I'm obsessed with this body oil for my dry winter skin

Despite living in the Northeast my entire life, or perhaps because of it, I hate winter. Sure, I enjoy a snow day from time to time, but I don’t spend December through March romantically staring out my window—I spend them cursing my body for not being more acclimated to cold. When the temperatures drop, my hands turn purple, my joints get stiff, and my skin gets incredibly dry across my face and body.

While summer sweat and sunscreen offer their own challenges, the hot, dry air of winter heating is a many-headed monster—it completely zaps skin’s moisture, which can lead to both flakiness and (when parched skin overproduces oil in some areas to compensate) breakouts across the face and body that are a huge challenge to treat simultaneously. Many people who have great skin throughout the rest of the year fall prey to this winter skin, and for me, it makes my typical conditions worse.

Last winter, I wrote about my favorite facial moisturizer that has helped me battle dryness and achieve dewy, balanced skin during the worst months of the year. But a combination of eczema and laziness has kept me from finding an equally wonderful solution to the dry skin on my body—until I took a ~$30 gamble on Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Apricot Body Oil and never looked back.

Why I love Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Apricot Body Oil

I would be lying if I said I didn’t buy this body oil because of how it looks. Each slender, eight-ounce bottle of glimmering pink oil looks more like a gorgeous sake than something you use on your skin. It caught my eye when I was browsing body oils online and I simply couldn’t resist.

But I did hesitate before purchasing. Why? Because many reviewers claim that the French oil, as hydrating and beautiful as it is, smelled very strongly of apricot. While I love that scent, anyone with eczema knows that you’re generally not supposed to use fragrance-containing products on your body, lest it aggravate your condition. After some mental back-and-forth, I went ahead with the purchase.

I’ve been using this oil on my body after showering about three times a week for the past month, and it’s become my new obsession. It’s thick enough to pour into the palm of my hand, but thin enough to mix with thicker moisturizers like Eucerin Intensive Repair for full-body coverage. The scent is sweet and fruity, but not at all artificial thanks to the oil’s natural ingredients. And I’ve found that it helps my skin stay hydrated for longer than when I use other moisturizers alone.

Body oils like this one help create a strong moisture barrier on the surface of skin, rather than soaking deep into the skin like traditional moisturizers. While this means you might need to deal with some residual stickiness, I would much rather be a little coated-feeling than dry and itchy during the winter months. I like to think of the oil as a protective layer that keeps the dry air from wreaking havoc on my skin.

For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend people with dry skin use body oil in the winter without pairing it with something deeper penetrating (like my Eucerin)—but if you have more balanced skin, go ahead and try using it solo. I’m also pleased to say that the apricot oil hasn’t aggravated my eczema at all. I’ve really hated having to apply oatmeal and nothing-scented moisturizer to my body every day, so this summer-y, fruity scent makes skin maintenance something I can actually enjoy.

Can I only use it in the winter?

Body oils like this one from Eminence are ideal for parched winter skin because they can help seal in other moisturizers and create a stronger skin barrier, but they aren’t winter-exclusive. I’ve yet to use this oil in warmer months, but I will likely try to use it alone instead of combining it with other, thicker moisturizers. In the past, I’ve enjoyed using light sesame body oil on my arms and legs in the summer months. It keeps them soft and dewy-looking when I’m showing more skin.

People who don’t usually suffer from dry skin might find the Eminence oil too heavy to use regularly in the summer, but it may still come in handy after skin-drying activities like sunbathing and swimming. Besides, the apricot scent screams “Italy in July.”

Is it safe for people with eczema and acne?

While not everyone’s skin will react the same way to the same products, this eczema sufferer can say that this body oil has helped—not hurt—my condition. People with eczema are generally advised to avoid scented products that can aggravate their skin, but this oil has only helped with my flaking and dryness. However, I would still recommend spot-testing and speaking to a dermatologist before jumping head-first into any new product.

Although I don’t typically have any body acne, I do have acne-prone skin in general, and this oil hasn’t caused any breakouts. It’s easy for people with oily or acne-prone skin to forget, but moisturizers aren’t just for loading oil into your skin—they can actually balance moisture and help reduce acne.

Where to buy it

You can find Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Apricot Body Oil at Amazon and Dermstore. While you might say “Okay, I’ll obviously get it at Amazon because it’s cheaper and faster,” it’s worth noting that a handful of Amazon reviews mention that the product they received was runny, thin, and potentially a fake. I usually avoid buying skincare products on Amazon for this reason—but you may have a different experience.

Get Eminence Organic Skin Care’s Apricot Body Oil from Dermstore for $29