Saltair, Iskra Lawrence and a Body Wash That Says Every Body Is Welcome

Saltair, Iskra Lawrence and a Body Wash That Says Every Body Is Welcome

Saltair began in West Hollywood in January 2022, started by model Iskra Lawrence with a simple promise printed right on the bottle. Here is the Saltair shower and lotion lineup, the other body washes I would put next to it, and the serums and creams that finish the routine.

Saltair launched in January 2022 out of West Hollywood, and the story starts with its founder. Iskra Lawrence is a model and body-positivity advocate, and she has said that her teenage struggle with body dysmorphia is what inspired the brand. It took years of development before anything reached a shelf. The first range was body washes in six scents, among them Santal Bloom, Island Orchid, Exotic Pulp, Lagoona and Black Tide, plus a fragrance-free one, and it was made in partnership with Ben Bennett of the incubator The Center.

What stays with me is the packaging. Printed on it is the line Every body is welcome here. It is a small thing to read at the start of a shower, and I think that is the entire point of the brand: body care as a kind, ordinary habit and not a correction.

The grid below starts with the scents I would reach for. Santal Bloom comes as a body wash and a body lotion, which makes a tidy pair if you like your shower and your skin to smell the same. Salt Water Vanilla also comes as both, the softer, sweeter option. Pink Beach is the body wash on its own, and the Vitamin C Body Serum is the one to add if you like a serum step after the towel. Match the wash and lotion by name and you have a routine in two bottles.

I would start with one pairing rather than the whole set, and live with it for a couple of weeks. Notice whether the scent still feels pleasant by the end of the day, and whether the lotion sinks in before you get dressed. Those two small tests tell you more than any description.

Collage of body washes, lotions and serums beside a close-up photo of glossy peach lips and a matching balm stick pressed against them on a white backdrop.
Saltair's scented washes, lotions and body serum, then the shower oils, serums and creams around them.

Saltair

Washes to sit beside the Saltair bottles

A brand you love does not have to fill the whole shelf. I like to rotate a few other washes in beside my Saltair bottle, mostly for the days when I want a different texture rather than a different scent.

Sol de Janeiro's Delícia Drench is a shower oil for dry skin, the richest of the group, and the one for winter nights when a gel wash feels thin. Nécessaire's Eucalyptus body wash is a treatment cleanse with lipid-rich oils and niacinamide, herbal and clean, with a pump that keeps the counter tidy. Josie Maran's Vanilla Vibezzz is an argan body wash that is both hydrating and cleansing, and it comes in a refillable bottle, which I always like to see.

Moroccanoil's Shower Gel Cleanser is the classic, no-fuss gel which comes in several scents, so you can pick one that suits you. Hanni's Rich Rinse is a moisture serum body wash, and it sits somewhere between a wash and a lotion, good if you skip lotion on rushed mornings. OUAI's Dean Street Gentle Body Wash is the mild, easy one I would give to someone who likes fragrance but hates a squeaky finish.

Try this: use a washcloth on the elbows and knees, and rinse with warm water, not hot. A good wash should leave skin feeling clean and still soft, never tight.

Body washes

Serums, lotions and creams to finish

After the shower is where the routine actually gets decided. Skin that is patted mostly dry, with something applied within a couple of minutes, tends to feel soft for longer than skin that waits an hour.

Nécessaire's Body Serum is the light layer, with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and ceramide. Cyklar's Ceramide Milky Essence is a full-body hydrator with a light, milky texture that is easy to spread on a damp back. Kiehl's Crème de Corps is a refillable body lotion with squalane, the plush one, and the one I would keep for my legs after shaving. Salt & Stone's Santal & Vetiver Body Cream is a richer, woody cream, a good match for anyone who liked the Santal Bloom scent in the Saltair range.

Two products here do a little more. Topicals' Slather is an exfoliating body serum with retinol and AHAs, and U Beauty's SCULPT Arm Compound is a body serum with retinol and caffeine, made for arms.

What I would skip: layering a retinol serum on the same night as a strong scrub or a hot bath, and putting any new active on freshly shaved skin. Start two or three nights a week, wear sunscreen in the daytime, and stop if anything stings. If skin gets red or sore, please check with a doctor or pharmacist first.

Body serums and lotions

Building a shower that feels good

The shower I like is short, warm and a little bit slow. Wash, rinse, pat, and then two steps at most: a serum if I feel like it, a lotion or cream always. Keep the bottles where you can see them and reach them, because a routine you have to search for is a routine you skip.

I choose by scent for the wash and by texture for the cream, since I will only use what feels good. Give a new product two weeks before you decide, and keep any scented lotion off the face. Pick the one you will actually reach for. The line printed on Saltair's bottles is worth borrowing: every body is welcome, yours included, whatever shape it is today.