Reduced Chemical Body Moisturisers

When I decided to try and reduce the amount of chemicals I put onto and into my body I knew that it would not be possible to change everything or completely avoid chemicals altogether. I thought a good start was to look at the products I put onto large areas of my body and didn't wash off. I previously wrote about my new found love of Origins facial skincare products. My next challenge was to find an all over body moisturiser with less nasties in it. Sadly my usual choices of Champney's, Sanctuary Spa and Soap and Glory contain many of the ingredients in my 'avoid list'. 

Already being a fan of Palmer's stretch mark creams, and knowing that they were formulated without parabens or phthalates I decided to give their cocoa butter mosturiser a go. I also decided to try Burt's Bees Milk and Honey body lotion as I had received this as part of a gift set for my birthday. If you do not know about Burt's Bees it is a natural skincare brand that was founded in America in 1984. Their products are all made using 99% natural ingredients and a focus on sustainability. Anyway, onto my reviews:

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula 24 Hour Moisture - This retails for around £4 for 250ml. I begrudgingly have to say that I really do not like this product. It is the same cocoa butter formula as the stretch mark treatments but the smell it has on application is no where near as nice. The consistency is very thick and the colour is yellow. Due to its thickness it is very hard to get out (imagine lots of upside down shaking and banging) and I could imagine you will end up wasting quite a lot when it becomes even more difficult to squeeze out as it become emptier. Due to its thickness it also takes quite a while to run into your skin. It does have some good points, it moisturises well, which is after all its intended purpose and the smell is much better once it has soaked in. 

My Rating: 2.5 out of 5. It scores those points for its price and the fact it does its job. 

Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion - This retails for £9.99 for 170g. I love this product but I do not love the price. The scent of this is really fresh lemon and honey. I think it will be even nicer in the summer months. The consistency is nice and light which means it rubs in really easily and the colour of the lotion is a pale cream - far more appealing than the Palmer's lotion. I have been using this on my legs as they tend to get quite dry and this product has definitely made a difference. I am really torn when rating this. I received this tube as a gift and I am not sure (as much as I love it) if I would be willing to pay the £9.99 price tag.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5. I can not score it any higher because as good as the product is I honestly do not think I would buy this at full price. Instead I shall be keeping an eye open for offers at boots on the Burt's Bees range and if not I may have to treat myself using my boots advantage card points instead! 

My hunt for a more natural body moisturiser is definitely not over based on these two products.