Dr. Daniel Sugai is a dermatologist who reviews skincare on YouTube, and body care is squarely in his territory. He came away happy with most of what he tested, landing on an approval rate of 87%. A couple of products got an extra shout-out as his personal favourites in the category.
What does Dr. Daniel Sugai recommend in body & tan?
What he keeps coming back to is function over flair. He praised O'Keeffe's Working Hands because every ingredient is there for a reason, pulling in moisture and helping heal the painful cracks that come with hands-on work. He rated Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Body Lotion highly for its texture and for how retinol can help rebuild collagen and thicken skin on the arms and legs. For anyone dealing with eczema, he pointed to Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion and Eucerin Eczema Relief Body Wash, explaining that the oat technology in the Aveeno range is known to soothe inflamed skin. He also loved the Aquaphor Healing Ointment Body Spray as a practical trick for covering large areas fast, calling it a big essential in his own household.
In his words
"Every [...] ingredient in this is serving a purpose. You have the mineral oil, you have urea, you have humectants, all those things that help draw water but help heal with [...] those cracks and splits in your fingertips that are just so painful. [...] So great for those with landscaping, construction, and mechanics work. O'Keeffe's Working Hands will help soothe."
"The one that has never irritated my skin or my patients is Aveeno's Therapeutic Shave Gel. This one is so good, so I give this to all my family members and friends as gifts. I throw this in the bag because this is so essential. This is such a great shaving gel and it's just soothing, never hurts the skin, never stings the skin, never irritates my skin. No added fragrance, and women can also use this too for shaving."
"It's a great hack if you have kids with dry skin and you want to spray a larger surface area instead of dipping your hand in a big jar of Aquaphor and trying to spread it over kids that are just moving all over the place. A nice spray just to cover a large surface area. If you have dry cracked heels, spraying your feet with this spray has been a game changer. This has been a big essential in my household."
"The first one I've ever used was the Versed retinol body lotion, and that is really good. You can get this at Target, you can get it on Amazon. [...] The texture is really nice. So you've got this retinol and you go ahead and apply it there. If you have easy bruising, I tell my patients to apply a retinol or vitamin A cream on the forearms and the legs, it helps rebuild collagen and thicken up the skin in those areas."
"If you have eczema, turn to Aveeno lotions because they're enriched with oat technology. They have colloidal oat, which is known to be soothing, especially for inflamed skin from eczema."
"If you want a dedicated body wash though, my favorite is Eucerin's Eczema Relief Body Wash."
How many body and tan products has Dr. Daniel Sugai reviewed?
Dr. Daniel Sugai has reviewed 15 body and tan products, for an approval rate of 87%. 13 approved, 0 mixed, and 2 skipped.
What has Dr. Daniel Sugai skipped in body & tan?
The few products he passed on were flagged for one clear reason: ingredients that strip the skin. He said Irish Spring Bar Soap smells great but will strip your skin of its natural oils. Dial Antibacterial Hand Soap he kept strictly for hands, warning that the formula is too harsh for the face and that overuse could promote resistant bacterial strains. His steer was simple: all you need is a gentle cleanser.
"The hand soap is meant for your hands. It has antibacterial properties, and overuse of this I know microbiologists are probably not happy about because you could promote resistant strain if you overuse it, especially on your face. I'm just worried about it being too harsh for your face. Your hands are much thicker skin; it can take a lot more than your face. So I would say definitely not use the hand soap for your face. All you need is a gentle cleanser."
"Don't use any overly fragranced things like Irish Spring. Yes, it smells really good, but that will also strip your skin of its natural oils."
What should you take from Dr. Daniel Sugai's picks?
Dr. Daniel Sugai is broadly enthusiastic about this category. He gravitates toward products with purposeful ingredients, fragrance-free formulas, and anything that helps dry or compromised skin heal. His stamp of approval went to a couple of picks he described as essentials, including Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel, which he gifts to family and friends, and Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream. If a product leans on heavy fragrance or harsh antibacterials, that is where his enthusiasm stops.
Watch Dr. Daniel Sugai say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand CreamNamed a winnerWatch at 4:33
- Aveeno Therapeutic Shave GelNamed a winnerWatch at 4:08
- Dial Antibacterial Hand SoapSkipped itWatch at 4:18
- Irish Spring Bar SoapSkipped itWatch at 4:15
- O'Keeffe's Working HandsRated itWatch at 3:58
- Aquaphor Healing Ointment Body SprayRated itWatch at 6:35
- Versed Press Restart Gentle Retinol Body LotionRated itWatch at 7:41
- Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Body LotionRated itWatch at 8:08
- Eucerin Eczema Relief Body WashRated itWatch at 4:38
- CeraVe Hand CreamRated itWatch at 7:56
- Cocokind Retinol Body CreamRated itWatch at 7:33
- Aveeno Skin Relief Oat Body WashRated itWatch at 4:57
- Naturium Skin Renewing Retinol Body LotionRated itWatch at 13:57
- Eucerin Advanced Repair Hand CreamRated itWatch at 6:01
- Verso Firm Ground Retinol Body LotionRated itWatch at 13:55
About this expert
See everything Dr. Daniel Sugai has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr. Daniel Sugai said across his videos about 15 products in body & tan, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.