When I was young (not that I am old right now, but just remembering the 90s makes me feel like it was a different era! Nevermind) sweet almond oil used to be regarded as a magic potion. It was crazily expensive, and frankly, it was treated like liquid gold in the house. We didn’t dare waste any of it.
Argan oil is a 21st century version of almond oil, as it is just as expensive and touted to be as magical as almond oil once used to be. Hailed as an all-purpose, all healing oil, it is originally from Morocco, and is extracted from the seeds of argan tree. One can say that it is used in a manner similar to olive oil, which is used for culinary as well as cosmetic purposes.
Argan oil fever has gripped the world and left everyone enamoured with this golden liquid. The Body Shop launched the argan oil line a couple of years back. I, being the dry skinned maiden, wanted to try the entire range, but alas, I don’t have all the money in the world, so I settled on the body butter, as usual. And with the winters now setting in, it’s the best time to get yourself some body butter!
Product Description and Claims: TBS website makes the following claims about The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter:
Indulge in the most luxurious beauty ritual with this rich body moisturiser, enriched with Community Fair Trade argan oil from Morocco for dry skin. 24 hour hydration Leaves skin feeling soft and smooth Buttery texture.
Ingredients and Chemistry: You can check out the chemical properties of each ingredient of The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter in brackets:
Aqua/Water (Solvent), Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter (Skin Conditioning Agent – Emollient), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter/Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter (Emollient), Glycerin (Humectant), Cetearyl Alcohol (Emulsifier), Glyceryl Stearate (Emulsifier), PEG-100 Stearate (Surfactant), Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil (Emollient), C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate (Emollient), Ethylhexyl Palmitate (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cera Alba/Beeswax (Emulsifier/Emollient), Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Caprylyl Glycol (Skin Conditioning Agent), Phenoxyethanol (Preservative), Xanthan Gum (Viscosity Modifier), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Sodium Hydroxide (pH Adjuster), Coumarin (Fragrance Ingredient), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), CI 15985/Yellow 6 (Colorant), CI 19140/Yellow 5 (Colorant)
Packaging: Just like the rest of the TBS body butters, The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter also comes in a screw-on capped large tub of deep oily golden color. The lid has the image of a half-broken argan kernel oozing oil. All TBS art is pretty basic, but I find it very appealing! The jar is travel friendly and the packing is efficient as I am always able to use up every bit of the product. Once the jars are empty, I also use them to store knick knacks like small jewellery 🙂
Color and Scent: The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter is a light creamy to nutty brown in color. It has a nutty, oily yet sweet aroma, which will make you think of pine nuts or roasted walnuts somehow. I associate this scent more with the cold weather, making this more of a winter-y body butter for me. On the body, the scent lasts for about 2-3 hours. Of course, it would last longer if you use more of the product or are in air-conditioned environment. I still use it in summers, because the scent is not too overpowering and not very evident a few minutes post application.
Texture and Effectiveness: This is one of the harder-in-texture body butters. The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter is lardy and seems like partly frozen butter. It spreads with some effort on the skin (well, unlike Moringa or Honeymania other fruity TBS body butters, which spread more easily). However, once it is all there, it leaves the skin pretty soft and moisturized. If you think that being an oil-based body butter, it would leave skin oily, then you can be assured that this is not the case as it leaves no such oily film on your body. Post using this, my skin feels well nourished for a good 24 hours, matching what the company claims.
However, I have not felt any remarkable difference in the body butter quality by the addition of argan oil. The thing is, if I buy strawberry body butter, it’s for the fact that I love strawberry scent. If I buy moringa, it is because I adore the perfume-y white floral scent. If I buy an argan oil product, it would be because I expect it to be more moisturizing. But sadly, it has not been the case with the product as I find that it offers similar moisturization as the other body butters. That is the only let-downer. Otherwise it is as good as other TBS butters, which have now become a staple in my vanity (just like Amul butter in my refrigerator 😛 )
Price: Rs 1150 for 200 ml. TBS has been raising the prices almost every year, which is making these more expensive! I always recommend buying the staples during their online sales, as one can easily avail at least 25-30% discount.
FFS Rating: 4/5
Though this does what it claims, this is not my favourite TBS body butter. That spot is still retained by honeymania and moringa, which thoroughly perfume the body, apart from enveloping the skin in tons of moisture!
Where to Buy: TBS stores across the world, and also TBS online. You can buy it in India by clicking here.
You would also like:
THE BODY SHOP MORINGA BODY BUTTER REVIEW
THE BODY SHOP HONEYMANIA BODY BUTTER REVIEW
THE BODY SHOP ALMOND BODY BUTTER REVIEW
MARKS & SPENCER MAGNOLIA HAND CREAM REVIEW, PRICE INDIA
PROs and CONs:
PROs:
- Just like other TBS butters, this is great food for dry skin
- Huge quantity, and you need a very little to keep you covered
- The tub is easy to use, leak-proof and travel friendly
- Has the goodness of shea and cocoa butters, which are full of great fatty acids that are amazing for the skin
- I love TBS philosophy of cruelty-free and fair trade practices
CONs:
- Expensive at 1150 rupees, despite that fact that a tub can last you 2-3 months (or more) with regular usage too. Hence, always recommend you to buy and stock up during sale.
- The scent is unique but not my favourite.
- Argan oil doesn’t feature among the top 10 ingredients, and for me, it makes argan oil a minor ingredient of the formula, not doing any wonders for my dry skin
Final Verdict: If you want to pick an argan oil product just because the whole world is going gaga over it, don’t expect miracles out of The Body Shop Argan Oil Body Butter. However, if you are on the lookout for a good body butter, you can pick this one. However, it is pretty much like the rest of TBS core ranges of body butters and just as good, not extraordinarily unique or efficacious due to the addition of argan oil.
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