Body scrubs and exfoliators can be a great addition to your skin care tool kit. They help slough off dead skin cells, giving your skin a more radiant appearance.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) says that while exfoliating may not be for everyone, those interested in exfoliating should do so safely in order to reduce the risk of skin damage.
Read on to learn how to do that, and get our recommendation for 15 of the best body scrubs out there.
How we chose
In selecting these 15 body scrubs, we considered online reviews, active ingredients, and price. All the products on this list are highly rated by people who have purchased them. Most have natural ingredients.
Pricing guide
$ = under $10
$$ = $10–25
$$$ = over $25
Types of exfoliators
Most of the exfoliators on our list are physical exfoliators. They rely on a rough texture from sugar, salt, and sometimes crushed nuts to wash away dry skin.
When used on your body, they’re usually gentle enough for daily use. However, you’ll want to exfoliate safely, apply even pressure, and not scrub too hard. A good rule of thumb for most skin types is exfoliating about twice weekly.
Chemical exfoliators are made with acids or enzymes. They work by chemically (and gently) loosening the dead skin away from newer skin.
Although they might sound scary, chemical exfoliators use a very small amount of acids or enzymes diluted with a bunch of other ingredients. They’re more commonly used on the face, but you can find chemical body exfoliators as well.
Picks for the best body scrubs and exfoliators
Best for dry skin
Dr Teal’s Restore & Replenish Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Scrub
- Price: $
- Skin benefits: hydrating and soothing
- Key ingredients: Epsom salt, pink Himalayan salt, essential oils bergamot and orange, vitamin E, shea butter
- Why we love it: This affordable body scrub leaves skin moisturized with no residue. The essential oils of bergamot and orange give it a pleasing scent. The scrub also contains vitamin E and moisturizing shea butter.
What you should know: If you have any minor scrapes or cuts, this scrub could sting. It also contains fragrance, which could irritate sensitive skin.
Manna Kadar Beauty Sea Minerals Renewing Exfoliating Cream Body Scrub
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: hydration, exfoliation
- Key ingredients: cetearyl alcohol, mineral oil, pecan shells
- Why we love it: This lightly scented body scrub is gentle enough to use every day. It hydrates your skin with cetearyl alcohol and mineral oil while removing dead skin cells with crushed pecan shells.
What you should know: The last ingredient in this scrub is benzyl alcohol, which is sometimes added to cosmetics for its light scent. While it doesn’t affect most people negatively, those with sensitive skin may find it drying.
Eczema Honey Premium Oatmeal Scrub
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: gentle, soothing, and moisturizing enough for eczema
- Key ingredients: colloidal oatmeal, honey
- Why we love it: This all-natural product has gentle, moisturizing ingredients that are beneficial for those who have very dry skin or eczema. One such ingredient is honey, which is a natural humectant. It attracts and seals moisture into the skin. Colloidal oatmeal is another ingredient used here, for soothing itchy dry skin.
What you should know: Eczema Honey recommends doing a patch test before using the product, since some users have reported an allergic reaction. It’s best practice to patch test any new product before using it more widely.
Best for feet
Earth Therapeutics Purifying Foot Scrub
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: deep clean, polishing
- Key ingredients: tea tree oil, charcoal
- Why we love it: This scrub has organic Australian tea tree oil, which helps keep feet smelling pleasant. Charcoal also helps detoxify, while pumice cleanses and conditions, scrubbing away dead skin from your feet and leaving them softer.
What you should know: Since you have to apply it to dry skin, the product can get a little messy. Reviewers suggest using it in the tub.
LATHER Eucalyptus Foaming Foot Scrub with Pumice
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: preps feet for absorbing lotion
- Key ingredients: granulated pumice and essential oils eucalyptus, lemon, and lavender
- Why we love it: This vegan-friendly product foams up as it cleans and sloughs dead skin from your feet, getting your feet ready for lotion. Fans of this scrub enjoy using it every day on their heels to reduce the buildup of calluses. It also contains a blend of essential oils including eucalyptus, lemon, and lavender.
