2024 Is the Year of Body Care. And Here’s How You Can Level Up Your Routine.

Yes, this is the glowing era of body care. And since our face and neck only make up a little more than 5% of our total body surface, we have more and more brands catering to everything south of the jawline – after all, skin doesn’t stop being skin from the neck down. From shoulders to hands, from knees to toes, and every nook and cranny in between, targeted body care products are now available for all our head-to-toe skin needs to deliver a more holistic beauty experience.

(L-R) Loewe Ivy Soap Bar (Rs.5,436), L’Occitane Almond Delicious Shower Cream (Rs.2,650), Bath & Body Works Chasing Fireflies Body Wash (Rs,1,899), and Rare Beauty Find Comfort Body & Hair Fragrance Mist (Rs.3,400)

With body care embracing and eliciting calm and comfort, it brings an indulgent layer of warmth and scent to an at-home self-care experience with elevated bath and body essentials – like Rare Beauty Find Comfort Body & Hair Fragrance Mist, L’Occitane Almond Delicious Shower Cream, Loewe Ivy Soap Bar, Innisfree My Perfumes Body Lotion (Water Lily), Bath & Body Works Chasing Fireflies Body Wash, Murshmallow Coconut Milk & Vanilla Body Polish, and Forest Essential After Bath Oil (Madurai Jasmine & Mogra). Then, for that ultimate spa-level moment, there’s Love Wellness Bye Bye Bloat Lymphatic Massage Roller for de-puffing and draining toxins while providing body sculpting from the comfort of home. Well, a great massage triumphs everything and anything – though a peaceful, warm soak comes fairly close. And acknowledging this feeling of slowing down and supporting the mind-body connection for total body relaxation, we have brands like Tatcha offering a three-piece Forest Awakening Moisturizing Body Care Ritual inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku (or forest bathing) and Margaret Dabbs’ multi-beneficial ThermaSulis Bath Salts which contain essential oils for the delectable and satisfying scent of lavender or lemongrass.

(L-R) Innisfree My Perfumes Body Lotion (Rs.935), Murshmallow Coconut Milk & Vanilla Body Polish (Rs.1,299), and Forest Essential After Bath Oil (Rs.1,695)

(L-R) Love Wellness Bye Bye Bloat Lymphatic Massage Roller (Rs.1,254), Tatcha Forest Awakening Moisturizing Body Care Trio (Rs.10,371), and Margaret Dabbs Thermasulis Bath Salts Duo (Rs.3,346)

While we have forever imbibed the scent in body care wholeheartedly, we have now had the actives craze expand to full-body formulas bringing about the skinification of body care. And that means, everyone’s favourite chemical exfoliators, ceramides, and acids also have made the leap from the face and neck to the rest of the body, with acid actives-rich body cleansers, lotions, and peels – case in point: Necessaire The Body Peel (with a combination of AHAs, BHAs, and PHAs), Dove Sensitive Care Bar (with ceramide-nutrient cream), Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA (a leave-on body exfoliant), Chemist At Play Hydrating Body Wash (with 5% niacinamide and hyaluronic acid), Versed Gentle Retinol Body Lotion, Skinvest Smoothie In-Shower Body Conditioner (with ceramides, hemp seed oil, niacinamide, salicylic acid, and hyaluronic acid), Aminu The Magical Vit. C Body Oil, and Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Tight & Toned Cellulite Treatment.

(L-R) Necessaire The Body Peel (Rs.4,601), Dove Sensitive Care Bar (Rs.83), and Paula’s Choice Weightless Body Treatment 2% BHA (Rs.2,950)

Chemist At Play Hydrating Body Wash (Rs.349) and Peter Thomas Roth FirmX Tight & Toned Cellulite Treatment (Rs.4,100)

(L-R) Aminu The Magical Vit. C Body Oil (Rs.1,350), Skinvest Smoothie In-Shower Body Conditioner (Rs.1,220), and Versed Gentle Retinol Body Lotion (Rs.1,750)

This skinification of body care has helped reinvent the skin essentials for body acne with brands making effective at-home solutions that go beyond eliminating breakouts to also help minimize scarring and heal the skin, such as Dr. Sheth’s Neem & Salicylic Acid Body Wash, Acne Squad Breakout Terminator Body Spray (with 2% salicylic acid and glycolic acid), and InnBeauty Project Bright & Smooth Body Serum as dark spot and bump treatment (with a combination of AHA, BHA, kojic and tranexamic acid, Vit. C, and niacinamide).

(L-R) Dr. Sheth’s Neem & Salicylic Acid Body Wash (Rs.349), Acne Squad Breakout Terminator Body Spray (Rs.499), and InnBeauty Project Bright & Smooth Body Serum (Rs.2760)

And even with the cult of fragrance and actives, hydration and sun protection are of utmost importance after all, we all want soft, supple, and UV-protected skin. Challenging the dominance of traditional body lotions and sunscreens, there are quite a few lightweight hydrating body serums, serums-in-lotions, and sunscreens that also deliver effective active ingredients into the skin – like Vaseline Gluta-Hya Overnight Radiance Serum-in-Lotion (with amino peptide), N°1 DE CHANEL Revitalizing Body Serum-in-Mist, and SKIN1004 Centella Air-Fit Suncream Plus SPF50+ PA++++ – making hydration and sun-protection feel like a moment of self-care instead of a task. Last, but certainly not least, we have hand and foot care that has been elevated with rich textures, delicate scents, and chic packaging for a luxe experience – along with more hand-specific actives and SPF formulas i.e., Soft Services Theraplush (an overnight retinol repair treatment for hands), Moroccanoil Hand Cream (Bergamot Fraiche), and Supergoop Handscreen SPF 40. Yes, hand and foot care are no longer an afterthought – rather a nice treat.

(L-R) N°1 DE CHANEL Revitalizing Body Serum-in-Mist (Rs.8,250), SKIN1004 Centella Air-Fit Suncream Plus SPF50+ PA++++ (Rs.1,899), and Vaseline Gluta-Hya Overnight Radiance Serum-in-Lotion (Rs.288)

(L-R) Moroccanoil Hand Cream (Rs.990), Soft Services Theraplush (Rs.4,850), and Supergoop Handscreen SPF 40 (Rs.3,179)

Chemical exfoliation or skin hydration, total body exfoliation regimen or a refreshing spa-like experience – envelop your every day and everything bath and body routines into a layer of relaxation and nourishment with these elevated body care accouterments. And well, revel in the joy, peace, and calm of this body care boom!