Amlactin Daily Nourish Body Lotion, 12% Lactic Acid, 14.1 oz

Why it's worth it

A 12% lactic acid lotion that exfoliates and moisturizes in one step, which makes it the pick for keratosis pilaris and stubbornly rough skin. It's fragrance-free, lightweight and pumps out of the bottle.

Nothing else here does both jobs at once. Lactic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid, so it loosens the dead cells that make skin feel like sandpaper while it hydrates underneath. In a double-blind study over four weeks, AmLactin's 12% formula produced statistically significant improvements in roughness and hydration against a placebo vehicle. For bumpy upper arms and thighs, that's the mechanism that actually helps.

Give it three or four weeks before you judge it. This isn't a lotion where you see the result the first night. Owners who stick with it describe the change arriving gradually — flaking gone, bumps flattened, legs that stop shedding into dark leggings. People who quit after a few days usually conclude it did nothing. Consistency is the whole game with an AHA.

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

What we like

• +Nothing else here does both jobs at once
• +Give it three or four weeks before you judge it
• +It's lighter than you'd expect for something this effective

What to know

• –The smell is the main complaint, and it's a real one
• –Acids sting. On freshly shaved legs, broken skin or an eczema flare, this can burn, and it's not the right choice for skin…
• –Owner feedback is more mixed here than for the other picks, largely because of the smell and the slow onset