These Are the Best Body Products of 2026

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These Are the Best Body Products of 2026

Body care, this roundup argues, deserves the same attention as facial skincare — not as an afterthought, but as a routine in its own right. The winners below cover that whole routine: hydration and barrier support, brightening and firming, exfoliation, sun protection, washing, and odour control, each chosen by a Byrdie editor — or, in two cases, a board-certified dermatologist — for a specific job. What follows is a summary of those picks, in the source’s order, with each pick credited to the person who chose it.

In this article: Best Body Essence; Best Body Serum; Best Brightening Body Lotion; Best Anti-Aging Body Cream; Best Body Scrub; Best Body Butter; Best Body Oil; Best Body Sunscreen, Spray; Best Body Sunscreen, Lotion; Best Sunscreen, Stick; Best Body Physical Exfoliator; Best Body Product for Hyperpigmentation; Best Body Wash, Breakouts; Best Body Wash, Moisture; Best Body Wash, Exfoliating; Best Body Wash, Sensitive; Best Body Bar; Best Deodorant, Stick; Best AHA Deodorant; Best Deodorant, Spray; Best Razor.

Best Body Essence

Tall vertical close-up of a white rectangular body essence bottle against a dark reflective background

White rectangular bottle of milky body essence with a white cap on a pale background

Cyklar Ceramide Milky Essence — chosen by Alyssa Kaplan, commerce editor. This is a liquid, milky essence made for the body rather than the face, built around ceramides, squalane, and humectants to hydrate and support the skin barrier. Kaplan presents it as lightweight and non-greasy: a few drops spread easily, absorb in seconds, and leave a subtle glow. Her case for it is as a weightless, warm-weather moisturiser option for someone who dislikes lotion — a body version of a face format she already loves.

Best Body Serum

Pale blue body serum bottle with a bright blue pump on a pale background

JoonByrd Daydreamer Firming Body Serum — chosen by Hallie Gould, editor in chief. This firming serum has a balm-to-oil texture and is presented as tightening, toning, and sculpting over time, while also giving skin a glistening glow. It applies smoothly and easily, and its scent is described as dessert-like. Gould says she has fallen for the brand and ranks this serum at the top of her list.

Best Brightening Body Lotion

Orange body lotion squeeze tube with a black cap on a pale background

Brunel Beauty Awakening Vital Radiance Body Lotion — chosen by Olivia Hancock, senior beauty editor. This creamy lotion is used as a post-shower step. Its brightening complex of vitamin C, niacinamide, and caffeine is said to address brightness and puffiness, while shea butter and coconut and sunflower seed oils nourish. The scent is sensorial and uplifting — magnolia, peach, coconut, woods, and warm amber. Hancock treats it as a post-shower ritual product, chosen with trust in the founder’s skin and brand.

Best Anti-Aging Body Cream

White body cream squeeze tube with a black cap on a pale background

Beau Domaine The Body & Tattoo Cream — chosen by Hallie Gould, editor in chief. This cream is intended to hydrate and firm the body, and to revive tattoos so colour looks brighter and lines look more defined. Its ingredients include shea butter, grape water, and a proprietary GSM10 ingredient presented as addressing oxidative stress. Gould presents it as the brand’s most recent launch, covering multiple body-care needs in one formula.

Best Body Scrub

Tall vertical close-up of a dark green squeeze tube against a dark reflective background

Dark green body scrub squeeze tube with a black cap on a pale background

Aesop Geranium Leaf Body Scrub — chosen by Star Donaldson, social media director. This scrub genuinely exfoliates and cleans, and is framed as a full reset for both skin and senses. Its bold geranium scent is not cloying, Donaldson says — grounded, citrusy, earthy, and green — and it is used in the shower as an upgrade to the routine. The pick is an exception for an editor who usually avoids floral scents, and a product she rations rather than using freely.

