Are clean body serums worth it? They’re all the rage this summer and I’ve tested the best ones in clean beauty to tell you all about them. Keep reading for what a body serum actually is, the benefits of using one compared to a lotion and what I really think of each one I tested.

What is a Body Serum?

If you’re wondering what the heck’s a body serum, it’s basically like a face serum but for your body!

They’re specifically designed to deliver concentrated active ingredients to the skin in a watery, gel formula and deliver more skincare benefits than just hydration. The result: skin healing, nourishing, toning, regenerating and firming effects.

What are the benefits of using a body serum?

So why would someone want to use a body serum instead of a good old-fashioned body lotion, body butter or body oil? All of which I love by the way, but there’s several reasons you might opt for a serum.

1. Faster absorption: For starters, a body serum is waaaay thinner and lighter than a lotion. It absorbs and dries quicker so you can get on with your day (or night) faster.
   
2. Higher concentration of actives: Second, it’s got a higher concentration of active ingredients that are able to penetrate deeper because their molecule size is smaller.
   
3. Lightweight texture: There’s no heavy or greasy residue and no clothes sticking to your buttered up limbs.
   
4. Targeted skincare treatment: While a body lotion only moisturizes, a body serum can target skin issues beyond dryness like firmness, elasticity, uneven texture, dullness, or pigmentation.
   
5. Lotion’s trusty sidekick: A body serum can be used in conjunction with a lotion for enhanced benefits, just like we use a face serum and moisturizer together.
   

Natural Body Serums Compared

I Tried Uni Refill System 24-Hour Serum (Best Value!)

Uni offers the best value by FAR compared to other clean body serums on the market, which are usually 4-5 fl oz big. Uni’s bottle is 3x larger compared to others for a lower price! It’s also the only refillable body serum in the clean beauty world. This one ticks all the boxes for me. It’s amaaazing value for money, sustainable with refills available, packaged in aluminium so it’s never going to break if I drop it on the bathroom floor and I can’t get enough of the woodsy sweet scent. This is a thicker serum compared to other body serums so it feels deeply moisturizing and would work well year round in both summer and winter months. It still feels very much like a gel but with a denser consistency. I love that there’s Australian native ingredients like Kakadu Plum and Australian Caviar Lime for nourishment from down under.

Price: $43 for 12.5 fl oz
Key actives: Australian Kakadu Plum, Marine Actives, Australian Caviar Lime, Bladderwack Seaweed, Organic Aloe Vera
Smells like: Sandalwood, Cedar, Juniper
✔ Upcycled ✔ Refillable ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Contains Organic Ingredients ✔ Reef-safe ✔ FSC Certified ✔ 1% To Coral Gardeners ✔ Climate Neutral
Packaging: Aluminum bottle, recycled plastic cap

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Use ORGANICBEAUTYLOVER for 15% off

I Tried Osea Hyaluronic Body Serum

This is a very beautiful-looking natural body serum with an impressive number of hyaluronic acid weights and skin-improving actives like niacinamide, vegan peptides and blue green algae. It’s soooo light and fluid with the prettiest sea green shade and there’s no scent for people who can’t stand fragranced body care. I have one main complaint: it’s the priciest one out of all the natural body serums I’ve tried. The only reason Osea can get away with doing this is they have a massive well-deserved cult fan base who loves their products no matter what.

Price: $48 for 4 fl oz
Key actives: 5 molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, aloe, vegan peptides, blue-green algae
Smells like: Nothing (fragrance-free)
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Climate Neutral ✔ Ocean Positive Verified
Packaging: Frosted glass bottle and 50% PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic pump

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Use OBL for 15% off

I Tried Living Libations All Over Lotion (Andrea’s Fave!)

I know this product is called a lotion, but trust me, it’s actually got a serum consistency and doesn’t feel like a lotion. This one is my personal favorite because it’s just so obsession-worthy out of all the natural body serums I’ve tested. The combination of plant botanical ingredients and aromatherapy makes this stand out from the rest of the competition. Living Libations is also absolutely LOADED with botanical extracts, herbal infusions, and the most exquisite essential oil blends. It’s on the expensive side because of the quality and selection of ingredients, but so worth getting on sale. It’s soo thin and light and instantly absorbs, leaving my skin feeling hydrated.

