The onset of sunshine has caught my limbs by surprise. I went out in short sleeves last week and my neglected, greyish arms looked as if they were recently freed from a plaster cast. If you are to be a bride this spring, you may already be thinking about how best to restore what lies beneath the winter layers. The answer for us all is an exfoliating body lotion – an all-over moisturiser to even out upper arm bumps, slough off dead skin, smooth roughness and moisturise dry patches, ready for lighter clothing. There are several new ones that improve on predecessors.

I typically recommend Ameliorate to brides who’ve likely ringfenced some budget for pre-wedding skincare. Punchier than those on supermarket shelves, its clinically proven Transforming Body Lotion uses effective levels of lactic acid and urea to exfoliate without stinging or drying, plus glycerin and sweet almond oil to moisturise the newly uncovered skin beneath. Now Ameliorate makes a pearlised, lightly tinted version to provide additional cosmetic effects. The new Illuminating Glow (£24 for 300ml) adds a subtle, streak-free veil of golden tan to all areas and skin types that washes off easily with soap and water. It’s a fast and easy way to look immediately healthier while it simultaneously does the grunt work.

Exfoliating acids are infinitely more effective and less messy than granular scrubs, but there’s no doubt they smell inherently worse. So I’m not sure how Grown Alchemist has formulated such an effective exfoliating lotion packed full of lactic, mandelic and salicylic acids that has the aroma of a luxury moisturiser. Its new Resurfacing Targeted Body Lotion (£42 for 300ml) is the loveliest body exfoliant I’ve come across and has become my “special occasion” moisturiser of choice (day to day, I use Cetaphil Gentle Exfoliating SA Lotion, £14 for 236ml, which does the business without frills). Very light and fluid, it sinks in almost immediately – no wait necessary.

The botanical, gently minty scent is shared with its sibling product, the in-shower Resurfacing Targeted Body Cleanser (£32 for 500ml). They make a beautiful gift as a duo (especially for a clinically dry-skinned person, generally excluded from the body care treat category), but given the time each one sits on the skin, the lotion will have the greater impact so I’d prioritise that. In the shower, try Byoma’s noticeably effective Smoothing Body Polish (£12.99 for 300ml), which combines a granular scrub with poly hydroxy acids. Or buy a loofah.