Best Body Butter

Wide lidded jar of rich body butter on a pale background

Oak Essentials Dew Body Butter — chosen by Holly Rhue, editorial director. This rich, creamy, whipped butter offers deep hydration for stubborn dryness and crepey-looking skin on legs and chest, leaving skin smooth, plump, and decadent-feeling. It is rich and creamy yet comfortable and absorbent, Rhue says, used after every shower and never skipped. Her verdict is that no other body product compares with it.

Best Body Oil

Tall clear bottle of bronze shimmer body oil with a blue cap on a pale background

Vaseline Golden Hour Glow Bronze Body Shimmer Gel Oil — chosen by Olivia Hancock, senior beauty editor. This gel-oil hybrid combines moisture-supporting lipids and cocoa butter with a bronze shimmer, for a dewy, soft finish. It absorbs quickly without greasiness, and its warm vanilla and toasted cocoa butter scent is described as addictive. Hancock’s case is for glow that extends below the neck — a product she has used through several tubes.

Best Body Sunscreen, Spray

Sunscreen spray can on a pale background

La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Pro-Sport Invisible Spray Sunscreen SPF 45 — chosen by Holly Rhue, editorial director. This clear sport spray is non-greasy and water-resistant, with no stinging or irritation for sensitive skin, Rhue says. It is kept in every bag through summer for convenient application. The pick rests on that convenience, combined with tolerance for sensitive skin.

Best Body Sunscreen, Lotion

Large white lotion jug with a bright yellow pump on a pale background

Supergoop! Play Everyday Lotion SPF 50 — chosen by Holly Rhue, editorial director. This hydrating, fast-absorbing, water-resistant lotion blends easily and holds up through sweat, swimming, and sand. Its jumbo pump format serves as a visible reminder to apply and reapply. Rhue presents it as closing the gap for an editor who is strict about facial sunscreen but had neglected body sunscreen.

Best Sunscreen, Stick

Slim blue sunscreen stick with a gold detail on a pale background

Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protector Clear Stick SPF 60+ — chosen by Toral Vaidya, board-certified dermatologist. This clear stick offers broad-spectrum protection that glides on clearly, with no white cast or greasy residue, and is easy to use and convenient to reapply throughout the day. Vaidya’s recommendation rests on that ease of use plus a clear finish.

Best Body Physical Exfoliator

Exfoliating shower-mitt kit with green mitts, a soap bar, and a lotion bottle on a pale background

Sluff Sluff It Kit — chosen by Bella Cacciatore, senior news editor. The kit contains a coarse exfoliating mitt, a soap bar, and a lotion. The mitt is coarser than others Cacciatore has used, removing dead, flaky skin, dirt, and grime for very smooth skin. The soap and lotion have a fresh eucalyptus scent with a spa-like feel, and the kit is used as a weekly routine — a next-level take on the Korean shower-mitt ritual, from a new brand created by a beauty veteran.

Best Body Product for Hyperpigmentation

Lilac body lotion bottle with a purple cap on a pale background

First Aid Beauty KP Smoothing + Brightening Body Lotion — chosen by Toral Vaidya, board-certified dermatologist. This multitasking lotion uses lactic acid and urea, presented as smoothing skin and evening out texture and tone, with lasting hydration. Vaidya favours the combination for texture, tone, and hydration in one product.

Best Body Wash, Breakouts

Bright red body wash bottle on a pale background

Tower28 SOS Rescue + Relief Body Wash Treatment — chosen by Araziel Jackson, senior social media editor. This dermatologist-approved, hypoallergenic, fragrance-free, pH-balanced wash cleanses and hydrates like a traditional wash, while sodium hypochlorite is presented as soothing irritation-prone skin, including eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. It is especially useful after shaving or waxing, and in warmer months or sensitive moments — an extension of the SOS collection Jackson already recommends for breakouts.

