the short answer: body cream is water and oil mixed together, so it's lighter and soaks in fast. traditional body butter is plant butters and oils with no water, so it's thicker and stays on your skin longer. the catch: most jars sold as body butter at ulta are made like a cream. when we read the labels of the 60 we could check, water was the #1 ingredient in 52 of them. to know which one you're holding, read the first ingredient.
why we read the labels
smør body butter has nine ingredients and no water. we wanted to see how that compares with what's on the shelf, so we read the label of every body butter in ulta's body butter aisle in november 2026: 63 products, 60 with a list we could check, from 46 brands.
the full table, the method and every source are on their own page: the 2026 smør body butter label check. here's what the numbers say about butter vs cream.
what we found
1. most body butters start with water. water (aqua) was the first ingredient in 52 of the 60 (87%), and 53 had water somewhere on the list. in the US, ingredients are listed from most to least, and anything at 1% or less can go in any order (FDA). so water first means water is the biggest single ingredient in the jar. water and oil held together with an emulsifier is how a cream is made.
2. only 7 of the 60 list a butter or plant oil first. shea butter came first on 5 of them, and olive or grape seed oil on 2. one more led with a lab-made emollient. the other 52 led with water.
3. almost all of them add a scent. 44 of the 60 (73%) list fragrance or parfum. count essential oils and scent chemicals like vanillin too, and it's 56 of the 60 (93%). only 4 had no added scent at all.
4. "whipped" usually means a whipped cream. 17 of the 60 have "whip" in the name, and 14 of those 17 list water first. whipping also beats air into the jar, so a whipped jar holds less product than a dense one of the same size.
5. the typical label is 30 ingredients long. that's the median. 17 of the 60 list 40 or more, and only 2 list 10 or fewer. a long list isn't bad on its own: a cream needs emulsifiers to keep water and oil mixed, and a preservative to keep it safe, because microbes grow in water (CTPA).
6. one of the 60 was butter all the way through. Butter Be Kind's Feeling Butter Ultra Rich Body Butter for Sensitive Skin leads with shea butter and has 6 ingredients: no water, no added scent, and it isn't whipped. we didn't make it. it was the only one of the 60 with all three.
body butter vs body cream, side by side
| traditional body butter | body cream (incl. most jars called body butter) | |
|---|---|---|
| first ingredient | a butter or oil, like shea | water (aqua) |
| water | none | the biggest single ingredient |
| what holds it together | nothing needed: butters and oils mix on their own | an emulsifier |
| preservative | not needed the same way, since there's no water | needed |
| texture | dense, melts as you smooth it on | lighter, soaks in fast |
| best for | very dry or rough skin, dry climates, winter, bedtime | normal to dry skin, humid days, getting dressed right away |
is a body cream worse?
no. creams work well for a lot of people, and the american academy of dermatology says "ointments and creams add more moisture to skin and are more effective than lotions" (AAD, updated january 2, 2026). a cream is a good pick if you want something light that's gone in a minute.
the problem is the name. a jar that says body butter can be either one, and the front of the jar won't tell you which.
how to tell which one you're holding
- read the first ingredient. water, aqua or eau first means it's built like a cream. a butter or oil first means it's mostly butters and oils.
- look for a preservative, like phenoxyethanol. products with water need one, so it's another sign of water inside.
- check the name for "whipped." whipping adds air, so the jar holds less product. and if you want no added fragrance, look for fragrance, parfum and essential oils on the list.
the longer version, with what we counted as added scent, is in the label check.
where smør fits
smør isn't part of the 60. it's the traditional kind: smør body butter is nine ingredients (organic shea butter, avocado oil, cocoa butter, organic jojoba oil, organic sweet almond oil, organic castor oil, organic olive oil, organic rosehip seed oil and vitamin e), with no water and no added fragrance, and it's never whipped. it's handmade in arizona, where the air is about as dry as it gets. a 3.4 oz jar is $48, and the 0.67 oz mini is $20.
it isn't for everyone. if you want a scented body butter, if you have a tree nut allergy (it has sweet almond oil), or if you'd rather have something light that disappears fast, a cream will suit you better.
questions
is body butter the same as body cream?
traditionally, no: body butter is butters and oils with no water, and body cream mixes water and oil. but many products sold as body butter are made like a cream. the first ingredient tells you which one you have.
which is better for very dry skin?
usually the thicker one. dermatologists steer dry skin toward creams and ointments over lotions, and a water-free butter stays on longer than a cream. more in our guide: the best body butter for very dry skin.
why do so many body butters list water first?
water makes a lighter, softer texture that spreads easily and soaks in fast, which a lot of people like. it also means the product needs an emulsifier to keep water and oil mixed and a preservative to keep it safe.
is whipped body butter better?
it feels lighter and fluffier, but the air takes up room, so you get less product in the jar. in our check, 14 of the 17 whipped ones also listed water first. more on whipped vs dense in what is body butter?
can i use body cream and body butter together?
yes. go from thinnest to thickest: cream first, body butter on top. or use the cream in the morning and the butter at night. more in how to use body butter.
sources
- the 2026 smør body butter label check, smør (checked november 9 to 10, 2026)
- cosmetics labeling guide, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (content current as of february 25, 2022)
- dry skin relief, american academy of dermatology (updated january 2, 2026)
- microbiological quality in cosmetics, cosmetic, toiletry and perfumery association