When shopping for body lotion, opt for products that are free of palm oil, petrolatum, and synthetic fragrances. Instead, choose lotions that contain shea butter, argan oil, beeswax, and essential oils. Our favorite body lotions are certified by EWG (which ensures the product is free from chemicals of concern), Fair Trade (which benefits the people making the product), and PETA or Leaping Bunny (which ensure no animal testing was performed using the product). 

Ingredients

Palm Oil

Palm oil is an emollient that helps soften, smooth, and repair the skin barrier. About 66 million tons of palm oil are produced annually, making it the most common vegetable oil on Earth. It is a very productive crop, offering greater yield at a lower production cost than any other vegetable oil. However, it’s derived from oil palm trees which only grow in the tropics and need a serious amount of water to flourish. 

The increased use of palm oil has directly led to deforestation, child labor exploitation, the displacement of Indigenous peoples, has increased global warming, and has threatened 321 species with extinction, such as orangutans, Borneo elephants, and tigers. Not a great track record. As the demand for palm oil-based products expands, so too does the demand for palm oil plantations. That means that areas like Borneo and Sumatra are disproportionately affected by the problems caused by the expansion of palm oil production, which is reportedly responsible for 5% of all tropical deforestation. The expansion also leads to increasing land scarcity and higher land prices, which affect the livelihoods of local farmers who can be shut out by bigger corporate growers. 

It’s important to note that not all palm oil is produced in such an irresponsible way – some palm oils are produced without contributing to deforestation or ecosystem disruption, but it is a limited amount. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) claims to certify sustainable palm oil production. However, researchers have found no significant difference between certified and non-certified plantations for any of the sustainability metrics investigated, such as conservation of biodiversity, consideration of social impacts, and economic viability. Plus, less than 7% of total palm oil production is certified as sustainable by RSPO, so it’s not a silver bullet.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is an emollient that helps soften, smooth, and repair the skin barrier. It has been used for millennia in African countries for personal care products, and is known as “women’s gold” because it provides employment to millions of women across Africa. Exports from Ghana alone are valued at $66 million, so opting for shea butter lotions has the potential to support this trade if produced with these women in mind. The reality is that many women in the shea trade are exploited and abused by unfair labor practices. If you’re going to buy shea-based products, look for the UN-recommended Fair Trade certifications that are working to ensure fair labor standards. Shea doesn’t have the same negative environmental impacts from fertilizer use and land use as alternative vegetable oils (particularly palm oil) do. In comparison to palm oil, however, shea is expensive due to its small production scale. If this alternative to palm oil reached a scalable capacity, then it would likely come with the same negative environmental and social impacts. A bummer, we know. With current agricultural systems, shea works as an alternative on smaller, more niche scales. Given all of these factors, we think you’re better off opting for products made with shea butter over those made with palm oil.

Argan Oil

Inside the fruit of the argan tree, which is native to Morocco, is an argan nut. The kernels can be pressed to extract the oil that’s used in skincare products. The remaining pulp of the nut provides food for local animals and the shells are burned for fuel. The tree is so beneficial to the environment that Morocco’s argan forest was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco in 1998. But as demand for argan oil rises, the forests have been threatened by deforestation. Locals understand the value of the argan tree, and to make sure protected trees remain undamaged, will only pick fruit that’s fallen to the ground. The process of pressing the argan nut is manual and very labor intensive, making social safeguards like working hours and living wage important factors to sustainable and ethical production. Overall, argan oil is environmentally preferable to palm oil. 

Petrolatum

Petrolatum is an occlusive that helps seal moisture into skin. One of the most known petrolatum products is Vaseline, which is made of 100% petroleum jelly. Petrolatum is cheap, abundant, and safe for human use, but it’s derived from crude oil. And while petroleum jelly is such a small byproduct of the crude oil industry, it’s still contributing to the use of fossil fuels. If you’re looking to cut ties with fossil fuels, consider other occlusives, like beeswax. 

Beeswax

When beekeepers discard honeycombs every couple of years, as is good practice, the discarded combs get melted into beeswax. Beeswax is renewable, but only as fast as bees can work to create more. And this is where problems can occur… To meet production needs, commercial hives have cropped up, which can directly harm wild honeybees, critical pollinators that keep plants healthy and promote biodiversity, which we all need to survive. We all want to keep bees happy, but commercial bees are introducing parasites and diseases to their wild counterparts, which are significantly decreasing wild bee populations. This is all to say that beeswax isn’t perfect, though it’s preferable to petrolatum.

Synthetic Fragrances

The most elusive ingredient of all might be fragrances. That’s because fragrances are protected from disclosure. While “fragrance” might appear to be one ingredient on the label, that word could potentially comprise hundreds of chemical compounds just for one scent! It’s not the scent that worries us, but phthalates, which enable fragrances to become soluble. They are known endocrine disruptors in both humans and aquatic life and can even lower the production of testosterone. Studies have found that prenatal exposure to phthalates can decrease mental and motor development in children. 

Essential Oils

Essential oils, botanicals, and plant extracts – while naturally occurring – can still cause skin irritation. Enter: contact dermatitis. Fragrances like linalool and limonene, which are extracted from citrus fruit peels, can cause allergic reactions in delicate, sensitive skin. If you want some fragrance in your 3-in-1, go the route of essential oils, botanicals, and plant extracts – but make sure you test the stuff on a patch of skin before slathering everywhere. 

Certifications

EWG 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is a non-profit and its label ensures products are free from chemicals of concern to human health that are outlined in their unacceptable list. The EWG verifies products using data on ingredients and chemicals banned by governments, as well as known carcinogens and developmental toxins. Because companies have to pay for the verification, there is inherent bias… but they do source their ingredients data from reputable sources. In Finch’s rating system, we look at their ingredients data rather than companies certified by the EWG.

Fair Trade

The Fair Trade certification ​​works on the ground with suppliers to ensure that people making FTC products work in safe conditions, protect the environment, and earn additional money to empower their communities. This certification has intersectional impacts, including an emphasis on safe working conditions, environmental protection, sustainable livelihoods, and Community Development Funds. For more details on this certification, check out our Fair Trade Certified glossary definition.

Leaping Bunny

Leaping Bunny is an internationally recognized symbol that guarantees no new animal tests were conducted on any of the ingredients in a product. It’s the most stringent animal rights standard, so prioritize this one if you want to alleviate your animal welfare concerns.

PETA Cruelty-Free

PETA’s Cruelty-Free offers a searchable database of companies and denotes whether they conduct, commission, or test their products on animals. 

Fun Fact

The global Moisturizing Cream Market is expected to garner about $16.7 billion by the end of 2032 with a healthy growth rate of 4.2% as people become increasingly focused on health, wellness, and skin concerns.