Bio-Oil, a Chemist's 1987 Formula, and What to Put Around It Now

Bio-Oil began as the life's work of a German chemist. Dieter Beier bought a South African distributor called Union Swiss in 1972, and he launched Bio-Oil in 1987. Around 2000 he sold the company to two brothers, Justin and David Letschert, and within five years it was the best-selling skincare product in South Africa. Then it went abroad: the UK in 2003, Australia in 2004, and after that New Zealand, Japan, Canada, the United States and the Netherlands. I like that story because nothing about it is a trend. It is a bottle that simply stuck around.

The texture comes from something called PurCellin Oil, a base inspired by the oil on waterbirds' preen glands. It gives the oil a thin, silky feel rather than a heavy one. I use it after the shower, on skin that is still damp, and it goes a long way. A few drops warmed between the palms cover a whole leg, and I like to work it in with slow upward strokes. On elbows and knees I add a second drop, since those are the places that dry out first and show it.

The grid begins with the original Skincare Oil, which is made for scars and stretch marks, though I would not promise anyone a result. The Dry Skin Gel for Face and Body is the one I reach for when I want a gel, and the Body Lotion is the plain everyday option. Results vary from person to person, and skin takes patience. I treat all three as pleasant daily habits and nothing more dramatic, which is the only honest way to use them. Keep the gel for summer and the lotion for the mornings you are running late.

Once you like a body oil, you start to notice how differently they behave. Some sink in, some shine, and some are really perfume in disguise. These eight are the ones I would set beside the Bio-Oil bottle.

amika's I'm Glistening is a radiant rich oil, and it gives skin a soft sheen. Sol de Janeiro's Bum Bum Firmeza is a firming and debloating oil, with that warm, sweet scent the brand is known for. PHLUR's Vanilla Skin Body Oil is a quieter, skin-like vanilla and probably the one I would choose for the office.

Rare Beauty's Find Comfort mousse to oil is the playful format, a whipped mousse that melts into oil as you rub it in. Nécessaire's Body Oil in Grapefruit is a treatment oil with peptides, ceramides and capsaicin, so expect a brisk, slightly warm feeling and try a small patch first. Patrick Ta's Major Glow is the bronzing one, made for collarbones and legs when you want them to catch light.

A good rule with body oil is to use it damp and use it lightly. Rub it in with your palms, warm it first and press it over the areas you want to shine. If it feels sticky, you used too much, and a tissue or the back of a towel fixes that.

When I want smooth and not shiny, I switch to a cream. These ones lean toward firming, toning and calm, and each has its own way of feeling on the skin.

Josie Maran's Golden Hour is a whipped argan oil body butter, refillable, with an amber and white musk scent. Caudalie's Resveratrol-Lift Firming Cashmere Body Cream is the softer, more elegant of the group, and it feels like a cashmere sweater in cream form. Biossance's Caffeine Toning Body Cream with squalane is the one I use in the morning, on thighs and upper arms, while the coffee brews.

Dr. Barbara Sturm's Anti-Aging Body Cream is the polished, minimal pick. The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors and Inulin Body Lotion is the plain, sensible one, the tube I would tell a friend to try first. Nécessaire's Body Retinol is the active in the group: a repair serum with retinol, AHA and peptides, which I would use at night, slowly, and always with sunscreen the next day.

What I would skip: rubbing hard on stretch marks or scars, and using retinol and AHA on freshly shaved or sunburned skin. Gentle daily massage is kinder than heat and friction. Keep the exfoliating step occasional. If a mark worries you, ask a doctor.

So, which to choose. I use oil when skin is damp and I want it to look good tonight, and cream when I want it to feel good tomorrow. Bio-Oil sits between the two, light enough for summer and rich enough for a dry shin.

Start with one product and use it every day for a month before deciding. Keep the routine short, add one new thing at a time so you know what suits you, apply after a shower while skin is still a little damp, and put sunscreen on anything that sees daylight. Keep the bottles somewhere you will see them, because the routine you remember is the one that works. If you see a change in a mole, or if a patch is itchy, painful or slow to settle, please book an appointment with a doctor. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Hair Dye Colors, From a Paris Chemist's Formula to Your Bathroom Sink.