We tested each product for the following:
Kaori is the representative director of Japan's Scientific Beauty Institute. She also runs the Beauty Science Blog, which sends out beauty science information in a way that's easy to understand. She operates with the mission of "wanting people to enjoy the process of finding skincare that works for them by offering a scientific perspective". Kaori broadcasts her expert knowledge from working with skincare and cosmetics societies and academic journals on her blog, social media, and more. She also works with PR, product development, and corporate support teams for cosmetics.
mybest US' editing team consists of experienced members who have backgrounds in writing, editing, translation, and more. We are dedicated to researching what makes a product or service the best to users in the US in order to create top-quality articles. From skincare, to kitchen appliances, and to DIY supplies, our mission is to find the best ones for you.
The experts featured in these contents reviewed the contents of the buying guide.
Products or services listed have been independently ranked by the mybest Editorial Team based on 9 Best Japanese Body Creams as of 11-04-2022. Experts featured in this article did not participate in the selection and ranking process.
The major difference that separates body creams, body lotions, and body milks, is the balance between water and oils in each type of product.
The main function of moisturizers is to either assist in moisture retention in the epidermis or use emollients to create a thin film on the surface of the skin to prevent moisture evaporation, as well as soften the skin.
Body creams generally have a higher oil content when compared to body lotions or body milks, meaning they have a high level of emollients but tend to be thicker in texture.
Body lotions have a higher amount of water, making them better suited for the hotter months or for those who aren't too fond of thick creams. However, they aren't as moisturizing as body creams due to their watery texture.
Body milks sit in between body creams and lotions in terms of water and oil content, making them well-balanced. They often have a smooth texture and spread easily.
If you want high amounts of moisturization, we recommend choosing body creams. However, if you want something that is moisturizing, but less heavy, take a look at body lotions or milks!
Here, we want to introduce three things you should look out for when picking out a Japanese body cream.
Common terms to look for:
When choosing a body cream, it's important to know which kind of oils to look for, since the amount of moisture that gets absorbed into the skin and how the product feels when applied differs depending on the oil type.
If you want to protect your skin from dryness, look for oils like vaseline and shea butter. In particular, shea butter is a great emollient and can be applied smoothly on the skin.
The oils featured in a product are usually listed at the top of the ingredient list.
What you should look for in terms of ingredients can be totally different depending on what conditions you're trying to address. In order to get the best results, look for products that have the ingredients that can help your particular skin condition.
Common terms to look for:
If you're looking to add extra moisture to your skin, in addition to oils, check for water-soluble moisturizing ingredients such as those listed in the image above.
In particular, we recommend those with sensitive or dry skin look for ceramides and amino acids, which allows the skin to retain more moisture, which results in finer-looking skin.
Common terms to look for:
In order to have more clear skin, you first need to make sure it's properly hydrated, and secondly, you need to look for brightening ingredients.
The ingredients listed in the image above are often featured in skincare products and can help suppress the production of melanin in the skin, which is caused by UV rays.
Common terms to look for:
Anti-inflammatory ingredients such as stearyl glycyrrhetinate can help prevent acne as well as maintain healthy skin.
If you still find yourself struggling with acne after using products with the ingredients featured in the image above, consider what may be causing your breakouts. Factors like dryness, friction from your clothes, or unthorough rinsing of soap, shampoo, or conditioner can cause acne.
Terms to look for:
Fragrances, coloring, and alcohol are major points of concern for sensitive skin. While these are pretty standard ingredients, in some cases they can act as irritants. Those with sensitive skin should look for products that are unscented, have no coloring, and are made from simple ingredients.
Additionally, preservatives such as parabens and phenoxyethanol are considered safe ingredients with a proven track record, but those who've experienced irritation should choose products without them, just to be safe.
Body creams are available in a wide range of scents, such as floral, fruity, citrus, with some even unscented.
Overall, our testers preferred scents that offered a clean, fresh scent, since they'll be applying body creams after bathing. If you're looking to buy a body cream as a gift, this might be something to consider!
When and where you are can play a major factor in deciding what sort of texture you want in your body cream.
For example, if you're about to go outside, you might want to choose something that isn't too sticky. On the other hand, if you've just had a nice relaxing bath or are about to go to sleep, you might want to choose something that offers more substance.
In our test, we found that body creams with smoother textures were absorbed by the skin better, making them less sticky. However, watery body creams, as well as those that were too firm, tended to be more difficult to spread evenly, and also resulted in more stickiness.
$29.00
Jill Stuart Body Cream offers a smooth texture that feels as if it melts across your skin as it warms up from your body heat.
While it doesn't have a lot of oil in it, it does have plenty of ingredients that help maintain healthy skin, such as blackcurrant fruit extract, tocopherol, and madonna lily root extract. In our moisturization test, we found that our testers only lost 10.8% moisture after three hours since application.
The cream itself has a nice elasticity to it and spread easily. Additionally, in the stickiness test, our testers only found six beads on their hands, making it one of the least sticky creams!
$8.35
BbyE's Mama Butter Face & Body Cream can be used on the entire body, including your face, lips, and hair.
Featuring organic shea butter, this product is incredibly moisturizing! The only drawback though, is that shea butter tends to oxidize easily, so we recommend using this body cream quickly.
In our moisturization test, our testers still had +18.6% moisture in their skin after three hours, making this product incredibly moisturizing.
Moreover, the cream itself was almost solid, making it difficult to take out of the jar, as well as spread. In the stickiness test, our testers had an acceptable 13 beads left on their hands.
The product is also nearly free of any scents, making it usable in any situation. If you're looking for a highly moisturizing body cream, this is a great choice.
