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The best body serums are an easy way to elevate your skin-care routine in the oft-forgotten region known as “everywhere-that’s-not-your-face.” Yes, you have a tried and true routine for your visage, but that leaves a whole lot more skin to be loved. That’s where body serums come in. This body-care staple may come in different shapes, sizes, and textures, but the various formulas share the goal of treating your skin right.
Some can (and should) be used in conjunction with your standard body butter or lotion, while other formulas work well as a one-and-done dose of hydration, hydration, barrier protection, tightening effects, and beyond, streamlining your regimen. We spoke to editors and dermatologists about the best body serums and rounded up a tried-and-true list for your shopping pleasure.
Our Top Picks
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Osea Hyaluronic Acid Body Serum
Why it’s worth it: The lovely, lightweight, 2024 Best of Beauty-winning Osea Hyaluronic Acid Body Serum is a breath of fresh skin care. Even though it has a somewhat creamy gel texture—never greasy nor sticky—it still manages to bring the serum of it all to the table. This pick is formulated with niacinamide, five different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, and a ton of multi-talented blue-green algae extract. The result? Long-lasting hydration that goes easy on sensitive skin. Apply it on damp or dry skin—right after you’ve hopped out of the shower is a great time—ideally twice daily. (Even though this stuff is easygoing, it’s formulated specifically for your body, so don’t use it on your face.) And, BTW, you can layer this serum with all sorts of products, but ensure it’s fully absorbed before adding other formulas into the mix.
“Whenever possible, I moisturize my body like my face: With a hyaluronic acid serum—and this one from Osea is my all-time favorite. I’ll admit that part of what I love is the packaging. The serene green, the fogged glass, and the pump top that actually works. (By the way, it lets just enough serum out of the bottle without getting clogged—a feat for a thin formula like this!). This serum is so hydrating that you could just as well leave it without a more occlusive buttery layer over it, especially when it’s irritatingly hot or humid. Still, I do like to follow up with an actual lotion afterward. In the formula, there are peptides to plump up the skin and the brand’s signature blue-green algae that are touted as a kind of nourishing superfood. And for fellow sensitive-skin people out there, the serum is fragrance-free! I was able to use it on my preggo and postpartum body without irritating my typically sensitive skin.”
“I’m usually a body lotion girlie, but this summer has been a scorcher, and there was no way I was going to mix a heavy, head-to-toe moisturizer with 70% humidity on any day of the week. Instead, I switched to this lighter, fragrance-free elixir that gives just enough hydration without leaving behind a sticky, sweaty mess. It’s been such a nice change to my typical routine.”
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, blue-green algae
- Who it’s for: everyone
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Moisturizing: Hanni Water Balm
Why it’s worth it: Basically a serum, moisturizer, and mist bottled into a single formula, Hanni’s Water Balm is one of the easiest (and least messy) ways to apply lightweight hydration. The shaving-forward body care brand (which happens to make an excellent razor) formulated this spray to include hydrating heavy-hitters like aloe leaf extract, red algae extract, and glycerin, which draw in moisture and lock it down for long-lasting suppleness. Spritz wherever you need an extra hit of hydration, gently rub into skin, and enjoy the healthy, happy feels. Oh, and the Water Balm is a natural mosquito repellent, something we’d appreciate in all skin care, TBH.
Tester feedback from contributing commerce writer Annie Blackman:
“I admittedly get pretty damn lazy with body care, and in order to be motivated to do it at all, it needs to be easy, fast, and smell really good. Water Balm checks all of those boxes. It smells delish, like a peppery floral situation, and goes on so light. I like using it post-shower on days when I don’t shave because my legs are extremely sensitive otherwise, and I’m always glad I whipped it out.”
