Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a moisturiser freak. My post-shower routine is longer, more indulgent, and frankly, more satisfying than my in-shower routine. I go through bottles of cream at a rate that terrifies my wallet, but keeps certain skincare companies in business. A special shout-out to the airports and restaurants that stock their washrooms with lotion, you save me from hours of shuddering and clenched fists.
Here’s the thing: the chances of somebody matching my freak might have been slim a few years ago, but now, I can guarantee I wouldn’t have to look hard for someone who can outdo it.
Previously limited to monthly spa appointments or considered an afterthought, addressing our bodies’ beauty needs is now a daily and more consistent ritual. Until a few years ago, we were raiding our face care products to help with the tiny niggling issues on skin elsewhere. Brands took note. Active ingredients such as salicylic acid, retinol, and niacinamide which are mainstays in our facial serums, cleansers, oils, and masks, made their way into the shower and beyond. The Ordinary, a staple in everyone and their mom’s beauty shelf, recently expanded its portfolio to include a bodycare category formulated with the same actives that are found in their facial products. “91 per cent of our skin is on our body, yet it often gets overlooked. The Ordinary’s Bodycare range offers customers the option to target key concerns on their body; in India this is often discolouration, dark spots, and uneven skin tone due to high levels of UV exposure,” explains Joe Basham, science communications manager at the brand. This new bodycare range features the usual cleanser and lotion, but spotted alonside those were two curious new additions—a body serum and an emulsion, which, based on its description, feels like a version of the buzzy face essence.
The rise of the ‘everything shower’—an indulgent, multi-step deep-cleanse that involves intensive exfoliation, hair wash, scalp treatment, body hair removal, and layering hydrating products, some specific to concerns like pigmentation and bumps—further explains the news lens through which we view bodycare. In India, this has also meant an upgrade from the mass-made soap bar to the handmade artisanal body bar, crafted with natural ingredients such as goat milk, charcoal, and sandalwood or infused with flowers or herbs. They’re equally at home in your soap dish as they are on your IG feed; homegrown brands like Mud and Moon, Vilvah, and Na-adhira are known for making them in fun shapes, swirly patterns, and marbled designs.
“Body care has become an emotive journey, and a physical bar of soap adds another dimension to the ritual: the pressure of your hand as you guide the bar. Secondly, a resurgence of heritage and culture is driving a driving shift in beauty, and these artisanal styles have that appeal,” explains Annie Johnstone, senior market trend analyst at In-Trend, a beauty intelligence consultancy based in London.
Selecting products for the body is a whole different ball game, though; you can’t just slap on different actives at once and pray something clicks just because the skin there isn’t as sensitive as on the face. “Remember, body skin is thicker and has, at times, different concerns than facial skin. It can tolerate a higher percentage of actives such as retinol, AHAs, BHAs as compared to the face. At the same time, be mindful because the body has a larger surface area and hence the absorption of actives is higher,” says Dr Madhuri Agarwal, Mumbai-based dermatologist and founder of Yavana Aesthetic Clinic.
Here are some of our favourite bodycare products:
