Even though skin is unique to age, gender, ancestry, and ethnicity, moisture-rich skin can be common to every skin need or type. But you don’t have to destroy the environment with toxic ingredients, pseudoscience, or hooey to get it. (See Campaign for Safe Cosmetics: Red List, parabens, and harmful preservatives.) The best organic lotion will deliver results, and we’ve found some options for all skin types and needs.
Yes, lotion, bars and balm do help heal and moisturize rough, dry skin, but before you dive deeply into your pocketbook, here are a few incremental changes you can make at home now to support better skin health.
- Drink plenty of water
- Turn down the thermostat
- Switch soaps
- Take cool showers
- Use a humidifier
You’ll be surprised by how much changing just a routine or two can immediately improve your skin’s texture and tone. Once these become a habit, perhaps that perfect lotion will last longer, too, while saving you that hard-earned money
Our Top Picks: Best Organic Lotion
We’ve split the best organic lotions into four more narrow categories to help you find your best fit. Up first is a quick list of our choices, and you can scroll further to read more about each option.
Deep Healing Moisturizers, Salves and Balms
- Best Organic Lotion for Sunburns: Grounded Sage Skin Care Commitment to always improve and “do better” by working towards greater sustainability, a lighter footprint, and a kinder world.
- Runner-up Sunburn Care: Green Goo. Ageless Allure + Wisdom + Adventure = You.
- Best Organic Body Lotion for Eczema: Pat’s Eczema Care: It all started with an itch.
- Runner-up Eczema Care: Ora’s Amazing Herbal. Powerful natural skin care.
Lotion for Different Body Parts
- Best Organic Lotion for Moms: Urban Pulse: You are why we do what we do.
- Runner-up Pregnant Mama Care: Dab. Herb Makeup and Skincare. Welcome to the healthiest decision you’ve made yet.
- Best Organic Hand Lotion: Anne Marie: Awakens. Moisturizes. Grounds.
- Runner-up Hands, Feet and Everywhere Care: Just the Goods: Healthier, handmade alternatives to mass produced chemicals.
Lotion for Melanin-Rich Skin and by People of Color
- Best Organic Lotion for Ethnic Skin: Eu’Genia Shea: The Origin of Goodness
- Runner-up Ethnic Skin Care: R and R Luxury: Nature’s Gift to Africa. Africa’s Gift to the World.
Age and Gender Neutral Lotion Bars
- Best Organic Lotion for Gender and Age Neutral Care: SoulShine Soap Co.: Clean up your act.
- Runner-up Gender and Age Neutral Care: Kate McLeod: It’s everyday magic.
Product Reviews: Top 12 Organic Lotions
Deep Healing Moisturizers, Salves and Balms
1. Best Organic Lotion for Sunburns: Grounded Sage Skin Care.
Best Small Business Pick
Grounded Sage Skincare: Aloe-ver Hydrating After Sun Care | Fragrance: Pomegranate | Size: 3.5 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $28.61
Grounded Sage Skin Care promotes skin-positive messaging in a trimmed-down approach to skin and self-care, personal empowerment, and kindness. Every purchase comes with reusable and recyclable glass jars or cardboard tubes.
The packaging is sustainable, biodegradable and recyclable. And with every purchase delivers, a portion of proceeds goes to support animal rescues.
Key Ingredients: aloe, beet, coconut, hibiscus, marshmallow, mushroom, pomegranate, provitamin B5.
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Doesn’t both rosacea
- Feels cool and soothing
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Doesn’t feel like it absorbs fully
- Pills slightly on the skin
2. Runner-up Sunburn Care: Green Goo.
Best Philanthropy Pick
Green Goo: Ageless Allure + Wisdom + Adventure = You. | Size: 4 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $24.95
Green Goo is a women-owned, mission-based B-Corp organization. The Made in the USA products support the following organizations: Keep a Breast, Mercy in Action, 1% for the Planet, PARSA, World Vision, and the PCTA.
