The 12 best smelling body lotions that nourish your skin and cocoon you in chic, spa-like scents
When you want to smell incredible, but not too perfume-y, these scented and ultra-hydrating body lotions are the answer
Naomi Jamieson
Imparting both nourishment and a delightful scent to your skin, the best-smelling body lotions are one of the easiest ways to enhance your routine.
Though the best body moisturisers do an excellent job at hydrating and soothing dry skin, sometimes you want more from them. Like a dreamy scent, for instance, that not only envelops you with its fresh notes but also has the power to enhance those of your signature long-lasting perfumes - adding a personal touch or even boosting their staying power. A scented body lotion also allows you to skip a perfume entirely, for those days when you want to smell good, but not overpoweringly so.
Best-smelling body lotion deals
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The 12 best-smelling body lotions, reviewed by our beauty team
RRP: £22.90 for 220ml | Notes: Citrus, floral, cedarwood, sweet orange
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire, Annie Milroy
When I told the beauty team that I was working on this list to find the best-smelling body lotion, this was mentioned by three different team members straight off the bat. Beauty writer Annie Milroy was a particularly vocal advocate, describing it as smelling like "pure happiness, like your favourite summer holiday."
When I tried it, I immediately understood why the team loves it so much. It's energising, bright and sunny, and the cream itself has a lovely, whipped texture that sank in quickly. As well as an oil blend, the formula also features a moisture lock complex to help your skin hydrated for 48 hours – resulting in a really nourishing treat. The jar is also refillable; simply hold on to it once empty and purchase a new cartridge.
RRP: £21 for 75ml | Notes: Pistachio, salted caramel, vanilla
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
You knew this was coming, didn't you? No list of the best-smelling body lotions would be complete without a product from TikTok-favourite Sol de Janeiro – a brand known for its rich, gourmand scents. In fact, all of its body creams were candidates, but I had to go for the original purely for the cult factor; it's the body cream that launched a thousand copycats, after all.
Ingredients-wise, there's cupuaçu butter, açai and coconut oils, plus caffeine-rich guaranà extract, making for an indulgent cream. The combination of pistachio, vanilla and salted caramel is very sweet, akin to the most dazzling dessert in a Parisian patisserie. I know that could all sound sickly, but it's still nicely balanced and quite sunny and warm in reality. Every time I catch a whiff of it, I let out an involuntary "ahh".
RRP: £42 for 200ml | Notes: Ginger, lemon, lime, bergamot
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
The ingredients in this cream are both tangy and zingy, like a ginger shot for your skin. That little revitalising kick means it serves a dual purpose – in the summer, it'll refresh sun-soaked limbs, while in the winter it'll invigorate your skin.
As well as its invigorating scent, the texture of this cream is also worth mentioning – I found it incredibly light but luscious, a bit like freshly whipped cream. Rich in oils, it also works to cocoon the skin in nourishment, making it a pick-me-up in more ways than one.
RRP: £49 for 450ml | Notes: grapefruit, Italian bergamot, vetiver, hinoki, orange blossom, amber and eucalyptus
Reviewed by: Naomi Jamieson
Infused with seaweed extracts and niacinamide, this lotion is truly a treat for the skin and senses. The formula is rich and feels instantly hydrating, but still absorbs easily, making it a great option for wearing underneath clothes in the daytime as well as your pjs at night. It's the scent, though, that really captured my heart. Crisp bergamot and earthy vetiver meet warm woods and amber, to surround you in the chicest and most comforting aroma.
It really lingers too (even on your clothes), and as someone who favours woody perfumes, I love to layer it with similarly green and warming blends. And while it is a tad pricey, the size of the bottle does actually make it very good value for money, especially when you compare the price per ml with some of the others on this list.
RRP: £64 for 175ml | Notes: King william pear, freesia, patchouli
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
Did you know that the best Jo Malone fragrances are also available as body products? English Pear and Freesia is my favourite. It's fruity but still grown up, balanced with floral notes of freesia and patchouli. The blend of cocoa butter and sweet almond oil gives it a really rich, creamy texture. This doesn't mean it's heavy, however – it works into the skin beautifully, impressively smoothing scaly legs in minutes.
