The best bath products!

March 2020

Patiently waiting for better weather, this is the time to indulge the body in a warm bath with high quality products. You don’t have to spend long, looking for the best ones – I did it for you. In this article you will find some of the very best bath products – all unisex fragrances, and all in the same range / type of products – a classic shower gel and matching body lotion. Enjoy!

How we rated

It took almost a year to write this article! Choosing the brands, gathering information about all the ingredients, and (the best part) enjoying countless bubble baths and showers! And one more thing to note: we bought all the products ourselves (meaning we haven’t been paid to write this).

We rated the following criterias on a 1-10 scale:

Scent / smell: is it original, fine, discreet, bad or fantastic?

Texture: is the shower gel smooth, too liquid, or the body lotion too sticky? What about the foam?

Moisturizing feeling: how does it actually feel after use? Is the body lotion moisturizing enough?

Design: does the bottle look nice, or maybe it’s just practical?

Luxury feeling: does it make me feel like in a high end spa?

Value for money: we need to talk about the price at some point…

… and finally, because I feel strongly concerned about this topic:

Chemical analysis – a very important point for me! Of course, we don’t require a full natural or organic brand, but some of the products out there on the market today, are so full of chemicals, that I would rather spend a week near Chernobyl, than rub that stuff on my skin. We don’t like that, so you won’t find any of those here!

The products

Byredo – Bal d’Afrique

One of the most famous perfumes from this amazing brand! Fine and delicate, Byredo’s Bal d’Afrique body wash is infused with top notes of Bergamot and Lemon, with a heart of Violet and Jasmin. The scent is REALLY good, and you will be walking around smelling your own skin for a long time after use! 🙂
The texture of the shower gel is smooth, and produces a good fluffy foam. I really enjoyed the experience!
The distinct white packaging is modern and trendy, with the practical pump as an option. Looks beautiful when displayed in the bathroom! For the fans of the fragrance, the range of products is quite extensive (but a bit expensive – the highest price range of the review).

The body lotion has quite a strong and long lasting scent and a high power of moisturization. The only small negative point is the slightly sticky texture (which is still way better than “regular” consumer products). 

Design and practicability : 8/10

Scent: 10/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 8/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 7/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 6/10

Luxury feeling: 9/10

Value for money: 6/10

Total score: 7,7/10

Diptyque – Philosykos

The green fig tree smell is so fresh and elegant. Close your eyes and you will have the feeling to shower in a lush Mediterranean  garden! The gel is not too foamy but has great light texture.

The packaging is very practical with a pump for both bottles (though very firm to use on the shower gel), and quite a nice & different design with the inside lines (looks like whipped cream).

The luxury feeling is undeniable, but goes unfortunately together with a high price tag (more than 200 euros / liter).

The body lotion smells fantastic, is very moisturizing and long-lasting, without being greasy or sticky.
Diptyque is also famous for their large range of products. Many of the scents you will find in other types of skin products, and even candles for your home etc.

Design and practicability : 7/10

Scent: 8/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 7/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 8/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 7/10

Luxury feeling: 9/10

Value for money: 5/10

Total score: 7,3/10

Miller Harris – Lumière dorée

An amazing flowery summer smell with notes from bergamot and neroli but to be honest, a bit too feminine for my husband (perfect for me though).

The texture of the shower gel is smooth and produces a great foam. The packaging is practical and convenient.

The body lotion is quite liquid, but feels incredibly good on the skin, and provides a very good moisturization. The persistent but delicate scent is perfect for summer! 

Design and practicability : 7/10

Scent: 7/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 9/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 9/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 5/10

Luxury feeling: 6/10

Value for money: 7/10

Total score: 7,1/10

L’Artisan Parfumeur – Timbuktu

I have to say, I fell immediately in love with the smell! The shower gel doesn’t produce that much foam but has an extraordinary luxury spa “woody” kind of smell – hard to describe.

The packaging is practical with a good quality pump. Not a large range of products with the same fragrance though; the shower gel, the body lotion, and some candles.

The body lotion’s scent is quite powerful, and can replace a perfume, especially during summer. It has the longest lasting fragrance I have ever tried and provides a good moisturization! 

Design and practicability : 7/10

Scent: 10/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 7/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 8/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 6,5/10

Luxury feeling: 8/10

Value for money: 9/10

Total score: 7,9/10

Molton Brown – Serene coco & sandal wood

An amazing fine exotic and woody smell! I enjoyed so much this bathing experience. The gel produces a big light and fluffy foam with fragrances of creamy coconut, jasmine and aromatic vetiver.

I now understand why it’s one of the preferred brands in many of the private jets I’ve worked in.

Shower gels set

The transparent bottle is quite sturdy and practical and feels high-end when you pick it up.

The body lotion provides great moisturization and the fragrance is delicate and smells expensive 🙂

The value for money is amazing, but they could (and should) do better regarding the ingredients. Better than many “regular” consumer products, but in the low end compared to the other products mentioned here.

