Body care is ennobled. The new bodyguard must offer more than just nutrition and hydration. Women also want regenerating, anti-slackening or detoxifying virtues. The anti-aging body is confirmed. Firmness and optical benefits (embellishment of the skin texture, smoothing,"blurring" of skin imperfections, even skin tone…) are the lion's share. Improving skin quality becomes the new claim and, although the results remain subtle to the naked eye, they give brands the opportunity to reinterpret the genre. And of course, the sensoriality is there more than ever. The careful textures (serum, whipped cream, whipped cream…) or hybrids (serum milk, serum oil, cream oil…) and the perfumes (very important on a large surface like the body!) more and more elaborate, make all the difference. On their own, they transform the moisturizing routine into an exhilarating care experience!

A dress code made to measure cosmetics!

Each nourishing body treatment, this winter, has its little"something extra": whipped cream foam and detox benefits for Filorga (Nourishing Detox Body Care, Draining, aerosol 150 ml, 29.90 €, in April), action on the microbiome for La Roche-Posay (new AP+ Lipikar anti-irritation, anti-scraping lip balm, 200 ml, 17 €, or 400 ml, 22,50 €),"baby skin" effect at Vichy (the whole Ideal Body range). For the latter, the 4 treatments (Serum Milk, 200 ml, 18 € ; Balm, 200 ml, 22 € ; Oil, 100 ml, 25 € ; Oil 3 Ors, 100 ml, 29 €), in addition to the comfort they bring, visibly transform the quality of the skin and harmonize its complexion, thanks in particular to desquamant LHA, pearly shards, mattifying fillers and 10 satiny vegetable oils (macadamia, muscat rose, blackcurrant seed, apricot stone, rice bran…). Original, Decléor's personalized nutrition is finely declined in the Aroma Nutrition range (from April), with four treatments that adapt to the degree of dryness of the skin. The brand thus proposes to normal to dry skin its Rich Nourishing Body Cream Aroma Nutrition (200 ml, 38 €) and to very dry skin its Nourishing Body Balm Aromessence Incense (125 ml, 48 €), with regenerating, soothing and repairing essential oil of frankincense. Its warm, deep and comforting fragrance is an invitation to relaxation. The same goes for the oils available in two textures, one dry, the other more nourishing (Huile Sèche Satinante, 100 ml, 38 €, or Huile Riche Nourrissante Corps Aromessence Encens, 100 ml, 48 €). In this regard, the body oil texture becomes more widespread in winter (most brands offer one) and is no longer attached only to summer. As for Rogé Cavaillès, its vitamin-enriched surgrasse formula teaches the skin to feed itself by stimulating the production of natural moisturizing agents and the repair of intercellular cement (Nutrissance Ultra-Confort Moisturizing Cream, 350 ml, 13.90 €).

An inventive sensoriality

Formulators have it all: whipped cream texture (L'Occitane Whipped Body Cream, 125 ml, 22 €), cushion balm (Vichy), rich and light cream 100 % nourishing but zero waiting, thanks to a new technology of hydrodispersion of the waxes (Face and Body Cream Nivea Care Nutrition Intense Rapid Absorption, 200 ml, 3,95 €), dry touch for A-Derma Moisturizing Body Milk (400 ml, 14,50 €). Inspired by the brand's sunglasses, its fluid yet highly nutritious texture offers an exquisite fondant, using a minimum of gelling agents. The emollients, chosen for their ability to blend into the formula, penetrate quickly and leave a second skin finish on the surface of the epidermis, conducive to dressing. Even in mass distribution and family use, nutrition exercise is"sensualised" with Cadum and its velvety baby-skin smelling milks (Surdoux moisturising body milk with talc cream, 400 ml, 5.99 €, or 75 ml, 3.20 €).

