REVIEW - The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter

Ok, good things first: It is a rather affordable cleansing balm/butter and works great to remove all traces of make-up, sunscreen,... off your face, without leaving your skin tight. It feels lovely on skin and has an interesting consistency, as it melts in your fingers and on your face, it's fun to use and also ideal for a good face-massage. To my surprise it can be easily removed with a flannel in no time (no rubbing necessary), without leaving your skin dry, stripped, or tight and without a greasy residue, so definitely a good treat in the colder, drier winter-months!

I would not recommend putting this over your eyes though, as it contains much too much fragrance - and this is where my "trouble" with this product begins: If you have very sensitive skin, don't buy this, as the amount of fragrance can really worsen your troubles (see more below)! The amount of camomile is very low, even though they advertise it, as if it was the main ingredient, but to its defense: this is a cleanser and therefore shall be removed after a few seconds, so really no need to waste all the good stuff going down the drain.

Let's get into a little more detail, I put The Body Shop's claims in italic and my own perspective in bold for you:

What is it? 

The Body Shop says: This cleanser is an indulgent make-up remover for the whole face.

An oil-based cleansing-balm/butter. 

What does it do? 

It gently and efficiently melts away make-up and impurities, leaving skin feeling clean, refreshed and pampered. Leaves skin feeling clean and petal-soft. Removes all types of make-up.

It removes even the most stubborn and long-wearing make-up, sunscreen,... off your face, without having you to drag/rub/... your skin and without stripping it. 

Who is it for?  

Suitable for sensitive skin and contact lens wearers.

Says "all skin types" although I would not recommend it to very sensitive, "angry", problematic skin, as this contains potentially irritating ingredients. As I said before: wouldn't put it over my eyes, because of the amount of fragrance it contains.  

When to use it? 

For your first evening cleanse. 

How to use it? 

Apply to dry face and massage into skin. Rinse off with warm water or remove with a wet muslin cloth for a more thorough cleanse.

Massage a blueberry-sized amount (I use a little spatuala to get it our of the tin) with washed, dry hands on dry face. I would definitely not recommend washing it off (as in splashing your face). Take it off with hand-hot, wet flannel (see my previous posts for more information), repeat if necessary. Using a designated "muslin cloth" is not only not necessary, but from my experience it does not do the job as good as a simple flannel, as it is not textured enough (and I have used The Body Shop's own muslin cloth, so trust me on this). 

What is in it?*

• Ethylhexyl palmitate - Emollient/Skin Conditioning Agent, acting as a lubricant, giving the skin a soft and smooth appearance.
• Synthetic Wax - Binder/Stabalizing Agent, derived from a mixture of various oils.
• PEG-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate - Cleansing Agent
• Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil - Emollient/Antioxidant/Skin Conditioning Agent, is beneficial for dry skin because of its fatty acid content, some of which comes from the emollient squalene. It also contains phenolic compounds that provide antioxidant benefit. Low potential for irritancy or allergic reaction.
• Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter - Emollient/Antioxidant/Skin-Identical/Repairing Ingredient.
• Caprylyl Glycol - Preservative/Skin Conditioning Agent, may be plant-derived or synthetic
• Tocopherol (Vitamin E) - Antioxidant, protecting the skin barrier's oil (lipid) balance during the cleansing process.
• Parfum/Fragrance - Irritant
• Aqua (Purified Water) - Solvent.  
• Linalool - Fragrance/Irritant, can be a potent skin irritant, allergen, or sensitizer once it is exposed to air.
• Limonene - Fragrance/Irritant,  can cause contact dermatitis and is best avoided unless its presence in skin-care products is minuscule. Enhances the penetration of other ingredients.
• Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil/Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil - Emollient, has the ability to help repair skin's barrier and reduce inflammation, excellent for dry skin.
• Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract (Chamomile)  -Antioxidants/Antibacterial/Anti-Acne/Anti-Irritant, may have potent anti-inflammatory action.
• Citric Acid - pH Adjuster, prevents product from being too alkaline.

Anything problematic/irritating?

Sadly: Yes. 

* Fragrance, Linalool and Limonene are present in this product and even more sadly not at the very end of the list. You might get away with it, as it is a wash-off product and you don't leave it on your skin forever. I realize that they are trying to sell the clean smell and as long as there are people complaining about non-fragrant products, this will not come to an end. But selling this as a great product for "SENSITIVE" skin? ... makes me angry, and to me, who didn't use fragrant skin-care products in about 2 years it smells really strong. There is NO benefit of including fragrances to a product (in regards to your skin) and there is a strong case that it is actually negative. I could rage on about fragrance in products now, but I will definitely put this in a future post and leave it with this warning: If you have any known sensitivities to fragrance: put it down and walk away. If you have no known sensitivities/allergies, but your skin is always "angry", sensitive, red, inflamed, irritated,... try leaving products with fragrance out for a while (and alcohol for that matter) and see how you are doing! 

*Chamomile: if you have any allergies to plants in the daisy-family, be cautious!

* Shea Butter can break some people out, though I wouldn't worry about that too much in this case, as long as you second-cleanse the product will not be left on your skin for too long, but as always: be observant and aware of the possibility.

"Natural"?

No. 

All in all: I like this product and my skin did too, as it is not drying or stripping (though I still prefer my favourite), BUT I think there are better options out there, so be aware of the pros and cons and make an educated decision! 

This is it for today, I hope this has been helpful to you, be sure to leave any questions or suggestions in the comment-section below, stay tuned for my next posts, have fun, be gentle, love yourself, love your skin!

N.

P.S.: You can buy this item at The Body Shop-stores or online. 

*Remember that ingredient-lists are always ordered from highest-lowest percentage in the product, so even with potentially irritating ingredients we have to think like Paracelsus: "The dose makes the poison". I mainly use Paula's Choice http://www.paulaschoice.com/cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary/ and http://cosmeticsinfo.org/ for my ingredient research, but as always: feel free to do your own research and read all sources with a pinch of salt because even scientific studies can be interpreted in different ways. The colors mean:

Blue - great/best ingredient with many benefits for your skin

Green - good ingredient

Orange - average ingredient, potentially irritating, best to have more to the end of the inci-list

Red - bad ingredient, irritating, best to be avoided completely, otherwise: see that only at the very end of the list

* all products mentioned in this post have been purchased by myself!