What you should know: The exfoliants in this scrub are all-natural.
Formula 10.0.6 Save My Sole Rescuing Foot Scrub
- Price: $
- Skin benefits: relaxing for achy feet, nourishing
- Key ingredients: avocado oil, peppermint oil, apricot seed powder
- Why we love it: Peppermint oil feels cooling as you scrub away roughness, while avocado oil nourishes skin. This foot scrub has slews of glowing reviews, too. One user says it’s great for those who work on their feet all day.
What you should know: Made with apricot seed powder, this scrub is gentle enough to be used all over your feet — even between your toes.
Best for stress relief
Asutra Scrub the Day Away Soothing Lavender Organic Body Scrub
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: moisturizing, exfoliating, relaxing
- Key ingredients: argan, jojoba, sweet almond oil, and lavender and bergamot essential oils
- Why we love it: This fine grain Dead Sea salt scrub helps you destress while removing dead skin cells and moisturizing your skin. It’s made with simple ingredients, like argan, jojoba, and sweet almond oil. Lavender and bergamot essential oils provide a light and pleasant fragrance.
What you should know: This scrub is certified cruelty-free by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Best for sensitive skin
Herbivore Coco Rose Body Polish
- Price: $$$
- Skin benefits: may help with ingrown hairs, gentle, polishing
- Key ingredients: virgin coconut oil, floral Moroccan rose
- Why we love it: This scrub is gentle enough to use on sensitive skin prone to razor burn and ingrown hairs. It has a silky smooth, luxurious feel. The ingredients are all-natural, vegan, cruelty-free, and noncomedogenic (won’t clog pores).
What you should know: Thanks to the rose absolute, this has a floral fragrance that some reviewers love and others aren’t so jazzed about.
Origins Ginger Body Scrub
- Price: $$$
- Skin benefits: gentle, polishing
- Key ingredients: sea salt granules, ginger
- Why we love it: It doesn’t take a lot of effort to polish your skin with this vegan, gluten-free scrub, thanks to the Dead Sea salt granules and nourishing oil blend. The ginger scent is really pleasant, and you can pair this scrub with Origins’ other ginger products.
What you need to know: Make sure to stir this scrub before applying or you’ll get more oil than salt. Be careful as the oils can make your shower slippery.
Best chemical body scrub
SkinCeuticals Body Retexturing Treatment
- Price: $$$
- Skin benefits: hydrating, graceful aging support
- Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, hydroxyethyl urea/aminosulfonic acid compound
- Why we love it: This body exfoliator is a gel that works to slough off dead skin and resurfaces without using physical scrubbing agents like the rest on our list. Instead, it uses a hydroxyethyl urea/aminosulfonic acid compound along with hyaluronic acid, a popular skin care ingredient known for its plumping and hydrating effects.
What you should know: It also contains niacinamide, an ingredient often used for treating acne and eczema, to name a few.
Best splurge body scrub
Osea Salts of the Earth Body Scrub
- Price: $$$
- Skin benefits: exfoliating, graceful aging support
- Key ingredients: New Zealand solar salt, pink Himalayan sea salt, red Hawaiian sea salt, shea butter, wild gigartina seaweed
- Why we love it: It’s on the high end of our pricing guide, but this scrub is considered a luxury buy. Reviewers say the container lasts for a while, and think it’s worth the splurge. The formula uses three types of salt (New Zealand solar salt, pink Himalayan sea salt, and red Hawaiian sea salt). It also adds in shea butter and wild gigartina seaweed for nourishment.
What you should know: While most reviewers are totally sold on the texture, one says the salt “chunks” are too big for their liking.
Best body scrub bars
CeraVe SA Cleanser Bar for Rough & Bumpy Skin
- Price: $
- Skin benefits: smoothing, softening, cleansing
- Key ingredients: salicylic acid, jojoba beads, ceramides
- Why we love it: CeraVe is a trusted skin care brand. This bar offers both physical and chemical exfoliation thanks to its use of salicylic acid and jojoba beads. It also contains ceramides, which help lock moisture into the skin.
