Best Lotion for Black Skin

african woman applying lotion to her hands

When it comes to caring for black skin, there are so many things to think about: the right cleanser, moisturizer, and sun protection. All of these contribute to healthy, glowing skin. But if you asked us today what one key product should you always have handy? Our answer would be without doubt-a good quality lotion! 

The best lotion for black skin is Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Hydrating Lotion. Made with coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter, it’s smooth and thick, but not greasy. It will keep you hydrated all day. 

Although dry skin can and possibly affect everyone no matter your skin color, it is also true that the more melanin your body produces, the more the dryness is obvious. Whether it’s dryness, sensitive skin, or dark spots, there’s a great option you.

In this post, we explore what makes the best moisturizers for dark skin and where to find them. After reading hundreds of reviews and testing lotion, we found the best options for long-lasting hydration. Check out our top tips and brands that we love – your perfect complexion awaits!

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

IMAGEPRODUCT
  • Active Ingredients: Soothing Oatmeal and Rich Moisturizers
  • Scent: Shea Butter, Almond, Coconut, Cocoa Butter
  • Unit Count: 20.0 Ounce
View On Amazon →Read Our Review
  • Active Ingredients: Vitamin e
  • Scent: Fragrance free
  • Unit Count: 16.9 Fl Oz
View On Amazon →Read Our Review
  • Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic_acid
  • Scent: Cocoa Butter
  • Unit Count: 13.5 Ounce
View On Amazon →Read Our Review
  • Active Ingredients: Dimethicone
  • Scent: Fragrance Free
  • Unit Count: 12 Fl Oz
View On Amazon →Read Our Review
  • Scent: Unscented
  • Unit Count: 18 Fl Oz
View On Amazon →Read Our Review

The Best Lotion for Black Skin

1. Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Hydrating Lotion – Our Pick!

Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Hydrating Lotion

Our pick for the best lotion for black skin is the Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Hydrating Lotion! With its triple ingredient blend of coconut oil, cocoa butter, and African shea butter, your skin is sure to be much more hydrated, supple, and smooth than ever before. Thanks to its immediate hydration and moisture locking in properties, this one is especially good on black skin that tends to appear and feel drier. With regular use of this lotion, you’re sure to achieve smoother and softer skin that looks healthier and much younger.

This Gold Bond lotion has a thick consistency to it that’s not too watery and not too oily either – just the perfect in between. The consistency works well on skin and is very moisturizing, keeping it from feeling and looking dry throughout the day or night. Whenever you use this after a shower, it helps lock in moisture into your skin keeping you hydrated. And don’t worry, though it’s super hydrating and moisturizing, it won’t leave you feeling greasy at all.

Aside from moisture, this lotion also nourishes your skin so it doesn’t just look healthy, but feels like it too. It’s able to protect your skin from external pollutants and even heals your skin to restore it back to its tip top shape and health. Although thicker in texture, this absorbs rather well and gives you 24 hour coverage of moisture. It also has a gentle exfoliating property that allows you to not get buildup of dead skin.

If you’re prone to sensitivities with other lotions, fear not because this doesn’t cause irritation. It also has a light, pleasant scent to it that doesn’t linger for too long and isn’t overpowering. A reminder though that because it has a thick consistency, some might find it more difficult to spread. But applying it right after you get out of the shower will surely help its spreading power.

Pros:

  • Hydrated, supple, and smooth skin
  • 24 hours hydration and moisture
  • Locks in moisture
  • Softer and smoother skin
  • Healthier and younger-looking skin
  • Thick consistency that isn’t overly greasy
  • Protects and heals the skin
  • Absorbs well
  • Gentle exfoliating formula
  • Irritation-free
  • Light, pleasant scent that doesn’t last long

Cons:

  • May be more difficult to apply due to thick consistency

2. Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion – Best for Dry, Itchy Skin!

Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion

The Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion is our choice for the best lotion for itchy and dry skin! If your skin’s dryness has caused itchiness all over your body, then this calming lotion might just be what you’re looking for! Enriched with soothing oatmeal and rich moisturizers, this lotion isn’t only designed to moisturize your skin all day but also designed to soothe and relieve dry, itchy skin. It also heals your skin to restore it back to its health.

This one is a great choice for those with sensitive skin and have experienced adverse reactions to many other products. This one is non-irritating and even fragrance-free for those especially allergic and sensitive to them. This Eucerin lotion is also formulated to smooth and soften your skin so it appears and feels much healthier. Aside from soothing and calming itchy skin, it’s sure to help keep very dry skin hydrated and moisturized all day.

The texture and consistency of this lotion makes it easy to glide and apply over the skin, especially if you apply right after you get out of the shower, though some might still find it sticky right after application. Thanks to its healing and soothing properties, it feels medicinal in terms of relieving you from itching but doesn’t have an unpleasant medicine scent to it at all.

Pros:

  • Ideal for dry, itchy skin
  • Calms and soothes skin
  • Relieves skin from itching
  • Hydrates and moisturizes skin all day
  • Non-irritating and fragrance-free
  • Smooths and softens skin
  • Healthier skin
  • Easy to glide and apply
  • Feels medicinal without the medicine smell

Cons:

  • Might take a while to absorb and might feel sticky on others

3. Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Daily Skin Therapy Body Lotion – Best for Scarring and Spots!

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Daily Skin Therapy Body Lotion

The next item on our list of the best lotions for dry skin and our pick for the best for scarring and spots is the Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Daily Skin Therapy Body Lotion! Infused with both cocoa butter and Vitamin E, this lotion is sure to improve the appearance of scars, stretch marks, and skin imperfections all the while making sure your skin stays moisturized all day! If you’re looking to improve the appearance of your skin by eliminating imperfections (but beautiful even with!) while targeting your skin’s dryness, this might just be what you were waiting for.

