The best lotions for keratosis pilaris

Keratosis pilaris is a rough diagnosis for skin. Although the condition is harmless, many people are anxious to rid themselves of the rough, dry, irritated skin patches that come with keratosis pilaris. After all, when you see tiny red bumps on the skin of your arms, thighs, or even face or buttocks, the first thought you probably have is, “How do I get this to go away?”

The encouraging news is that keratosis pilaris is common and treatable. Like many conditions that affect the skin, including severe dryness, eczema, and even psoriasis, how you treat your skin and the products you use have a significant impact. Choosing the right ingredients and establishing a consistent skincare routine can make all the difference in how your skin looks and feels.

What Is Keratosis Pilaris?

The tiny red bumps you see on your skin look like a rash, but it simply never seems to clear up. What is it? It’s likely keratosis pilaris.

These tiny bumps are clumps of dead skin cells plugging up hair follicles. The bumps are typically not itchy, nor do they hurt; they are simply ever-present, red, unsightly, and annoying.

Keratosis pilaris typically affects people at a younger age. Although keratosis pilaris can certainly be present in adults, it’s far more common to see the condition in younger people in their late teens or twenties. It’s also slightly more common for women to have keratosis pilaris than men.

If you are prone to dry skin, keratosis pilaris may be more likely to affect you. There are also some connections between keratosis pilaris and other medical conditions, such as allergies and asthma. Finally, there is a genetic factor to keratosis pilaris. If you have a close relative with the skin condition, you are more susceptible to developing it on your skin.

Ultimately, what causes keratosis pilaris is a buildup of keratin. Keratin is a necessary protein that our skin naturally produces to keep our hair, nails, and skin strong and protected from the environment. When too much keratin blocks the opening of the hair follicles, it traps dead skin cells underneath and causes little pink or red bumps. While this isn’t harmful, and these bumps are not pimples, they can be stubborn to clear up.

Curing Keratosis Pilaris

Keratosis pilaris is often mistaken for acne, yet they are two different skin conditions. Acne is bumps filled with bacteria, excess oil, and pus. Keratosis pilaris is bumps of excess keratin, much different from acne.

While there is no cure or way to prevent keratosis pilaris, a number of skincare treatments, tactics, and products can significantly reduce these tiny, annoying bumps. It is important to never pick, squeeze, or pop these bumps. Popping or picking at them leaves your skin vulnerable to microscopic tears in the skin, causing infection. Picking at the skin can also lead to scarring.

At-Home Methods for Curing Keratosis Pilaris

Exfoliation

Gently exfoliating your skin loosens or softens the keratin lugs clogging the hair follicles. There are two types of exfoliation: manual and chemical. Both help keratosis pilaris but work in different ways.

Manual exfoliation relies on tiny grains or beads to physically clear the skin of impurities and unclog pores. Chemical exfoliants are acids that rid the skin of dead skin cells and increase cell turnover. Types of acids include glycolic acid, salicylic acid, and alpha hydroxy acids.

Hydration

Keratosis pilaris often flares up when the skin becomes too dry. Keeping skin well hydrated with quality lotions and moisturizers allows the skin to shed dead skin cells and regenerate healthy cells.

Lotions with alpha hydroxy and lactic acids are particularly helpful for keratosis pilaris. These natural acids encourage the removal of dry, dead skin cells and promote cell turnover. It may be necessary to moisturize with a high-quality lotion several times a day to keep the skin’s moisture balance intact.

Skincare

When showering or bathing, use lukewarm water. Hot water can strip your skin of its natural oils, causing keratosis pilaris to look even worse. Lukewarm water is less harmful to the skin and allows the skin to retain more moisture.

Also, use mild cleansers that don’t contain chemicals, synthetic dyes, or fragrances. The more moisturizing and natural your skincare routine, the more you’ll be doing to create optimal conditions for healthy skin to thrive.

Environment

Consider adding a humidifier to your home if you live in a dry climate or an area where winters can be cold and harsh. Humidifiers work by adding moisture into the air through vapor. Using a humidifier, particularly in the bedroom, keeps the air moist all night long and allows your skin to absorb some moisture. Using a humidifier regularly makes your skin feel less dry and tight, and keratosis pilaris symptoms may improve.

Now that we understand what keratosis pilaris is and why it happens, let’s look at the best lotions for keratosis pilaris.

1. Blu Atlas Body Lotion

Keratosis pilaris sufferers will benefit from the nourishing ingredients of Blu Atlas Body Lotion. The ingredients in the latest from men’s beauty and wellness brand Blu Atlas sinks into the skin to feed skin cells the vital nutrients it needs.