- Key ingredients: glycerin, aloe leaf extract, red algae extract
- Who it’s for: people who want a lightweight, spray option
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Scent: Leaf People Arnica & Turmeric Recovery Serum
Why it’s worth it: Leaf People’s Wild Arnica & Spagyric Hemp Flower Body Wellness Serum is all-natural, and we’re all for it. This super botanical-rich formula is spiked with goodies like Alaskan black spruce, wild arnica from Colorado, fresh juniper, and hemp flower powder. The botanicals are hand-picked by the brand’s herbalist and promptly bottled up for your serum-y pleasure. It adds up to a homeopathic, aromatherapeutic experience that perks up your senses and can even relieve joint pain and tightness. You won’t find this formula at your typical beauty retailer, but it’s worth the scavenging.
Tester feedback from senior news editor Nicola Dall’Asen:
“Honestly, I would recommend this body serum based on its scent alone. I’m never all that motivated to do a full body care routine, but I find myself reaching out toward this serum just so I can enjoy the strong (but not overwhelming or lingering) herbaceous, zesty scent, no doubt the result of its natural ingredients. The light, creamy texture and soothing effects are mere bonuses.”
- Key ingredients: black spruce, wild arnica, juniper, hemp flower
- Who it’s for: people with sore joints, people looking for aromatherapy
- Fragrance-free: synthetic fragrance-free
Most Versatile: Chanel No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Body Serum-in-Mist
Why it’s worth it: Another mist-must, Chanel’s No.1 de Chanel Revitalizing Body Serum-in-Mist is powered by the brand’s signature camellia oil blend to bring on serious hydration that absorbs so, so quickly. The formula is your skin’s first line of defense against free radicals, helping curb premature dullness and fine lines, strengthening your barrier, and bringing on the glow. To get your blood flowing and skin receptive to the mist, gently pinch along your décolleté, arms and legs before applying the product. And even though this formula is marketed as a body serum, you can mist it over your face as well—versatility for the win.
- Key ingredients: camellia oil, glycerin, jojoba oil, shea butter
- Who it’s for: people who want to strengthen their skin barriers
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Fragrance-Free: Nécessaire The Body Serum
Why it’s worth it: Married to your body lotion? One session with Nécessaire’s The Body Serum is all it’ll take to kickstart an open relationship. This fragrance-free, sensitive skin-friendly formula delivers on its promise of more hydrated skin thanks to its use of hyaluronic acid, which “helps to bind water to collagen, trapping it in the skin, so that skin can appear plumper, dewier, and more hydrated,” as Los Angeles-based board-certified dermatologist Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, previously explained, and barrier-strengthening ceramides. Plus, this formula is non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores if you’re prone to body acne.
“If you have the patience of a goldfish when it comes to moisturizing your body, this body serum is truly a necessity. It melts into your skin and absorbs in literally 10 seconds without requiring any serious elbow grease to work in, which is the exact amount of time and effort I’m willing to put in for body care on my lazier days.”
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides
- Who it’s for: everyone
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Uneven Texture: Topicals Slather Exfoliating Body Serum
Why it’s worth it: Topicals’ Slather Exfoliating Body Serum uses the smoothing and toning properties of retinol alongside a star-studded lineup of squalane, urea, and lactic and glycolic acids to alleviate a plethora of skin concerns, such as rough patches, bumps (shout out keratosis pilaris or KP), and dryness. . The combination of retinol, glycolic and lactic acids helps “reduce fine lines and discoloration as well as remove dead skin cells on the surface,” explains Geeta Yadav, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Toronto, Canada. What’s more, the milky consistency is probably closer to what you’re used to using on your body, making it a solid introductory product for those just dipping their toes (and arms and legs) into the world of body serums. Remember, since you’re using retinol on your body, it’s extra important to remember to apply sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 all over.
Tester feedback from former associate special projects manager Talia Gutierrez
“Even as a beauty editor, it used to feel counterintuitive to rub body lotion over my clogged and bumpy KP-prone arms. That was until I began using a chemical exfoliating serum like this one from Topicals. The texture is more like a lightweight body lotion that dispenses white, but after slathering a generous dollop onto my palm and rubbing it along my arms and chest, the product fully absorbs into my brown skin.”
