These Body Lotions Are Soothing Enough to Calm the Driest, Itchiest Skin (2024)

Rough skin is one thing—a constant urge to scratch is another. The good news? With the best lotion for dry, itchy skin in hand, it’s possible to defeat the itch and get back to glowy (and comfortable). Products with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramides are essential for locking in moisture and restoring that crucial skin barrier. In doing so, they can also tell your nerves to call off its signals for you to scratch. To that end, we spoke to board-certified dermatologists for the lowdown on the best ways to remedy dry, itchy skin—as well as what causes it in the first place and how to pick the right lotion for your needs.

With that, derms share what they consider the best lotion for dry, itchy skin. Consider them the perfect formulas for staying calm and comfortable from head to toe.

Our Top Picks

• Best Overall: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, $18
• Best Exfoliating: Flamingo Deep Nourishing Cream, $13
• Best for Sensitive Skin: Kiehl’s Ultra Body Mega Moisture Squalane Cream, $49
• Best Lightweight: Soft Services Carea Cream, $40
• Best for Rough Skin: La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 10% Roughness Smoothing Lotion, $23
• Best Body Butter: Corpus Body Butter, $58
• Best for Mature Skin: OneSkin OS-O1 Body Topical Supplement, $89

Frequently asked questions

• What do dermatologists recommend for extremely dry, itchy skin?
• What can I put on dry skin to stop itching?
• What cream stops itching fast?
• Meet the experts
• How we test and review products
• Our staff and testers

Best Overall: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Why we love it: Both dermatologists we spoke consider drugstore superstar CeraVe Moisturizing Cream the ideal product for dry, itchy skin. Kate Edwards, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Antonio, TX, considers it a go-to for patients suffering from dry, itchy skin, while Michele Green, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, calls out its contents of hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and other humectants as ideal for locking in moisture and boosting hydration. This cream is fragrance-free and completely non-irritating, making it a great choice for those at any level of skin sensitivity who need intense hydration and itch relief. Sexy? Maybe not. But it’s a reliable, powerful workhorse that’s a classic for good reason, and its undeniable efficacy makes it a great first port of call for treating dry and itchy skin.

Tester feedback: “It feels almost like a weighted blanket—but for the skin—cocooning my chronically dry limbs and soothing it on days when it's especially sensitive and inflamed,” said our tester. “If I had to propose one con, it would be that I go through the stuff like water.”

Key ingredients: ceramides, hyaluronic acid, petrolatum | Fragrance-free: yes

Best Exfoliating: Flamingo Deep Nourishing Cream

Why we love it: Flamingo Deep Nourishing Cream's approachable price tag belies its luxurious feel—and its extreme effectiveness, thanks to a two-pronged attack of exfoliation and hydration. The white willow bark and papaya extract gently slough off dead cells to reveal glowy, hydrated skin underneath, while shea butter reinforces the skin’s natural barrier and squalane delivers immediate and long-lasting moisture. It’s scented with the brand’s signature fresh, herbal fragrance of vetiver, lavender, and Asian pear. Especially effective on common dry spots like hands, knees, and elbows, it’s the perfect hydrating cream to keep on hand as the weather changes.

Tester feedback: “This is thick and buttery enough to handle the dryness on my legs and arms, but it also sinks in in a matter of seconds,” says interim shopping director Deanna Pai. These qualities—plus its moisturizing power—make it perfect for slathering on before bed for an extra boost of whole-body hydration.

Key ingredients: shea butter, squalane, white willow bark, papaya extract | Fragrance-free: no

Best for Sensitive Skin: Kiehl’s Ultra Body Mega Moisture Squalane Cream

Why we love it: Kiehl’s Ultra Body Mega Moisture Squalane Cream is the brand’s first that was formulated specifically for sensitive skin. Providing deep hydration for up to three days after applying, it’s perfect for skin that needs intense hydration but gets irritated with too much product. Its light and fast-absorbing texture make it even more ideal for busy users who don’t have time for an intense reapplication routine. Squalane moisturizes and smooths while pro-ceramides and glycoproteins help repair the skin’s natural barrier. Suitable not only for sensitive skin but for those with eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, this is one of those rare products that delivers great results to all skin types.