Packaging and products are good for you, good for the planet, sustainable, biodegradable, and recyclable.
Key Ingredients: aloe vera, blue chamomile, rosehip seed oil, helichrysum, vitamin E, coconut oil and yarrow
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Best facial moisturizer ever
- Speeds up healing time
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Nothing so far!
3. Best Organic Body Lotion for Eczema: Pat’s Eczema Care.
Best Baby-safe Eczema Care Pick
Pat’s Eczema Care: Original Formula| Fragrance: Natural Scent | Size: 4 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Vegan: No | Price: $28.95
Pat’s Eczema Care’s ingredients are naturally sourced without any fillers, stabilizers, petroleum, steroids, or preservatives—and no nut oils! Plus, it’s made in the USA.
Apply the cream anywhere that’s needed, but first test on a small patch of skin.
Key Ingredients: organic olive oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, organic beeswax, organic honey, pure lanolin, organic tea tree oil, and organic rosemary leaf oil
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Significantly and consistently helps with dyshidrotic eczema
- Soothes itchiness and cuts
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Temporary help
- Didn’t work for my son
4. Runner-up Eczema Care: Ora’s Touchy Skin Salve.
Ora’s Amazing Herbal: Touchy Skin Salve| Fragrance: Unscented | Size: 4 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Vegan: Yes | Price: $21.99
Ora’s Amazing Herbal story begins with the need to help the founder’s daughter’s eczema. As such, they have unremitting standards of efficacy, purity and customer service.
Key Ingredients: grapeseed, licorice root, calendula, comfrey, plantain, St. John’s Wort, burdock, thyme, castor oil, coconut oil, and vitamin E
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Magical
- Actually works
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Achieves only 90% healing
Lotion for Different Body Parts
5. Best Organic Lotion for Moms: Urban Pulse.
Best for Bellies
Urban Pulse: Mama’s Belly Butter| Fragrance: Lightly Scented | Size: 8 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $48.00
Urban Pulse isn’t just a product for mama’s belly and stretchmarks. It also works well for eczema, anti-aging, as well as dry, mature and sensitive skin.
It’s handmade, natural skincare that uses trustworthy suppliers to ease skin irritation and promote others’ wellness.
Key Ingredients: baobab oil, pomegranate oil, carrot oil, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, arrowroot, pumpkin seed, vitamin E and shea butter.
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Amazing shop and thoughtful owner
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- None listed
- The price point is a lot higher than some competition
6. Runner-up Pregnant Mama Care: Dab.
Best for Breasts
Dab Herb Makeup and Skincare: Breast Care Salve| Fragrance: Pomegranate | Size: 1 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free Yes | Price: $20.50
Dab. Herb Makeup and Skin Care promotes sustainability and community. Their products are handmade from scratch from food-grade ingredients, using botanical-based oils, and certified organic ingredients.
They cater to refilling for greater sustainability, too!
Key Ingredients: olive and coconut oils, St. John’s Wort, calendula, red clover, and comfrey root
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Exceptional products and customer service
- Helps with body positivity
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Too sticky
7. Best Organic Hand Lotion: Anne Marie.
Best for Winter Skin and All Skin Types
Anne Marie: Palo Santo Body Butter| Fragrance: Earthy and calming | Size: 6.7 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $90.00
Anne Marie’s Palo Santo Body Butter is organically grown, sources sustainably, and wildcrafted in Ecuador. No chemicals or solvents are used.
The family regularly gives back to the environment, has planted over 30,000 trees, and pays more than fair wages to the people and community employed by Anne Marie.
Key Ingredients: cardamom, shea butter, cocoa butter, pal santo essential oils
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Best for dry winter skin
- Helps to destress
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Didn’t work for my sensitive skin
- Smell was too strong
8. Runner-up Hands, Feet and Everywhere Care: Just the Goods.
Best and easiest company to contact with questions—sole proprietor responses
Just the Goods: Vegan hand and body lotion. | Fragrance: Unscented | Size: 8 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Glass bottle—available summer only | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Vegan: Yes | Price: $13.76
Just the Goods promotes leaping bunny certification and would like to be considered cruelty-free, but they can’t access all fair trade ingredients. They’re also BPA-free, organic, part of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and a Breast Cancer Prevention partner.
