The best body scrubs for silky smooth skin, tested by a beauty journalist

Remove dead skin, old tan and dry skin with ease! (Picture: Metro/Getty) Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Sometimes the fastest way to feel clean is with an effective body scrub, massaged all over damp skin and rinsed off to reveal smoother, glowing limbs. Especially in the summer, when we’re ditching the long trousers and sleeves, and dull skin or dry patches become more visible. Not forgetting, of course, it’s an essential step if you’re a self-tanner, as unbuffed skin can cause tanning products to cling to drier areas. It’s especially a good time to invest in a manual body scrub when heatwaves hit, as the constant sweating can leave your skin feeling sticky and clammy. Buffing away dead skin cells, suncream, and deodorant can be the quick fix your complexion needs. Fortunately, there are loads of body scrubs to shop for, made with finely milled salts, enzyme powders and botanical scents to leave your skin glowing. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. As a beauty journalist who is obsessed with silky smooth skin, I use a body scrub religiously twice a week, so I know exactly what works and what’s not worth your time. To help you find the right one for your shower routine, I’ve handpicked the all-time greats, from budget-friendly high street picks to luxurious body treatments that are worth the splurge. Consider this your warm-weather skin reset, and the start of your smoothest summer yet. Naturium KP Scrub & Mask There’s no body product as transformative as this. It’s an abrasive scrub that’s in a thick paste (make sure to give the tube a good squeeze when you’re pouring it into your hand) that’s made to be spread all over, left for a few minutes, then rinsed off. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will leave your skin smoother or softer as fast. It’s made with jojoba esters, pumice, and AHA, BHA, and PHA chemical exfoliants, and is fragrance-free. One use of this and you’ll feel like a totally new person. Buy Now for £21 Q+A AHA Exfoliator Body Scrub Affordable beauty brand Q+A has plenty of gems in its line-up, but this gentle body exfoliator is one of my favourites. It has a delicious coconut, amber, and vanilla scent that smells like a luxurious perfume and has enough abrasiveness to give your limbs a good polish, but isn’t scratchy, harsh, or hard to clean off the sides of your shower. The blend of AHAs, lactic acid, glycolic acid, and upcycled corn is formulated in a creamy base that makes spreading it all over your body a simple task, and easy to rinse off in a matter of seconds. Buy Now for £8 Alpha-H Smoothing AHA Face and Body Scrub This dual-purpose scrub can be used on your face and body, and is the gentlest of them all. It contains very fine bamboo stem particles, alongside glycolic acid, caffeine and macadamia seed oil, which lightly slough off dead skin cells without leaving you wincing. It’s a great everyday one that isn’t overly abrasive and suits my sensitive, eczema-prone skin, too. I can’t get enough of the refreshing peppermint scent either. Rinse off and slather on your favourite body lotion for glowing skin, head to toe. Buy Now for £31.99 Joonbyrd Violet Haze Body Scrub If you love a sticky-sweet, gourmand scent in your body care, this is the scrub for you. Made by consultant dermatologist Dr Alexis Granite, you’re in good hands with this formula. The main exfoliant is sugar and chia seeds, in a base of plant-derived butters and oils, so it has a thick, rich, creamy texture that lathers nicely and doesn’t leave you feeling itchy. It gets bonus points for the creamy, chocolatey, floral fragrance – it’s so good I could eat it. Buy Now for £45 Clarins Exfoliating Body Scrub This has been around for years, but it remains a regular part of my shower routine for its creamy, skin-smoothing texture, fresh scent, and speedy way to exfoliate dead skin cells. It comes in a convenient tube, so you don’t need to try to open a tub with wet hands or make a mess scooping it out. One use is all you’ll need to see a difference in skin texture. Buy Now for £36 Grown Alchemist Smoothing Body Exfoliant While this black gel may look alarming, it’s one of the best body scrubs for my sensitive skin, and it doesn’t stain the sides of my shower. The ‘scrub’ is made from volcanic pumice particles, along with peppermint, bergamot, and kalin clay, which not only buffs skin to a smooth, silk-soft finish but also absorbs excess oil and hydrates skin in need of some TLC. 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