5 Best Leather Conditioners for Boots: Tested & Reviewed

I’ve been creating detailed, lovingly crafted reviews of leather conditioners for years — and had briefly had a decline in YouTube views as a result — but if you’re reading this article, then you’re in luck. You don’t have to read countless other reviews because this, my friend, is the final showdown.

These are hands down the best ones on the market for boots.

I’ve tested dozens of boot conditioners before landing on my top 5, I’ve tried innovative new products, I’ve tried some niche favorites, and I daresay I possess one of the most extensive conditioner collections of all time.

Over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two about maintaining one of the most important parts of a boot, the leather, and I’m excited to help you keep your boots in peak condition.

Our Top Picks: Best Leather Conditioners for Boots

• The Best Conditioner Overall: Cobbler’s Choice
• Runner Up: Venetian Shoe Cream
• Also Consider: Saphir Renovateur
• Best Conditioner for Waterproofing: Huberd’s Shoe Grease
• Best Conditioner for Preserving Color: Bickmore Bick 4 

Why Trust Me?

I’ve tested and owned more than a hundred pairs of boots. I go the extra mile, interviewing bootmakers, cobblers, and boot conditioning experts.

When I wanted to know more about Venetian Shoe Cream, I reached out to the guy who makes it, Phil Collias. Heck, I even bothered Mike Larson, Product Design & Development, Red Wing Heritage, to learn about mink oil. And to make sure my reviews are accurate, I wear the boots for weeks to see how well the conditioners hold up.

Why? I want to make sure you can get the most out of your beloved boots, so here’s my list.

Best Boot Conditioner: Cobbler’s Choice Leather Conditioner

• Moisturizes leather, improves weather resistance, and hides scuffs
• Discloses ingredients (silicone, petroleum, or alcohol)
• Doesn’t darken leather as much as other products

Cobbler’s Choice is the best leather conditioner I’ve tried. In my review, I used it on 700-dollar Viberg boots — boots you really don’t want to mess up — and couldn’t have been happier with the results. Why?

Most conditioners will do a good job of moisturizing leather or improving weather resistance or covering up scuffs, but Cobbler’s Choice does all three with aplomb.

Most conditioners will do a good job of moisturizing leather or improving weather resistance or covering up scuffs, but Cobbler’s Choice does all three with aplomb

Nick English

Cobbler’s Choice is the only leather conditioner I’ve found that actually discloses its ingredients. It’s made from triple-filtered beeswax for water resistance, a blend of seed oils to soften and nourish the leather, and some naturally occurring lipids that catalyze the seed oils and help them penetrate the leather. So not only is it effective, but it’s also all-natural — no silicone, petroleum, alcohol, nothin’.

I put it on Chromexcel leather, which is one of the most popular leathers found on nice men’s boots, and it did a phenomenal job of covering up scuffs, moisturizing leather, and boosting water resistance, all while barely changing the color at all.

It’s really useful for helping you break in tough boots, because it softens the leather. So, I’d probably recommend these on any pair of Red Wing Heritage boots, which are notoriously tough to break in.

[Related: My list of The Best Leather Briefcases for Men]

Runner Up: Venetian Shoe Cream

Venetian Shoe Cream is the defacto leather conditioner for many boot lovers because it’s well-priced and does a great job of conditioning and softening almost any type of leather.

The ingredients are secret, but the company’s owner told me it’s made from a blend of six or seven waxes, each with their own purpose. (For example, one’s for moisturizing, one’s for shine, one’s for preserving, and so on.)

It contains no silicone, which many prefer to leave out of their conditioners because it creates a tough coating that’s very hard to remove, and it’s a superb, neutral product that will extend the lifespan of your boots and help to cover up scuffs without significantly darkening the leather, as you can see in my video review. Bonus: it makes for a great base for wax polish as well.

Pros & Cons: Venetian Shoe Cream

Pros

• Medium shine
• Can be used on many leathers
• Doesn’t change color much
• Well priced

Cons

• Not the best at waterproofing
• Contains petroleum distillates

Also Consider: Saphir Renovateur

This is a terrific product. I’m putting it at number 3 because it is phenomenally expensive at about $10 per ounce, more than three times the cost of Venetian Shoe Cream, but that notwithstanding, it’s a fabulous conditioner.

It stands out on this list as the only product with mink oil, which is more shelf-stable than other animal fats, and it’s blended with a variety of waxes for conditioning, shining, and producing a great patina as the boots age.