$11.90
This body cream was formulated for dry and sensitive skin. It contains seven natural ceramides, which fortify your skin’s barrier and maintain moisture levels.
In our moisturization test, our testers lost 5.6% moisture after three hours. However, this product scored highly in the stickiness test, with only two beads remaining on our testers' hands.
Finally, while this product is almost totally scentless, our testers commented that it has a very faint fresh fragrance, making it ideal for use outside or at the office.
$4.81
Kracie's Aroma Resort Body Cream is made with plant-based butter, which helps lock in moisture.
Moreover, it also features glycerin and sorbitol, which are highly moisturizing, water-soluble ingredients. Unfortunately, our testers lost 12.4% moisture in the moisturization test, regardless of these ingredients.
While the texture was a bit on the firmer side and slightly more difficult to spread, it wasn't as sticky as expected. Finally, our testers loved the scent, commenting that its fresh, floral, citrus scent works with any age range.
$26.80
Kao's Curél Cream contains allantoin, a gentle, moisturizing pseudo-ceramide that helps maintain smooth skin. It's gentle enough that it can be used on infants.
This cream's soft, plump texture and spreadability earned it high marks from our testers, but it also took a second to get absorbed. However, after three hours, our testers lost 14.4% moisture in comparison to immediately after applying the body cream.
While the cream does have a medicinal scent, it's hardly noticeable. Finally, with only nine beads sticking to our testers' hands, it got high marks in our stickiness test!
Her lip to's Sensual Rich Body Cream's Nude Pearl scent was highly popular among our testers in their twenties, commenting that it has the perfect balance of sweetness and freshness.
The body cream has a moist texture that blends well, and isn't too sticky, with only 12 beads sticking to our testers' hands.
This cream not only contains squalane, an oil that's gentle on the skin, but also many other moisturizing ingredients that help keep the skin moisturized and maintain a protective barrier around the skin.
Regardless of its ingredients, though, our testers lost a fair amount of moisture after 3 hours, resulting in poor scores in the moisturization test.
$27.26
WHOMEE's Moist Body Cream is paraben and alcohol-free, making it gentle enough to use on children.
Being easy to spread and absorb, its very faint scent, as well as with only 11 beads sticking to our testers' hands, it was one of the more versatile body creams we tested.
While it has a high oil content and high amounts of glycerine and ceramides, it was unable to keep our testers' hands moisturized after three hours, resulting in a lower score.
$18.73
Dr. Phil Cosmetics X-Barrier Repair Body Cream not only protects the skin against dryness but also from dirt and dust.
The body cream is made with 2K glycyrrhizinate acid, which helps maintain healthy skin, as well as ester oil, which is known for its hydrating and high absorption qualities. Unfortunately, in our moisturizing test, after three hours our testers lost over 20% moisture.
The texture itself is watery and not sticky at all, nor does it have a particularly strong scent, making it a body cream that can be used whenever.
$11.73
As it says in the name, Muji's Body Cream With 3 Types of Plant Oil is made with three kinds of natural moisturizing plant-based oils, in addition to glycerin and ester oil.
Unfortunately, this body cream didn't get the job done in terms of moisturizing, with our testers losing a large amount of moisture after three hours. On the bright side, though, its moist texture means it spreads and is absorbed well.
Another positive was that it also proved to be on the not-so-sticky side, with nine beads on our testers' hands, earning it a high score. Our testers were also fond of its faint, fresh fragrance.
The purpose of body cream is to provide moisture to our skin. Using a Corneometer, a device used by research institutes to measure the amount of moisture in the skin, we tested the body creams according to the following steps:
After all the above steps were taken, we then calculated the difference in the amount of moisture that was retained in the skin after immediately applying and 3 hours later, and made our evaluations based on those results.
We also tested the fragrance of each body cream, as it was mentioned as a point to consider in the buying guide.
For every product, we gathered three women each from the age range of their twenties, thirties, and forties, and had them evaluate each body cream based on whether or not they thought it was a pleasant smell, and whether or not the scent was too strong for them.
We had our expert test the body creams for their ingredients based on the following:
Since the body creams we tested fall under the category of quasi-drugs, which is defined by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan as a category of products that fit between medicine and cosmetics, they are not obliged to label all ingredients, so for this test, only the labeled ingredients were evaluated.
Since how sticky a body cream is can potentially limit when and where it can be used, we made sure to include that in our buying guide. As such, we had our testers check how sticky each product was.
Our testers applied a set amount of each body cream to the back of their hand. After three minutes passed, they pressed their hand onto a plate full of beads.
Finally, they counted the number of beads remaining on their hand after shaking their hand gently left and right. We calculated each body cream's score based on the number of beads remaining on their hand.
Finally, we tested how each body cream feels based on its texture and ease of application. For every product, we had five testers actually use the body creams, and had them score each product based on the following:
Applying body cream seems like such an intuitive thing. No one ever teaches you how to do it. But there may be a few things you could be doing to ensure you get as much hydration as possible. Let’s talk about each below.
After ten minutes, your skin actually loses more moisture than before you got in the bath or shower, making it important to make sure you moisturize your skin before this happens.
We recommend applying body cream by massaging your skin, moving from the outside inwards. Also, since generally there's less sebum being secreted in the lower half of your body, don't forget to give it extra care!
Of course, how much body cream you need is also affected by the state your skin is in, as well as temperature and humidity, so use the dollar-coin rule as a guideline and adjust as necessary.
It's important to keep your skin hydrated and fully moisturized if you want to retain healthy, baby-soft skin. Besides body lotion, there are plenty of other skincare products that can help you. If you're looking for more great suggestions, take a peek at the articles below!
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