Cultivating a facial skin-care routine is grooming 101 at this point, right up there next to brushing your teeth morning and night. We use cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers, and sunscreen daily — with peels and masks and tools and treatments on standby. The number of products designed to protect and enhance the skin on our faces is robust, to say the least. But have you considered the fact that your face and neck only make up 3.5% and 2% respectively of your total body surface area? That leaves a lot of skin left over with similar (if not identical) needs — and more and more brands are starting to cater to everything south of the jawline.
“This expansion [is] a way for brands to develop a more holistic experience — a lifestyle even,” says Olivier Zimmer, the CEO and co-founder of Spate, a trend forecasting company in NYC. That’s certainly one reason why the body-care market accounted for $31.26 billion of the $181.20 billion skin-care industry in 2023 (second to face skin care and ahead of sun protection and “natural” skin care).
Zimmer adds that TikTok trends like the “everything shower” — up 201.6% in searches since last year — remain a significant driver of consumer purchasing behavior. He cites established brands — Ouai, La Mer, Dove, and Native, to name a few — all of which have seen significant year-over-year growth in searches within the body-care category, despite originally launching with skin-care or hair-care products. Even makeup brands are on board: Selena Gomez’s wildly popular Rare Beauty recently launched its Find Comfort Body Collection, a four-piece collection that includes a body lotion, aromatherapy pen, hand cream, and body and hair mist, which was designed to smell "like a hug," says Rare Beauty founder Selena Gomez. (It has warm notes like cashmere woods.) And fashion brands don’t want to be left out either. Exhibits A and B: A.P.C’s new Self Care collection, and Loewe’s viral Tomato Leaves scent, which was recently infused into soaps and lotions.
We’ve entered the golden age of body care.
Why Your Body Might Need a Skin-Care Routine
As tempting as it could be to use your favorite antioxidant serum on your hands and chest or your facial moisturizer on your arms and legs, there is a reason body care exists. And it’s not just because you would run out of that beloved potion in one use. “Facial skin has more density of sebaceous glands compared to the body so facial products tend to be formulated lighter [in texture],” says Dr. Ryan Turner, a board-certified NYC dermatologist and co-founder of TRNR Skin, adding that thicker creams and lotions are typically required to adequately moisturize it.
The skin on the body is also more sensitive to the dryness and irritation that can be caused by some active ingredients, like acne-smoothing salicylic acid or line-smoothing retinol. “An active ingredient would be modified for skin on the body versus facial skin,” says Dr. Turner. “The skin on the body cannot typically tolerate the same strength or type of retinol [for example] as the face.”
Brands like Nécessaire, Dove, and Soft Services have introduced body care products that are formulated with gentle, body-specific active ingredients to smooth things over on your legs and arms — without causing irritation. (More on that later.)
Body Acne Steps Out From the Shadows
Acne is a skin issue for 50 million Americans, and yet openly discussing breakouts, or asking for product recommendations, is still stigmatized, especially for blemishes on the back, chest, or butt. “The discreet nature of body acne, in that those that struggle with it are good at keeping it hidden under clothing, means that it feels like a ‘dirty little secret,’” says Rebecca Zhou, founder and CEO of Soft Services, who explains that her own struggle with bacne helped inspire Soft Services products. “It’s unfairly linked to bad hygiene, [but] in our customer base, we see body breakouts linked to those living an active lifestyle — which makes sense as our lifestyles today have us doing a sweaty workout and then rushing off to do errands or have brunch in our workout gear.”
Treating body acne has historically felt quite clinical. Partially because it’s important to consult a dermatologist — and that still holds true — but brands are now making effective at-home solutions that you’d be happy to display in your shower or bathroom cabinet, like the Soft Services Clearing Mist, which contains zinc PCA, salicylic acid, and niacinamide to treat breakouts, or Dove Body Love Acne Clear Body Cleanser, which features zit-busting salicylic acid and bamboo extract.
“We treat body acne with the same types of ingredients as facial acne,” says Joshua Zeichner, MD associate professor of dermatology, director of cosmetic & clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital. He explains that two of the main ingredients to address body acne include BHAs like salicylic acid to remove excess oil and benzoyl peroxide to minimize inflammation, both of which can help to treat existing breakouts and prevent new ones. Dr. Zeichner’s recommendation: “Treat the entire problem area, even if you don't have an active flare to keep the skin clear,” he says, adding that cleansers and leave-on products can be used daily as tolerated.
Today’s body acne products go beyond eliminating breakouts to also help minimize scarring and heal the skin, such as the iNNBEAUTY PROJECT Bright & Smooth Body Serum Dark Spot & Bump Treatment, which utilizes exfoliating AHA, BHA, kojic, and tranexamic acids as well as vitamin C to brighten spots, and BeautyPie AcidEnzyme Exfoliating Face & Body Cleanser, which is formulated with salicylic acid to unclog pores and a papaya enzyme complex to smooth.