- Key ingredients: retinol, squalane, lactic acid
- Who it’s for: those with bumps, roughness, or body acne
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best with Retinol: Shani Darden Body Reform Treatment Serum
Why it’s worth it: Here at Allure, we get weak in the knees for a good retinol and glycerin blend. But you know what doesn’t go weak on our knees? The Shani Darden Skin Care Body Reform Treatment Serum. This formula tackles mature skin concerns like dryness, fine lines, dark spots, and keratosis-pilaris-related bumpiness, gentle all the while. Because of the retinol, which makes skin more prone to UV damage, use this product at night to limit sun exposure.
Tester feedback from Dall’Asen
“Most retinol formulas leave my skin red and aching the morning after application, but this one houses aloe vera, glycerin, and rosemary leaf extract to hydrate dry skin and soothe, leaving behind fresh-looking skin that’s not tight-feeling or itchy every single time I use it. It’s the rare retinol formula that is effective yet gentle, and it boosts its key ingredient with line-smoothing alpha hydroxy acids, too. It does not contain any harsh fragrances that could offset my sensitive skin.”
- Key ingredients: retinol, glycerin, aloe, rosemary leaf extract, amino acids
- Who it’s for: people with mature skin, people with keratosis pilaris
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best for Discoloration: Paula’s Choice 5% Niacinamide Body Serum
Why it’s worth it: With 5% niacinamide and redness-soothing vitamin B5 in tow, this nourishing 5% Niacinamide Body Serum from Paula’s Choice is one to get excited about if you’re looking to improve discoloration on your skin. New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Nava Greenfield, MD, also notes niacinamide’s ability to regulate oil production, control redness, and repair some signs of sun damage, like spots and scars. We love this product for layering underneath a body cream because its brightening formula is lightweight enough to complement the rest of your body-care routine without adding stickiness.
- Key ingredients: niacinamide, panthenol, prickly pear extract
- Who it’s for: those with dark spots or hyperpigmentation
- Fragrance-free: yes
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of using a body serum?
Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut, explains that “body serums give your skin below the same love that your face gets. We often neglect our body in terms of skin health, focusing on the favorite child, the face.” She adds that “body serums use actives to address skin concerns, bring out radiance, even out the tone or firm up the limbs and trunk.”
Body serums usually offer higher concentrations of active ingredients and “tend to be less occlusive than body lotions and butters,” (a.k.a., less greasy) says Dr. GreenfieldNot only will you find similar actives in body serums as their facial counterparts, such as retinol, niacinamide, and vitamin C, but they also have a more lightweight texture than your standard body cream—offering quick absorption without your skin feeling sticky.
Can I use my face serum on my body?
Short answer: no—and for a couple of different reasons. While you may be tempted to slather your favorite face serum over your chest, legs, or arms, remember that the concentration of ingredients in products made for your face is different than those made for your body. “Facial skin has more density of sebaceous glands compared to the body, so facial products tend to be formulated lighter [in texture],” Ryan Turner, MD, a board-certified NYC dermatologist and co-founder of TRNR Skin, previously told Allure. So, to adequately moisturize or treat skin concerns on your body, you’ll need a different texture or a different range of actives.
Conversely, concentrations of ingredients in face serums may be too strong for the body, like retinol or salicylic acid. “An active ingredient would be modified for skin on the body versus facial skin,” Dr. Turner explained. “The skin on the body cannot typically tolerate the same strength or type of retinol [for example] as the face.”
Meet the experts
- Nava Greenfield, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group based in New York City
- Tsippora Shainhouse, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Los Angeles
- Ryan Turner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of TRNR Skin based in New York City
- Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Connecticut
How we review and test products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.
For our list of the best body serums, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.
Our staff and testers
A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors—in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon—is essential to reaching that goal.
After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.
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