Price: $58 for 6.8 fl oz (on sale for $45)
Key actives: Aloe, Raspberry Seed, Seaweed Extract, Marshmallow Root, Chamomile, Comfrey Root, Slippery Elm, Chickweed, Cleavers, Carrot Seed, Turmeric
Smells like: Sweet floral
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ 100% natural ✔ No preservatives
Packaging: Glass

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I Tried Nécessaire The Body Serum

I feel like Necessaire’s body serum is basically a hyaluronic acid serum for the body. I found the consistency to be a true serum but also a bit goopy compared to other natural body serums. It spreads and absorbs sooo easily and feels incredibly hydrating. It has five weights of hyaluronic acid and a couple other skincare actives like niacinamide and ceramics but there aren’t any botanicals or herbs to feed skin further. So that’s one thing I wish this product had more of. It has the simplest ingredients compared to all the other natural body serums on the market.

Price: $45 for 5.1 fl oz
Key actives: 5 molecular weights of hyaluronic acid, Niacinamide, Ceramide NP, Aloe
Smells like: Nothing (fragrance-free)
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Dermatologist tested ✔ Non-comodogenic ✔ Hypoallergenic ✔ Climate Neutral ✔ Plastic Neutral ✔ Certified B Corp ✔ 1% For The Planet ✔ The National Eczema Association Seal of Approval
Packaging: Bottle and cap are 100% bio-resin

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I Tried Nécessaire The Body Vitamin C

This is a Vitamin C treatment body serum to help with hyperpigmentation, uneven texture and dullness. I love that Necessaire came innovated a product for those of us who have annoying dark marks from old mosquitos bites and scars that just won’t go away. It’s basically a Vitamin C serum for the body! It’s got THD Ascorbate which is an effective, bioavailable, stabilized and safe form of Vitamin C. There’s also plenty of actives like Vitamin E, Enzymes, Tranexamic Acid, Terracotta and Niacinamide to justify the whopping $55 price. I actually like the consistency of this more than their original The Body Serum. It just feels a little more hydrating and lighter.

Price: $55 for 5.1 fl oz
Key actives: THD Ascorbate, Vitamin E, Enzymes, Tranexamic Acid, Terracotta, Niacinamide
Smells like: Nothing (fragrance-free)
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Dermatologist tested ✔ Non-comodogenic ✔ Hypoallergenic ✔ Climate Neutral ✔ Plastic Neutral ✔ Certified B Corp ✔ 1% For The Planet ✔ The National Eczema Association Seal of Approval
Packaging: Bottle and cap are 100% bio-resin

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I Tried Free + True Body Prophet All Over Creamy Serum

This is the most treatment focused body serum that’s all natural and organic in the clean beauty world! Free + True Body Prophet Body Serum was the very first clean body serum I ever tried and I’d consider them the OG before all these other companies started launching theirs. This is a creamy serum that has a captivating aromatherapy blend that smells of sweet citrus and feels sooooo nourishing. It’s also a small woman esthetician-owned brand and a wonderful business to support to keep small clean beauty businesses alive!

I looove that almost all of the ingredients are certified organic. The base is organic aloe leaf juice instead of water and it’s brimming with so many interesting flowers and plant ingredients like olive leaf extract, sea buckthorn berry, yarrow leaf, plantain leaf, lemon balm, Calendula flower, rose flower, lavender flower, German Chamomile flower. Oils of pumpkin seed, coconut, sunflower and geranium deeply moisturize skin. Olive leaf extract actually has 2.5 times the antioxidant effect of Vitamin C or E and seabuckthorn berry has 190 bioactive substances for skin healing.

Price: $48 for 6.8 fl oz
Key actives: Olive leaf extract, Seabuckthorn Berry, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Yarrow leaf, plantain leaf, lemon balm, Calendula flower, comfrey, geranium, rose flower, lavender flower, German Chamomile flower
Smells like: Sweet citrus floral
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Esthetician formulated ✔ Certified organic ingredients
Packaging: Glass