Random Product Review! Lathers & Lights Coconut Body Butter

By Unknown

Purchased

Coconut Body Butter from Lathers & Lights

I have an unusual relationship with coconut oil. Several years back it was hot stuff, hailed across the internet as a miracle multi-purpose product from cooking to hair conditioning. This was before I started religiously looking at the Cosdna database for every product I used on my skin. At the height of my coconut mania, I decided I NEEDED the Garden of Wisdom Majik Coconut Revival Cream. And of course, I also NEEDED to slather it all over my face without any sort of patch testing whatseover.

What I didn't know was that coconut oil is highly comedogenic for a lot of people. In other words, there's a good chance that if coconut oil isn't a magical moisturizer on your skin, it will clog your pores or do even worse by triggering a massive breakout. My face erupted with angry, pulsing cystic acne overnight!

While this isn't a review about the GoW Majik Coconut Revival Cream (which in itself IS a very nice cream, just not for my face) or the products I used to finally quell all the remaining post-inflamatory hyperpigmentation that lasted for almost a YEAR... I do want to talk about one of my favorite coconut products: Lathers & Lights Coconut Body Butter.

Coconut Body Butter

4.7oz screw-top jar for $9.75

Pamper your dry, rough skin with this thick and rich blend of tropical coconut oil, cocoa butter, and rice bran oil with green tea, aloe, and cranberry.
   

To use: apply as needed and massage in well to restore moisture to the skin. Keep out of reach of children. Discontinue use if irritation occurs.

Finally hitting the bottom of the jar!

I didn't touch coconut oil for a long time after that (except for cooking). But I kept hearing online so much praise and felt like I was missing the party. Last year after I made my first Lathers & Lights purchase, I decided to grab a full-sized bottle of the shampoo and noticed there were a few products marked down on clearance at the end of the season. The Coconut Body Butter was one, and seeing as how it was a body butter, I figured maybe this time I would be safe so long as it stayed far away from my hands. I'm really glad I took a chance because this has become my absolute favorite moisturizing product for my legs and feet.
   

The Coconut Body Butter is offered in three different sizes: small (2oz for $6), medium (4.7oz for $9.75) and large (9oz for $17). It comes in a basic jar with a screw-top lid. I dislike keeping my cosmetics in jars for sanitary reasons, but considering I use it on my legs and feet instead of my face, I make an exception. In this case it works out okay for me because I'm able to make sure I'm using every last drop.

The texture is my favorite part of this body butter. It feels rich and thick but has an almost bubbly, whipped texture to it that melts perfectly into my skin. I feel like I'm using a very fancy high-end product (not that I'd know what that actually feels like). The "slip" is just right. Maybe that sounds a bit odd, but I find some creams do not glide on as easily (I have a sample of the regular body butter from L&L and it drags at the skin a little bit upon application. It sinks in quickly without leaving behind any grease or residue, only soft, supple skin.

   

My other favorite part about this body butter is that like most of the other products in the Lathers and Lights catalog, you can pick from a list of seasonal stock scents to give your cream fragrance. I shop at Lathers and Lights because I love their body and hair products - the website highlights that they are not using any premade bases, and I really appreciate that. 

However, when it comes to fragrance I have no qualms with products like these using stock scents. If I want something specifically for the scent, I already have lots of indie perfumers I enjoy purchasing from. In the case of Lathers and Lights, I don't mind - I shot off a question about their fragrances and was told:

The fragrances offered are an assortment of stock and my own creations.

 So each season has a very long list of fragrances to choose from, giving you the chance to customize your order. My go-to is always mangosteen... so I can't comment too much on the other scents. All I know is that mangosteen smells delicious and this body butter makes ME smell delicious, so it's a win-win.
   

Like other coconut-based products, I would exercise caution if you live in a very warm climate. I haven't found anything on the site that talks about best practices for storing your products, but be mindful that this could be temperature sensitive. 

  

Water, aloe vera, coconut oil, cocoa butter, rice bran oil, caprylic/capric triglycerides, emulsifying wax, cetearyl alcohol, fragrance, glyceryl stearate, ceteareth-20, cranberry extract, green tea extract, phenoxyethanol, benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid

   

A quick breakdown of the ingredients on Cosdna reveals that this product is actually full of potential acne triggers and irritants that might cause trouble depending on your skin. If I were to try using this on my face, I know I'd be in danger. However, on my legs and feet there's no issues at all. I have other indie bath and body products with slimmer ingredients lists, but considering that this is not going on my face I don't mind and haven't experienced any issues. However, I still suggest that you patch test (and should with all new skin products) - don't be like me!