Yes to Carrots Deliciously Rich Body Butter
Score:  9.28/10 
£6.99 for 250 ml from www.victoriahealth.com (where you receive a 5% discount and free postage and packing, as a Beauty Bible ‘insider’)
An exceptional score for this shea-butter-rich treatment for ultra-dry skin, which also features antioxidant ingredients derived from (yes) organic carrot juice, sweet potato, melon and pumpkin, as well as jojoba and avocado oil.
Testers say: ‘Love the fresh, natural smell (not carroty!) and soft easy-to-apply texture, almost like lovely thick yogurt; skin is instantly smooth, soft and feels quenched. Love this product, and the price is incredible!’ • ‘I would give it more than ten if I could! Was absorbed quicker than Roadrunner, pure yum, bliss to use – smelt of a cross between your mother’s make-up bag when you were little and Play-Doh’ • ‘skin looked fresh and happy’ • ‘ a joy to use, smelt heavenly, and never misbehaved’.

Boots Extracts Cocoa Butter Body Butter
Score:  8.55/10
£7.50 for 200 ml from www.boots.com
Very rich and creamy, and very cocoa-y. (Distinct chocolate overtones, upon massaging into skin.) Some butters in this category are light and moisture packed, and in some, the oils are more tangible – here, shea butter, sweet almond oil and cocoa butter. Boots use organic, sustainably sourced and Community Traded cocoa butter for this. Testers were divided over the aroma: most loved it; two couldn’t stand it.
Testers say: ‘Thick but easy to smooth in; absolutely gorgeous smell. Gave beautifully soft, silky, fragranced skin: after a week skin was softer for longer; has an expensive feel’ • ‘big improvement in skin condition: I now have a pot in my classroom as well as at home and all the staff use it’ • ‘lovely chocolatey smell! Like the wide tub; rubs in to give a slight sheen’ • ‘a good skin drink: went on easily, lasted the day, and skin still felt moisturised at the end’ • ‘ten out of ten: smells luxurious; after four days, skin felt smoother, softer and more hydrated; rough areas took a bit longer’ • ‘I love, love, love this product: I was going to buy a more expensive one, but this gives the same results at a fraction of the price’.

SUPERSTEAL  Treacle Moon My Coconut Island Body Butter
Score:  8.33/10
£3.99 for 250 ml; available exclusively from Tesco stores
Well, well, well: apparently, this tropically-scented creation from Beautifully Delicious is the 'original' - and the products from Superdrug and Treacle Moon (above) are 'me-toos'. They smell like this, have a similar texture - and also feature a 'Do not eat!' warning on the packaging. The bottom line? A great product is a great product, whichever brand it's under ( and testers certainly also liked this). We guess Treaclemoon have to console themselves with the fact that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...
Testers say: ‘Really lovely, creamy, soft product to smooth in; when it did absorb, in a couple of minutes, it felt as though it was hydrating and plumping up my skin’ • ‘divine toffee-ish smell; skin was instantly plumper, shinier and felt more nourished; after a couple of days it was in fantastic condition – legs softer, smoother and had a lovely sheen’ • ‘A lovely product and reasonably priced’ •  ‘I absolutely love this: itchy little bumps related to dry skin have gone – skin fantastic: I look forward to putting this on’ • ‘people keep asking me what it is that smells so nice’.

Normandie Recapture Butter Me Up Body Butter
7.94/10
£5.95 for 475 ml;  exclusive to Tesco, to find a store near you, click here.
There’s a whoosh of lemons when you open this whacking great tub of butter, which is ultra-hydrating and sinks in fast without too much elbow grease. One of several successful products in this book from Normandie Keith, formulated during her days as a beauty editor – when (as we know from experience) you’re sent so much stuff you soon learn what you do and don’t want from any given beauty product.
Testers say: ‘Love the quirky packaging; huge tub, lovely fresh lemon fragrance, and instant skin smoothing and silkifying’ • ‘felt very rich, creamy and smooth; made skin soft and moisturised; drier patches less flaky instantly’ • ‘silky but not greasy cream, which blended in with little effort; you don’t feel at all sticky’ • ‘a bit of a wonder product: effects are very longlasting; the more I use this, the more I like it’ • ‘skin felt moisturised and supple, especially dry lower legs’ • ‘left skin so smooth and silky it felt good even if I missed a day’ • ‘the smell really perked me up’.  This is exclusive to Tesco, to find a store near you, click here.

Superdrug Coconut & Shea Butter Body Butter 
Score:  7.85/10
£3.42 for 200 ml from www.superdrug.com
We have a sneaking suspicion that many of the winning products in this category are manufactured by the same contract packager: this comes in identical packaging to the Treacle Moon product, has a similar coconutty smell, and feels very much the same on the skin, offering coconut and shea butter for instant and delicious skin nourishment (but in this case, also with Paraffinum liquidum – or mineral oil – right at the top of the ingredient list, which one tester thought was likely to have been the cause of noticeable pore clogging).
Testers say: ‘Ten out of ten: deliciously thick but easy to smooth in; not greasy or slippy; amazing smell and very silky texture; luxurious and great value for money’ • ‘best feature is the scent: makes me want to eat it’ • ‘skin stayed soft between uses with regular daily application, and can even last 48 hours’ • ‘reasonably priced, good, everyday product’ • ‘went on like silk; lush, addictive coconut smell; really works! I saw instant results on my careworn skin’ • ‘by far the best new product I have tried for years’ • ‘looked so thick I assumed it would “soap” on the skin, but smoothed in very easily; my skin was softer and smoother after a week, and usual dryness has disappeared’.

