The Secret to Fragrance Layering? A Scented Body Lotion

I have a confession: I hoard the best scented body lotions. But I mean, can you blame me? These aromatic, and often limited-edition, hydrators pair two of the best beauty characteristics—redolent scents and advanced moisture.

Vogue’s Favorite Scented Body Lotions

• Best Perfume Enhancer: Glossier Crème de You, $45
• Best Gourmand: Fenty Beauty Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream, $45
• Best Clean: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter, $36
• Best Woodsy: Costa Brazil Crème Para O Corpo Body Cream, $98
• Best Rose: Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady Body Butter, $250

In This Story

• How to Choose a Scented Body Lotion
• Can scented body lotion replace perfume?
• Meet the Expert

While the latter is their primary purpose, I realize the former is what leaves a lasting impression. I might go for a fruity or fresh scent to set the stage for a bustling day running around Manhattan; whereas, a warm, comforting cream is better suited for a cozy night cuddled up in bed. And by putting the fragrance into a physical form, these often last longer than my eau de parfum du jour. “A body lotion usually enhances fragrances, but on occasion it can replace perfume based on the weather, season, time of day or occasion,” Linda G. Levy, president of  The Fragrance Foundation tells Vogue. “It is usually sheer and subtle, but a cream or oil has greater intensity and staying power.” While Levy and I both agree these can surely be worn solo, they can also start building the day’s fragrance layering. Ahead, everything you need to know about choosing—and combining—scented body lotions, plus Vogue’s favorite formulas to shop.

Nécessaire The Body Lotion

• Why We Love It: If there’s one body lotion I always have on hand, its Nécessaire’s. Someone passionate about keeping skin hydrated 100% of the time will appreciate it for its intelligent blend of five peptides, 2.5% niacinamide, alongside vitamin- and omega-rich oils, which not only target dryness, but improve skin’s firmness and tone with consistent use. I’m fond of the unscented version, but the four fragrant variants have universal appeal. If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be Eucalyptus which is as relaxing as it sounds.
• Key Ingredients: Five peptides, niacinamide 2.5%, glycerin, shea butter
• Size: 450 mL / 15.2 fl oz

Glossier Crème de You

• Why We Love It: As a love letter to all the Glossier You wearers, the brand has whipped up a luscious body cream with the same scent. This well-loved fragrance enhancer—boasting notes of pink pepper, iris, ambrette, and ambrox—is paired with shea butter and jojoba oil for a nourishing, never-greasy moisturizer sure to leave you glowing and smelling great for hours.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, jojoba oil
• Size: 7.2 fl oz / 215 mL

Chanel N°5 The Body Cream

• Why We Love It: Chanel N°5 fans to the front: This body cream is just for you. Elegantly scented, this smells like a fresh bouquet of roses softened by jasmine, neroli, and aldehydes—leaving a feminine aroma sure to delight passersby. As great as it smells, this body cream offers generous conditioning benefits via glycerin, squalane, and shea butter.
• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, squalane, shea butter, jasmine leaf cell extract, rosa centifolia flower extract
• Size: 5 oz.

Fenty Beauty Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body Cream

• Why We Love It: Fenty’s Butta Drop is my personal favorite scented body lotion. Its limited-edition cinnamon butter scented version captured my attention last year for its warm gourmand aroma that smelled good enough to eat. But I was equally as impressed by its nourishing qualities thanks to two butters (mango and shea) and seven different botanical oils (from coconut and jojoba to baobab and melon). It’s rich in the best way—delivering ample hydration to dry skin types. Skin is left with a luminous sheen, sans greasiness or residue. Though my favorite scent is sadly no longer available, there are three other options to choose from: Fenty Fresh (light and fruity), Fenty Fresh Shimmer (light and fruity with shimmer), or Toasted Marshmallow (warm with a gold shimmer).
• Key Ingredients: Mango butter, shea butter, glycerin, seven botanical oils (Kalahari melon, sorrel, baobab, sunflower, rice bran, coconut, jojoba)
• Size: 6.7 oz / 200 mL

Costa Brazil Crème Para O Corpo Body Cream

• Why We Love It: “Costa Brazil Body Crème under Aroma fragrance transports you to Brazil,” Levy says, citing her interest in this cult-favorite body cream. Packed with a host of cold-pressed Amazonian inspired ingredients like kaya oil, brazil nut oil, and murumuru, this is one of the richest creams on the list to alleviate more intense dry patches, for lasting improvement of skin tone, texture, and moisture levels. The scent itself mirrors the brand’s Aroma eau de parfum, as Levy mentions above, delivering a subtle woodsy fragrance that’s equally comforting.
• Key Ingredients: Murmuru butter, aloe leaf juice, breu branco extract, orange flower water, cupuaçu, kaya, cacay, brazil nut, and tucuma seed oils
• Size: 4.73 fl. oz

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter

• Why We Love It: I remember when Vogue’s senior beauty editor Margaux Anbouba and I unboxed a mailer of Josie Maran’s new body butter. We were instantly impressed, but still consider it a favorite even after months of use. “This plant-based fig body lotion is the both perfect skin-scent base for fragrance and a sexy stand-alone fragrance," she describes. “I love how incredibly silky my skin feels for hours afterwards, too. My entire body is sexy and gleamy.” Anbouba’s favorite scent is Bohemian Fig (which is sweet and fresh), though there are six additional scents to choose from, including an unscented version if that’s your speed.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, argan oil, avocado oil
• Size: 6 fl. oz

Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady Body Butter

• Why We Love It: Frédéric Malle’s Portrait of a Lady rose to prominence for its bold interpretation of the Turkish rose—pairing the sought after note with fruity blackcurrant with spicy, woody facets of cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, and frankincense. This blend is whipped into a sumptuous formula that transforms from a rich butter to a nourishing oil as you massage it into skin.
• Key Ingredients: Not listed
• Size: 200 mL / 6.8 fl. oz

Jo Malone London Wood Sage & Sea Salt Body Crème

• Why We Love It: Jo Malone’s creams really do pair the best of scent and body care. Each formula offers a burst of fragrance evident as soon as you open the tub. Wood Sage & Sea Salt is the one I’m partial to for its outdoorsy freshness—an option that’s great for personal use or anyone on your holiday gift list. The texture here is quite rich—a little goes a long way, especially if you don’t want the scent to be overpowering.
• Key Ingredients: Glycerin, jojoba seed oil, cocoa seed butter, sweet almond oil, aloe leaf juice, caffeine, bisabolol
• Size: 175 mL

L’Occitane Hydrating Almond Milk Concentrate Body Moisturizer

• Why We Love It: I absolutely loved testing L’Occitane’s Hydrating Almond Milk Concentrate earlier this year. With a thickness between a milky lotion and cream, this achieves weightless moisture without skimping on any of the dryness-alleviating properties. Almond is the star of the show here, in milk, oil, extract, and protein formats—delivering fatty acids and omega 9s to skin for improved softness and nourishment. The ingredient also delivers a softly sweet scent that lingers through the day.
• Key Ingredients: Almond milk, sweet almond oil, almond seed extract, almond protein, walnut seed extract
• Size: 7 oz

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

• Why We Love It: I knew exactly what Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream smelled like before I sampled it myself; that’s how often I hear people gushing about it on social media. When I finally got my hands on its yellow tub, it didn’t disappoint. I opened the jar to an energizing and sweet fragrance—the brand’s Cheirosa 62, a blend of vanilla, pistachio, and salted caramel. I like this for lightweight hydration and a silky finish. When I crave deeper moisture, I go for its Delícia Drench Body Butter, which is richer and more emollient.
• Key Ingredients: Guaraná, cupuaçu butter, coconut oil, açaí oil, brazil nut
• Size: 8.1 fl. oz / 240 mL

Oribe Desertland Body Creme

• Why We Love It: When you switch to Oribe’s body creme there’s turning back. While at home for Thanksgiving, I randomly let my mom try a bit of mine that I keep in my purse, and after just one use it immediately went on her holiday wish list. The formula is more nourishing than you might expect from a non-body care-centric brand, but it’s rich, creamy, and emollient to deliver exceptional hydration via a blend of sweet almond, meadowfoam, and starflower oils. The scent here, called Desertland, leads with fresh juniper and lavender, but dries down to a more nature-inspired cedar- and sandalwood aroma reminiscent of desert heat.
• Key Ingredients: Sweet almond, meadowfoam, and starflower oils
• Size:

Eos Shea Better 24H Moisture Body Lotion

• Why We Love It: Anyone at their local drugstore in search of an impressive scented body lotion should ask the nearest associate to direct them to the Eos 24H Moisture collection. A true sensorial experience from start to finish, pumping out the lotion gives one a delightful whiff of five scents including Vanilla Cashmere, Jasmine Peach, and Coconut Waters. Then, when massaging it onto skin, its shea butter-rich formula creates a protective moisture barrier for a full day’s wear.
• Key Ingredients: Shea butter, coconut fruit extract, glycerin
• Size: 16 fl. oz / 473 mL

Youth to the People Hydrate + Glow Dream Body Butter

• Why We Love It: I cannot begin to express how many times I’ve recommended Youth to the People’s body butter since it launched in January. The brand’s inaugural body-care collection was its foray into the category beyond skin care and certainly left a lasting impression on me. It’s fast-absorbing and delivers instant hydration—very important on the body butter front! Honestly, the scent is an added bonus. According to YTTP, its signature scent Free to Dream is “designed with neurosensorial technology to encourage relaxation and calm” via notes of yuzu, green tea, and blonde woods—a refreshingly comfortable scent that layers well with your go-to perfume.
• Key Ingredients: Niacinamide 3%, jojoba Oil, Shea butter, Cupuaçu butter
• Size: 8 fl. oz

Dior J’adore Les Adorables Body Milk

• Why We Love It: Levy might add on layer of the Dior J’adore body lotion for a big night out when her arms are under a silk wrap. Thinner in consistency than your average cream, this offers lightweight moisture that never feels sticky on the skin. Powered by 92% natural-origin ingredients, including jasmine extract, this is as luxurious to wear as it is to smell.
• Key Ingredients: Jasmine extract, glycerin
• Size: 6.8 oz

“Fragrance is all about discovery, mixing scents and including a lotion is a great way to create your own personal scent,” says Levy, who recommends lotion as the first fragrance layer, then build upon it with perfumes or a body spray. “You can choose layering with one specific fragrance, and apply it in different formats including body lotions, creams, oils, or mist. Or you can layer multiple  fragrances with ingredients that complement one another.” Basically, scent devotees could pickup their favorite EDP in the body lotion version for double the wear, or mix different aromas for a custom concoction.

Per Levy, a body lotion usually enhances fragrances, but on occasion it can replace perfume based on the weather,  season, time of day, or occasion. “A scented body lotion gives the lightest hint of a favorite fragrance,” she continues. “It is usually sheer and subtle, but a cream or oil has greater intensity and staying power. All of these body fragrance formulas do double duty of scenting and moisturizing the skin.” However, it depends on the wearer, but if someone is looking for a longer lasting experience, then a perfume would be optimal.

• Linda G. Levy is president of The Fragrance Foundation.