15 Best Body Scrubs for Your Softest Skin Yet

Editor Tip: It's powerful, so use it once or twice weekly for the best results.

Key Ingredients: Volcanic pumice, niacinamide, alpha hydroxy acid | Who It's For: Everyone

Best Luxury: Osea Salts of the Earth Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: This best-selling body scrub is a favorite among editors for its combination of mineral salts — derived from New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Himalayas — and seaweed, which provides a wealth of nutrients, like amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants. The lavender only adds to the experience, giving the scrub an extra-indulgent feel.

Editor Tip: The salt base may be too harsh for sensitive skin types, so proceed cautiously.

Key Ingredients: Salt, safflower seed oil, shea butter | Who It's For: People who scrub regularly

Best Chemical Exfoliant: Peach & Lily KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: Kick keratosis pilaris to the curb with Peach & Lily's KP Bump Boss Microderm Body Scrub. Its combination of glycolic, lactic, and polyhydroxy acids works overtime (alongside tiny microcrystals) to keep blemishes and body acne at bay while hydrating hyaluronic acid and soothing cica comfort even the most sensitive of skin types.

Editor Tip: The formula was inspired by Korean bath scrubs beloved by founder Alicia Yoon.

Key Ingredients: Alpha hydroxy acids, centella asiatic, hyaluronic acid | Who It's For: People with bumps, breakouts, and ingrowns

Best Drugstore: Tree Hut Ocean Glow Shea Sugar Scrub

Why It's Worth It: The aisles of the drugstore are a beauty treasure trove filled with skin-enhancing goodies, this TikTok-famous sugar body scrub included. This scrub won a 2023 Best of Beauty Award for its skin-polishing effects, thanks to a mix of sugar and pumice beads buffing away dead skin and rough patches. Its formula also goes beyond polishing with the help of pore-penetrating alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) that target and remove acne-causing bacteria and excess sebum. We love Tree Hut Moroccan Rose Hydrating Sugar Scrub, too.

Editor Tip: It's infused with a blend of six oils to nourish skin while exfoliating

Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, green algae, sugar | Who It's For: People who want both exfoliation and hydration

Best for Keratosis Pilaris: First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA

Why It's Worth It: First Aid Beauty's KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub is a Readers' Choice Award winner that addresses several texture concerns, including keratosis pilaris. This concoction of glycolic and lactic acids provides intensive exfoliation to remove dead skin cells, excess oil, and keratin buildup from your pores. At the same time, pumice-based buffing beads polish the surface of your skin for a smoother, softer feel.

Editor Tip: As effective as it is, it's designed with sensitive skin in mind.

Key Ingredients: Pumice, glycolic acid, vitamin E | Who It's For: Those with chicken skin, KP, and other bumps

Best Physical Exfoliant: Dove Exfoliating Body Polish Crushed Macadamia & Rice Milk

Why It's Worth It: This baby blue pot of macadamia-scented deliciousness is the goldilocks of body scrubs. The exfoliators are not too harsh, but they're not weak. Unlike some sugar-based body scrubs, which dissolve within a few moments of use, this one relies on hydrated silica to clear dead skin and provide everlasting exfoliation.

Editor Tip: The Exfoliating Body Polish Crushed Macadamia & Rice Milk also deeply hydrates, thanks to its 25 percent moisturizing cream composition.

Key Ingredients: Macadamia seed oil, bran extract, rice milk | Who It's For: People who prefer scrubs to exfoliating acids

We love it so much that it's even been featured in Allure Beauty Box. Subscribe to the box here to get 6+ editor favorites (a $100+ value) every month—for just $25.

Best for Sensitive Skin: Aveeno Tone + Texture Renewing Fragrance-Free Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: Aveeno's Tone + Texture Renewing Fragrance-Free Body Scrub won a 2023 Best of Beauty Award for its ability to slough away dead skin cells without stressing sensitive skin types. It pairs polyhydroxy acid (PHA, a gentle cousin to AHA) with prebiotic oats; together, they help smooth skin while actively supporting the skin barrier. Plus, it helps even your skin tone, making it a winner for those prone to hyperpigmentation.

Editor Tip: The formula is also fragrance-free and formulated without soaps, sulfates, parabens, and dyes.

Key Ingredients: Cellulose, oat kernel oil, glycerin | Who It's For: People with reactive skin

Best for Dry Skin: Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Resurfacing Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: This tacky green paste comes in a mess-free squeeze tube and smells faintly of papaya, pineapple, and pumpkin — all providing enzymatic exfoliation. Lactic and salicylic acids also chemically exfoliate, but it's the pumice-stone particles — the key physical exfoliants present — that really get in there to buff away rough, stubborn patches. Kate Somerville's ExfoliKate Resurfacing Body Scrub is also infused with honey and aloe to nourish the skin. The end result? Soft, smooth, and radiant skin from head to toe.

Editor Tip: It's one of the brand's best-selling face scrubs, but now for your whole body.

Key Ingredients: Pumice, papaya enzymes, lactic acid | Who It's For: People with dry patches and rough knees and elbows

Best for Ingrown Hairs: This Works Perfect Leg Scrub

Why It's Worth It: This Works Perfect Leg Scrub is spiked with Himalayan pink salt crystals to delicately buff away dead skin cells, so its blend of blackcurrant, sweet almond, and crambie oils can penetrate deeply to deliver a smoothing burst of moisture. Goodbye, ingrown hairs.

Editor Tip: This nourishing balm also happened to be a Best of Beauty Award winner back in 2019, so it stands the test of time.

