How Body Serum Became 2026’s Biggest Beauty Trend, With 8 Top Picks Including Dollar Tree Finds

Body skincare is no longer the afterthought of a bathroom routine. Body serum has landed on every dermatologist’s radar, shoppers are extending the multi-step regimens they once reserved for their faces, and the category now spans prestige formulas and Dollar Tree finds sitting on the same shelf in 2026.

In a recent piece for Vogue, Conçetta Ciarlo cited double board-certified dermatologist Brendan Camp on why the shift is happening. “As people become more comfortable with their facial skin-care routines, it’s common for them to explore how they can best take care of their body’s skin. The popularity of skin-care products targeted to the body speaks to this recent increased interest,” Camp said.

How body serum works

Body serums look and feel different from the heavy creams most people grew up with. Texas-based dermatologist Dr. Jennifer Gordon told Byrdie that “serums are usually water-based, lightweight moisturizers designed to hydrate and often deliver ingredients like hyaluronic acid, antioxidants, or peptides to the skin.”

That lighter formulation is the point. Active ingredients like retinol, lactic acid and niacinamide absorb faster, target specific concerns and layer well under lotions or oils.

The body serums beauty editors keep recommending

Topicals Slather Exfoliating Body Serum is the formula beauty writers cite most often for bumpy skin. Writing for Allure, Deanna Pai and Annie Blackman explain that it “uses the smoothing and toning properties of retinol alongside a star-studded lineup of squalane, urea, and lactic and glycolic acids to alleviate a plethora of skin concerns, such as rough patches, bumps (shout out keratosis pilaris or KP), and dryness.”

For pure hydration, Ariel Baker at Marie Claire recommends HA Body Hydrator Hyaluronic Acid Face & Body Serum. “From the sodium hyaluronate that deeply hydrates the skin (this is a salt form of hyaluronic acid, but the molecules are smaller, so they penetrate the skin deeper) to the red algae that also hydrates, your skin will be dewy, glowy, and in tip-top shape using this serum. Plus, the formula can also be used on the face, which feels like a two-for-one deal in my brain,” Baker writes.

Byoma Smoothing Body Serum leans on the brand’s Barrier Lipid complex along with succinic acid and blue tansy. BYOMA says the clinically proven formula will visibly brighten, provide all-day hydration and smooth skin texture without stripping the skin barrier.

OLLY Renew Body Lotion Serum is a lightweight lotion-serum hybrid built for overnight use, with niacinamide added to support the skin barrier and promote a more even-looking tone.

Naturium Skin Renewing Retinol Body Lotion is the pick Olivia Dubyak makes at InStyle. She praises its encapsulated retinol, allantoin and shea butter, calling it “lightweight, not sticky, and unscented.”

OLAY markets its Super Serum Body Lotion as an anti-aging formula powered by niacinamide, AHA, collagen peptide, vitamin C and vitamin E, with claims that include 24/7 hydration, visibly firmer skin, smoother texture, more even tone and brightening.

Dollar Tree body serums worth a try

Not every body serum requires a department-store budget. Dermasil Aloe Fresh Moisturizing Body Lotion sells at Dollar Tree, where one reviewer wrote, “I love this product. Use it ever night after shower in summer, keeps skin soft, moisturizer for sun drenched skin.”

Then there is Global Beauty Care Retinol Renewing Double Serum With Peptides, marketed as a budget-friendly anti-aging serum that, per Dollar Tree, “improves the texture of your skin” with a formula that “helps reduce wrinkles and provides a radiant and firm complexion.” It is technically a face product, but it can be used on the body too.