Body Oil Reversed My Dry, Scaly Skin—11 You’ll Always Find in Our Editors’ Bathrooms

I’ve not met anyone who doesn’t love Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse formula—it’s a modern beauty icon and a French pharmacy staple. It’s a dry oil, so it’s incredibly lightweight and applies via a misting mechanism, bestowing a silky veil of nourishment upon skin to leave things subtly glowy. The scent is divine and worth buying a bottle for it alone. Trust me, the combination of orange blossom, rose, lily, and a hint of vanilla creates a subtle halo of scent that will make you smell like a sophisticated French woman. As well as a body oil, it can also be used as a hair or face oil, so it’s a great multitasker to keep in your routine. It also comes in a shimmery version, alongside two alternative scents: Huile Prodigieuse Florale (£32) and Huile Prodigieuse Neroli (£32).

If there’s a body oil that I could bathe in, it would be this one. L’Occitane‘s Almond range is one of the most loved body care ranges around, and once you try it, you never look back. And yes, it smells just as edible as it sounds. Indulgent and nutty, it leaves a subtle trail of sweet almond as the omega-3- and 9-infused formula intensely hydrates your skin. The spray mister makes it easy to apply just the right amount, and despite the rich texture, it sinks in quickly, leaving your skin with a healthy-looking glow. It’s going to become a firm favourite for your post-shower or bathing routine.

With its deep golden hue, this rich oil uses kalahari melon, kakadu plum, and passionfruit oils to leave your skin silky, intensely nourished and with a glossy glow. Inspired by the beaches of Spain’s Sa Riera, it has a salty, sun-soaked skin scent with bergamot, jasmine and cashmere musk that leaves your limbs subtly scented all day long. The texture is very rich, so it takes a few minutes to fully absorb, but once it does, you’ll be amazed at how silky this leaves your skin—it made my legs look glassy. The pipette bottle makes it easy to apply just the right amount, but I’d advise using less than you think you need. A little goes a long, long way.

Mirror Water is one of our beauty team’s favourite body care brands, and the Smooth Body Oil is another firm favourite. “Despite being a major body care nerd, I have real sensory hang-ups with a whole bunch of products,” says Who What Wear UK beauty director Shannon Lawlor. “I want something to feel nourishing, of course, and for it to provide a sensorial moment of zen, but I also hate products that deposit a greasy film. Because of this, I tend to shy away from body oils, as they almost always leave my skin feeling coated in grease. The one body oil I am prepared to slather myself in head to toe, however, is Mirror Water Smooth. The texture is nourishing and rich, but is absorbed by the skin impressively quickly—I have body creams that feel much greasier. The main reason I love it, of course, is the enveloping scent. It smells like a dense forest after a fresh shower of rain—it’s earthy, it’s green, it’s fresh and it’s totally mind-soothing. I’ll never be without a bottle of Smooth Body Oil on the shelf.”

If you love the scent of Baccarat Rouge 540, then you will no doubt adore the body oil version. And if you’ve been thinking of buying the perfume, this is actually a more affordable way to try the scent before committing to a bottle of the eau de parfum. With its expensive-smelling notes of saffron, jasmine and ambergris, the oil carries the fragrance all day long so you can enjoy the scent for hours on end. As for the texture, it’s incredibly silky and light, sinking in within moments while leaving your skin noticeably glowy, but never sticky. Occasionally, you can find a shimmery version from the fragrance house, which has the addition of golden flecks that leave your skin glistening.

If you want a body oil that feels special, but doesn’t break the bank, then I highly recommend you try Naturium’s The Glow Getter Body Oil (especially if you like the much-loved Glow-Getter Multi-Oil Body Wash, £19). It’s absolutely jam-packed with linoleic-rich oils, including olive, jojoba, rosehip, sea buckthorn and squalane, too. Honestly, I think this formula feels more expensive than it is, and it leaves my skin looking and feeling so soft. It’s particularly soothing on irritated, sensitive skin types, too.

If you want a hard-working body oil that also looks beautiful in your bathroom, then you cannot possibly go wrong with a Chanel body oil. Chanel often launches these as a limited-edition offering throughout the year (my bottle is a Les Beiges one from summer, which has a bronzy shimmer tint), so you’ll have to move quickly to get your hands on one, but you won’t be disappointed when you do. Housed inside the luxe glass bottle is an ultra-silky oil that sinks in immediately, leaving your limbs glowing and delicately scented. The one available now is the N°5 The Beige Gold Body Oil, with the iconic fragrance scent and a beige-gold glow (inspired by Chanel’s signature fine jewellery colours) that is the perfect body shimmer.

I did not expect to love this body oil as much as I do. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the best perfumed body oils I’ve ever tried (as evidenced by my now-empty bottle, pictured above). If you want a fragranced body oil with a long-lasting scent, then you have to try this one from Phlur. When I first applied it after showering in the evening, I could still smell it on my skin throughout the next day. The viral Missing Person scent (one of Phlur’s bestsellers) is so stunning. It’s musky, skin-like and makes you feel like you’re binge-watching your comfort show while being snuggled in a cashmere blanket. The texture itself is rich and luxe, so it takes a little bit of time to massage in, but IMO, it only adds to the comforting experience. I’d highly recommend it (and Phlur, if you’re reading this, please make more scents in the body oil!)

If you’re a fan of Sol de Janiero’s Body Mists, then this body oil is for you, with its good-enough-to-eat scent. The formula also contains ingredients to help boost skin quality and make the skin look firmer, too. “I love using this body oil from Sol de Janeiro during the summer months, and it smells incredible thanks to notes of salted caramel, pistachio and vanilla,” says Who What Wear UK junior beauty editor, Grace Lindsay. “The hydrating formula always leaves my skin glowing. It actually features a guarana caffeine+ complex that works to encourage long-lasting moisture, and I like pairing it with the brand’s body cream and body mist to help make the scent last all day, too.”

When I had an eczema flare a few years ago, I religiously used Aveeno’s body care products and discovered this brilliant body oil, which is a great choice if you want a luxurious addition to your shower routine that won’t upset your skin. It’s a spray—so there’s no need to touch inflamed or irritated skin—that you can mist over the body for instant relief and nourishment. The hypoallergenic formula includes oat and jojoba oil, as well as ingredients rich in fatty acids and lipids to help shield the skin’s barrier. It also sinks in quickly without feeling sticky, too.

I first experienced this body oil as part of a massage treatment in London and fell in love with it. If you want an ultra-luxe body oil, then you won’t be disappointed by this one. It has a creamy, white floral scent with zesty neroli that relaxes the senses, while the nourishing oil itself has a beautiful slip, ideal for massaging into your skin and maximising the benefits. It leaves skin feeling deeply nourished and impossibly soft, and you can notice the scent on your skin hours later.