Editor's tip: For especially effective results, Kiehl’s recommends gentle exfoliation prior to use. However, make sure that whichever exfoliation method you choose agrees with your specific skin type before doing so.

Key ingredients: squalane, glacial glycoproteins, pro-ceramides | Fragrance-free: yes

Best Lightweight: Soft Services Carea Cream

Why we love it: Soft Services Carea Cream is perfect for those who need a little treatment in addition to increased hydration. It contains 10-percent urea, which Dr. Green considers a powerful moisturizing ingredient, as it helps with “protecting [the skin’s] moisture from the environment, and soothing and hydrating dry skin.” Urea also mildly exfoliates to remove dead skin cells and smooth out bumpy textures. The addition of 5-percent squalane further conditions and hydrates skin, and colloidal oatmeal calms and soothes moderate itching. Gentle enough for daily, full-body use, this lotion not only corrects dry skin but locks in moisture to prevent it from returning.

Tester feedback: “As one of those people who doesn't leave home without at least four steps of skin care yet has nary a body moisturizer on her product shelf, this cream felt luxurious and light enough to break my habit of forgoing body moisturizer entirely," said our tester. "Plus, its earthy scent, perhaps due to its 1.5 percent concentration of calming colloidal oatmeal, gave it a sophisticated touch far from the pina colada-scented body lotions I grew up with.”

Key ingredients: urea, squalane, colloidal oatmeal | Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Rough Skin: La Roche-Posay Lipikar Urea 10% Roughness Smoothing Lotion

Why we love it: For those with extra-dry skin, La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar Urea 10% Roughness Smoothing Lotion leverages exfoliating and smoothing urea to treat rough, flaky, or bumpy skin. Exfoliating without disrupting the skin barrier, this lotion also uses shea butter to restore the skin’s lipids and allantoin to protect and soothe. It’s perfect for those who want both physical relief and cosmetic improvement for their extremely dry, rough skin, delivering noticeable softening and smoothing results after only one application. Non-sticky, fast-absorbing, and providing 48 hours of hydration, this is another great product for the skin care aficionado on the go.

Editor's tip: Dr. Edwards also recommends La Roche-Posay’s Lipikar AP+M Triple Repair Body cream, which treats dry skin with the three-pronged attack of restoring the skin barrier, replenishing lipids, and rebalancing the skin’s microbiome.

Key ingredients: urea, shea butter, allantoin | Fragrance-free: yes

Best Body Butter: Corpus Body Butter

Why we love it: Both Dr. Green and Dr. Edwards strongly recommend using a thick cream to treat dry, itchy skin, and Corpus’s decadent Body Butter is an excellent choice for just that. Containing facial-grade moisturizers and skin care super-ingredient tremella mushroom extract—often described as a jacked-up hyaluronic acid for its extreme hydrating properties—this cream leaves you ultra-moisturized, plumped, and smooth. Antioxidant-rich squalane mimics the skin’s natural barrier to further seal in moisture, aided by the nourishing emollients of shea and cocoa butters. Bonus: The scent is an invigorating combination of bergamot, pink lemon, orange blossom, and cardamom.

Editor's tip: CORPUS products are all vegan and plant-based, and their all-natural fragrances are crafted using the same process and scent theory as traditional perfumes.

Key ingredients: tremella mushroom extract, vegan squalane oil, shea butter, cocoa butter | Fragrance-free: no

Best for Mature Skin: OneSkin OS-O1 Body Topical Supplement

Why we love it: OneSkin’s OS-O1 BODY Topical Supplement is a daily moisturizer, yes, but it’s so much more. It uses a proprietary peptide to target skin aging at the molecular level—all while delivering a hydrating double-whammy of tremella mushroom and ceramides plus skin-soothing antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and prebiotics. The peptide works by increasing the body’s production of natural collagen and hyaluronic acid and activating cellular repair pathways.

