Ok so full confession before we get into this: I am an absolute sucker for a fragranced body product. Doesn’t matter if it’s a lotion, a wash, an oil, whatever, if it smells good I am picking it up and I am not putting it back down. My bathroom shelf is basically a Sol de Janeiro shrine at this point and I am not sorry about it.
So when the brand went and launched three different textures of their Body Badalada lotion, all wrapped up in three different (equally delicious) scents, I knew I had to get my hands on all of them and actually put them side by side. Because “which one do I buy” is a genuinely confusing question when they all promise 24-hour hydration and they all come in that same rounded pump bottle.
Here’s the short version before I get into the nitty gritty: the ’62 is a proper cream in lotion clothing, the ’48 is basically a water-gel with a scent (in the best way), and the ’39 sits right in the middle but sneaks in the most active skincare ingredients of the lot. All three of these came from Lookfantastic, I’ve got a Lookfantastic discount code further down if you want to grab any of them yourself. Let’s break each one down.
Last updated: July 2026. Tested and compared by me, personally purchased from Lookfantastic.
| Lotion | Texture | Scent family | Key actives | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body Badalada ’62 Vitamin Infused | Thickest, cream-lotion | Warm gourmand (vanilla, salted caramel) | 7x hyaluronic acid, Brazil nut oil | Rich hydration and softening |
| Body Badalada ’48 Skin Refresh Water Lotion | Lightest, water-gel | Bright citrus-fruity (guava, lemon) | Glycerin, guava leaf, star fruit extract | Fast refresh, hot weather |
| Body Badalada ’39 Moisture Melting | Middle, milk-to-butter | Warm coconut-praline | Ceramides NP/AP/EOP, shea butter, buriti oil | Dry or barrier-compromised skin |
Sol de Janeiro Body Badalada ’62 Vitamin Infused Body Lotion
(This is an affiliate link, grab it here if you fancy it)
This is the thickest of the three, by a mile, and it comes in a golden bottle, easy to spot next to its two siblings. It’s the closest thing to the original Bum Bum Cream experience but in pump form, so if you’re someone who finds the tub cream a bit much in summer but still wants that rich, silky feel, this is your one. It takes a beat longer to sink in than the other two (I always massage it in properly rather than slapping it on and running, otherwise you’re left a bit tacky for a minute).
Scent profile, Cheirosa ’62:
- Top: pistachio, almond
- Mid: heliotrope, jasmine petals
- Dry down: vanilla, salted caramel, sandalwood
This is the warm, gourmand, “smells like a beach holiday and also dessert” scent that made Sol de Janeiro’s name. Salted caramel and vanilla in the base means it lingers properly on skin and clothes, this is the one people will stop you in the street for.
Full ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ethylhexyl Stearate, Dimethicone, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Oil, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid), Bertholletia Excelsa (Brazil Nut) Seed Oil, Opuntia Tuna (Prickly Pear) Flower/Stem Extract, Saccharum Officinarum (Sugar Cane) Extract, Tocopherol, Glycerin, and the rest of the base (preservatives, fragrance, minor stabilisers).
What’s actually doing the work here: the seven-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid blend is the standout, different sizes of HA sit at different depths in the skin so you get surface plumping and deeper moisture retention at once, rather than just sitting on top. Brazil nut seed oil brings vitamin E and omega 3 and 6, which is your classic barrier-nourishing, skin-softening oil (think of it doing a similar job to argan or almond oil but a bit richer). Prickly pear extract is the one I find most interesting, it’s genuinely rich in vitamin K and antioxidants, which is why the brand leans on the “brightening” language for this one. Dimethicone is what gives you that silky, non-greasy glide despite the thick texture, it’s a silicone that sits on the skin surface and smooths without clogging.
One more thing worth knowing: when I put this next to the original Bum Bum Cream tub, it genuinely does feel lighter and faster to absorb, and I’ve caught myself reaching for it on days when I want that rich, wrapped-up feeling but don’t have ten minutes spare to let a heavy cream sink in before getting dressed. But that “light” reputation only holds up next to the tub. Line it up against its own two younger siblings and it’s obviously the heaviest of the three, the one you actually have to properly massage in rather than swipe on and go.
Sol de Janeiro Body Badalada ’48 Lotion
(Affiliate link, here’s the one I used)
This is the lightest of the three, and honestly it doesn’t even feel like a lotion when it first goes on. It comes in a hot pink bottle, the easiest of the three to spot on a shelf. It’s a proper water-gel, it kind of melts and disappears the second it touches skin, like a splash of water with intent. If you hate the feeling of “wearing” a moisturiser, this is the one. I reach for this on hot days or when I’ve got tights and clothes to get into straight after and don’t want to wait around.
