My Rough Skin Is Baby-Soft After a Single Use of This Body Treatment

After eight years of testing skincare for a living, I’ve found it increasingly rare to stumble across products that are game-changing or notably novel. The Body Peel from Nécessaire has, however, impressed me to the point of wondering how I lived without it for the past 30 years. 

Hailing from the French-inspired, stylish bodycare brand that has yet to disappoint (don’t miss the anti-aging body retinol treatment my 71-year-old mom dotes over), the peel is the latest in the lineup of products that bring bodycare into its rightful place in the overall skincare conversation. 

The Body Peel from Nécessaire is a skin-sloughing chemical exfoliator that’s gentle enough to be used anywhere below the chin. Designed for daily use, it’s relatively gentle, and works on all skin types to prevent ingrown hairs, fade hyperpigmentation, and reverse symptoms of keratosis pilaris, aka “strawberry skin.” Plus, as facial chemical exfoliators are wont to do, it simply smooths, softens, and enhances skin’s radiance.

Key ingredients include many of the same chemical exfoliants you’d find in your favorite facial peels, including alpha hydroxy acids (AHA) and beta hydroxy acids (BHA), plus the lesser-known — yet notably effective — polyhydroxy acid (PHA). The peel is also spiked with 1 percent resveratrol, a skin-calming antioxidant.

The peel contains AHAs, including glycolic acid, at a concentration of 10 percent. As dermatologist Dr. Tess Mauricio, M.D., previously told InStyle, "Alpha hydroxy acids are water-soluble substances” that exfoliate and enhance the “penetration of products.” Simply put, AHAs can help ensuing lotions absorb and work more effectively than they would otherwise. 

Beta hydroxy acids, which are found at a 1 percent concentration in the peel, are “lipid-soluble” chemical exfoliators, Dr. Mauricio previously shared, that “penetrate the skin through the oil glands.” In other words, BHAs are ideal for plowing through sebum, where they clear pores of excess oil and grime responsible for blemishes. 

Finally, PHAs, which are also included at 1 percent in the peel, feature a larger chemical structure than their skin-sloughing counterparts, in turn exfoliating at a shallower, gentler level. Furthermore, as dermatologist Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D., previously shared with InStyle, PHAs offer “humectant properties,” and thus “hydrate the skin” to boot. 

The experience using the body peel is not dissimilar to applying an at-home facial peel. Simply pump the formula onto clean hands and slather onto dry skin; specifically, the neck, torso, arms, and legs. The peel is formulated as a leave-on treatment, nixing the need to rinse post-use. I’ve found it feels lightweight and non-sticky, though the brand does suggest mixing the peel with its body lotion should a slightly sticky feel occur. 

The Body Peel is intended for daily use or “as tolerated,” per the instructions. Admittedly, the first time I used the product, my skin turned pink within 10 minutes. As someone who loves the telltale tingle and visible post-peel flushing from face exfoliants, though, I took this effect as a  signal of the product was working as promised. The real satisfaction, however, is about half an hour post-peel, when redness abates and skin feels unbelievably smooth. I’ve been using the peel twice-weekly every time I exfoliate my facial skin and have noticed a marked difference in the clearness and softness of my body.

For your smoothest, most radiant body skin, shop The Body Peel from Nécessaire. The $55 formula is more than worth its price tag to reap baby-soft limbs.