Design and practicability : 7/10

Scent: 9/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 8/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 8,5/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 6,5/10

Luxury feeling: 8/10

Value for money: 10/10

Total score: 8,1/10

Aesop – Geranium leaf

It’s impossible not to recognize the very distinct branding and design of Aesop! A simple and sustainable oriented packaging, but lot of different products and scents. However, it can be a bit confusing if you’re not a regular client already.

The fine gel texture produces a great foam, and has a very light natural scent. Though it’s not the most powerful, it’s absolutely fantastic.

The products come in different sizes, from tiny travelling bottles to half a liter. I love their travelling kits! The body balm is so practical – a small 120 ml squeeze tube.

Enriched with nut oils, this balm leaves your skin incredibly soft and delicately perfumed with (among others) notes of fresh citrus. With a creamy rich texture, it also provides an amazing feeling of high moisturization.

Design and practicability : 8/10

Scent: 9/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 8,5/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 10/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 8/10

Luxury feeling: 7/10

Value for money: 8/10

Total score: 8,4/10

Le Labo EDITION

Made exclusively for EDITION hotels (you can also purchase them online from EDITION).

Full of enriching properties with Vitamin E, Aloe Vera, Olive Leaf and Flaxseed, your body is guaranteed a good experience. The texture is a bit jelly and produces a nice foam, without being too voluminous. 

The fragrance is very chic, infused with a fantastic black tea scent.

The body lotion is very light and elegant but long lasting and moisturizing. No greasy or sticky feeling!

The style of the bottles is very different from other brands! I love this “laboratory formulation” style!

You have a lot of choices in the range of products, but not always in the same fragrances. It can be a bit confusing sometimes, but give it a go and mix & match the fragrances!

FYI, Le Labo’s botanical shower gels are vegan, genderless, paraben- and cruelty-free, which makes me like this brand a lot! 

We had the chance as well to try the Tubereuse 40 collection from Le Labo in Park Hyatt hotel New York! Tubereuse 40 is only available in New York, how chic!!

Tubereuse 40 is a bit more sophisticated,  and feminine, based on sandalwood and powerful white flowers.

Click here to discover the Edition hotel bath collection!   

Design and practicability : 8/10

Scent: 9/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 7,5/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 8/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 7/10

Luxury feeling: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

Total score: 7,9/10

Jo Malone – Lime basil and mandarin

Peppery basil and aromatic white thyme bringing a twist to the scent of lime – this is the base of this fresh fragrance! At the first smell, it appeared a bit too chemical to me but the sensation disappeared once in the water.

The gel texture is light, produces a good foam and the fragrance is quite powerful. It leaves your skin soft and delicately perfumed. The body lotion has a long lasting fresh smell and provides great moisturization!

The bottles are both cute and elegant, and will without a doubt look good in any bathroom. Easy to display thanks to their square shape, and super practical with the pumps.

Jo Malone is one of the go-to brands for luxury hotels and private jets (together with Molton Brown). The brand is unfortunately not doing that great with the chemical composition, even if it’s paraben and alcohol free. It contains quite a few allergens, so I highly advise Jo Malone to look into this – I promise to buy more products 🙂

Design and practicability : 8/10

Scent: 6/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 8/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 7/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 4,5/10

Luxury feeling: 8/10

Value for money: 7/10

Total score: 6,9/10

Grown Alchemist
Known as the Australian natural and non-toxic skin care brand, I was happy to confirm the great composition of the products. Totally paraben, sulfate, alcohol and silicon free for the products tested, Grown Alchemist won the “chemical free” price of this review.

The fragrances of the products range are not matching that well, and they don’t offer a huge selection but it’s not a problem – what they do have is great and can be mixed! Refreshing and natural, the scents of this brand are very soft and discreet. I tried the chamomile, bergamot and rose body cleanser, and the mandarin and rosemary body balm.

It most likely doesn’t come as a surprise, that it’s hard to combine 100% natural ingredients into a product with a fantastic texture. The body lotion feels a bit sticky and the gel not too foamy. But the smell is great, fresh and very moisturizing, and I’m more than happy to sacrifice a bit of comfort to have a safe formulated product.

The bottles look great, and are available in a couple of different sizes with a practical pump. They even have travelling sizes!

Design and practicability : 8/10

Scent: 8/10

Texture of the gel and foam: 7/10

Texture of the cream and moisturization: 7/10

Ingredients and chemicals: 9,5/10

Luxury feeling: 7/10

Value for money: 10/10

Total score: 8,1/10

The last words

As you can see, the competition was tough and the scores quite close, but Aesop managed to perform just a tiny bit better overall, and winning the gold medal. Closely followed by Molton Brown and Grown Alchemist! Well deserved, as the brand is a good balance between high quality and natural ingredients. All the brands tested are super high quality, so even if Jo Malone got the lowest score, I still very much like this brand and will continue to use it. A Maserati loosing the race to a Ferrari doesn’t make it a bad car 😉

A big thanks to the very helpful cosmetic analysis platforms:

https://www.skincarisma.com/

https://yuka.io/en/

I hope you enjoyed my article and your future baths!

Cheers!

♥/Elo

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