The Actives Craze Expands to Full Body Formulas
Consumers are more educated than ever about skin-care ingredients so it’s no surprise that including buzzy actives like retinol and niacinamide in body care products is proving successful. Zimmer reveals that searches for retinol body lotion have grown by over 13.1% since 2022. Just browse Sephora or Ulta for a retinol body cream or serum and you’ll be met with 20-plus options, with more launching every month, like newcomers Versed Gentle Retinol Body Lotion and Paula’s Choice Retinol Skin Smoothing Body Treatment.
Zhou explains that following the launch of Soft Services’ first retinol product, Theraplush (an overnight repair treatment for hands), customers shared stories of mixing prescription retinol with other lotions for hands and body, which ultimately inspired the Soft Services Software Update Performance Retinol Serum.
Consumer interest in chemical exfoliators has also made the leap from the face and neck to the rest of the body, with BHA- and AHA-rich body washes, serums, and peels. Topicals founder Olamide Olowe explains that her choice to expand into body care came directly from customer requests for solutions to two key body concerns: ingrown hairs and textured skin. “When people consider skin care, their mind stops at the face, and, unfortunately, some people end up just living with the discomfort because they are unsure of what products exist for their condition.” The brand’s resulting body care products, High Roller and Slather, both work to exfoliate and smooth the skin, targeting ingrown hairs and keratosis pilaris (among other texture issues) respectively with ingredients like glycolic acid, willow bark extract, and retinol. Body-care powerhouse Nécessaire similarly looked to customer feedback when formulating its new launch, The Body Peel, which is formulated with a combination of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs to treat skin texture issues and improve discoloration.
For more targeted discoloration, like scars, Tanné Snowden, founder of Tronque, was dissatisfied with the scar reduction products on the market. “I started to mix my own, clean alternative to help erase my scars,” she says of the brand’s inception, including the Scar Concentrate, which utilizes ingredients like pink algae — Dr. Zeichner explains that this has soothing and antioxidant effects to soothe and brighten the skin — tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate (an oil-soluble vitamin C), and New Zealand mamaku fern to fade scarred tissue. “If you are left with any brown blotches, consider a vitamin C serum [to] brighten dark spots and block production of abnormal pigmentation,” says Dr. Zeichner.
And while physical body scrubs have been a shower staple for some time, sophisticated chemical exfoliators are a welcome addition to these gritty formulas. Youth to the People 10% AHA + Yerba Mate Smoothing Energy Body Scrub, which combines AHAs and olive seed powder, and Sunday Riley Charcoal Smoothie, which uses salicylic acid and lactic acid plus biodegradable wax are two standouts. This double dose of exfoliating power is particularly useful if you’re struggling with keratosis pilaris or other stubborn skin texture issues. As Dr. Turner explains, “Cellular turnover on the body can be slower than the face. Skin gets thicker and dead skin cells build up, meaning stronger methods of exfoliation are often needed to slough off the dull skin.”
Targeted Hydrating Serums Revamp Total Body Moisture
It’s par for the course to moisturize after a shower or bath — after all, you want to lock in all that hydration so your skin remains soft and supple. But a delicious body lotion can take so long to dry before you can get dressed. Lightweight hydrating serums that also deliver potent active ingredients are now challenging traditional body lotion’s dominance in the moisturizer category, like Uni’s 24-Hour Serum, which is infused with aloe vera to hydrate, and Marie Veroique’s Body Barrier Emulsion, which contains PHA to exfoliate and calendula-infused safflower oil to soothe and moisturize.
Erin Kleinberg, the founder of body-care and fragrance brand, Sidia, reveals that her customers expressed how difficult it felt to indulge in a full body skincare routine, which is what ultimately sparked the idea for Sidia’s The Body Serum. Besides the fact moisturizing glycerin and soothing prickly pear keep our skin soft, Allure loves the simple spray delivery system for a mess-free application.
Other brands, like HOUSE OF GRŌ, have built-in a daily massage to your routine with the roller applicators on their Touch Hydrating Body Serum. For anyone who has ever bought a body brush with every intention of using it before every bath or shower, only to stuff it in the back of the bathroom cabinet within a week or two, this serum is for you. For body care, as with any skin-care product, splurging on a new formula is only step one. Using it consistently is where your skin will see the return.
Hands and Feet Are No Longer an Afterthought
In 2024, the pinnacle of hand and foot care doesn’t have to be limited to a luxury mani-pedi (although those are still welcome).
Thérèse M'Boungoubaya, the founder of Koba Skincare, explains that the genesis for launching her brand was the lack of effective options for skin care below the neck, and for the feet in particular (so, way below). “I found that many people were not as willing to talk about feet, perhaps out of their insecurities or because the mere mention of feet may gross them out,” she says. The brand’s Bottom Up Foot Cream and Touch Me Hand Cream manage to elevate the experience of hand and foot care with rich textures, a delicate citrusy scent, and chic packaging that you won’t rush to hide away when guests come over.
And while luxury hand creams are certainly not new to the beauty landscape (and our eyes did light up when we were introduced to the trio of Chanel Chance Perfumed Hand Creams and Phlur’s Missing Person Hand Cream), modern options offer much more than just display-worthy packaging or delectable fragrances. Once again, active ingredients like tried-and-true retinol and niacinamide are popping up in new formulas, like the Paume Renewing Hand Serum and Nécessaire The Hand Retinol, which is particularly noteworthy since the hands are often exposed to just as much environmental damage as the face and neck. The only way to avoid it in the first place is sunscreen (or gloves) — and there are now more hand-specific SPF formulas, like the Fenty Skin Hydra Vizor Broad Spectrum SPF 15 Sunscreen Hand Cream and Supergoop Handscreen SPF 40, that make UV-protection feel like a moment of self-care instead of a chore.
