Speed Review: The Body Shop Shea Body Butter

The Body Shop's Body Butters are an iconic staple product for the brand and have been a bestseller ever since their introduction way back in 1992. Confession time.. I'm actually not the biggest fan and prefer body butters from other brands. I've historically found the ones from The Body Shop to be a little too far on the greasy side for my liking and I also find them to be pricey. That said, I thought I'd keep an open mind and revisit for the purpose of today's review, not least given the tough times the brand's currently experiencing. I've opted to trial the Shea version which is designed to target very dry skin. I will say that I like that the different variations target varying degrees of dryness and offers a point of differentiation, alongside scent preferences, to the line up.

The texture is a thick white butter which is practically solid at room temperature. For this reason, I found it a little difficult to scoop out of the tub and specifically, difficult to control the desired amount. I warmed the product in my hands before applying to my body where it was surprisingly easily absorbed. To me, the texture doesn't feel modern or elegant, nor does it feel like an indulgent product to use and it's the usage experience which would put me off repurchasing. That said, I appreciated that there was no greasy residue left on skin so I was able to dress promptly following use. I couldn't detect any discernible scent and whilst some may feel that this further takes away from any indulgent usage experience, I didn't mind as I prefer products which don't interfere with the scent of my perfume. My skin was left feeling soft, moisturised and nourished following use. Whilst the usage experience was disappointing for me personally, the results make it easy to see why The Body Shop's Body Butters remain so popular.