I have a confession: I’m a bodycare obsessive.
Like, genuinely obsessive. My house is essentially a bodycare shop at this point. Oils, butters, lotions, scrubs — if it makes skin soft and smells good, I’ve probably tried it.
But here’s the thing: not everything that looks good on a shelf actually delivers. Some products promise the world and give you mediocre moisture. Others surprise you by punching way above their price point.
So today, I’m breaking down the bodycare I’ve been testing recently — what I’m genuinely loving, what disappointed me, and where you should actually spend your money based on your budget and skin type.
Let’s get into it.
Saltair Santal Bloom Multi-Lipid Body Butter
Let me start with the one that let me down, because I really wanted to love this.
Saltair has been a cult-favorite brand in the US for ages, and it only recently became available in the UK at Space NK. I’ve been a fan of the brand in general — I like what they’re doing, I like their aesthetic, and their scents are actually sophisticated (not childish like a lot of bodycare).
But this body butter? If you have dry skin like me, it’s not going to do shit.
It’s light. Too light. Almost watery in consistency. And for someone who needs real moisture, especially in winter when my skin is crying out for hydration — this just doesn’t cut it.
Who this is for: If you’re someone who’s just getting into bodycare and you want a very lightweight moisturizer, or if you naturally have oily/normal skin and don’t need heavy hydration, you might like this. The scent is gorgeous — warm, woody, musky, very grown-up. But performance-wise? Disappointing.
If you have dry skin, skip this. Get the body oil instead.
Speaking of which — the body oil in the same scent is actually really nice.
It has a beautiful silky slip to it. It’s nourishing without being greasy in a bad way. It’s not a dry oil — it’s more of a moisturizing oil that gives your skin a nice glow and sheen.
And here’s the key difference: the scent is stronger and lasts longer with the oil than with the body butter. So if you loved the scent profile but were left wanting more from the butter, just go straight for this.
My verdict: Bin the body butter. Get the oil, especially if you have dry skin. You’ll actually feel moisturized, and you’ll smell amazing all day.
Okay, this is probably one of my favorite bodycare products right now.
If you love Rhode’s Glazing Milk — and I know a lot of you do — you need to try this. It’s literally Glazing Milk but for your body. Same vibe, same consistency, same premise.
I use this almost like a body serum. After the shower, I apply it on damp skin (not wet — important distinction). If you apply it on soaking wet skin, it just slips and slides everywhere and doesn’t actually hug the skin properly. Damp is key.
Then, if you have drier skin or just want that extra layer of moisture, you can apply your body butter or oil on top. But honestly? If you don’t have super dry skin, you can get away with using this on its own as a light body moisturizer. It’s that good.
Big news: Cyklar just launched at Sephora US, so you can finally pick it up in-store if you’re stateside.
My verdict: Obsessed. If you’re a Rhode Glazing Milk girlie, this is your new bodycare essential.
May Lindstrom Happy Galaxy Oil
Right. Let me tell you about this one.
This is hands down one of my favorite bodycare products. Maybe ever.
First of all, it’s stunning. The bottle is this gorgeous vibrant turquoise — it looks like a semi-precious stone. It’s the kind of thing you leave out on your counter because it’s too beautiful to hide.
And the scent? Oh my god. It smells spa-like, relaxing, luxurious. It literally smells like how much it costs (which, by the way, is around £155). This is not your average body oil. This is not your Saltair body oil. This is a Hermès of a body oil.
I use this somewhat sparingly because of the price and because I love it so much I don’t want to run out. But when I do use it, it’s always after my nighttime shower or bath.
The scent is strong and very spa-forward, so I don’t think it works as well with daytime fragrances. But for a pre-bed wind-down ritual? Absolute perfection.
It’s greasy in the best way. Rich, nourishing, indulgent. This is the kind of product that makes you feel expensive.
My verdict: If you’re an expensive baddie and you want a body oil that feels and smells divine, this is it. Trust me, it’s everything and beyond.
Now, if you’re on a budget and the May Lindstrom price tag made you wince, let me introduce you to this.
The EOS Cashmere Body Oil genuinely surprised me. I wasn’t expecting much from a drugstore body oil, but the performance for the price is excellent.
It feels really nice on the skin. Smooth, nourishing, not sticky or overly greasy. And here’s the best part: the vanilla scent isn’t sickly, childish, or nauseating like most vanilla-fragranced bodycare products out there.
It’s light, easy, and easy to layer with your daytime perfume. No competing scents, no sickly sweetness — just clean, soft vanilla.
If I had to rank the three oils in this post:
May Lindstrom — best of a great bunch (but expensive)
Saltair — middle tier, solid performance
EOS — worst of a great bunch (but still really good for the price)
Depending on your budget and how much you want to spend, you’re going to enjoy any of these recommendations. But the EOS is proof that you don’t need to drop £155 to have soft, glowy, good-smelling skin.
My verdict: If you’re on a budget and want a vanilla body oil that doesn’t smell cheap, this is your winner.
Bodycare doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to work for your skin type and your budget.
Don’t waste money on a lightweight body butter if you have dry skin. Don’t skip the body oil if moisture is what you actually need. And don’t feel like you have to buy the most expensive thing to get good results — sometimes the drugstore option genuinely delivers.
Here’s the hierarchy based on budget:
Luxury tier: May Lindstrom Happy Galaxy (£155, $160) — if you want to feel expensive and spa-like
Mid-tier: Saltair Santal Bloom Body Oil (~£20-30, $23) — great scent, solid performance
Budget tier: EOS Cashmere Body Oil (~£8-12, $10) — shockingly good for the price
And if you want something in between oil and butter, grab the Cyklar Milky Essence. It’s the body serum you didn’t know you needed.
If there are any other bodycare products you want me to try, let me know in the comments and I can buy them and report back to you. So you don’t have to waste your money — I’ll gladly waste mine for you.
Shop all of my bodycare favorites
Lots of love 🤍
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