Blu Atlas Body Lotion contains seaweed, which is a highly-effective skin humectant. Humectants help draw moisture to dry skin cells and volumize them for the appearance of radiant, healthy skin. Combined with two ultra-hydrating ingredients, jojoba oil and shea butter, Blu Atlas packs a powerful moisture punch for the skin. Rich shea butter is abundant in antioxidants and jojoba oil has fatty acids that penetrate deep into the skin.

Blu Atlas is a brand that understands we put too many harmful and unnecessary ingredients on our skin, so they stick to the premise of clean, healthy beauty and wellness products. Their Body Lotion is paraben and sulfate free and all their products are always cruelty free. Their products also have no synthetic fragrances. All Blu Atlas products are backed by their medical advisory board of medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatologists.

2. CeraVe Renewing SA Lotion

CeraVe Renewing SA Lotion is specifically formulated to heal rough, bumpy, dry skin. This lotion’s heavy-hitting skincare ingredients are natural acids that promote skin health. One main ingredient, salicylic acid, exfoliates the skin by softening the proteins that hold skin cells together. This beneficial acid encourages cell turnover and the removal of dead skin buildup, making room for healthy cells to take their place.

This lotion also contains essential ceramides to strengthen the skin. An additional ingredient, vitamin D, plays yet another role in skin rejuvenation and also combats free radicals. Free radicals can disrupt the skin’s health at a cellular level.

Reviewers online report that daily use of CeraVe Renewing SA Lotion improved their keratosis pilaris. This lotion is also non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores and is free fragrances and dyes.

3. KP Away Lipid Repair Emollient

Gentle enough to use on a baby’s skin (yes, even babies can get keratosis pilaris), this lotion is formulated with essential fatty acids to open the skin’s clogged hair follicles. It has organic coconut and jojoba oil for beneficial hydration, restoring the skin’s lipid barrier. The pH-balanced formula uses these plant-based fatty acids to enhance the skin’s own moisture.

This lotion is unscented, dye free, vegan, and cruelty free, making it one of the best lotions for keratosis pilaris. The packaging is also made from recycled materials. For best use, apply this thick lotion onto the skin immediately after bathing when the skin is still damp, and reapply several times throughout the day for added moisturizing benefits.

4. Elta MD Moisturizer

Elta MD is a brand recommended by many dermatologists and skincare experts. Since the entire line is fragrance free, it’s safe for anyone with sensitive skin. Their moisturizer is specifically formulated to maintain the skin’s moisture barrier for up to 12 hours, so there’s no concern about reapplying this cream often. Applying just twice a day, morning and night, will keep skin soft, supple, and repaired.

This formulation works by using petrolatum, which, used topically, helps the skin retain over ninety percent of its own moisture. Petrolatum is an excellent barrier for the skin and prevents dryness. This lotion is also vegan and free of preservatives and parabens. Reviewers online say this lotion is very hydrating, and in addition to using it on the body, it’s gentle enough for the face, as well.

5. NeoStrata Resurface Lotion Plus

NeoStrata helps the skin slough away dead skin cells, revealing healthier, more moisturized skin. The extremely lightweight formula is an excellent choice for anyone who wants hydrated skin without using a thick, heavy cream. This is a glycolic acid-based formula that gets rid of rough, dry skin. It helps keratosis pilaris by adding needed moisture to the skin while also shedding the dry, dead skin cells around the keratin build-up in the pores.

Because this lotion has a high concentration of glycolic acid, it is recommended to use sunscreen or avoid the sun while using this product. Online reviewers say this sheer lotion goes on smoothly, absorbs quickly, and leaves their skin feeling hydrated for hours.

6. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion with Soothing Oat

The active ingredient in Aveeno’s nourishing lotion for the body is prebiotic oat formula. Prebiotic oats encourage the production of healthy bacteria that naturally live on the surface of the skin. Regular use of prebiotic oat formula leads to a stronger skin surface, reducing redness and dryness.

Oat has been used in skin care widely for thousands of years. In addition to prebiotic benefits, oat also improves skin proteins and locks in moisture. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion with Soothing Oat is fragrance free and cruelty free.

Reviewers online like how quickly this lotion absorbs into the skin with no greasy feeling. It’s an excellent option for anyone with sensitive skin and is one of the best lotions for keratosis pilaris.

7. Augustinus Bader The Body Cream

Originally formulated using the science behind helping skin heal from burn wounds, this luxurious body lotion is packed with skin-nourishing ingredients. This lotion is formulated to visibly improve skin tone and texture. Using Augustinus Bader’s proprietary base skincare technology, known as TFC8, this lotion is optimized for skin health at the cellular level. Not only does it work to heal dryness and redness associated with keratosis pilaris, but it also works on stretch marks, fine lines, and cellulite.