Best Body Wash, Moisture

Body wash bottle with a pump on a pale background

Dove Serum+Soothing Oil Body Wash — chosen by Holly Rhue, editorial director. This serum-plus-oil wash is intended for dry, itchy skin, with the slip and cushion of an oil without a greasy feeling. Rhue says its texture is one she had never felt before in a wash, and notes it can also be used for shaving and as a bubble bath. It stood out among dozens of new body washes launched that year as a true innovation, in her view.

Best Body Wash, Exfoliating

Pale pink pump bottle of body wash on a pale background

Naturium The Smoother Glycolic Acid Body Wash — chosen by Star Donaldson, social media director. This glycolic acid wash sloughs off dead skin without stripping, leaving skin soft and smooth, and helping moisturiser absorb faster afterward. It lathers beautifully, Donaldson says, and with consistent use over weeks she reports visible brightness, including for hyperpigmentation left by breakouts on the back, chest, and face. It showed her what a body chemical exfoliant can actually do, and became a nonnegotiable routine step.

Best Body Wash, Sensitive

White pump bottle of body wash on a pale background

Native Sensitive Series 24hr Hydrating Body Wash in Bare Melon — chosen by Ali Webb, associate style editor. This hydrating wash in the Bare Melon scent offers 24-hour moisture and barrier support, intended to refresh, calm, and rejuvenate skin. Its playful summer scent asks no compromise for sensitive, reactive skin, Webb says — a reliable choice for heat-aggravated sensitive skin, worth stocking both for personal use and for guests.

Best Body Bar

Purple-and-cream swirled bar of soap on a pale background

Lush Sleepy Soap — chosen by Derek Deng, associate content editor. This bar gives a creamy lather that cleans without stripping the skin. Its lavender and tonka blend is described as hypnotic and lingering, serving as a first layer of bedtime fragrance — a central part of an increasingly intricate nighttime shower ritual, in Deng’s account.

Best Deodorant, Stick

White deodorant stick beside its light-blue box on a pale background

Secret Clinical “She Runs Hot” 100 HR Soft Solid Antiperspirant Deodorant — chosen by Bella Cacciatore, senior news editor. This soft solid stick is positioned for hormonal sweating, with 100-hour sweat and odour protection. Its soft rose and vanilla scent is pretty and feminine without being overpowering, Cacciatore says. It is a step up for new hormonal symptoms including hot flashes and night sweats, so she does not have to worry about it.

Best AHA Deodorant

Small clear roll-on deodorant with pale-yellow liquid and a pink cap on a pale background

Saltair Coral Coast 5% AHA Serum Deodorant — chosen by Holly Rhue, editorial director. This clear roll-on serum deodorant with 5% AHA, in a non-aluminum formula, is presented as actually managing odour, without streaking summer linens. Its Coral Coast summer scent is described as divine. Rhue presents it as the only non-aluminum deodorant she has tried that works, from a brand whose summer scents are favourites.

Best Deodorant, Spray

Tall pale mint-green deodorant spray bottle on a pale background

Corpus Deodorant Spray (Nº Green) — chosen by Hallie Gould, editor in chief. This spray uses a prebiotic blend intended to balance the skin microbiome and neutralise odour. It is quick-drying with zero white residue and no mess, with a fresh, sophisticated orange blossom and bergamot scent, in packaging described as chic. Gould says it checks her boxes for effectiveness and mess-free application, with packaging as a bonus.

Best Razor

Razor starter kit with a bright orange razor, white head, purple holder, and blade refills on a pale background

Billie Razor Starter Kit — chosen by Star Donaldson, social media director. The kit has five blades and a 360-degree aloe vera cushion, so no separate shaving cream is needed. It gives a smooth shave with hair rinsing cleanly from the blades, and no nicks even when pressing too hard out of habit or after using a dull blade too long, Donaldson says. It is chic in the shower, reliable, and stress-free — for a quick, close shave without a multi-step routine.

Taken together, the list is less a single routine than a set of single-job winners: one pick for each step, from essence to razor, each backed by the editor or dermatologist who uses it. That is the point of the roundup — body care handled with the same specificity as facial skincare.

Daniel Brooks 2 hours ago