Body care is now adopting ideas from facial skincare, including targeted skin-smoothing acids and hydrating oils with barrier-supporting ingredients. Here’s why your body skin deserves as much attention as your face, says editor Trudi Brewer.
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For years, our skincare routines have focused on the face. We've invested in vitamin C serums, retinol, peptides, and barrier-repair creams, while the rest of our skin has often got little more than a slick of lotion. But that's changing. The new beauty mantra? Skincare is body care.
Body care is moving beyond the basic bar of soap and moisturiser, with increasingly sophisticated formulas designed to hydrate, smooth, and improve skin appearance from the décolletage to the feet.
Think targeted serums, exfoliating treatments, rich barrier-supporting creams, and active ingredients once largely associated with facial skincare. It's a shift toward treating the skin as one continuous canvas —and giving the body the same thoughtful attention as the face.
Meet the body care ingredients
Ceramides: The barrier supporters
A healthy skin barrier helps retain moisture and protect against external irritants. Ceramides are lipids naturally found in the skin, making them useful ingredients in body moisturisers formulated to support the skin barrier and relieve dryness.
BIODERMA Atoderm 2-in-1 Oil Nourishing Dry Body Oil with AHA, $60
This dry body oil appeals for its dual-action formula. Rather than simply moisturising the skin's surface, it combines ingredients designed to hydrate and help smooth away the build-up of dead skin cells that can leave skin feeling rough. Its exfoliating ingredient combines malic acid ester and alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) to help shed dead surface skin cells. Next, Ceramide NP acts as a protective seal to retain moisture longer. Finally, jojoba oil conditions and softens the skin, while meadowfoam and karanja oils add additional emollient benefits. Together, these ingredients offer a considered approach to body care: nourish the skin while gently refining its texture, rather than relying on exfoliation alone.
Hyaluronic acid: The hydration hero
Best known for attracting and holding water deep in the skin, hyaluronic acid can help skin feel plumper, softer, and more hydrated. In a body serum or lotion, it offers a lightweight way to boost moisture without necessarily leaving a heavy, greasy finish.
Medicube Kojic Acid Turmeric Body Peel Shot, $39
Think of it as a targeted addition to your body care routine, not another step. This body-brightening shot taps into this skincare-meets-body care movement, combining three ingredients: kojic acid, turmeric, and hyaluronic acid. It helps improve uneven pigmentation while boosting skin with antioxidants. This is a great example of K-beauty expanding beyond facial skincare, with body products designed to feel as considered as the rest of your daily skincare routine.
To use: Apply to dry skin, then gently massage in. The dead skin and faded self-tan will begin to roll away; then rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Niacinamide: The multi-tasker
This form of vitamin B3 supports the skin barrier, improves moisture retention, and visibly evens out blotchy skin tone. It's an appealing ingredient in body products for targeting dryness and an uneven skin texture.
Cetaphil Moisturising Lotion, $28
Sometimes, the best skincare isn't the most expensive or the most elaborate. This staple keeps things simple, focusing on hydration, comfort and a healthy skin barrier. So, what's behind its enduring appeal? The lightweight formula moisturises without leaving skin feeling greasy, making it an easy everyday essential. Glycerin attracts moisture, while niacinamide and panthenol support the skin barrier and keep skin feeling soft and comfortable. Consider this a reminder that effective bodycare doesn't need to be complicated or expensive. BeautyEQ tip: Apply your body lotion straight after showering, while your skin is still slightly damp, to help lock in moisture.
Lactic acid: The smoothing specialist
Rough elbows, dry knees and bumpy skin on the upper arms can benefit from carefully formulated exfoliating and moisturising products. Lactic acid loosens dead skin cells, while urea attracts moisture and, at higher concentrations, can soften thickened skin. The right formula depends on your skin's needs and sensitivity.
First Aid Beauty KP Peach Smoothing Lotion w. 10% AHA, $68
Consider this body care with a skincare mindset. Get smoother, beach-ready skin with this clever lotion that brings skincare below the neck, tackling rough, bumpy ‘chicken skin’ (aka keratosis pilaris) with 10 per cent lactic acid to gently exfoliate and smooth. Urea, ceramides, glycerin, colloidal oatmeal, and allantoin help hydrate, soften, and support the skin barrier, leaving arms and legs silky and more polished. With its fresh peach scent, this hardworking body treatment smells as good as it feels.
Retinoids: Beyond the face
Retinoids are also appearing in bodycare, particularly in products targeting uneven texture, fine lines, and sun-related skin changes. The neck, chest and most often the hands are often overlooked, despite receiving plenty of daily sun exposure. Extending your skincare habits beyond the face makes sense—especially when it comes to moisturising and applying broad-spectrum sunscreen to exposed skin.
You don't need to use every facial serum from head to toe, but choosing body products tailored to your concerns can make your routine feel more targeted and effective.
No7 Pure Retinol Hand Cream, 75mls, $35
First, like all No7 skincare, this brand backs its ingredients with science and dermatologist testing, including retinol in this hand cream. Quick science lesson: Retinol is the gold standard in age-erasing. In a nutshell, retinol is a powerful member of the vitamin A-based retinoid family. Within the family, milder versions exist (for instance, retinyl palmitate). Famous for effectively reducing the seven key signs of ageing. Wrinkles, sagging, dullness, dryness, age spots, uneven texture, and, worst of all, thinning or crepey skin. But here’s the kicker: The retinol in this hand cream is also formulated to minimise redness or irritation, which often comes with this potent anti-ageing ingredient. It sinks in fast and boasts a rich consistency that spreads like butter. It’s fragrance-free, which I prefer in a hand cream, and the tube is a handy handbag size.
The take-home
This shift also has a sensorial side. Body oils, silky serums, nourishing creams, and beautifully fragranced washes turn everyday maintenance into a considered ritual. Layer in a body moisturiser with a favourite fragrance, or make time for a gentle exfoliating treatment before applying your favourite body oil. The aim isn't to accumulate more products; it's to choose formulas that work for your skin and make the routine enjoyable. Of course, body care isn't one-size-fits-all. Dryness, sensitivity, body breakouts and rough texture call for different approaches, and stronger active ingredients aren't necessarily better. Consistency, suitable formulations and daily sun protection remain the foundations. As body care becomes more ingredient-led, it's time to look beyond the bathroom shelf's facial skincare lineup and give the rest of your skin the attention it deserves - because great skin is a head-to-toe affair.
Why your body deserves targeted TLC.