In 2025, body shimmer oils don’t just add sparkle, they also work overtime to nourish the skin with ingredients like argan oil, cupuaçu butter, hyaluronic acid, and peptides. And they smell so good, you might consider skipping lotion and perfume altogether. The newest shimmer products hydrate, protect, and illuminate, giving your skin that I-just-got-back-from-vacation gleam without needing a boarding pass. They aren’t goopy or sticky. They don’t transfer. One even has SPF.
Between festive dinners, end-of-year parties, and the pressure to look like you’re “glowing from within”, a little external assistance doesn’t hurt. Add a few drops to your moisturiser or apply directly onto your décolletage, shoulders, and limbs with a brush or your fingers, and you’re set. Whether you’re after a deep bronzy gleam or a subtle veil that smells faintly of a five-star spa, we found the nine best bottles to see you through the festive season and beyond, grouped neatly by the kind of glow you’re going for.
The skin-quenching shimmers
Packed with hydrating oils and subtle shine, these shimmer oils take body care seriously. With its almond oil base and the cult-favourite gourmand scent, L’Occitane’s lightweight oil leaves the skin supple, subtly perfumed, and glinting in all the right places. Moroccanoil’s argan- and sesame-oil-rich formula does for your limbs practically what their hair mask does for your hair while adding a gorgeous warm-toned shimmer. Sunscreen brand Vacation’s shimmer oil, meanwhile, boasts SPF 30 so you can sparkle even while you chill by the pool or at a beach wedding. It’s also packed with argan oil, peptides, and hyaluronic acid, all wrapped in their signature scent: a summery cocktail of banana, coconut, pineapple, and orange blossom.
