The 15 Best Shea Butter Products That’ll Prevent Winter Dryness

This star ingredient is one of the best skin moisturizers out there.

Trendy skin-care ingredients come and go, but there’s one ingredient that seems to be an integral part of our beauty routines: shea butter.

If you’re not familiar with it, this popular ingredient is known for its ultra-moisturizing properties and is an effective treatment for dry skin.

While there are hundreds (if not thousands) of products that contain this nourishing ingredient, the best shea butter products are consistently recommended by dermatologists and Allure editors alike for their nourishing formulas that leave your skin softer and smoother than ever.

According to Dr. Kim Nichols, a board-certified dermatologist in Connecticut, it does more than just temporarily provide moisture. “Shea butter is rich in essential fatty acids, making it an excellent skin emollient while also hydrating and protecting the skin,” she says.

Additionally, Dr. Nichols points out that shea butter is an excellent source of vitamin A (also known as retinol) and vitamin E, two antioxidants that can soothe and soften irritated, dry, and itchy skin.

“This combination of powerful ingredients makes shea butter an ideal ingredient for relieving symptoms of common skin conditions like eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis,” she says.

For this reason, Dr. Nichols recommends that people with oily or acne-prone skin avoid shea butter, as its thick texture can lead to clogged pores and breakouts. H

owever, if your skin is feeling dry and chapped, these shea butter-rich beauty products are just what you need. Whether you’re looking for the purest product extracted directly from the shea tree or need a formula with other moisturizing ingredients, we’ve got the right product for you and your skin.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

La Roche-Posay Soothing Repair Moisturizer

Fact: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is a legendary formula that effectively treats nearly all skin types. Just ask Dr. Nichols, Allure editors, or even our readers, as this moisturizer is one she recommends and has won our Best of Beauty and Readers’ Choice awards.

Its rich, creamy formula features the moisturizing and soothing benefits of shea butter, ceramides, and colloidal oatmeal. Dr. Nichols says one of her favorite formulas with shea butter is the La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Soothing Restorative Moisturizer, which also won an Allure Best of Beauty Award.

This intense moisturizer is fragrance-free, so it’s perfect for sensitive and easily irritated skin. It contains hydrating ingredients like shea butter and glycerin.

L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

Jergens Deeply Conditioning Shea & Cocoa Whipped Butter Body Lotion

You may have owned a batch of L’Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Lotion back in 2000, and it’s still a classic for intense moisturization. Formulated for dry and sensitive skin, this rich, luxurious cream contains shea butter, apricot seed oil, honey, and glycerin to provide instant moisture.

The best part: The formula absorbs quickly, leaving your skin feeling cared for without feeling greasy. New York dermatologist Dr. Angela Lamb was impressed with Jergens Deeply Conditioning Shea & Cocoa Whipped Butter Body Lotion and is excited about its new formula.

This whipped lotion combines shea butter with vitamins E and B3, making the most of shea butter, a notoriously thick, dense ingredient, in a lightweight, grease-free formula, she says.

Carbon Theory Salicylic Acid & Shea Butter Exfoliating Cleansing Soap

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Glycolic Body Lotion

Can a shea butter-rich formula still exfoliate? Yes, and it does in the form of the Carbon Theory Salicylic Acid & Shea Butter Exfoliating Cleanser, a 2022 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner.

It took home the top prize in the facial soap category for its ability to remove dead skin cells, pore-clogging bacteria, and excess oil (it contains salicylic acid), as well as the hydration of shea butter.

If you’re looking to combat both acne and dryness on your body, the Allure Best of Beauty-winning Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Glycolic Body Lotion is the way to go. This lightweight formula with moisturizing shea butter, marula oil, and glycolic acid leaves skin instantly soft, smooth, and glowy.

Olay Rinse-Off Body Treatment

Native Aluminum Coconut & Vanilla Free Deodorant

Moisturizing in the shower may sound counterintuitive at first, but trust us: Olay Rinse-Off Body Treatment leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth after you rinse it off. This 2021 Allure Best of Beauty winner contains shea butter and vitamin B3 (also known as niacinamide) to brighten, cleanse, and moisturize at the same time.

With just a few swipes, get fresher-smelling underarms with 2022 Allure Readers’ Choice winner Native Aluminum Coconut & Vanilla Free Deodorant. This paraben- and aluminum-free deodorant won our Cleansing category award for its light, sweet vanilla and coconut scent, the moisturizing combo of coconut oil and shea butter, and the sweat-absorbing properties of baking soda.

SheaMoisture 100% Natural Shea Butter

Batta. Skin Egyptian CocoShea Body Wash

If you prefer pure shea butter, we’d like to introduce you to SheaMoisture’s 100% Raw Shea Butter. Since shea butter is the brand’s main ingredient, it makes sense that they sell a jar of this high-quality product.

The brand advertises that it is fair trade shea butter sourced from a women’s cooperative in northern Ghana. This unrefined shea butter is suitable for caring for dry skin areas like elbows and knees, or as a nourishing, anti-breakage treatment in your hair care routine.

What happens when you combine the power of shea butter with moisturizing cocoa butter? Butta. Skin Egyptian CocoShea Body Wash, also known as one of the most skin-loving body washes ever. Every pump of this nourishing body cleanser nourishes dry skin areas with caring ingredients, leaving skin feeling softer and smoother after a shower.

54 Thrones African Beauty Cream

The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

With 54 Thrones African Beauty Butter, dry, chapped hands are no longer a problem. Not only does this hand cream contain moisturizing shea butter, it’s also enriched with baobab and jojoba oils for an intensive hydrating treatment.

Once you use The Body Shop’s Shea Body Butter, you’ll understand why it’s been so popular since the early 2000s (and if you’ve ever used it, you know). The blend of shea and babassu oils leaves your skin feeling instantly soft, smooth, and lightly scented with shea butter that smells like a tropical vacation.

Kiehl’s Eye Cream

Soft Service Polishing Stick

Aquaphor Lip Repair Balm

While avocado oil is the main ingredient in Kiehl’s Eye Cream, it’s not the only moisturizing ingredient pampering the eye area. Shea butter softens the skin and prevents dryness, while beta-carotene acts as a brightening antioxidant.

The Soft Services Buffing Bar won a 2022 Allure Best of Beauty Award for its soothing effects on keratosis pilaris and ingrown hairs. The effect is attributed to the skin-smoothing micro-crystal exfoliation process. Shea butter soothes and moisturizes the exfoliated skin, leaving it feeling buttery soft without redness or irritation.

Chapped lips? Aquaphor Lip Repair Balm is the solution. With key ingredients like shea butter, chamomile extract, provitamin B5, and vitamins C and E, this lip treatment soothes irritated skin and provides much-needed moisture.