Non-Toxic Body Lotion Deserves Space on Your Shelf

I’ve had this debate with my beauty editor friends over the years about how to balance using “clean,” non-toxic skincare over high-performance products that may contain unnatural ingredients. One point that continues to come up again and again is that non-toxic body lotions will cover about 80-90% of your skin, while personal care products you use for your face may only cover around 10% of your body.

With this logic, I like to use non-toxic body lotions on my body, and stick with facial skincare and beauty products that might still use safe, man-made ingredients in their formulas. Something that we talk a lot about in the beauty industry world is that, just because it’s “natural,” doesn’t always mean it’s safe for your skin. For example, poison ivy is natural, but if you rub it on your skin, you’re screwed!

When I was testing out non-toxic body lotions for this blog post, I ran into this exact issue—I tried a non-toxic body lotion that was “free from all the bad stuff,” but I broke out in a crazy rash about five minutes after I had applied it to my body. The culprit was the Avalon Organics Body Lotion in Nourishing Lavender. This certified organic, non-GMO, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, preservative-free, dye-free, phthalate-free, and sulfate-free formula caused chaos on my skin. And while yes, I have sensitive skin, I’ve never really broken out in hives/a rash from a body lotion before.

I believe the reason that I got a big rash from this formula was because it is loaded with lime oil and lemon peel oil. Both of these oils can wreak havoc on your skin (see here and here), and should probably be avoided if you have sensitive skin (or even if you don’t have sensitive skin). I know this formula comes in an unscented version, which might be safer to use, but I’m not going to buy it again to find out!

So, all that’s to say, “natural” doesn’t always mean it’s safe for your skin. But since body lotions cover the dermis, which is your body’s largest organ, it’s important to look for products that won’t cause further harm. Body butter, cream, and lotion moisturize your skin to help it look and feel healthy and smooth. However, not all body lotions are created using the same ingredients. Non-toxic body lotions free your skin from potentially harmful chemicals that may get absorbed into your bloodstream.

Since these creams usually contain organic ingredients, you can also think of them as natural body lotions. They might not always be fragrance-free, but their ingredient list tends to be free of synthetic fragrances. To ensure you’re purchasing a natural, non-toxic body lotion that’ll work to hydrate and moisturize your skin, you may want to look for something that contains:

Aloe vera
Cocoa butter
Coconut oil
Hyaluronic acid
Jojoba oil
Mineral oil
Sunflower seed oil

Luckily, we’ve rounded up some of the best products that check these boxes. Keep reading for the best non-toxic body lotions currently on the market.

6 Best Non-Toxic Body Lotion

The Honest Company Hydrating Face + Body Lotion

I was pleasantly surprised by this one. Mainly because I don’t use a ton of Honest Company products. I haven’t tried many in my years as a beauty editor/writer. This pick was the perfect texture. It wasn’t too thick, nor was it too thin, either. It does a great job of hydrating my skin but soaks into my skin pretty fast.

I like that it is fragrance-free and doesn’t irritate my skin. It comes in three other scents, but I haven’t tried them. The packaging says that you can use this on your face too. But I probably wouldn’t because it has too many oils in it that I know will clog my pores and make me break out. The price point for this one is great at $10 a tube. And I like that it’s just your bare-bones moisturizer that can be safely used every day.

Available on Amazon ($10)

Weleda Skin Food Nourishing Body Lotion

I am really impressed with this formula. The texture is a mix between thick and thin, and it soaks into the skin really nicely. I’m guessing that this body lotion was based off the brand’s best-selling product, the Weleda Skin Food. The OG skin food is a lot thicker than this formula, and I can imagine was a bit difficult to use as a body lotion. This new formula, however, glides over my skin beautifully and absorbs pretty quickly.

This is kind of random, but I really like the shape of the bottle, and I think it looks really nice on my bathroom counter. I also like that it’s fairly priced at $14. The biggest issue with this body lotion is that it is pretty heavily fragranced. On the bottle, it says that the “parfum” is derived “from natural essential oils and/or plant extracts.” Which could be true, but could also not be totally true. Unfortunately, many brands like to hide sketchy ingredient behind the term “fragrance (parfum),” so it’s hard to tell. But considering Weleda is pretty clean all-around, I think this is safe to use and I would consider it a non-toxic formulation.

Available on Weleda ($19)

ATTITUDE Body Lotion for Sensitive Skin

This brand came on my radar about a year or so ago, when they sent me their Oceanly Plastic Free Makeup to try out. I ordered the ATTITUDE Body Lotion to test out and was very pleasantly surprised by this formula. I got the unscented version (it comes in three other scents), and I noticed that it does smell slightly of soothing oatmeal—but in a good way. It’s certainly nowhere near strong enough to irritate skin in any way.

