Occasionally I pick up a product that is so instantly great it moves from ‘newbie’ to ‘staple’ almost immediately. Such a thing happened with L’Occitane’s Ultra Rich Face Cream and so rapid was the transition that I completely forgot to feature it in the Natural Beauty Cabinet.
The truth is, it was an absolute godsend through most of the January/February winter doldrums and on into the moisture-leeching changeable weather of early spring.
While the ingredients list isn’t as virtuous as some other products I’ve tested, the hero here is the 25% shea butter.
Shea butter comes from the pressed nuts of the African Shea (Karite) tree. It has fantastic hydrating properties, helping to seal moisture in the skin without blocking pores. It’s also an excellent skin softener, helping to plump up very dry or dehydrated skin, as well as nourishing skin with vitamins A and E.
The L’Occitane cream is pretty rich and thick in texture but it’s non-greasy and absorbs quickly. I find it leaves me with a healthy glow that really couldn’t be called shiny at all. It’s also an excellent base for make-up with impressive, long-lasting moisturising effects. (No dry skin patches at the end of the day.) However, if your skin is more normal than dry, you might prefer the lighter product in the range – Shea Ultra Gentle Moisturiser, which contains 8% shea.
It’s a big thumbs up for the expanded L’Occitane shea range but I’m also left with a hankering to find out more about what else I can do with shea butter; particularly the raw, unrefined, organic variety that you can both slather on or eat, depending on your preference. So in the interests of pursuing the simplest option, I’m going to get hold of some shea butter, research some suppliers and report back in the next few weeks.
In the meantime, if your skin is struggling with the transition from cold to warm, check out L’Occitane’s range, available from L’Occitane stores nationwide and their website. The Ultra Rich Face Cream costs £30 but it’s currently reduced to £26.55 on Debenham’s website and available for £27 on the John Lewis website.
Ingredients (L’Occitane – please put these on your website!!): Aqua/water**, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter)**, dicaprlyl carbonate, glycerin**, corn starch modified, cetearyl alcohol**, dimethicone, glyceryl stearate**, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter) extract**, PEG-100 stearate, sorbitol**, sodium PCA**, castanea sativa (chesnut) seed extract**, helianthus annus (sunflower) seed oil**, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract**, alpha-glucan oligosaccharide**, xantan gum, ceteareth-33, phenoxyethanol, hydroxyethyl acrylate/sodium acryloyldimethyl taurate copolymer, ethylhexylglycerin, benzoic acid, tetrasodium EDTA, Trisodium NTA, dehydroacetic acid, tocopherol**, polysorbate-60**, sorbitan isostearate**, polyaminopropyl biguanide, parfum/fragrance, benzyl alcohol, alpha-isomethyl ionone, hexyl cinnamal, benzyl benzoate**, linalool**, citronellol**, coumarin**, limonene**, geraniol**
**Natural origin ingredients
dimethicone, phenoxyethanol, parfum/fragrance, benzyl alcohol…very natural! no thanks I’ll pass
You’re absolutely right – it’s not the most natural option out there. Better than some, worse than others. It’s why I always publish ingredients lists, so you can make up your own mind! It’s also the reason I’m keen to check out pure shea butter as an alternative. I’d always rather simplify my routine and I’ll be featuring shea butter again very soon once I’ve had a chance to test it out. x
I love it … but it doesn’t love me. I managed to use it several days in a row at first, then came up in huge welts all over my face. So I left it alone, let my face calm down and tried it once more, just a little, to make sure and little red blotches appeared almost straight away. I’m now only using it on my neck, with no problem and am very glad I only bought the little 15ml pot for £10 to try it out …!
That’s such a shame. I had the same thing happen with the Weleda Iris Day Cream (a brand I love). My best guess is that I’m allergic to orris root, which is a reasonably common allergen. But it took a surprisingly long time to figure out it was the face cream I was reacting to because I thought it was just eczema at first! It’s worth keeping a record of the ingredients list because if you ever have a reaction to another product you might be able to spot the common element…