Editor's tip: This lotion is especially effective on areas particularly prone to sun exposure and crepiness, such as the neck, décolleté, and hands.

Key ingredients: proprietary peptides, tremella mushroom extract, antioxidant, ceramides, prebiotics | Fragrance-free: yes

Best Splurge: Omorovicza Body Cream

Why we love it: Omorovicza is known for its luxury beauty products, and their Body Cream is no exception. Made with vitamin-rich apricot and almond oils, nutrient-packed rice germ, and the brand’s signature proprietary healing concentrate (derived from Budapest’s famous thermal waters), this cream not only hydrates skin but protects it from daily environmental aggressors. It also improves the skin’s appearance by increasing smoothness and firmness while strengthening the skin barrier.

Editor's tip: Omorovicza’s proprietary healing concentrate is made from biofermented water from Budapest’s healing hot springs, which are chock-full of minerals that soften and nourish skin.

Key ingredients: apricot kernel oil, sweet almond oil, rice germ oil, proprietary mineral healing concentrate | Fragrance-free: no

Best Brightening: Osea Undaria Algae Body Lotion

Why we love it: Skin barrier-repairing undaria algae is the undisputed star of this plant-based hydrating powerhouse. The Osea Undaria Algae Body Lotion uses hyaluronic acid with a high molecular weight so that it targets the topmost and driest layer of skin for instant hydration. Smoothing peptides and brightening turmeric provide further cosmetic and reparative benefits.

Editor's tip: The brand also makes one of our favorite body butters, in case you’re looking for a richer texture.

Key ingredients: undaria algae, hyaluronic acid, peptides, turmeric | Fragrance-free: no

Best Scent: Nécessaire The Body Lotion

Why we love it: Nécessaire’s The Body Lotion was already a classic, but their new scented versions take it to the next level. Already the standard for all-around body skin care with its signature 5 signal peptides and facial-grade oils rich in vitamins and omegas, this lotion is as strengthening and nourishing as ever—just with an olfactory boost. Available fragrances include cool, herbal Eucalyptus; warm, woody Santal; spicy, resinous Hinoki; and sweet, smoky Olibanum. For those who want some seriously calming aromatherapy with their skin care, this lotion is the perfect solution.

Editor's tip: There’s also an unscented version, in case added fragrance isn’t your preference.

Key ingredients: signal peptides, niacinamide, vitamins A, C, & E | Fragrance-free: no

Best for Eczema: Sarna Sensitive Steroid Free Anti-Itch Lotion

Why we love it: If you need itch relief fast and want to avoid topical steroids, Dr. Edwards recommends picking up Sarna’s Sensitive Steroid Free Anti-Itch Lotion. The strongest anti-itch medication available without a prescription, this formulation is still gentle enough for everyday use and perfect for treating persistently itchy skin. It uses itch-relieving pramoxine to provide instant relief, supported by soothing aloe. It then deeply hydrates dry skin with squalane and jojoba oil. It’s approved by the National Eczema Association, making it suitable for all levels of skin sensitivity.

Editor's tip: Those looking for more intense itch relief can try Sarna’s Calm + Cool Anti-Itch Lotion, which includes witch hazel and cooling menthol. While this formula is also approved for sensitive skin, it’s not as sensitive skin-friendly as the previous formulation, so those with extra sensitivity may want to stick to the non-cooling version.

Key ingredients: pramoxine, aloe, squalane, jojoba oil | Fragrance-free: yes

Best for KP: SkinCeuticals Body Retexturing Treatment

Why we love it: Keratosis pilaris, or KP, is a common skin condition in which keratin builds up in hair follicles, causing bumps and roughness—and it often goes hand-in-hand with dry, itchy skin, flaring up the worst when skin is especially parched. The remedy? Exfoliate, moisturize, repeat. Skinceuticals makes that process easier with this two-in-one lotion that both exfoliates and hydrates. With the highest concentration of exfoliating urea on this list—a whopping 17.7 percent—SkinCeuticals Body Retexturing Treatment can tackle even the bumpiest skin. It also contains a large dose of hyaluronic acid and a 4-percent concentration of smoothing niacinamide.

