Minimalist : This isn’t a skin type, but if you want to keep your routine super pared-down, try petrolatum. “Good old Vaseline is actually a great body butter,” says Dr. Idriss.

Dr. Audrey Kunin is a board-certified dermatologist, Dermadoctor founder, and Chief Product Officer at NovaBay Pharmaceuticals. A trailblazer in the industry, Dermadoctor has been producing skin-soothing products since 1998. Created by one of the most passionate family-owned brands around, Osea’s Undaria Algae Body Butter is a product of love. Handcrafted in Malibu, the brand has been harnessing the natural wonders of Mother Nature since 1996. That includes seaweed from the Pacific Ocean right outside of their workshop, along with whipped shea butter and ceramides for a butter that the skin will drink up. Delivery is on a selected date, you can choose a delivery day of your choice, up to 10 days in advance (Excluding next day delivery. Postcode restrictions apply) Bee Shapiro is the founder of Ellis Brooklyn and a New York Times columnist. She launched the brand in 2015 after she had trouble finding sophisticated clean options within the fragrance category. CBD has been a buzzword in beauty for years, but what does its inclusion in body butter do? For Shapiro, it meant including 500 mg of full-spectrum CBD in Ellis Brooklyn’s body butter . “I have psoriasis and I also run regularly so I’m always looking for soothing body care and supplements,” she says. “I wrote a story on CBD years ago for The New York Times and I became fascinated with CBD and how full-spectrum CBD, in particular, has all these gorgeous complex cannabinoids that our body’s own cannabinoid system can recognize. It’s a super gentle way of soothing the skin and body.”

Almost any skin type can benefit from using body butter, as the extra hydration will help soothe and hydrate even normal to oily skin, but dry and sensitive skin are especially nourished by body butters. Special features: Received the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, meaning its clinically safe for sensitive skin

Sensitive : For sensitive skin, a mix of ceramides and other essential fatty acids, like shea butter, help repair the skin barrier, says Dr. Kunin. This intense body butter treatment features the same uber-nourishing botanical blend as the brand’s beloved and cult-classic Skin Food. At over 100 years old, Weleda has also stood the test of time. Founded in Switzerland in 1921, Weleda was created to celebrate and tap into the power of plants. The body butter includes sunflower oil, pansy extract and calendula to soothe and hydrate sensitive skin.Dead Sea minerals make up this formula’s second ingredient, which may sound counter-intuitive to achieve moisturized skin, but its intentional. Melach 33 founder Jennifer McClure discovered the Dead Sea’s amazing skincare benefits during a trip to Israel. In ancient times, people would travel to the Dead Sea to seek its healing powers and now, we understand why: The 33 percent salt content produces mineral-rich crystals, which are the same minerals that help our body detox and regenerate cells. The salts also contain 21 essential minerals that the human body depends on — and 12 of them are found in the Dead Sea. The entire product line contains these beneficial Dead Sea salts, along with antioxidant-rich botanicals and desert oils, but the creamy body butter wraps skin in silky hydration. To source the best body butters, we tested a slew of products and spoke with a roster of respected dermatologists, including board-certified dermatologist and founder of Idriss Dermatology, Dr. Shereene Idriss and Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Department of Dermatology and board-certified dermatologist, Dr. Joshua Zeichner.

Dry : Shea, cocoa, and mango butters are ideal ingredients for combating dry skin. These are often used because they’re rich in fatty acids, which soften and moisturize the skin. Nourishing oils, like argan, olive, sunflower seed, jojoba, and rosehip, are really wonderful additions to formulas, too, says Shapiro. Best for Eczema: Dermadoctor Calm Cool + Corrected 1% Colloidal Oatmeal Eczema + Dermatitis Clinical Repair Balm Some cosmetics companies have taken People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Leaping Bunny animal-testing pledges. For consumers who are concerned about companies’ policies on animal testing, Skin Deep reports this information. Hope Smith is the founder and CEO of Mutha. As the name of the brand hints, Mutha was created by Smith when she was pregnant and looking for solutions to ease her changing body and skin.

Product's animal testing policies

Better Value: Since a little goes a long way with body butters, you typically need to use less formula than you would with body lotions to achieve the level of moisture you’re after. So your tub of body butter will last you longer than a similar size of body lotion. Do you have small, scaly bumps along your arms, thighs, or butt? You might have a very common condition called keratosis pilaris, or KP, and one of the only ways to treat this innocent but annoying condition is with medicated creams, like this 10 percent AHA body butter from Bliss . The blend gently softens rough, bumpy skin, including KP, to bring soft, healthy-looking skin to the surface. The butter delivers full-body exfoliation without any harsh scrubbing, thanks to its formula powered by glycolic, lactic and mandelic acids. Seaweed is particularly beneficial for skin because it “is rich in amino acids, antioxidants, minerals, nutrients, vitamins to support the skin’s moisture barrier and help keep skin looking healthy by fighting free radicals,” explains Jenefer Palmer, the founder of Osea. “It’s luxurious and dense, but sinks right in without a greasy feel.” But don’t just take her word for it: It’s clinically proven to hydrate for 72 hours and in a four-week, third-party consumer-perception study, 100 percent of users said their skin felt softer and 97 percent said skin looked less crepey.