What you should know: Although it’s gentle, this bar is good for targeting rough and bumpy skin.
Ethique Lime & Ginger Body Polish
- Price: $$
- Skin benefits: smoothing, softening
- Key ingredients: ground pumice, cocoa butter, coconut oil, lime oil
- Why we love it: This pick is a solid body polish that scrubs using ground pumice, while creamy cocoa butter is added to soften skin. It’s made by a New Zealand-based brand that’s certified vegan and cruelty-free. The company is also certified palm oil-free by Orangutan Alliance. It’s worth mentioning the company’s commitment to using only renewable, biodegradable, and nonpetroleum-based ingredients.
What you should know: This product is said to be good for all skin types. Lime essential oil is used here mostly for fragrance, and it seems most reviewers are a fan of it.
Best coffee body scrub
Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub
What you should know: The brand makes some bold claims about what it can do, saying that it can also help with breakouts, scars, cellulite, and stretch marks. It does contain helpful, skin-happy ingredients (and it’s possible coffee may help with lowering the appearance of things like cellulite). But many of those common skin concerns require more intense treatments than a body scrub.
How to shop
When choosing your body scrub, make sure to read the ingredients list and check for any personal irritants or allergens.
You may also want to consider your skin type. For example, if you have acne-prone skin, look for one with salicylic acid to help treat breakouts.
How often you plan to exfoliate may also make a difference. If you’re looking for a daily scrub, choose a physical exfoliator with finer granules so you don’t irritate your skin. For calluses and rough patches, larger granules are preferable.
Benefits of exfoliating
Exfoliating has a slew of benefits, according to the AAD:
- Proper exfoliation can reveal brighter, enhanced-looking skin.
- Exfoliating consistently can also help prevent pores from clogging, which may mean fewer breakouts for some people.
- Exfoliating can help your skin best absorb your other skin care items.
- Over time, it can also boost collagen production, encouraging skin elasticity and giving a glowing effect.
How to use
It’s important to use your body scrub properly.
Do a patch test
Before using any product, it’s best to do a patch test. This is especially important if you have sensitive skin.
You’ll want to place a little bit of the scrub on the inside of your wrist and wait a few hours.
If you notice any redness or irritation, it’s best not to use the product all over your body. If your skin looks normal, using it more widely should be fine.
Follow instructions
Make sure to follow the instructions on whichever scrub you choose.
Some are meant to be applied to wet skin, and some are designed for dry skin.
Some are meant to be left on for a bit before washing off, while others are designed to be washed off immediately.
Consider frequency
If you’ve never tried exfoliating before, start by doing it once a week. From there, you can evaluate how well your skin tolerates exfoliating and decide if you want to do it more or less frequently.
When to see a dermatologist
It’s always a good idea to visit your dermatologist before adding new steps to your skin care routine.
Your dermatologist can also assess your specific skin care needs and give targeted recommendations.
If you notice that your skin seems red, irritated, or inflamed after exfoliating, you may be over-exfoliating or you may be using a product that’s too harsh.
Make sure you’re using a gentle amount of pressure and don’t overdo it. Once a week to start is usually best. You can increase to twice weekly if your skin tolerates it.
Frequently asked questions
What exfoliator should I use for my body?
First, decide if you prefer a physical scrub or are open to trying a chemical exfoliator.
Physical exfoliants with larger granules are a good idea if you’re looking to target especially rough areas of your skin.
Exfoliants are available at many price points, you should easily find one that fits your budget.
Be sure you’re checking ingredients first and avoiding products that may cause an allergic reaction for you.
You can also shop by skin type, so you can also address other skin concerns like acne and oily skin.
Are you supposed to exfoliate your whole body?
Dead skin buildup happens all over, not just your face. It’s a good idea to exfoliate your body. But make sure you’re being gentle, using a product that your skin tolerates well, and avoiding broken skin.
Is it OK to exfoliate daily?
Generally, it’s not a good idea to exfoliate daily. For most skin types, exfoliating should only be done about twice weekly — at the most. If you over-exfoliate, you may notice red, irritated, or inflamed skin.