Why body serum has become 2026’s biggest beauty trend, with 8 top picks to shop today
Body skincare is no longer the afterthought slathered on as a moisturizer in winter. The body serum category has exploded as shoppers extend the actives, textures and ingredient logic of their facial routines below the neck, and the picks now span luxury formulas, drugstore staples and even Dollar Tree finds.
Whether you’re chasing smoother texture, more hydration or a glowier finish, here’s what to know about the body serum boom and eight products getting attention right now.
Why body serum is having a moment
The category’s growth tracks with a broader shift in how people think about skincare. In a piece by Conçetta Ciarlo, double board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp previously told Vogue, “As people become more comfortable with their facial skin-care routines, it’s common for them to explore how they can best take care of their body’s skin. The popularity of skin-care products targeted to the body speaks to this recent increased interest.”
Translation, the same shoppers who once obsessed over face serums are now scrutinizing the ingredient decks of their body lotions, and brands are answering with formulas that look a lot more like advanced facial skincare than traditional moisturizers.
What a body serum actually is
A body serum sits somewhere between a treatment and a lotion. Texas-based dermatologist Dr. Jennifer Gordon tells Byrdie, “Serums are usually water-based, lightweight moisturizers designed to hydrate and often deliver ingredients like hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, or peptides to the skin.”
That lightweight, active-forward profile is what separates a body serum from a heavier cream or a pure oil. Many of the newer launches blur the line further by combining serum-style actives with lotion-style hydration in a single bottle.
8 body serums worth knowing about
From buzzy launches to budget picks, these are the formulas getting attention in recent beauty coverage.
1. Topicals Slather Exfoliating Body Serum
For Allure, Deanna Pai and Annie Blackman explain the appeal, “Topicals’ Slather Exfoliating Body Serum uses the smoothing and toning properties of retinol alongside a star-studded lineup of squalane, urea, and lactic and glycolic acids to alleviate a plethora of skin concerns, such as rough patches, bumps (shout out keratosis pilaris or KP), and dryness.”
2. HA Body Hydrator Hyaluronic Acid Face & Body Serum
Ariel Baker writing for Marie Claire highlights the formula’s flexibility, “From the sodium hyaluronate that deeply hydrates the skin (this is a salt form of hyaluronic acid, but the molecules are smaller, so they penetrate the skin deeper) to the red algae that also hydrates, your skin will be dewy, glowy, and in tip-top shape using this serum. Plus, the formula can also be used on the face, which feels like a two-for-one deal in my brain.”
3. Byoma Smoothing Body Serum
According to BYOMA, the product is “Enriched with our Barrier Lipid complex and powerhouse ingredients, Succinic Acid and Blue Tansy the clinically proven formula will visibly brighten, provide all day hydration and smooth skin texture without stripping the skin barrier.”
4. OLLY Renew Body Lotion Serum
A hybrid pick that’s marketed as a lightweight body lotion-serum designed for overnight use. It pairs hydration with skincare-style active ingredients, aims to improve the appearance of dry, rough or dull-looking skin, and contains niacinamide to support the skin barrier and promote a more even-looking tone.
5. Naturium Skin Renewing Retinol Body Lotion
Olivia Dubyak with InStyle writes, “If you’re like me and ignore body care for most of the colder months, it’s very clear that some serious skin TLC is needed when May rolls around and it’s time to throw shorts and a tank top. The Naturium Skin-Renewing Retinol Body Lotion is formulated with encapsulated retinol (helps reduce fine lines, smooths texture, soothes irritation, and evens skin tone), allantoin (promotes cellular turnover and calms sensitive skin), and shea butter (deeply hydrates). Plus, it’s lightweight, not sticky, and unscented.”
6. OLAY Super Serum Body Lotion
According to OLAY, “This anti-aging body lotion visibly transforms your skin, delivering 5-in-1 benefits, including 24/7 hydration, visibly firms, smooths texture, visibly evens, and brightens. Powered by Niacinamide, AHA, Collagen Peptide, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, it nourishes and restores, leaving your skin luminous and resilient with a luxurious floral, herbal, vanilla, and soft wood fragrance.”
7. Dermasil Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Body Lotion
A budget pick from Dollar Tree. The brand describes it as “a powerful protectant and moisturizer that is enhanced with aloe. It helps soothe and control the symptoms of dry skin such as chapping, cracking, flaking, roughness, redness, soreness, and dry-skin itching. A must-have product for care facilities, care packages, home first aid kits, medicine cabinets, and doctor’s offices.”
A review on Dollar Tree said, “I love this product. Use it ever night after shower in summer, keeps skin soft, moisturizer for sun drenched skin.”
8. Global Beauty Care Retinol Renewing Double Serum With Peptides
Another Dollar Tree find that’s technically a face serum, but one that doubles as a body option. According to Dollar Tree, “The Global Beauty Care Retinol Renewing Double Serum With Peptides is a budget-friendly anti-aging serum that improves the texture of your skin. The serum contains a special formula that helps reduce wrinkles and provides a radiant and firm complexion.”
How to choose the right body serum for your skin
The right body serum comes down to what you’re trying to solve. Shoppers dealing with keratosis pilaris, rough patches or dullness tend to gravitate toward exfoliating formulas with retinol or acids like lactic and glycolic. If hydration is the priority, hyaluronic acid-driven serums layer well under heavier creams and are gentle enough for daily use. Anti-aging shoppers can look for niacinamide, peptides and vitamin C, actives that have migrated from face routines into newer body-focused launches.
Price doesn’t have to be a barrier, either. With drugstore and dollar-store options now part of the conversation alongside prestige picks, the body serum category covers nearly every budget.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.