Body skin is thicker than facial skin, has fewer oil glands over most of its area, and gets far less attention. That combination is why dryness on the body is so common.

What the category covers

  • Shower products — gels, creams, foams
  • Body lotions and creams — the main step
  • Hand creams, which are effectively their own category given how much wear hands take
  • Scrubs and exfoliants
  • Targeted products for specific areas or concerns
  • Perfumed body products, which layer with fragrance

The current line-up rotates with the catalogue every few weeks; the Faberlic catalogue has what is available now.

The single most effective habit

Moisturise within a minute of getting out of the shower, on damp skin.

This does more than any product upgrade. Damp skin gives the moisturiser water to hold in; dry skin an hour later does not.

Most people towel off completely, dress, and moisturise later if at all — which is why the same lotion works for one person and not another.

Where dryness concentrates

  • Shins and forearms — very few oil glands, and the first place winter dryness shows
  • Elbows and knees — thicker skin, need richer products
  • Hands — washed constantly, and the area most worth a dedicated cream carried with you
  • Heels

These deserve more product than the rest, rather than an even layer everywhere.

Shower habits that matter more than products

  • Lukewarm, not hot. Hot showers strip lipids
  • Shorter showers
  • A gentle wash rather than a foaming one, if your skin is dry
  • Exfoliate weekly at most. Body scrubs are routinely overused

Sun protection

Body skin needs it as much as facial skin, and gets it far less. Shoulders, chest, forearms and the backs of hands accumulate visible sun damage — the backs of the hands in particular are where age shows first, and where sunscreen is least often applied.

What to be realistic about

Body creams hydrate and improve texture and comfort. They do not change body contour, remove stretch marks or eliminate cellulite — that last one being the claim most heavily marketed across the entire industry and least supported.

Stretch marks fade with time and do not disappear with cream.

The short version

A gentle wash, moisturiser on damp skin, extra on the dry areas, hand cream carried with you, and sunscreen on what is exposed.

For the hand-cream category specifically, see the hand cream guide.