Selecting Between Body Lotion, Cream, or Balm: How to Make the Right Choice

In terms of body care, there are different types of galenic: body lotion, body cream, body butter, etc… Different products to meet the different needs of the skin, but also to meet your preferences in terms of texture. 

Body lotion or body cream?

What is the difference between a lotion and a body cream? What is a body lotion really for? It is sometimes difficult to find your way through all these terms…

In this article, we list the different body care products so that you can easily understand the differences in terms of galenics and use, and especially choose the body care product that suits you.

Body lotion

Who is it for? For normal to oily skin (or combination skin?).

What are the benefits? Bring comfort and suppleness to the skin.

For example, our organic moisturizing body lotion has a much lighter and more fluid formula than other products. It is easy to apply, it is quickly absorbed by the skin and does not leave an oily film on its surface. Also, it nourishes, protects and hydrates the skin, without being too rich. It is thus good for normal, combination & oily skins.

Organic moisturizing body lotion

Body cream

Who is it for? For normal to dry skins.

What are the benefits? Bring a maximum softness to the skin.

The body cream has a softer, smoother and thicker texture. It is also more nourishing and provides more comfort than a lotion. It is perfect for dry and normal skins that need a little more nutrition. The body cream is even easier to apply because it contains more fatty substances, which have a very good affinity with the epidermis. The body cream softens the skin, while reinforcing its protective hydrolipidic film.

Body oils

Who is it for? For dry to very dry skin.

What are the benefits? Nutrition & comfort.

More nourishing than body cream, body oil is perfect for dry to very dry skin. It is generally a vegetable oil or a mixture of complementary vegetable oils, which will bring nutrition & protection the skin needs. Rich in vitamins, antioxidants, but also in nourishing and repairing active ingredients, body oil relieves skin that is tight, peeling or cracking. The oil softens the skin, protects it from drying, external aggressions & skin aging. For a nourishing & vitamin-rich oil, we recommend argan oil, which has a very good affinity with the skin!

Made of 100% lipids, the vegetable oil, or body oil, leaves a small greasy film on the skin. Don’t panic, just let it penetrate before putting on your clothes. There are dry oils, which feel more silky on the skin. They leave a less greasy film on the skin and are very appreciated during the summer.

argan oil

Body balm

Who is it for? Fragile, very dry & damaged skin.

What are the benefits? Nutrition and intense repair.

The body balm, also known as body butter (because it contains vegetable butters), is recommended to take care in depth of fragile, damaged, & even very dry skins. Indeed, body balms are often enriched with ultra-nourishing butters. They are often composed of shea butter, mango butter or cocoa butter.

Very popular during the winter, the balm is perfectly suited to our skin, which is more sensitive to the cold and to natural water loss. They are also very appreciated in summer when the skin has been damaged by the sun, sea water or chlorinated water. Rich in lipids, just like vegetable oils, body balm leaves a greasy film on the skin. Therefore, it is better to apply it in the evening, so as not to risk staining our clothes during the day. 

If your skin is very dry, this is a perfect way to give it all the nutrition it needs. Sometimes, it’s just targeted areas of our body that need a little boost of nutrition, and in particular the areas located at the articular zones in regular movement: elbows, knees, hands, feet.

As you can see, the balm is the richest of the 4 body care products presented in this article. Moreover, it has a thick texture, and if you want to facilitate its penetration, we advise you to apply it on wet skin.