for a firm bum, smooth tum and silky-soft pins
A great body scrub doesn’t stop at smoothing skin—it can firm your bum and tum, improve ingrown hairs, promote cell turnover and slough away dead skin cells from the surface, making sure your moisturiser works harder and keeping your skin soft and supple all year long. So, if you’ve been neglecting your skin from the neck down, now’s the time to add one of these body buffers to your routine. As for the best body scrubs for 2022? From glow-enhancing polishes to pre-tan exfoliators, find the top contenders for baby-soft skin below...
How we choose the best body scrubs
To find out which formulas scrub up best, we’ve considered everything from skin types to benefits, price points and ingredients, ensuring that there’s one that ticks the box for every body. Whether it’s their ability to slough away dead skin cells or improve ingrown hairs, help prep your skin pre-shave or simply add softness and smoothness, we’ve done our research to find the most hardworking formulas. As always, the help of some five star reviews and editor picks always play a part in selecting the best of the best, too.
By Amelia Bell, 29 January 2022
How to use body scrubs
To reap the benefits of your body scrub - and make your products go a little further - make sure you always apply the formula on damp skin (unless stated otherwise) using warm water to help open up the pores and soften the skin, then massaging the formula in circular motions from your chest down to your feet.
So, how often should you exfoliate your body and how much should you use? This completely depends on the consistency of the formula and your skin type; the rule of thumb is generally no more than three times a week as this could disrupt the skin barrier. Most importantly, always use a scrub after your body wash and before your moisturiser, as this helps your moisturiser to absorb into your skin more effectively.
Smoothing Body Exfoliant
Best for: Sensitive skin
While it might be all no-frills, no-fuss packaging, the benefits of this derm-approved exfoliant speak for themselves (and with a very reasonable price point too). Loved by experts and editors for its ability to improve ingrown hairs, it also helps smooth and improve bumps caused by keratosis pilaris. Also known as ‘chicken skin’, KP is a condition that affects around 50% of women and, due to an excess production of keratin, it causes skin (mostly on the upper arms) to appear rough, bumpy and red. A winning combination of lactic acid and ground bamboo help gently slough away rough, bumpy areas, encouraging the production of new cells to the surface and visibly improving the appearance of KP. Unlike most scrubs, however, you use AMELIORATE’s formula on dry skin before you hop into the shower by leaving it on for a few minutes and then rinsing off in the shower.
The hype: “Heralded as a miracle-worker by beauty and skin experts, this £17.50 body scrub is excellent at treating keratosis pilaris, more commonly known as chicken skin. KP is a common skin condition that causes reddish, rough-textured bumps on the skin, which are actually hair follicles blocked up with dead skin cells, a result of a build up of keratin (hair protein) inside the pores.” You Magazine
Coconut & Sea Salt Body Scrub
Best for: Tanning prep Any expert will tell you that the secret to a great tan (whether fake or real) always starts with a scrub. Why? Exfoliation helps slough dead skin cells and reveal the new skin underneath, making it a lot easier for your skin to absorb self tan application, and a lot more evenly too. Whether it’s prepping your skin for fake tan or simply removing an old one, this beachy-scented scrub by Aussie-born brand, Bondi Sands, ensures your skin stays soft and strokable all year round. It combines naturally-derived exfoliants like Australian sand and Sea Salt to buff away dead skin cells and get it ready for a fresh application of self tan. The hype: “Exfoliating your skin before fake-tanning is crucial, but you want to avoid an oil-based scrub, because it'll affect the way your tan develops. Bondi Sands has the solution: this coconut and powdered walnut scrub is completely oil-free (the texture is coarse and almost sandy), meaning it'll slough and smooth while prepping your skin for a fresh application of tan.” - Harper’s Bazaar
Cleanse & Polish Body
Best for: Dehydrated skin
Dry skin? You can apply as much body butter to your skin, but without scrubbing away the dead cells and rough patches, your moisturisers don’t stand a chance. The solution? Look no further than this fresh-scented cleanse and body polish courtesy of Liz Earle to do all the hard work for you... Both effective and gentle on the skin, it takes inspo from the brand’s cult cleanser (a reminder that cleansing should extend below the neck too) and combines foaming agents with sunflower seed, apricot kernel and rice bran to hydrate, exfoliate and moisturise skin for an impressive 48 hours. It also comes with a handy exfoliating mitt that you can use to target rougher spots such as knees, elbows and heels with ease.
The hype: “We love this coveted scrub by the experts at Liz Earle. This 2-in-1 treatment works as a body wash plus a body exfoliator, thanks to the mitt that comes with the product. Choose your level of exfoliation by either gently scrubbing your skin with the mitt, or for a less intense rub, leave the mitt for days that you’re feeling braver.” - The Independent
Geranium Leaf Body Scrub
Best for: Splurge
Apothecary-inspired Aesop always raises the bar when it comes to scents—of course, this zesty body scrub is no exception. The kind of scrub you’d save for special occasions, this clear-gel scrub is a concoction of fresh, citrus scents and botanical oils to invigorate the senses, with Pumice and Bamboo Stem to leave your skin feeling squeaky clean (but never stripped of moisture) and smelling sensational. Gift it to yourself - or to someone else - and for an extra special treat, use it alongside the Geranium Leaf Body Balm.
The hype: “As well as smelling utterly heavenly, Aesop's Geranium Leaf Body Scrub offers very thorough exfoliation thanks to pumice and bamboo stem particles suspended in a gel formula. And who doesn't love Aesop packaging? An all-round winner.” - Vogue