Not Your Mother’s Bar Formula
Aside from cleansing stalwarts like the cult-favorite Dove Beauty Bar, there’s been little in the way of innovation from the bar soap category… until now.
Brands like Kate McLeod have all seen the innovation potential in bar formulas, expanding beyond simple cleansing to solid body moisturizers and exfoliators. As founder Kate McLeod, explains, body moisturizer felt like an ideal opportunity to help herself, and her customers, connect with the body for a more mindful self-care experience. “The Body Stone fits in the palm of your hand, a grounding object to hold, and while it doesn’t take more time to apply, the experience is completely different than wiping on a lotion,” she says. Allure is on board: "Love, love, love," enthuses one editor about the Best-of-Beauty-winning The Pebble Solid Bath & Shower Oil. This type of solid moisturizer also eliminates the need for external plastic packaging, and because the formulas are waterless, they are lighter to ship, which reduces carbon emissions.
Exfoliation fans also have a new way to polish rough skin now that some bars also have gentle exfoliating ingredients, like the Flamingo Estate Exfoliating Peppermint Brick Soap (packed with poppy seeds and sea salt sourced from the waters of Big Sur to slough away dullness). The Mutha The Nudist Exfoliating Body Bar is packed with wood pulp microfoliants, the Aesop Polish Bar Soap is made with a delicate gritty texture of pumice to soften skin, and the California Naturals Scrubbing Body Bar uses loofa sponge particles to gently buff the skin.
Fragrance Is Back In the Spotlight
While many facial skincare brands are focused lately on creating fragrance-free options, the body care space is embracing scent wholeheartedly. “It's so challenging to play with scent for face care because it can feel so clinical at times, and irritate the skin,” says Kleinberg, who has made scent a main focus of Sidia’s body care offerings. “But with the body, people not only desire [fragrance], but they start to expect it.”
To compete with the fragrance industry (which regularly offers products like hand cream and body oils), body-care brands are now launching with scent as the primary focus of the products. Baude, a new brand that caters to perfume lovers in particular, just launched Baude Dark Wave Utopia Body Lotion, which has notes of fresh grass, orchids, Spanish thyme, and leather. We should mention the neon lime bottle also brightens up your shower.
Even legacy fragrance brands are prioritizing new body-care offerings, like Diptyque, which recently released its best-selling Fleur de Peau in a hand and body gel, hand and body lotion, and hair mist. And esteemed perfumers have their noses in the business, too. After 17 years, Josie Maran has taken her most popular Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter and Sugar and Argan Oil Body Scrub, and given them all new scents (like refreshing Topless Tangerine and sweet Bohemian Fig), created with perfumer Jerome Epinette from Robertet Group (who was also behind Victoria Beckham's new collection of fragrances).
Body mists — though they have no actual benefit for your skin beyond making it smell fresh or sweet or whatever you fancy — are also looking for a comeback in 2024, with fragrance brands like Ellis Brooklyn (which launched the new Peaches Body Mist in early January) and body care-specific brands like MAËLYS (which added the new GET-WILD Body Mist to its lineup at the end of January) hopping on the trend.
Given the popularity of TikTok’s fragrance community, and our collective interest in Y2K nostalgia (admit it, you once had a bottle of Bath & Body Works Cucumber Melon body mist in your bathroom) it’s not surprising to see the pendulum swing in favor of body care scents.
The Benefits of Total Body Relaxation
Ask anyone who has ever sunk into a hot bath complete with salts, bubbles, or essential oils and they'll acknowledge that it’s about so much more than simply getting clean. Still, the US has never had a rich bathing culture, like Japan, Finland, Turkey, and Bali. But a few brands are trying to change that by taking inspiration from bathing rituals.
“There's a disconnect with bathing, body care, and overall wellness here in the US in particular,” explains Shannon Davenport, founder of Esker Beauty, which offers bathing and shower upgrades like the Aromatic Shower Steamer Set and Sparkling Bath Salts. “I love that body care has that feeling of connection with the self, slowing down, and quieting down.”
With bathing culture’s tangible benefits (a 2018 study found that full body immersion bathing improved fatigue, stress, pain, and skin condition over the course of two weeks), it’s likely we’ll see even more brands embracing the mind-body connection when developing new body-care products. Just look to established brands like Tatcha, which now offers a three-piece Hinoki Body Care Ritual inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku (or forest bathing), or new releases like NERRĀ, which recently launched a four-piece Body Cleansing Ritual inspired by ancient bath house practices.
Whether you’re on the hunt for a head-to-toe exfoliating regimen or just hoping to transform your bathroom into more of a spa-like experience with a few Eucalyptus-scented lotions it appears that the body care boom is here for the long haul. That’s great news for your epidermis — slightly less so for your wallet.