It's also worth noting how luxurious the packaging is – it's a seriously weighty jar. Sure, you don't have to spend this much money on body lotion, but if you're looking for a gorgeous beauty gift idea (for yourself or a loved one, of course), look no further.
RRP: £58 for 200ml | Notes: tangerine, tiger orchid, heliotrope, almond, brown sugar, coconut and sandalwood.
Reviewed by: Naomi Jamieson
This deliciously scented cream is one of my all-time favourites for the autumn-winter seasons. The formula itself feels so decadent and rich on the skin. Its blend of shea butter and squalane delivers lasting hydration, while ingredients like French olive oil, French plum seed oil and glycerin work to restore elasticity. And all the while, you're wrapped up in the most moreish scent of brown sugar, almond, creamy coconut and warm sandalwood.
It genuinely leaves me smelling delicious (if I may say so myself) and layers beautifully under similar gourmand perfumes, which I personally tend to gravitate towards in the colder months. I apply it day and night, though I do prefer the latter and especially after a bath, as it's just such a cosy and comforting scent.
RRP: £38 for 200ml | Notes: Moringa seed, citrus
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
Fans of this brand’s much-loved best cleansing balm will love this body butter, which smells exactly like it. If you haven't smelled the cleanser, the best way to describe its scent would be essentially a spa in a jar. It's herbal and relaxing, with zingy citrus notes to revitalise your mind.
This is the richest buy on this list – definitely more of a body butter than a lotion, but that means it's incredibly nourishing, making it the best body cream for dry skin on this list. That's because it's infused with a blend of natural oils, including hemp seed, blackcurrant seed and moringa.
RRP: £30 for 300ml | Notes: Rhubarb, grapefruit, vanilla, rose
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
While Molton Brown has this scent available as a dedicated hand cream, I'd argue that the texture of the body option is pretty similar – light, sheer and non-greasy. The scent is very heavy on the rhubarb, which I absolutely love; it's tart, zingy and incredibly uplifting.
This is another great brand if you're looking to match your body cream to perfume; the Eau de Toilette is one of my favourite scents for summer, so I loved that I could enjoy this best fruity perfume in another form thanks to the hand and body lotion.
RRP: £35 for 200ml | Notes: Mint, rosemary, geranium, shea butter
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
If you like earthier and herbal scents when it comes to body lotion, you'll love this option from Clarins. The blend of rosemary and mint is ideal for a fresh summer scent, while the texture of the formula itself is both silky and lightweight – a perfect middle ground between an oil and a lotion. Rich shea butter works to nourish the skin, while Aloe vera and mint soothe the senses.
Of course, all scents are technically unisex, but this would be one I think any man in your house would happily share. Maybe too happily – so consider stashing it in a drawer if you want to keep it all to yourself.
RRP: £30 for 200ml | Notes: Frangipani flowers, monoi, macadamia
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire
ELEMIS makes some of the best skincare products around, so it makes sense that their gorgeous bodycare products work just as hard to overhaul tired limbs. The lotions feature a blend of rich oils, including macadamia, sesame and monoi, to deeply nourish even the thirstiest of skins.
The team battled it out over this and the more oceanic Sea Lavender and Samphire scent – but Frangipani is a real favourite of mine and I got the final say (smug). The reason I love it so much is that it feels really warm and inviting. The florals take centre stage, but the sweeter macadamia notes give it this enveloping feeling. To me, it's the best-smelling body lotion to use in the winter if you want to really thaw frosty limbs.
RRP: £85 for 200ml | Notes: rose and lychee
Reviewed by: Naomi Jamieson & Sennen Prickett
Naomi: Like many of the best perfumes for women, Parfums de Marly offer their most iconic blends in body care form. Delina, if you haven't had the pleasure of smelling it, is a lovely and very elegant take on a rose perfume, and the body cream iteration offers those same sweet and floral notes, alongside nourishing ingredients like shea butter and sweet almond oil.