Scent profile, Cheirosa ’48:
- Top: guava nectar, coconut water
- Mid: sunlit orchid, lemon twist, wild orris
- Dry down: pink musk, vanilla cloud
This is the brightest and freshest of the three scents by a country mile. Where ’62 is warm and dessert-like, ’48 is sharp, juicy, and a bit more citrus-forward thanks to that lemon twist in the middle. It’s noticeably lighter and doesn’t cling to skin quite as long as ’62 or ’39, which tracks given the whole formula is built to be weightless.
Full ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Glycerin, Dimethicone, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Psidium Guajava (Guava) Leaf Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Averrhoa Carambola (Star Fruit) Extract, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Olivate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Xylitol, Polyglyceryl-6 Laurate, Polyglycerin-6, Tocopherol, Sorbitan Olivate, Caprylic Acid, plus a gel-forming acrylate blend (Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Polyacrylate) that gives it that water-gel bounce, and fragrance.
What’s actually doing the work here: no hyaluronic acid in this one at all, which surprised me a bit given how “hydrating” it’s marketed as. Instead you’ve got glycerin doing the heavy lifting as the main humectant (this is the ingredient that quite literally pulls water into the skin, it’s cheap, boring, and genuinely brilliant, don’t let anyone tell you it’s not “good enough”). Guava leaf extract and star fruit extract are both there more for the antioxidant and “fresh, energised” marketing angle than for any serious barrier repair, they’re nice-to-haves rather than the reason you’d buy this. If your skin is properly dry or compromised (hello, seb derm flare) this one alone won’t be enough for you. It’s a hydration top-up, not a repair job.
One more thing worth knowing: honestly, the word I kept coming back to while testing this one was “water.” It genuinely feels less like a lotion and more like a cooling splash that happens to smell incredible. Nothing about it reads as rich or long-wearing on skin, it’s built purely for that instant, refreshing sensation rather than any kind of lasting cushiony feel, and a few uses in that becomes really obvious.
Sol de Janeiro Body Badalada ’39 Moisture Melting Lotion
(Affiliate link if you want to try it, it’s here)
This one sits right in the middle texture-wise, between the ’62 cream-lotion and the ’48 water-gel, and it’s the one in the blue bottle. The brand calls it “milk-to-butter” and that’s actually accurate, it comes out of the pump quite fluid and thin, then as you massage it in and the water content evaporates it firms up and feels more like a proper butter melting into skin. It’s a satisfying one to apply, not going to lie. One thing worth flagging though, on properly dry skin it’s a bit harder to spread than the other two, you need a touch more product and a bit more massaging in to get it moving evenly, it doesn’t glide the way ’62 or ’48 do straight off the pump.
Scent profile, Cheirosa ’39:
- Top: coconut cream
- Mid: toasted vanilla, tropical orchid
- Dry down: creamy sandalwood, warm praline
If ’62 is caramel and pistachio and ’48 is bright citrus and guava, then ’39 is the coconutty, praline-y, beachy one. It’s warm without being as gourmand-heavy as ’62, more “coconut sun lotion nostalgia” than “dessert.”
Full ingredients: Aqua (Water, Eau), Isoamyl Laurate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Polyglyceryl-4 Diisostearate/Polyhydroxystearate/Sebacate, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Tapioca Starch, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Dimethicone, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Mauritia Flexuosa (Buriti) Fruit Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Maltodextrin, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Xanthan Gum, Carbomer, and the usual stabilisers, preservative and fragrance.
What’s actually doing the work here, and honestly this is the one that surprised me most: this is the only lotion of the three with actual ceramides in it, three types (NP, AP and EOP), plus cholesterol and phytosphingosine alongside them. That trio together is basically the same “skin identical lipid” combo you’ll see in proper facial barrier creams, it’s there to rebuild and reinforce the skin’s own barrier rather than just sit on top and feel nice. Shea butter and buriti oil are both rich emollients (buriti is the one packed with beta-carotene and vitamins A and E, it’s a proper Amazonian staple in Brazilian skincare for exactly this reason), and hydroxyethyl urea is a humectant that also has some barrier-supporting benefits of its own. For anyone with genuinely dry or barrier-compromised skin, or who deals with anything like seb derm or eczema-prone patches on the body, this ingredient list is doing more clinical heavy lifting than the other two put together, despite sitting in the middle texture-wise.