The hybrid textures are queens: L'Oréal Paris Sublime Extraordinary Body Cream-Oil, infused with precious neroli and argan oils (250 ml, 4.90 €, in March); L'Argan Organic Melvita Body Cream Oil, 16.90 €; Vichy Body Ideal Serum Milk. Perfumes are no exception. Those with the rib are orange blossom (Surdoux moisturizing body milk with talc cream and Cadum orange blossom, 400 ml, 5.99 €, in May) and bitter almond (Organic Weleda Almond Comfort Body Milk, 200 ml, 16 €, in May ; Anne-Marie Börlind Almond Body Cream, 150 ml, 16.90 €). The spicy scent of Baïja Night Body Cream in Pondichery (212 ml, €28.90) was created by a master perfumer from Grasse. The benefits of aromatherapy are still present. Thus, the 4 Harmoniques, Organic certified Aromatic Body Care from Douces Angevines (100 ml, 27 to 29 €) are chosen according to the emotional state of the moment. The soothing aroma of Aveda's Stress-Fix Body Cream (200 ml, 44 €) relieves tension and softens mood. Some"cocoon" treatments even play the card of transgression for Valentine's Day with natural poppy flower extracts! Thus, Smoky Poppy Body Butter The Body Shop (200 ml, 17 €) is presented as a"real soft drug for the body"! Naturally, the closer we get to spring, the lighter the textures become (24 H Moisturizing Express Gel Cream and Toner with Corsican Cedar extract Bio-Beauty by Nuxe, 200 ml, 15.30 €, in April).

Sophisticated formulas…

The new winter products include the reference active ingredients for facial care: hyaluronic acid (Vichy, Filorga, Lierac, État Pur…), native almond cells (L'Occitane), retexturizing glycolic acid (Vichy, Filorga), Camargue rose seaweed (Dunaliella Salina) for Éclaé (Baume Généreux nutrition intense corps, 150 ml, 28 €, from July), marine silicon (Thalgo), firming lupin extract (Cinq Mondes) or quercetin dimers (from an extract of Sophora Japonica flower) activating skin detoxification enzymes (Filorga).

… or greedy

Succulent" compositions create desire. All the tasty ingredients have the wind in their sails: organic maple syrup and Brazil nuts (Lavera Winter Glory Oil-Cream Balm, 150 ml, 8.65 €), honey and royal jelly (Nutri-Regenerating Body Milk Fleurance Nature, 200 ml, 15 €), mango butter (Nourishing Body Butter Academy, 200 ml, 42 €), candy flavouring (Candy Gourmand Marionnaud Body Balm, 200 ml, 12.90 €)… The sure values are always popular, such as cold-cream (Body Lotion Multi-Comfort Cold Cream Intensive Mixa Dry Skin, 250 ml, 5.15 €), glycerin, sweet almond oil or argan oil (Comforting Balm Flowers of the Orient Lift'Argan, 150 ml, 15.50 €…). Shea butter is omnipresent. When it comes exclusively from Burkina Faso and is certified fair trade, it makes all the success of a brand (L'Occitane ordered 660 tons in 2013!).

Anti-ageing, anti-stain and especially firming virtues

Innovations come mainly from premium brands that combine nutrition and complete anti-aging properties. Within the L'Occitane Youth Almond Body range (from April 1st), a youth complex based on almond proteins, silicon, almond buds and native almond cells, acts on dryness, sagging skin, fine lines and skin uniformity (Velvet Balm, 200 ml, 44 € and Velvet Essence, 100 ml, 39 €). The Blu Mediterraneo Italian Resort line from Acqua di Parma, based on a Mediterranean complex of antioxidant maritime pine bark, is clearly anti-aging (Regenerating Body Cream, 200 ml, 65 €; Toning Body Oil, 200 ml, 57 €, in March).
Firmness especially becomes the new inescapable virtue. It can be found at Cinq Mondes (Huile Phyto-Tonique, 150 ml, 49 €), Carita (Crème Révélatrice Fermeté, 200 ml, 110 €, in March), Thalgo (Défi Fermeté Crème Performance Fermeté, 200 ml, 42 €), or Dr Pierre Ricaud (Intervention Fermeté, 125 ml, 35 €, launch price 19 €, in March).

Ariane Le Febvre