It's lingering but not overpowering, though it does work well at enhancing the parfum, should you choose to layer them. Alone, though, it absorbs quickly, leaving your skin silky smooth and imparting a fresh and rosy scent. It's also refillable, which I love.
RRP: £20 for 215g | Notes: Lavender, tonka bean, cocoa
Reviewed by: Rhiannon Derbyshire & Naomi Jamieson
Rhiannon: This nighttime body has gone viral a couple of times for acting a bit like a bath soak for sleep and helping people fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply. The best sleep aid beauty products can lean too heavily on the lavender and are a bit pungent as a result. However, this isn't the case with this yoghurt-like lotion; the lavender is mellowed by cocoa butter and tonka bean, and it feels nicely relaxing without being aggressive about it.
Naomi: "Aside from its luxuriously thick formula, the smell of this stuff is just heavenly. I love being able to smell soft traces of lavender on my skin as I nestle into bed, but I think you could get away with wearing this during the day too – particularly if you love floral fragrances. I personally enjoy the ritual of slathering this on before bed as part of my wind-down routine, especially in winter when my skin is extra dry and in need of some TLC."
How we tested the best-smelling body lotions
A selection of the best-smelling body lotions tested for this guide
Each product featured here was tried by the beauty team before making it onto this list of the best-smelling body lotions. Some of them are even longstanding tried-and-true favourites that we've loved for years.
To narrow down this edit, we tried a lot of options, from cult classics to newer launches. We wanted to include buys at every budget that would also cover all scent preferences, so slathered ourselves with a huge variety of options to ensure that this list was definitive and had something for everyone. When testing these body lotions, we made sure to consider the following factors.
- Scent: This one’s the most obvious; first and foremost, we had to love the scent, but it also had to last on the skin throughout the day. We also made sure to get several opinions on each cream, as scent is quite subjective.
- Moisturising abilities: again, this may sound like an obvious one, but as well as smelling great, these lotions also had to work well functionally as body lotions – otherwise it's like you're applying one of the best perfumes for women in non-spray form. We tested each one on its ability to nourish and soothe the skin, and how long that moisturisation lasted.
- Skin benefits: The inclusion of other beneficial skincare ingredients, rather than just humectants or emollients, is a good sign. These facial skincare-worthy ingredients can really be the thing that sets them apart from your bog-standard lotion. If they have them, they'll usually be flagged in the specifications.
- The price point: Scented products can get a little wild in the price tag department. To that end, we wanted to ensure that each buy included in this guide was really worth spending hard-earned cash on, in order to help you find those that are the ultimate value for money.
How to choose from the best-smelling body lotions
When choosing a fragranced body lotion, there are a few things to consider before buying, namely the scent itself, as this is personal and very subjective. We would therefore suggest opting for formulas that share similar or complementary notes with your go-to perfumes - especially if you're hoping to layer them. Sol de Janeiro's Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, for instance, would pair beautifully with a sweet, gourmand scent or a summery perfume that smells like sun cream.
The formula, in general, should also be taken into consideration. If you want a glow-boosting cream, invest in a body lotion that has a bronzing shimmer, or if deep and lasting hydration is the goal, opt for a cream that is packed with oils. We all have different wants and needs for our body moisturisers, so be sure to invest in a cream that meets yours - especially if you hope to wear it daily
If you have very sensitive skin, we would recommend steering clear of scented lotions, though, as fragrance can irritate - or at least, trialling a small amount on a patch of skin first, to see how it reacts.
Our expert panel
Rhiannon Derbyshire is Senior Beauty Editor at woman&home and other women's titles. During her career, she's specialised in beauty, fashion, interiors and health, but beauty remains her favourite topic. Since embracing her natural hair texture, she hasn't looked back, making her our go-to in-house expert in nailing a curly hair routine.
Naomi is Digital Beauty Writer at woman&home, where she covers everything from skincare to makeup but specialises in fragrance and nail trends – sharing her expertise on the latest beauty buys and must-have manicure styles. As well as showcasing her beauty knowledge, she reviews products and shares personal shopping recommendations.