One more thing worth knowing: this is the one where my own opinion genuinely wavered day to day, and I think that’s the most honest proof it sits bang in the middle. Some days it felt properly light and non-greasy, gone in seconds. Other days, straight out of a hot shower especially, it felt noticeably richer than I’d expected, almost like it was doing more work than a “middle” lotion should. Looking back, that inconsistency is basically the whole point, this formula genuinely straddles the line between the featherweight ’48 and the properly rich ’62.
So how do the ingredients actually compare?
This is the bit I found genuinely interesting once I lined all three lists up. You’d assume the thickest lotion has the most “active” ingredients and the lightest one has the least, but that’s not quite what’s going on here.
The ’62 leans on hyaluronic acid and Brazil nut oil, so it’s a hydration and softening formula through and through, nothing wrong with that, it just does exactly what it says on the tin. The ’48 is the simplest formula of the three by a distance, glycerin plus a gel-forming polymer system plus a couple of antioxidant extracts, it’s built for sensation and speed rather than skincare depth. The ’39 is the one quietly punching above its weight, ceramides, cholesterol and phytosphingosine are proper barrier-repair ingredients you’d expect to see in a face cream, not tucked into a beach-scented body lotion. So if you’re picking based on skin need rather than just texture preference, ’39 is the one I’d point a dry or sensitive-skinned reader towards first, closely followed by ’62 for straightforward softening, with ’48 as more of a hot-weather refresh layered on top of one of the other two rather than a true replacement for them.
Which one should you actually buy
If you love a rich, wrap-you-up cream feel and don’t mind a slightly longer absorption time, ’62 is your one. If you want something that disappears instantly and feels like nothing, especially in warm weather, go ’48. And if your skin actually needs some proper barrier support underneath a gorgeous scent, ’39 is quietly the smartest buy of the three.
Me personally? I keep all three on rotation depending on the day, because as established, I am completely incapable of choosing just one good smell.
I picked up all three of these from Lookfantastic, it’s generally my go-to for Sol de Janeiro since they stock the full range and get it to me fast. If you use my code LFTFNEVEEN you’ll get 20% off eligible full-price items, same code I use on my own orders. I’ve got the full breakdown of how it works, what it excludes, and every other way to save on my Lookfantastic discount code page, or if you want the full list of every code I’ve got going right now, that’s all on my discount codes and offers page. (Partner code, small commission earned at no cost to you.)
Links used in this post are affiliate links, I may earn a small commission if you shop through them, at no extra cost to you.
FAQs
What’s the difference between Sol de Janeiro’s Body Badalada ’62, ’48 and ’39 lotions?
They’re built on three completely different textures. ’62 is the thickest and creamiest, closest to the original Bum Bum Cream. ’48 is an ultra-light water-gel with no hyaluronic acid, built purely for a quick, refreshing feel. ’39 sits in the middle texture-wise but actually carries the richest ingredient list of the three, including three types of ceramides.
Which Body Badalada lotion is best for dry or sensitive skin?
’39 Moisture Melting Lotion. It’s the only one of the three formulated with ceramides, cholesterol and phytosphingosine alongside shea butter and buriti oil, ingredients aimed at repairing the skin barrier rather than just sitting on top of it.
Does the Body Badalada ’48 lotion contain hyaluronic acid?
No. Unlike the ’62 lotion, ’48 Skin Refresh Water Lotion relies on glycerin as its main humectant rather than hyaluronic acid, which is part of why it feels so much lighter on skin.
Do the three Body Badalada lotions smell the same as the Bum Bum Cream?
Only ’62 shares its scent, Cheirosa 62, with the original Bum Bum Cream. ’48 uses the brighter Cheirosa 48 (guava, orchid, pink musk) and ’39 uses Cheirosa 39 (coconut cream, toasted vanilla, praline).
Which Body Badalada texture should I buy first?
If you’re not sure, ’39 is the safest all-rounder since it splits the difference between the rich ’62 and the featherlight ’48, while also carrying the most active barrier-supporting ingredients.
How do I tell the Body Badalada bottles apart?
By colour. ’62 Vitamin Infused comes in a golden bottle, ’48 Skin Refresh Water Lotion comes in a hot pink bottle, and ’39 Moisture Melting Lotion comes in a blue bottle, so you can spot which is which on a shelf without reading the label.
Where can I buy Sol de Janeiro Body Badalada lotion in the UK?
I buy mine from Lookfantastic, they stock the full Body Badalada range and ship quickly. I’ve got a Lookfantastic discount code (LFTFNEVEEN) for 20% off eligible full-price items if you want to grab any of these yourself.
