1999
Formula: The Aveeno hero eschews fragrance and contains colloidal oatmeal for a non-comedogenic formula and 24-hours of hydration.
Results oriented: More than 20 million units of Daily Moisturizing Lotion have sold in the past year, roughly one bottle every 1.5 seconds.
Bio-Oil Skincare Body Oil
Launched: 1987
Formula: PurCellin Oil, a trademarked hero ingredient, includes natural lipids that mimic those already found in the skin — and also lend the formula its famed dry texture.
Results oriented: The brand sells one unit of Bio-Oil every 11 seconds. In one year, it sells enough 6.7oz units to stand taller than 1,562 Eiffel Towers.
CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
Launched: 2005
Formula: It’s a mainstay for a reason. Among the first brands with ceramides as a hero ingredient, CeraVe launched with its now-mainstay Daily Moisturizing Lotion. It includes three essential ceramides — 1, 3 and 6-II — and a patented slow-release mechanism.
Results oriented: Daily Moisturizing Lotion has more than 72,000 5-star ratings on Amazon and is still a bestseller.
Clarins Tonic Body-Firming + Tightening-Treatment Oil
Launched: 1965
Formula: An early arriver to the naturals movement, Clarins’ body product was first developed by Dr. Jacques Courtin with 100 percent plant extracts, intended for use in the Clarins skin spa institute.
Results oriented: According to Clarins, Huile Tonic is the second top-selling body oil in the U.S., based on year-to-date sales.
Clinique Deep Comfort Body Butter
Launched: 2002
Formula: Shea butter, glycerin and hyaluronic acid lend their moisturizing and occlusive properties in this multitasker, which has also been tested for eczema-prone skin.
Results oriented: Deep Comfort Body Butter is Clinique’s global top seller in body care.
Dove Beauty Bar
Launched: 1957
Formula: The cornerstone of Dove’s cleansing business comprises a cleansing blend as well as the brand’s signature moisturizing cream.
Results oriented: Dove sells an estimated 60 bars of soap every second in the U.S.
Dove Exfoliating Body Polish
Launched: 2018
Formula: Dove’s body scrub relies on its signature moisturizing cream, in addition to hydrated silica, for an equal dose of moisture and mechanical exfoliation.
Results oriented: Dove’s scrub sales are up double-digits in 2023, and the brand is a top-3 body scrub brand in the U.S.
First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10 percent AHA
Launched: 2019
Formula: First Aid Beauty’s body scrub includes 10 percent AHAs, plus pumice as a physical exfoliator, to tackle dead skin in two different ways. Bisabolol adds soothing benefits.
Results oriented: The U.S.’s top body scrub, KP Bump Eraser sells one unit every 15 seconds.
Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer
Launched: 2005
Formula: The self-tanner that spawned a franchise — and dozens of dupes. The vitamin E-rich formula promises a streak-free gradual tan in addition to daily moisture.
Results oriented: Jergens sells roughly two tubes every minute — more than 1 million per year.
Jo Malone London Red Roses Bath Oil
Launched: 2002
Formula: Sweet almond, jojoba seed and avocado oils give this its skin-softening qualities, as well as its creamy lather.
Results oriented: According to the brand, it has been the top-ranked bath oil in North America for five years.
Karité Shea Butter Hydrating Body Cream
Launched: 2017
Formula: Thirty percent unrefined shea butter from Ghana blended with coconut and sunflower seed oils give Karité’s hero product its name and moisturizing benefits.
Results oriented: According to Karité, this is the Detox Market’s bestselling body product.
Kiehl’s Crème de Corps Body Lotion with Cocoa Butter
Launched: 1980s
Formula: Purported to improve skin texture and softness, this longtime Kiehl’s hero counts cocoa butter, shea butter and squalane as main ingredients.
Results oriented: Three bottles of Creme de Corps sold every five minutes in 2022.
La Mer The Body Crème
Launched: 2006
Formula: This product counts La Mer’s proprietary Miracle Broth, in addition to a hyaluronic acid-rich micro-algae complex.
Results oriented: The Body Crème is the top global luxury body care product, according to La Mer.
Megababe Thigh Rescue Anti-Friction Stick
Launched: 2017
Formula: The balm-like formula, which features ginger root, orange oil, aloe and grapeseed oil, forms a barrier on skin to mitigate chafing.
Results oriented: Megababe’s first-ever product is also a bestseller, having sold more than 1 million units. It continues to sell one unit every five minutes.
Mutha Body Butter
Launched: 2019
Formula: What started in founder Hope Smith’s kitchen has become an early arriver to ultra-luxe body care. The product combines shea butter, coconut oil and mango seed butter for long-lasting hydration benefits.
Results oriented: Each batch takes more than 10 days to make, and includes six different mixing steps.
Nécessaire The Body Lotion
Launched: 2018
Formula: One of the brand’s first products is meant to firm, hence the five different peptides, niacinamide and slew of vitamins and omegas that comprise the formula.
Results oriented: Nécessaire has sold more than 1 million units of The Body Lotion since its launch.
Osea Undaria Algae Body Oil
Launched: 2010
Formula: Hand-harvested Undaria Algae imbues this product with its elasticity-improving benefits, in addition to fragrance notes of grapefruit, lime and cypress.
Results oriented: Osea sells two units of Undaria Algae Oil per minute.
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
Launched: 2015
Formula: Long before Sol de Janeiro pioneered the body mist, it revamped the body cream. Bum Bum Cream’s cheeky name and firming formula — which includes brazil nut oil, cupuaçu butter and guaraná extract — tighten and fragrance skin with the brand’s famed scent
Results oriented: One Brazilian Bum Bum Cream sells every eight seconds.
Topicals Slather Exfoliating Body Serum with Retinol and AHAs
Launched: 2022
Formula: Encapsulated retinol sloughs off dead skin, while urea and squalane hydrate, for a dual-action allover serum.
Results oriented: According to the brand, it is the second-bestselling body treatment at Sephora.
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