Of all the conditioners on this list, this one’s probably the best at bringing some shine back to your boots or dress shoes. It’s not going to shine like shoe polish, but it does add a bit of shine. Plus, it works on just about every type of leather, and it won’t change the color much.

Pros & Cons: Saphir Renovator

Pros

• Produces really nice luster
• Eliminates scuffs
• Practically solvent free
• Doesn’t change color very much

Cons

• Really expensive
• Not great for waterproofing

Best for Waterproofing: Huberd’s Shoe Grease

So you’ve just got some boots you want to be able to wear in muck, grime, and rain without worrying about getting your toes wet and without worrying about dirt getting too deep into your shoe’s construction. Well, first off, make sure you’re getting Goodyear welted shoes, but second off, get some Huberd’s Shoe Grease.

It is vitally important that you understand it will darken your leather boots. I tried it on some Chromexcel Captain boots and they were never the same again: blotchy, oily, their famous depth of color ruined. But if you have some tough leather boots, like a pair of Red Wings I used in my review, and you just want them to be able to withstand the elements? Huberd’s is great.

With no artificial ingredients or solvents, it’s full of beeswax and pine pitch that needs to be softened before applying, but then it hardens and creates a nice barrier around the leather that can handle anything you throw at it.

Pros & Cons Huberd’s Shoe Grease

Pros

• Creates water resistant barrier around boot
• No solvents or synthetic compounds

Cons

• Darkens leather
• Smells like bacon

Best for Maintaining Color: Bickmore Bick 4

Bickmore Bick 4 won’t darken leather. If you are very committed to the color of your leather and you don’t want one pixel of the color to change, I get it. I’ve got some boots, like my ever-so-slightly red Blacksmiths, that I’m very protective of those.

The only conditioner on this list that’s wax free, it’s made with a proprietary blend of emulsifiers and conditioners that do an astonishing job of softening the leather without darkening it at all.

It’s not the best product for waterproofing or fixing scuffs or penetrating really deeply into the leather — you’ll probably find you need to use a few coats — but given it’s the cheapest of these five entries and it’s the best at preserving the color, it’s a great, low-risk buy.

Pros & Cons Bickmore Bick 4

Pros

• Very inexpensive
• Conditions and moisturizes without altering color

Cons

• Not the best at removing scuffs
• Not the best at improving water resistance

Wrapping Up

Good lord, I tried a whole lot of conditioners to land on this list, and you can see every one of them on this list. I’m very confident with these picks, but if you’ve got a product you prefer, let me know in the comments! I’m always looking to optimize my boot habit.

FAQs Best Boot Leather Conditioners

What is the best way to condition leather boots?

The best way to condition leather boots is to first clean them with a soft bristle brush, like a horse hair brush, and add then add a small amount of leather conditioner and, add more if the leather seems very dry.

How often should I condition my boots?

How often you should condition your boots depends on how often you wear them, the environment you live in, and the type of leather your boots are made of. For example, a forest firefighter will condition their leather boots more often than someone who only wears their boots once a year. We recommend conditioning your boots 1 - 2 times per year unless you live in a dry environment or wear your boots frequently.

What do you condition boots with?

We recommend using a boot conditioner such as Cobbler’s Choice, Venetian Shoe Cream, Saphir Renovateur, Huberd’s Shoe Grease, or Bickmore Bick 4. Each conditioner is different and they work best for different leathers and outcomes like water resistance.

Is it OK to put hair conditioner on boots or shoe leather?

While boot conditioner and leather conditioner are similar we cannot recommend using hair conditioner on boots or leather goods because there may be ingredients that damage the boots. We recommend using a high quality boot conditioner to nourish leather boots and shoes.

What is the best thing to put on leather boots?

The best thing to put on leather boots is a boot conditioner. Other products may damage your boots.

What do you put on leather boots to condition them?

You can put high quality leather conditioner on your boots to conditioner them such as Cobbler’s Choice, Venetian Shoe Cream, Saphir Renovateur, Huberd’s Shoe Grease, or Bickmore Bick 4.

What is the best thing to condition leather with?

The best thing to condition leather is boot leather conditioners like Saphir, Cobbler’s Choice, or Bickmore.

When should you condition leather boots?

You should condition most boots at least once a year. If the leather feels dry you should condition your boots. How often depends on how often you wear your boots and the environment. Be Careful not to over-condition your boots because it can rot the leather and stitching.