Sainsbury’s Active Naturals Mango & Nectarine Body Butter
7.85/10
£2.92 for 200 ml;  only in store, so to find a Sainsbury’s store near you, click here to access Sainsbury’s store locator
Yet another rich-textured butter at a SuperSteal price, this time subtly fragranced with apricots. The Active Naturals range is one of Sainsbury’s most enduringly successful beauty lines: simple, no-nonsense products with some very nice smells indeed.
Testers say: ‘Lovely, buttery rich and conditioning; absorbed quickly; divine smell; instant hydrated skin with a lovely glow; this was impressive, excellent value for money – my daughter loved it too’ • ‘surprisingly easy to apply, compared to other body butters; ten out of ten for lasting fragrance; looked like a freshly made mango fool – very appealing! This performs as well as a more expensive product’ • ‘skin felt wonderfully smooth and soft and effects lasted a good few hours’.

Beautifully Delicious Butterlicious Coconut & Shea Body Butter
Score:  7.44/10
£4.49 for 200 ml
Well, well, well: looks like the product from Superdrug and Treacle Moon, smells like those skin treats, has a similar texture – and, as with Treacle Moon, there’s a ‘Do not eat!’ warning on the packaging. And – guess what? – it went down almost as well with our testers. The bottom line? A great product is a great product, whichever brand it’s under.
Testers say: ‘This product is so creamy and wonderful; absorbed very quickly in seconds. Very luxurious texture; you get wonderfully smooth skin on application, which lasted on hands, despite washing up’ • ‘since using this scrumptious cream on my feet, I shall be showing them off in sandals this summer’ • ‘I’d definitely buy this, and have recommended it to friends’ • ‘skin noticeably smoother, with a nice sheen; there is something luxurious about a big pot of creamy butter and I really enjoyed the ritual of putting it on’ • ‘ten out of ten: smells gorgeous; when I opened the jar at work colleagues all demanded to try it’ • ‘I enjoyed using this and my normally dry skin is soft and smooth after a week, with no tightness or flakiness’.

Tisserand Nourishing Body Butter
Score:  7.4/10 
£9.95 for 200 ml from www.tisserand.com
This lavender, sweet orange and bergamot butter also wowed our ‘greener’ testers. It’s a lovely product, but we do wish Tisserand wouldn’t keep banging on about their products being organic on the packaging when basically it’s just the oils and extracts rather than the bulk ingredients – in this case, shea butter, cocoa butter, sweet almond, olive and sunflower oils – which are certified sustainable. Several testers thought it meant the whole product was organic, which it’s not.
Testers say: ‘Smooths in very quickly, straight from the pot; doesn’t feel greasy or oily; left skin scented and moisturised, softer and more cared for, with a nice healthy glow’ • ‘looked quite high end; skin smelt nice and was instantly glowing’ • ‘very skin friendly, and although my skin is sensitive, it was fine after shaving my legs’ • ‘a good product, and the price suits my purse strings: made sure my skin was flake-free during some of the most windswept and cold months’ • ‘used it after showering daily and skin lost that grey winter pallor: within a week I needed to use less and skin wasn’t so obviously thirsty’.

Organic Surge Fresh Ocean Body Butter
Score:  7.4/10 
£6.84 for 150 ml from www.organicsurge.com
Frankly, what makes you fall in love with a product is usually the smell – and this is one for anyone who loves a fresh, more ‘ozonic’ scent, derived from aromatic essential oils. Almost a mousse-like texture to this luscious body treat, which cocoons skin with avocado, rosehip, shea butter and cocoa butter; they suggest it’s ideal for use on skin that’s tender after shaving or waxing.
Testers say: ‘Skin feels plumper, soft and silky – my husband and children commented on that!’ • ‘one of the better moisturisers, which gives instant hydration but doesn’t take any time to dry; leaves no oily residue and is effective’ • ‘very pleasant, light moussey consistency – like whipped cream; skin feels moisturised immediately’ • ‘ten out of ten! Fantastic smell, lemony rosemary – love it: absorbed very quickly, but has longlasting effects; I have bought more and will continue to do so’.

Champneys Moisture Miracle Skin Comforting Body Butter
Score:  7.35/10
£10 for 350 ml from www.champneys.com
One of the richest options in this category, with an ultra-creamy texture: another galumphing great tub offering up a blend of shea, olive, mango and cocoa butters, plus added lingonberry oil, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. (The geranium, orange and cedarwood fragrance is more sophisticated and ‘grown up’ than some in this category, which have more ‘teen appeal’.)
Testers say: ‘Ten out of ten: absorbed immediately; sweet, natural (i.e., not chemical) scent. Very pleasant to use: soft enough to scoop easily with fingers, and moisturises very well all over, including problem areas – superb!’ • ‘as a nurse I’m on my knees a lot (don’t ask!) and they get very dry and flakey; I usually put Vaseline on, but with this cream I didn’t have to do that’ • ‘absorbs more quickly than most body butters and leaves skin feeling soft without stickiness’.