With continued use of this Palmer’s lotion, your skin is sure to come out moisturized, smooth, and soft all over. It has a thick and creamy consistency to it but it dries quickly without any oily residue. It feels very rich on the skin and keeps it moisturized all day or all night and looking beautiful. It effectively tones and evens out your skin tone by diminishing the appearance of scars and dark spots.

Thanks to the natural and raw ingredients used in this lotion, it’s sure to be gentle on the skin too. It has a pleasant and almost chocolate scent to it. Some like how long it lingers on the body while others would prefer otherwise. And because of the thick and creamy consistency, some users have had a hard time pumping the product out of the bottle.

Pros:

  • Improved appearance of scars, stretch marks, and skin imperfections
  • Moisturized, soft, and smooth skin
  • Skin is moisturized all day or night
  • Tones and even out skin
  • Eliminates dark spots with continued use
  • Thick and creamy texture without oily residue
  • Gentle formula
  • Chocolate, cocoa scent

Cons:

  • Scent is not for everyone
  • Could be difficult to pump out product

4. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

The CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion is the next item on our list of the best lotions for black skin thanks to its hyaluronic acid and ceramides packed formula! This daily lotion helps retain your skin’s natural moisture and restores (and maintains!) its natural barrier. With this as your regular lotion, your skin is sure to be smoother and softer. It keeps your skin moisturized all day and prevents it from looking and feeling dry and instead gives you a breathable, dewy coat of moisture.

Aside from being a body lotion, it can also be used on your skin and it works amazing as well! When used before applying makeup, your makeup will look flawless and even dewy. It goes on nice and non-sticky so you surely won’t be uncomfortable layering it under your usual makeup routine. It’s also non-comedogenic so your pores are safe and you won’t experience irritation, breakouts, or rash.

This CeraVe lotion is super lightweight, feels light on the skin, and absorbs quickly and completely. It’s also fragrance-free, so if you’re extra sensitive to scent, this one’s for you.

Pros:

  • Restores and maintains skin’s natural moisture barrier
  • Smoother and softer skin
  • Keeps skin moisturized throughout the day
  • Breathable, dewy coat of moisture
  • Works on the face as well
  • Makeup looks dewy and flawless
  • Non-sticky and non-greasy
  • Non-comedogenic – no breakouts, irritation, rash
  • Lightweight and absorbs quickly and completely
  • Fragrance-free

Cons:

  • None

5. Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion

The favorite Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion is our final pick for the best lotions for black skin! Infused with a unique and soothing oatmeal formula, it’s sure to leave your skin soft, beautiful, and healthy-looking. This lotion moisturizes your skin all day and prevents skin flaking and cracking. It has a thick consistency to it that helps in relieving skin dryness. By incorporating this regularly into your beauty routine, your skin is sure to feel much better and well-hydrated.

Though it has a thicker consistency, it’s not greasy at all and absorbs fairly quickly and well. It also doesn’t leave you with an uncomfortable oily residue. The product is able to soak right into your skin and keep it moisturized all day or all night. It’s not too greasy on oilier parts of your body but is hydrating enough for the drier parts – aka perfect balance.

This lotion doesn’t bother sensitive skin and won’t cause itching even if you’re prone to sensitivities. It’s also scent-free, especially artificial and unpleasant scents. The formula of this lotion is also gentle enough to be used on the face. Don’t worry though, because it is non-comedogenic and won’t clog your pores that could lead to irritation and breakouts. If you have extremely dry skin, you might find this a bit thin that you’d like.

Pros:

  • Prevents skin flaking and cracking
  • Relieves skin dryness
  • Skin is moisturized and hydrated all day and night
  • Non-greasy and no oily residue
  • Quick-absorbing
  • Not too oily but hydrating enough
  • Doesn’t bother sensitive skin and no itching
  • Scent-free
  • Gentle formula that can be used on the face
  • Non-comedogenic

Cons:

  • Some might find this to be too thin

How to Choose the Best Lotion for Black Skin

Looking for the best lotion to incorporate into your daily beauty routine can be a difficult task to take on. To make sure you choose the best that works for your skin, it’s time that we look at a few important factors you should be considering.

Ingredients

The very first thing you should look at in any skin product is its list of ingredients. You have to make sure that what you’re considering only has good ingredients in it and that you aren’t actually allergic to any of it. Also consider getting something that has ingredients that are good for your skin’s needs.

Skin issues and concerns

You should also take into careful consideration your skin issues and concerns when looking for your new body lotion.  The best body lotions offer more than moisturizing. Some target mature skin, damaged skin, itching skin – name it and you’re sure to find one that works for your skin concern.

Skin type

With anything you slather on your skin, you should be considering your skin type. Not all lotions (and all products at that) work the same way and give the same results for all skin types. Some are formulated for normal skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, oily skin, or acne-prone skin. Make sure that what you’re looking at works for your skin type.

Conclusion

In making sure you choose the best lotion for your skin, it’s important that you get yourself ready to experiment on many different products until you find the perfect one for you.

The Gold Bond Radiance Renewal Hydrating Lotion is our pick for the best lotion for black skin thanks to its triple ingredient blend of coconut oil, cocoa butter, and African shea butter. It’s sure to keep your skin moisturized and hydrated throughout the day and night for a smoother, softer, and healthier skin!

If you’re looking for a body lotion that can efficiently relieve your dry skin from itching, the Eucerin Skin Calming Lotion might just be what you’re looking for. It’s able to sooth and calm your skin and at the same time keep it well-moisturized.

Everyone’s skin journey is a personal one. Make sure you listen to what your skin says and what you think it needs. We hope you were able to find the perfect fit for your skin. Here’s to your healthy and happy skin!

Michelle Jackson
Michelle Jackson