One of the key ingredients in this lotion is bisabolol, a naturally occurring compound that soothes and calms the skin and is known for its antimicrobial properties. It also contains hydrating shea butter and polysaccharide moisture complex, a skincare technology that restores skin’s optimal moisture levels.

This very creamy and rich lotion has many favorable online reviews. One reviewer reports that The Body Cream melted into the skin like butter and cleared the keratosis pilaris from their upper arms in three uses.

8. Lano 101 Dry Skin Super Cream

Lanolin, where Australian skincare brand Lano gets its name, is a powerful hydrator when it comes to the skin. It’s the wool grease secreted by a sheep’s sebaceous glands, which a high concentration of lipids and fatty acids.

Safe for even the most sensitive skin, Lano 101 Dry Skin Super Cream uses a triple lanolin formula to lock in moisture. It forms a tight barrier to protect the skin and promote hydration from within. It also contains sweet almond oil. Vitamin E and shea butter add even more skin-protecting and nourishing power.

The lanolin in Lano products is cruelty free and sourced humanely from sheep. This lotion contains no parabens, sulfates, mineral oil, or artificial fragrance. Lano products have won several awards from national beauty and wellness magazines for their skincare products.

9. Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer

Applying moisturizer immediately after bathing ensures moisture is effectively delivered to the skin. While skin is warm and damp, pores are open, and nourishing hydration can soak into the skin up to ten times deeper than dry skin.

This helps make Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer so effective for rough, dry skin. With ceramides, vitamin B5, and shea butter, this lotion is best applied while the skin is still wet. It uses the water droplets on your skin to deliver nourishing hydration and quickly absorbs into the skin, leaving no residue.

Curel Hydra Therapy Wet Skin Moisturizer is an ideal choice for sensitive skin because it has no artificial dyes or fragrances. If you’re looking for a moisturizer that’s quick and easy to apply even before you step out of the shower, this lotion is an excellent choice.

10. Vanicream

If you’re looking for a concentrated body moisturizer that won’t clog pores or irritate sensitive skin, Vanicream is a heavy-duty lotion that combats rough, dry skin. It is gluten and dyefree and has no synthetic fragrances or parabens. It’s ideal for any skin type, including oily, sensitive, and combination skin, making it one of the best lotions for keratosis pilaris.

Vanicream uses petrolatum as a base for its formula to heal dry skin by locking in the skin’s own moisture. It’s hypoallergenic and contains no ingredients that can irritate the skin. It’s an excellent all-around choice for the skin and one of the best lotions for keratosis pilaris.

Online reviewers say this lotion has no scent and also doesn’t leave a greasy residue on the skin. It absorbs quickly and easily into the skin and can be used throughout the day for a moisture boost.

11. Weleda Skin Food

A rich skin moisturizer with a pleasant botanical scent, Weleda Skin Food launched in 1926 and has been a cult favorite within the beauty, health, and wellness community ever since. The Swiss brand Weleda was founded on the belief that people are part of nature and that healthy, natural ingredients can awaken the body’s biological functions.

Weleda Skin Food uses a proprietary blend of plant and fruit botanicals to deliver hydration to the skin. This lotion contains soothing calendula and chamomile to fight irritation and a base of natural oils and beeswax to seal moisture into the skin.

Reviewers online love this ultra-rich lotion that helps even sensitive skin look and feel better. All Weleda materials are sustainably sourced, and the company adheres to the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) standard.

12. Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Body Lotion

Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Body Lotion boosts cell production. Retinol also unclogs pores and increases the production of collagen to create a stronger, healthier layer of skin. Retinol is one of dermatologists’ most recommended products due to its effectiveness and skin-enhancing properties.

This lotion can be applied to dry skin, and more can be reapplied to dry areas throughout the day. The encapsulated retinol, cocoa butter, vitamin E, and squalane protect the skin and add vital moisture where it’s needed.

This formula is vegan and cruelty and fragrance free. Because it contains retinol, which can make the skin slightly more sensitive to UV rays, use a protective sunscreen while using this product.

13. Nivea Shea Nourish Body Lotion

Shea butter is the star of the show in Nivea Shea Nourish Body Lotion. With a formulation that delivers hydration to the skin for up to 48 hours, this moisturizer for the body is one of the best lotions for keratosis pilaris.

This lotion is a non-greasy formula. Online reviewers say it quickly absorbs into the skin and leaves the skin looking dewy and radiant. They appreciate the lightweight feel of this lotion and its delicate scent. With mineral oil and shea butter, Nivea Shea Nourish Body Lotion helps the skin lock in its natural moisture.

Nivea Shea Nourish Body Lotion is gluten free and contains no allergen-causing or irritating ingredients. It’s also paraben free and contains no preservatives.