If you have any specific questions or concerns—just ask!
Key Ingredients: water, grape seed oil, vegetable wax, vegetable glycerin, and vitamin E
REVIEWERS LIKE
- The company cares about its customers
- Moisturizes well without being greasy
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- None listed
Lotion for Melanin-Rich Skin and Owned by People of Color
9. Best Organic Lotion for Ethnic Skin: Eu’Genia Shea.
Best POC and Indigenous Women’s Empowerment Pick
Eu’Genia Shea: Dermatological Strength (Most Shea) | Fragrance: Unscented | Size: 12 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $65.00
Eu’Genia Shea is a mother-daughter business that promotes fair wages and opportunities for female workers in Ghana. One half of the company (mom) also served as the President of the Global Shea Alliance.
Great for feet, hands, and any other body part that needs support. It also works well as a post-shaving balm, hair pomade, and make-up remover.
Key Ingredients: 100% Shea Butter
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Leaves skin clean, fresh, glowing
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- The unscented shea butter has a waxy smell
10. Runner-up Ethnic Skin Care: R and R Luxury.
Next Best POC and Indigenous Women’s Empowerment Pick
Grounded Sage Skincare: Aloe-ver Hydrating After Sun Care | Fragrance: Unscented | Size: 5.3 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $17.75
R and R Luxury knows that harvesting Shea can be a dangerous business, so they pay above market value for their products. Owner Valerie Obaze also founded the Women of the Savannah Development Project, which provides “health, safety and business training to help break the poverty cycle.”
Not all packaging is sustainable, but they source, manufacture, sell and export directly from Africa.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter and coconut oil; for sensitive skin
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Has won multiple awards and has been highlighted in notable fashion magazines globally.
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- None listed
Age and Gender Neutral Lotion Bars
11. Best Organic Lotion for Age and Gender Neutral Skin Care: SoulShine Soap Co.
Best small-batch manufacturer
SoulShine Soap Co.: Solid Lotion Bar| Fragrance: Lavender | Size: 1.5 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Vegan: No | Price: $12.00
SoulShine Soap Co. wants to inspire people to live a greener life, so their mission isn’t just to educate others on just how to do that but also to provide great products.
Their lotion bars are poured in small batches, without preservatives or chemical fragrances.
Key Ingredients: Maine beeswax, organic cocoa and shea butters, organic coconut oil, olive oil, and lavender essential oil
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Lasts a long time
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Takes a while to get used to
12. Runner-up Age and Gender Neutral Skin Care: Kate McLeod.
Best moisturizer that’s also a lubricant.
Kate McLeod: Naked Stone| Fragrance: Cacao | Size: 3.5 oz | Sustainable Packaging: Yes | Earth-friendly Ingredients: Yes | Cruelty-free: Yes | Price: $38.00
Kate McLeod uses only plant-based, sustainably farmed products. Because the company lauds self-care, their lotion “stones” are good enough to moisturize and eat.
Look for packaging that comes in handy reusable bamboo cannisters.
Key Ingredients: cocoa butter, almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil, fractionated coconut oil
REVIEWERS LIKE
- Easy to use
- Melts in the palm of your hands
REVIEWERS DISLIKE
- Not good for nut allergies
- Neutral but a too-sweet smell
How to Improve Skin Moisture Naturally
Meet The Author
Amy Wolkenhauer has been a full-time freelance writer since 2014. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Bachelor of Science degree in Sustainability complement each other.
Combined, these degrees provide her with the communication tools necessary to create tangible links between scientists, stakeholders, marketplace & policy actors with communities everywhere.