Key Ingredients: Blackcurrant oil, salt, sweet almond oil | Who It's For: People who shave frequently

Best for Body Acne: Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: In the same way you'd use an acne cleanser for breakouts on your face, the Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub's lathering formula is laced with blemish-busting salicylic acid and tiny exfoliating beads to thwart body blemishes and keep new ones at bay.

Editor Tip: It's gentle enough that you can use it daily to keep breakouts under control.

Key Ingredients: Salicylic acid, jojoba esters, chamomile extract | Who It's For: Those with body acne

Best for Hair and Body: Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: Ouai's Scalp & Body Scrub is excellent at sloughing away dead skin cells on limbs but also gentle enough to use on your scalp. The luxe exfoliator, created by hairstylist Jen Atkin, is made with sugar crystals to remove product buildup, excess sebum, and dry patches of skin (including flakes on your scalp) without drying your hair out. This Best of Beauty-winning sugar scrub is also formulated with probiotics for balancing your skin's natural bacteria levels — as in, the good bacteria — and moisturizing coconut oil.

Editor Tip: It's color-safe, so your hair color won't fade while scrubbing.

Key Ingredients: Sugar, panthenol, coconut oil | Who It's For: Those looking for an all-over exfoliation

Best Scented: Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Body Scrub

Why It's Worth It: Make summer last all year with Sol De Janeiro's delicious Bum Bum Body Scrub, a 2023 Readers' Choice Award winner. Just like the cream of the same name, it has that heavenly vanilla caramel scent, but the super-fine, sand-like texture will win you over. The formula uses crushed cupuaçu seeds and sugar crystals to gently dissolve dead skin cells, while Amazonian guarana (which has five times more caffeine than coffee) stimulates circulation, and pure-pressed coconut oil leaves behind silky, glowing skin.

Editor Tip: It leaves skin with a subtle shimmer, making it great to use before a night out.

Key Ingredients: Sugar, coconut oil, guarana | Who It's For: People who want to show some skin

Best Bar: Soft Services Buffing Bar

Why It's Worth It: The Soft Services Buffing Bar tackles body bumps and brings tough ingrown hairs to the surface using microfine crystals. A Best of Beauty 2022 winner, this bar is a favorite among people with ketosis pilaris. In her glowing review, Allure commerce producer Sarah Hoffmann called the bar "…one of the easiest, most low-maintenance solutions I've come across." However, this product isn't for you if you have sunburned or very sensitive skin.

Editor Tip: The bar can initially feel harsh, so wet it entirely and let it soften before use.

Key Ingredients: Magnesium oxide and alumina, glycerin, shea butter | Who It's For: People with ketosis pilaris, rough skin, and ingrown hairs

Best Smelling: Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish

Why It's Worth It: This moisturizing body scrub from Fresh uses sugar as a non-drying exfoliator to leave your skin nourished, soft, and smelling really good. Brown sugar crystals are natural humectants that lock in moisture, remove dead and dry skin, and leave behind softness. To evenly distribute the ingredients, mix the product in the jar with your finger before use.

Editor Tip: This super oily (in a good way) scrub can make your shower floor very slippery, so be careful.

Key Ingredients: Brown sugar, primrose, jojoba oil, citrus oil, ginseng oil | Who It's For: People with dry skin

Best Anti Inflammatory: Nopalera Mandarina Cactus Flower Exfoliant

Why It's Worth It: Nopalera's Mandarina Cactus Flower Exfoliant gently softens and exfoliates the skin just the way we like it. The scrub's prickly cactus oil targets inflammation, while achiote seed oil soothes. It's safe for sensitive skin and should be used twice weekly or daily.

Editor Tip: Leave the scrub on for one to two minutes to allow the prickly pear oil to soak into your skin and the smell of tangerine to scent your shower steam.

Key Ingredients: Prickly pear oil, prickly pear cactus, achiote seed oil | Who It's For: people with sensitive skin

Frequently Asked Questions

Body scrubs have tremendous benefits, especially for people with drier skin. David Kim, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Idriss Dermatology in New York City, spoke to Allure about the perks of body scrubs. "The good ones that aren't too rough or harsh on the skin will help make the skin feel nice and smooth by helping remove a dead layer of the skin," Dr. Kim says. "Because it doesn't have that dead layer, it will also be able to absorb the skincare products much better!" New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Howard Sobel, MD, previously told Allure that Scrubs "...rid the skin of buildup and dead skin cells, leaving your skin looking brighter, smoother, and healthier," he says. "Just apply it in circular motions, and you're set."

If you struggle with body acne or sensitive skin, it's understandable that you might be hesitant to put anything rough-feeling on your skin. Still, Dr. Kim explains to Allure that it's perfectly safe when used sparingly and gently. "I would recommend [body scrubs] only once or twice a month for people with sensitive skin. It's also important to moisturize the skin immediately after showering when it's slightly damp." Allure previously spoke to Michelle Henry, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City and founder of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan, about which products people with sensitive skin should consider. "Those with drier, sensitive skin should generally use products with smaller granules, which are less likely to irritate, cut, or rub your skin." As always, if you start using a product that gives you an adverse reaction, stop using it immediately and consider speaking to your dermatologist or exploring other body scrub options.

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.

For our list of best body scrubs, we considered each product’s performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors — along with special consideration from experts we interviewed for the piece. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the “best” for people over 50 if the only testers we’ve solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We’re proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Read more about our favorite body care products

• My Keratosis Pilaris Is No Match for Soft Services' Buffing Bar
• How to Safely and Effectively Exfoliate Your Skin, According to Dermatologists
• The 18 Best Face Exfoliators for Clear Pores and Glowing Skin