14. Necessaire The Body Lotion

Necessaire The Body Lotion relies on a foundation of skin-nourishing vitamins to treat dry, rough skin. This fragrance-free, multivitamin formula contains vitamins A, B3, C, and E, as well as omega 6 and antioxidants. It also helps the skin support a natural pH balance to ensure proper hydration.

Natural oils like marula, cacay, and meadowfoam add moisture to the skin. Reviewers say the lotion helps their keratosis pilaris and rough dry skin areas like hands, elbows, knees, and feet. They also appreciate that it’s cruelty free and does not contain synthetic dyes, fragrances, or parabens.

The clean formula of Necessaire The Body Lotion is an ideal choice for a simple, vitamin-infused lotion to help keratosis pilaris.

15. AmLactin Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin

AmLactin derives its name from its formula’s high concentration of lactic acid. At 12% lactic acid, this lotion is the highest natural lactic acid lotion available without a prescription.

Lactic acid is a natural preservative found in foods like yogurt and pickled vegetables. It’s known to boost the body’s own immune system, and when it comes to the skin, it helps it become firmer and thicker, as well as stimulates cell turnover. This formulation is non-greasy and free of fragrances and parabens.

Although online reviewers support its efficacy, some have a slight issue with AmLactin’s slightly medicinal scent. While most cite noticing no fragrance at all, some say there’s a mild fragrance that reminds them of vitamins.

16. Alba Botanicals Very Emollient Body Lotion

This vegetarian, paraben-free formula includes virgin, unrefined coconut and coconut milk to deliver intense hydration to the skin. Alba Botanicals Very Emollient Body Lotion is also fragrance and dye free, so it’s an ideal choice for sensitive skin and anyone with keratosis pilaris. In addition to coconut, which has natural moisturizing properties, this lotion also has sunflower seed oil and shea butter. It’s hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals.

Alba Botanicals uses quality botanical ingredients in all of its products. This creamy lotion soothes and relieves dry skin and keeps it looking healthy.

17. Alaffia Everyday Shea Body Lotion

Dry, rough, bumpy skin doesn’t stand much chance against Alaffia Everyday Shea Body Lotion. This lotion adds moisture, repairs skin’s natural barrier, and soothes skin. With unrefined shea butter and lemongrass, which detoxify the skin and neutralize free radicals, the skin is more soft and able to retain moisture to help heal keratosis pilaris. In addition, this formula is unscented, clean, fair trade, and sulfate free.

With no mineral oil or parabens, this lotion is ideal for sensitive skin. Online reviewers say Alaffia Everyday Shea Body Lotion hydrates their skin and soothes red, bumpy skin. For best results, moisturize immediately after bathing while the skin is still slightly damp and pores are open to receive nourishing moisture.

18. Malin + Goetz Vitamin B5 Body Lotion

In this lightweight body moisturizer, vitamins and fatty acids keep the skin hydrated and nourished. Vitamin B5 binds water to the skin, and fatty acids like shea butter slow water evaporation. It also contains honey and oat to soothe irritated, dry skin.

This multitasking moisturizer absorbs quickly into the skin. It contains glycerin to hydrate the skin and lock in moisture. It’s also a vegetarian and cruelty free formula. Reviews of this lotion call it outstanding, a body lotion workhorse, and a must-have for dry skin.

Malin + Goetz celebrates diversity and is made for every skin tone and skin type. Their products are formulated to be gentle yet effective for even the most sensitive skin.

19. L’Occitane Lait Riche Body Lotion

With shea butter and calendula, this rich, hydrating lotion from L’Occitane de Provence is a luxurious lotion that heals dry skin. It’s formulated to keep skin hydrated for up to 48 hours after application. Delicately scented with the aroma of shea butter and botanicals, this isn’t a fragrance-free formula, but it is effective at soothing dry, tight skin.

Shea butter has rich omega 6 to soften the skin and allow it to naturally shed dead skin cells and keratin plugs from hair follicles. The formula is free of mineral oil, parabens, and phthalates. Reviewers love its light scent and ability to keep their skin feeling hydrated, smooth, and less irritated from dryness.

20. Andalou Naturals Men Energizing Body Lotion 3 in 1

Gentle and effective for all skin types but specifically formulated to meet the needs of men’s skin, this lotion from Andalou Naturals has hemp seed oil, antioxidants, and soothing aloe vera to help with dryness.

The formula is meant for the body, facem and hands, so it’s a do-it-all lotion that effectively relieves dryness. It’s a vegan, gluten-free, and silicone-free formula that contains no parabens or phthalates. The lotion absorbs quickly into the skin to create a healthier, more hydrated skin barrier and reduce the irritating red bumps of keratosis pilaris.