Which is Better: Body Butter or Lotion

Who among us couldn’t stand to improve our moisturizing regimen in our quest to achieve beautiful, soft, and supple skin?  The question then becomes what are the most effective health and beauty products on the market to optimally moisturize your skin. 

 Both body butter and body lotion are emollient products that you can apply to soften and smooth the texture of your skin. You could slather on some body butter or body lotion to treat your dry, parched skin. These two products are moisturizers that will improve the texture of your skin. 

Moisturizers are especially useful for treating the symptoms of dry skin, and they include: 

• Itching
• Tightness
• Tingling
• Stinging

You might be wondering which of these products – body butter or body lotion – will serve your skin best when it comes to maximizing moisture.

What is Body Butter? 

Body butter is the gold standard for natural body products.  Thick, luxurious body butter is the perfect choice for when your skin craves intense hydration. Body butter is the product to reach for when your skin is parched and sand-paper dry. 

Body butter is a skin moisturizer that uses fats as raw materials. It is used to retain moisture, lubricate and nourish the skin. Because body butter is thicker in consistency, it will stay on your skin longer. This will help reduce the loss of moisture from your skin.  Body butter works best when applied to damp skin. 

It is worth noting that body butter can clog your pores. That is why you should avoid applying it to your face.  Body butter is especially effective at combating dry skin during the winter season. 

Typically, manufacturers use shea butter as the primary ingredient in body butter. It is a type of fat that comes from the Butyrospermum parkii plant. 

The following fat products that are infused in body butter include the following: 

• Olive
• Avocado
• Palm
• Cocoa
• Jojoba
• Illipe

 Common types of body butter are shea, mango, and palm.

 What is Body Lotion?

You will find that body lotion has a similar composition to body butter.  However, it does not contain natural butter.  Lotion begins with a carrier oil like sweet almond, apricot, coconut, and jojoba. You can choose from hydrosol, water or herbal infusion to add to the carrier to make a thin consistency for the body lotion.

In essence, body lotion is an emulsion blended of water and oils. It is much lighter and thinner than body butter.  It typically has a non-greasy feel and it is absorbed faster into your skin than body butter. Body lotion is ideally suited for non-dry skin, as well as oily skin types.

Body lotions will vary somewhat based on what manufacturers have designed them for. So, for example, certain body lotions specifically target the face, while others are better suited for widespread use on the body.

Differences Between Body Butter & Body Lotion

The primary difference between body butter and body lotion is that body butter mostly contains natural fats. Conversely, body lotion goes through more processing stages and is infused with more water.

Body butter will be the better choice if you have sensitive skin. It can also ease dry skin conditions, such as mild to moderate eczema, in two weeks. If you have dry, rough skin, body butter is your best choice.  In order to protect your skin’s moisture levels, you will need to apply a deeply moisturizing body butter for super dry skin.

The advantage of body lotion is that it has a higher water content. This makes body lotion easier to spread.  It also allows for fast absorption into your skin. Being that lotion is lighter, it is also less likely to clog pores than body butter.

If you want a light, daily moisturizing, for your arms and legs, for example, you’ll want to reach for body lotion. This lighter formula is ideal for larger area applications.

Body lotion is useful in maintaining moisturized skin through regular use.  One study from 2017 recommended applying moisturizers, like body lotions, to the skin between once and three times every day.

Keep in mind that lotions lubricate and quickly soften the skin.  Body butter will stay on your skin longer, which assists in preventing loss of moisture.  This protective barrier that body butter provides will keep your skin more moisturized and for a longer period of time.

Agora — The Future of Skincare

Agora has a vision to provide its customers with a quality alternative to skin-care products available on the market today. We set out to deliver high quality skin-care products that provide excellent results while utilizing outstanding customer service.

Our products utilize unique and potent ingredients that make a revolutionary difference in the quality of skin that our customers enjoy. Our expert Cosmetic Formulation Chemist provides Agora with superior ingredients from around the world to produce the best skin-care products in the industry!  At Agora, we deliver the most effective and results-oriented skin-care treatments to our customers.