Eucerin Advanced Repair Lotion, Urea Enriched, 16.9 FL OZ

Why it's worth it

A fragrance-free, medium-weight lotion with 5% urea and ceramides that softens rough skin as it hydrates. The pump bottle makes daily full-body use fast, and it's aimed squarely at dry-to-very-dry skin.

Urea is the reason to pick this one. At 5–10%, it's been clinically shown to improve hydration by boosting the skin's water-binding capacity and raising natural moisturizing factor levels. It also gently loosens dead skin, so it works on the parts of you that stay rough no matter how much cream you use — elbows, knees, heels, the shins that flake all winter.

The pump is a bigger deal than it looks on a spec sheet. Covering both legs and both arms every night is the difference between a habit that sticks and one that fizzles. One-handed dispensing after a shower takes seconds. Owners who moisturize head to toe daily tend to migrate toward pumps for exactly this reason, and Eucerin puts 16.9 ounces behind one.

From our review of 8 body lotions for dry skin, by Sarah Wright, Editorial Associate

What we like

• +Urea is the reason to pick this one
• +The pump is a bigger deal than it looks on a spec sheet
• +It's lighter than the CeraVe cream — medium-weight, absorbs quickly — which makes it the easier of the two to wear under clothes…
• +Owners who deal with hands wrecked by constant washing — surgical staff, nurses, anyone scrubbing all day — report it restoring…

What to know

• –Urea can sting on skin that's already broken
• –As a lotion it's less occlusive than a true cream