In the debate raging between lotions and oils, who wins for the best body moisturizer?

After years of abuse, oils are suddenly in again. We’ve already talked about the benefits of using oil on your face, but what about your body? Is oil better than lotion (and body butter, and cream)?

We talked to Rebecca Hamilton, Director of Product Development for the W.S. Badger Company, a leader in natural skincare. Badger’s iconic Balm put them on the map, but they just introduced a line of body oils—so there's no better source about who’d want to use what and why. Read on for our guide to choosing the best body moisturizer!

The Scoop on Lotion and Oil Formulation

Hamilton says, “The purpose of a lotion is to moisturize the skin. In making a lotion (by mixing water and oil), we would also need to add emulsifiers, preservatives, and stabilizers. All of the additives seemed unnecessary in a moisturizer when all the skin really needs is the oil.  Our body oil is the is the best part of a moisturizer, without water or unnecessary additives. We do not believe that lotions are bad, but we wanted to offer an alternative for those people that wanted to use the most natural and direct form of a body moisturizer.”

Why Use Body Oil

Hamilton says, “Body oils work well in any climate and are exceptional in dry climates where your skins natural oils are depleted. A body oil offers pure moisturizing power without any unnecessary additives, and it is highly concentrated so one bottle lasts a long time.” Many women have tried body oils and disliked the results: they used to be greasy, runny, or sticky.

But those were the oils of yore, made of mineral oil from petroleum, which is heavy or greasy because our skin doesn’t absorb petroleum byproducts very well. It also doesn’t absorb them very quickly, which is why it might have felt like the oil was sitting on your skin. The new crop of body oils are made with naturally occuring plant oils like jojoba, which is the only plant oil that our skin recognizes and absorbs like our own naturally-produced body oils.

Hamilton says,  “The best way to apply a body oil is just after a shower or bath, when your pores are open and your skin can assimilate the extra moisture.”

Why Use Lotion

Lotion is so popular because it's so easy to use. The water and other emulsifiers added to a lotion do act as a solvent, helping the oil contained within to spread easily on the skin.  By using a lotion you can apply a very small amount of oil to a larger portion of your skin.  Hamilton says, “If you don’t need much of the moisturizing power, the lotion might be easier to apply.”

Are Oils a Throwback? 

The Europeans have been using moisturizing oils forever—why are they so ahead of us? Hamilton says, “Body oil has been a key element to beautiful skin long before lotions were developed.  While Americans let go of traditional skin care in favor of new and improved chemical formulas, many Europeans simply never stopped using the age old beauty care that has been developed over the millenia.”

Hamilton have you convinced? Badger’s new line of Antioxidant Body Oils ($27, badgerbalm.com) are based in jojoba, cold-pressed pomegranate, and cold-pressed olive oils and come in Damascus Rose, Vanilla Orchid, or Unscented. Click here for our review.