Body Cream vs Lotion: Difference and Comparison

The environment around us is subjected to a wide range of meteorological conditions, from sweltering heat to bitter cold.

While each type of weather is prized for its uniqueness, it also has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Everyone enjoys the winter season.

In this season, life moves at a slower pace. While this season is enthralling in every way, it is not without its flaws.

One of the issues is the tremendous dehydration that the environment is experiencing, which has an effect on our skin, which frequently breaks as a result of the lack of water droplets in our environment, but fear not, we have Body cream and Body lotion that came for our rescue. 

These ointments assist us in regaining what our skin needs throughout this time. They leave us with skin that is moisturized. As a result, the problem of chipped and injured skin during the winter is eliminated. 

Key Takeaways

  1. Body creams have a thicker consistency and provide more intense hydration.
  2. Body lotions are lighter and absorb more quickly into the skin.
  3. Both products moisturize the skin, but creams are better suited for dry skin types, while lotions work well for normal to oily skin.

Body Cream vs Body Lotion 

Body cream is used to treat and prevent dry, cracked skin. It keeps skin moisturized and hydrated by forming a barrier on the skin. It has more oil content and less water. Body lotion is also applied to the skin to moisturize or treat it but it is lighter with more water content and less oil.

Body Cream vs Body Lotion

Body cream, which is made of 50/50 oil and water, is thick and takes a long time to rub in or dissolve into the skin. Because of its nature, due to a lack of water consistency, it tends to be sticky and greasy.

In general, Body creams are better for people with dry skin types.  

Body lotions are assembled with a high water consistency and relatively less oil. They are good for skin types that are oily.

Because of their high-water consistency, body lotions appear to be very runny and sappy and hence, dissolve very quickly when rubbed onto the skin. 

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison Body Cream Body Lotion 
Ingredient Body cream uses an equal amount of water and oil. Body lotion uses a higher amount of water. It also uses oil and alcohol. 
Texture The Body cream has a thick texture. The Body lotion is sappy and runny in texture. 
Skin-type The Body cream is recommended for the dry-skin type. The Body lotion is recommended for oily-skin type 
Role The Body cream is less moisturizing. The Body lotion is highly moisturizing. 
Oil consistency The Body cream has a higher oil consistency. The Body lotion has a less oil consistency. 
Effect Body cream leaves the skin with a greasy effect. Body lotion leaves the skin with a silky effect. 

What is Body Cream?  

The Body cream is a type of moisturizer that helps prevent skin cracks or breakouts. It is especially used during winter when the atmosphere around us lacks water droplets, which results in our dehydrated skin.

Body cream contains a half-and-half ratio of oil to water. This property of body creams results in their thick density, and because of their thick density, it takes longer for body creams to rub in onto our skin.

Regardless of its consistency, it never fails to provide us with,  

  1. Fat-soluble vitamins 
  2. Vitamin A 
  3. Vitamin D 
  4. Vitamin E 
  5. Vitamin K 

Which is very beneficial for our skin. Evidence of humans using various kinds of fats and oils to treat their bodies dates back over 1000s of years. Galen, a Roman physician, invented the first body cream, known as “cold cream,” in 200BC.

body cream

 What is Body Lotion? 

The body lotion is also a type of moisturizer with a higher water consistency and less oil consistency. Due to the way they are formulated and the ratio of ingredients used, body lotions are more suitable for oily skin types.

They also tend to be runny in nature and dissolve faster than body cream on the skin. Body lotions are also infused with alcohol, which keeps oil and water from segregating, which explains the silky feel it leaves behind.

A body lotion contains emollients and humectants as moisturizing ingredients. It also has Vitamin E, which protects your skin from, 

  1. Dehydration 
  2. Itchiness 
  3. Skin cancer 
  4. and prevents the appearance of scars. 

Body lotions help with the softening of the skin. Body lotions were first used as early as the Mesolithic Civilization, which began in 8000BC.

This proves that humans have been using moisturizers since a very early age to protect their skin from various natural hazards.

body lotion

Main Differences Between Body Cream and Lotion 

  1. The difference between body cream and body lotion lies in the ingredients used. Body cream uses water and oil in a 50-50 ratio, while body lotion has more water than oil in it.  
  2. Body creams tend to be thicker and greasier, while body lotions are sappier and non-greasy.  
  3. Due to their consistency, body creams are more beneficial for dry skin, whereas body lotions are more beneficial for oily skin. 
  4. The body cream is less hydrating than body lotion because it has lower water content. On the other hand, body lotions have water as their primary ingredient, which is why they are more hydrating. 
  5. Body cream tends to be heavier on skin with more oil content and less H2O, while body lotion tends to be lighter on the skin because of more water content and less oil.
  6. Body cream, due to its heavy nature, tends to clog skin pores, whereas body lotion does not.
Difference Between Body Cream and Lotion
References
  1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13367-015-0024-x
  2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1600-0536.1987.tb01425.x

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023

dot 1
One request?

I’ve put so much effort writing this blog post to provide value to you. It’ll be very helpful for me, if you consider sharing it on social media or with your friends/family. SHARING IS ♥️

Leave a Comment

Want to save this article for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own articles box!