The texture of this formula is somewhere in between thick and thin. It’s another lotion that soaks into my skin beautifully after the shower. I can see this one being added to my rotation for a while. It’s EWG-verified, contains 98.9% naturally sourced ingredients, and is dermatologically tested, too.

Something else I like about this brand is that it’s all about reducing plastic waste. This bottle does use plastic. But I think the brand might change that somewhere down the line. For example, they currently sell Body Butter Bars that are completely plastic-free. This pick is a little bit on the pricier side, but the bottle is big, will last you a while, and I think the price is pretty fair for what you get!

Available on ATTITUDE Living ($16)

Cocokind Sake Body Lotion

If you haven’t already noticed around here, I’m kinda obsessed with Cocokind (here is my Cocokind review). And the Cocokind Sake Body Lotion is no exception. Compared to a few other lotions on this list, the Cocokind Sake Body Lotion is a bit thicker. It’s not super thick by any means, and I like that it soaks into my skin pretty fast.

Not only is the bottle super chic, but the formula is loaded with good-for-your-skin ingredients, too. For example, it contains sake, which is a fermented rice wine that’s jam-packed with enzymes and probiotic sugars. The sake can help to very gently exfoliate your skin to reveal smoother, softer skin over time. Additionally, it doesn’t contain fragrances, so it’s great for sensitive skin.

Available on Cocokind ($22)

Nécessaire The Body Lotion

This pick is slightly on the pricier side. But for good reason—it’s loaded with niacinamide, five different peptides, and facial-grade oils that are rich in vitamins A, C, E, and F and omegas 6 and 9. It has firming properties, as well as moisturizing and strengthening the skin barrier, too.

I like that this formula is on the thicker side. It’s perfect for cold weather or when your skin needs that extra hydration. It will keep your skin hydrated for a long time. I love that it’s fragrance-free and free of all the nasties. That being said, because it’s a bit thick, it does take a little longer to soak into the skin, compared to a lighter lotion. However, that doesn’t bother me, as I normally prefer a thick lotion for my super dry skin, anyway!

Available on Necessaire ($28)

Beautycounter Hydrating Body Lotion in Bright Grapefruit

Beautycounter is well-known for being a safe, non-toxic beauty brand. Their Hydrating Body Lotion in Bright Grapefruit features safflower seed oil, glycerin, coconut oil, allantoin, and grapefruit peel oil. Unlike the citrus essential oils loaded in the Avalon Organics Lavander Body Lotion that made me break out in hives, I had no issues with this pick when testing it on my body.

This formula is really lightweight, and soaks into skin pretty immediately. If you like a body lotion that is on the thinner side and absorbs fast, you’ll love this one. Unsurprisingly, it also has a slight grapefruit scent. I like that it’s not totally overpowering, and it actually gets even more subdued when it soaks into your skin. However, if you really hate the scent of grapefruit or citrus in general, I don’t recommend this one for you.

Available on Beautycounter ($29)

OSEA Undaria Collagen Body Lotion

This is for the peeps who like a thinner-consistency body lotion. The Osea Undara Collagen Body Lotion is very thin but not watery, and smells exactly like grapefruit. It absorbs into the skin extremely quickly, and contains vegan collagen and hyaluronic acid to boost skin and add extra hydration, too.

I don’t really love using this pick on my hands because it leaves a bit of a film. However, when I apply it to my body, I don’t really notice the film at all. I like that this is scented but doesn’t irritate my skin, and I appreciate all the clean ingredients in this formulation, too.

This pick from Osea is definitely on the pricier side. Because of this, I wouldn’t purchase this one if you prefer a thicker body lotion. If that’s the case, I would opt for the Osea Undaria Algae Body Butter. However, if you like a thin body lotion that smells like grapefruit and absorbs quickly, so you can get out the door fast, I would recommend this non-toxic body lotion from Osea.

Available on OSEA ($48)

Acure Everyday Eczema Lotion

The hero ingredient in this formulation is 2% colloidal oatmeal, which has been proven to soothe symptoms of eczema. You can count on this pick from Acure to not only help hydrate your entire body, but also soothe any eczema-prone patches of skin on your body or hands. I like that it also contains aloe, safflower seed oil, shea butter, and a ton of other seed oils. These will really moisturize your skin throughout the day.

I like that it only costs $13, and that you can easily get it on Amazon. What I don’t love is the weird scent. The packaging says that it is fragrance-free, meaning that they haven’t added any additional scents into the formulation. There are no “masking” fragrances to cover up the strange scent that this pick has. It kinda smells very faintly of play-dough. However, once it absorbs into your skin, you can’t really smell it anymore!

Available on Amazon ($15)

If you’re reading this blog post, I can bet that you’re also into the best non-toxic sunscreens and non-toxic perfumes, too. Check out our favorites!