Editor's tip: A little of this formula goes a long way, so this bottle will last you.

Key ingredients: urea, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid | Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Inflammation: EltaMD Skin Restore Body Cream

Why we love it: Dry skin is particularly prone to inflammation, which can vary in severity from redness to actual swelling. EltaMD’s Restore Body Cream not only has hydrating hyaluronic acid and moisturizing ceramides, but also contains specifically inflammation-targeting niacinamide, squalane, and mango seed butter.

Editor's tip: Inflammation is increasingly understood as one of the main accelerants of skin aging, so much so that dermatologists have dubbed it “inflammaging.”

Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, mango seed butter | Fragrance-free: yes

Frequently asked questions

What do dermatologists recommend for extremely dry, itchy skin?

According to Dr. Green, the best thing to do for dry, itchy skin is to apply moisturizer liberally and multiple times a day. According to both dermatologists consulted, thick creams with high oil concentrations are especially effective for locking in moisture and hydrating the skin (Dr. Edwards even suggests skin-sealing petroleum jelly as a potential treatment). Dr. Green recommends looking for moisturizers with ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, which pulls in water from the environment; glycerin, which acts as a humectant to retain moisture; colloidal oats, which reduce inflammation; and ceramides, which restore the skin barrier. However, she cautions against products with irritants like alcohol and fragrances, as they can exacerbate dryness. Dr. Edwards particularly advises looking for the blue seal that says, “Accepted by the National Eczema Foundation” when picking out a moisturizing product.

In addition to using hydrating lotions. Dr. Green recommends washing dry, itchy skin with a product like a soothing colloidal oatmeal bath treatment before using a gentle, hydrating cleanser, thoroughly rinsing the area, then applying moisturizer. Dr. Edwards endorses the “soak and grease” method, which consists of bathing daily for five to ten minutes in lukewarm (not hot!) water, then applying a thick moisturizer immediately after exiting the bath or shower and patting dry. Dry, itchy skin can sometimes be associated with overactive histamines, and suggests taking a daily antihistamine until the condition has resolved. Also, using a humidifier in your bedroom to keep your skin more hydrated during the night can also be helpful, as this is the time that our skin loses the most moisture.

What can I put on dry skin to stop itching?

There is not one moisturizer or brand that is best for dry, itchy skin, and Dr. Green notes that many moisturizers can minimize dryness. Dr. Edwards emphasizes looking for brands with ceramides that will help lock in moisture that could be lost throughout the day, while Dr. Green also advocates for products with urea, which soothes skin in addition to providing hydration. However, for severe itching or eczema-prone skin, both doctors advise that topical prescription steroids may be needed to calm down inflammation resulting from a compromised skin barrier.

What cream stops itching fast?

According to Dr. Edwards, topical steroid creams such as hydrocortisone are one of the quickest and most effective ways to relieve itching. Dr. Green recommends using over-the-counter hydrocortisone twice a day on the affected area to help soothe itchiness; Sarna’s anti-itch lotions are also useful for stopping itching quickly.

On the flip side, Dr. Edwards strongly discourages use of any Benadryl creams or gels, which are ineffective at stopping itch and can often lead to the development of an allergy to the product that will worsen a rash. Both doctors recommend speaking to your dermatologist if over-the-counter treatments are not providing enough relief, and using any prescribed topical steroid exactly as directed while avoiding overuse.

Meet the experts

• Michele Green, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, New York.
• Kate Edwards, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Antonio, Texas.

How we test and review 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 lotions for dry, itchy skin, 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.

Read more about dry skin solutions:

• 11 Best Serums for Dry Skin to Get All-Day Hydration
• 11 Best Face Moisturizers for Dry, Sensitive Skin
• The 12 Best Eczema Creams to Soothe Your Itchiest Flare-Ups

Now watch Aaliyah Jay's 10-minute beauty routine for dry skin:

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