Time for another skincare review and we all know I love and adore me some The Body Shop skincare. They were one of the first brands that I found products in that actually worked for me and so I love trying things that are new to me from time to time. Their moisturizers have never been my favorite product. For some reason they just don’t quite cut it for my dry/ dehydrated skin even if they claim to be super hydrating. However, I quite enjoy some other products from the Vitamin E line, so I thought I could definitely try this one out. By now, I have nearly used up my entire bottle so it’s about time I did a full review on it.
Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Day Lotion SPF 30 Moisture-Protect Emulsion
Before we get to the product itself, let’s talk about price point and availability. The Body Shop is a store I quite like, but ever since having moved to a different city and no longer living right around the corner from one, I do find myself going for the brand far less than I used to. I still love quite a few products and every once in a while I will go into store to stock up on bodycare products which are still my favorite. Their skincare ranges are quite good too, but you do have to go looking for the gems. I was hoping this could be one of those gems but at €20 for 50 mls, I do think it is a little bit up there in price. I have tried other moisturizers that are cheaper than this, that I liked better.
What does this product have to offer?
Let’s first get into some of the claims on this product. I mean, it is just a plain moisturizer after all, so what can go wrong right? But this product comes with a host of claims. It should protect against free radicals, make you skin look more youthful (whatever that means) and it should be hydrating. It has a lightweight texture and should be great for everyday use. It contains an SPF of 30 to protect against sun damage but as we all know just a moisturizer isn’t enough to protect if you really go out in the sun.
What are the ingredients like?
When reviewing a skincare product, I always like to include the ingredient list. Not because I’m an expert who claims to know all the ins and outs of an ingredient list, but because it can sometimes explain why something does or doesn’t work for me. Not all the time though, which is frustrating, but I have found that different formulations, can help me predict how something might go.
Aqua, Glycerin, Homosalate, Octocrylene, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Magnesium Silicate, PEG-100 Stearate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Phenoxyethanol, Polysorbate 60, Caprylyl Glycol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil, Polysilicone-11, Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Sodium Hyaluronate, Benzyl Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Disodium EDTA, Hydroxycitronellal, Limonene, Geraniol, Linalool, Sodium Hydroxide, Citronellol, Cinnamyl Alcohol, Decyl Glucoside, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, BHT, Hexylene Glycol, Isoeugenol.
As you can see this isn’t a very exciting moisturizer. In fact, the first few ingredients aren’t all that special and are cheap products that you could find in many different products. Most of the ingredients the packaging totes about are int he second half of the list which means there really isn’t that much in this moisturizer. It may be good to know for those people sensitive to fragrance that this has quite a strong ‘babypowder’ scent, which I find is the same for all Vitamin E products I have tried. I personally quite like it, hasn’t caused me any problems, but just know that this has quite a bit of fragrance in.
How does this moisturizer work?
I would say this is okay. As you can see from the ingredient list, this isn’t very exciting and for what you pay I don’t think this is anything to write home about. Yes, it is lightweight and therefore worked great in warmer weather but now that winter is coming, I definitely need a bit more. It has a pleasant feeling, I like the pump to dispense the product and overall it is a good, bog standard moisturizer if your skin isn’t too demanding. That said, this moisturizer just isn’t anything special and if it weren’t for my layering other product underneath this wouldn’t be enough. It’s just not rich enough to be hydrating on my dry/ dehydrated skin.
My final thoughts
The Vitamin E Daily Lotion moisturizer is a nice product. If your skin doesn’t need much and you just want to boost up your skin a little bit then this is nice. However, if you skin really needs a good drink of moisture, this is probably not for you. Especially at this price point, I feel you can find many other moisturizers for better value. A tube of Embryolisse or a La Roche Posay moisturizer are far more effective for me and those retail for even less or a similar price point as this. In short, this is nice, but it isn’t stellar.
Would I recommend The Body Shop Vitamin E Emulsion?
Not necessarily. As I already mentioned, I find it quite pricey for what you get and I don’t find it that effective for dry skin. In case you are sensitive to fragrance, you may also get an allergic reaction to boot, so I don’t think this is great for everyone. I would certainly not repurchase this. It was nice enough to try it out and to use up the entire bottle, but not something I am desparate to go back to.