How often should you moisturise your body? Our beauty writer and editor have very different opinions

There are two types of people – those who can’t remember the last time they moisturised their body, and those who can’t remember the last day they didn’t.

Moisturising below the neck is an issue our beauty team is very much divided on. Aftersun aside, beauty writer Annie swerves moisturiser, while beauty editor Jess is fully committed to a year-round bodycare routine of body creams for dry skin, the best body oils and even the odd retinol body moisturiser.

Neither would dream of going without the best face moisturiser, so why does bodycare feel like a different ball game? Bring on the beauty debate…

How often should you moisturise your body? The big beauty debate

Jess Beech, Beauty Editor: Annie and I live parallel lives. We live about a fifteen-minute walk from each other, share a love of puppies and Percy Pigs, and last week bought the same top without realising. One thing we don’t agree on, though, is that body moisturiser is a daily essential rather than a nice-to-have.

Nothing feels like more of a treat at the end of the day than slathering myself in moisturiser and waking up to silky soft limbs. During this year's relentless heatwaves, I found myself showering twice a day as a matter of survival, and I would undoubtedly look like a mid-shed snake if I wasn’t moisturising daily – I don’t know how Annie manages to look so fresh and not at all husk-like.

Annie Milroy, Beauty Writer: Despite sharing the same postcode and love of the Elizabeth Line, Jess and I have long disagreed about how often you should moisturise your body. I refuse to add moisture to any part of my body below the neck unless it’s a special occasion or an emergency. So, it's likely my limbs have only ever experienced body cream about 10 times in their dry lives.

Jess, on the other hand, slathers the stuff on every evening. So who’s right? Me, the driest girl in Essex or Jess, the No. 1 body cream addict of the county? We’ve had to call in the experts to settle this once and for all.

The big body moisturiser debate

JB: Be honest, when was the last time you moisturised your body? You can tell me.

AM: This is embarrassing to say, but I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve moisturised my body in my life. I am ashamed, but I just hate feeling greasy!

JB: There’s no judgement here – this is a safe space. But does your skin not feel itchy and flaky? I moisturise pretty much every single day because otherwise my skin cries out for it. I moisturised last night, but my shins already feel like they’re flaking like croissants.

AM: In all honesty, no. I don’t really make a habit of getting my pasty shins out, so a lot of the flakiness might be hidden. Sometimes I catch sight of how dry my skin is in the office, and worry I'll get sacked from the beauty team. But because I am SO very lazy, I just roll with it. I would rather wear tights in July than moisturise my body.

JB: Surely if it's not irritating you, then it must not be a problem, though? Maybe your skin is just not as dry as mine? Also, the idea of wearing tights through July is making me feel unwell.

AM: I think sometimes you can be caught in a cycle of your body expecting a level of moisture? So, your skin craves it more? Rhiannon said this in our lip balm debate - maybe the more you use it, the more you need it.

JB: Your body has become acclimatised to the Saharan conditions.

AM: All my body knows is neglect.

JB: It’s funny, because you love skincare. It could be because I am also a fake tan addict, and maybe that’s making me a body lotion addict too. Do you wear aftersun on holiday? And does sun cream make you feel as greasy and stressed as moisturiser, or do you just don’t mind so much because you are also on a sun lounger with an Aperol?

AM: Yes, but needs must. After sun is an essential for me, so I guess that does count as moisturiser! Look at me go!

JB: She’s just a two-weeks-a-year moisturiser girl. The big question – will you moisturise before your upcoming wedding or are you going high neck and long sleeves?

AM: I might whack a lightweight cream on before the big day, but maybe just on the arms (big dress reveal here, people).

JB: High days and holidays for you, all year round for me.

AM: Surely it should be more of a happy medium? Let’s see what the experts say.

What do the experts think?

So, who's in the right? According to consultant dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite, “bodycare follows the same pattern as facial care. Exfoliate two to three times a week and moisturise once or twice daily.” At this rate, it's clear Annie is a way off the pace with once-in-a-blue-moon application.

However, that doesn’t mean Annie should necessarily be following Jess’ lead of basting herself in enough layers of lotion to rival a Christmas turkey. “The best products to moisturise your body will largely depend on your skin type, and in many cases, the time of year,” advises consultant dermatologist and CeraVe expert Dr Derrick Phillips.

“For normal skin, lighter formulations are often sufficient. These are easy to apply, absorb quickly and provide effective day-to-day hydration without feeling heavy. As skin becomes drier, richer textures are more beneficial, helping to reduce water loss and deliver more intense hydration.

For very dry, rough or itchy skin, more intensive formulations may be needed. In these cases, the best moisturisers for dry skin will contain ingredients such as urea, which can be particularly helpful, as they both hydrate and gently smooths the skin.”

In the name of serious investigative journalism, Annie and Jess both used a skin analysis device to measure the hydration levels on their skin. Interestingly, there wasn’t much of a difference between them, nor between the skin on Annie’s face and her much-neglected legs.

The final verdict: how often should you moisturise your body?

AM: It seems that neither of us is right. Of course, I could benefit from forcing myself to moisturise my limbs once a week (start slow, they say). But ironically, our hydration levels weren’t wildly different, so maybe our skin does acclimatise to its conditions. Neglect for me, and drowning for Jess. It seems that although daily is ideal, it might be more about applying whenever your skin feels it needs it. There are worse things in life than over- or under-hydrating your limbs.

JB: I definitely don’t think my skin could cope without its daily dose of moisture, and I do feel vindicated that Dr Alexis agrees that body moisturiser is an everyday essential.