For most people, body oil is the better choice, above all for dry skin and straight after a shower. Body lotion is largely water, and water evaporates. A body oil stays on the skin, holds moisture there and has no need of emulsifiers. That, at least, is the view of JunkFree Cosmetics, the brand from Palma de Mallorca that makes oils and nothing else.
What's in a body lotion?
Turn the bottle over. The first word on the back is almost always Aqua. Water and fat won't share a bottle without help, so a lotion needs emulsifiers, then preservatives to stop the water spoiling, then thickeners, perfume and often colour. Hence the long list. Most of what you pay for is water, plus a roll-call of actives that do your skin few favours and that it never needed anyway. And who wants a cream with 40 to 60 ingredients on their skin? Quite unnecessary. That is why Rosita always reaches for oils, which look after the skin by their very nature.
What's in a body oil?
A body oil contains no water, so everything that holds water and fat together falls away. What remains in the JunkFree Cosmetics body oil is cold-pressed almond oil, certified organic ingredients, vitamin E for protection and a delicate scent.
That scent owes nothing to perfume. JunkFree Cosmetics uses food-grade aromas, the kind you know from the patisserie. Harsh perfumes have no place here. The motto behind it all: don't put anything on your skin you wouldn't eat.
This comes at a cost, and the brand is open about it. Once opened, the oils keep for six months. With harsh preservatives it would be 24. Rosita, The Queen of Luxury Oil, decided against them, and four labs refused her because she would not let more additives into the bottle. The fifth said yes.
Doesn't body lotion give your skin more moisture?
Lotions give the skin hardly any moisture from the outside. Real moisture comes from within. If you drink enough, your body has its water, and so does your skin. A good oil then settles over the skin like a fine protective film and seals that moisture in, so it doesn't evaporate as quickly. And so skin stays soft, supple and cared for that much longer.
Does body oil take long to sink in?
Heavy oils do. A good body oil doesn't. Almond oil is thin and light, which is why the body oil sinks in quickly, isn't sticky and leaves a delicate scent behind. And you can get dressed straight away.
Who is body oil right for?
Mothers and daughters, and any skin that takes to a light oil. Above all, skin that feels tight again two hours after you have moisturised, or that winter central heating leaves dry. If you love the cool feel of a lotion, by all means keep it. Your skin can be looked after without it.
Which body oil should I choose?
Let your nose decide. Every Body Oil Box holds a large 100 ml bottle in the scent you order: Green Vanilla, Soft Rose, Strawberry Drip, Midnight Berry or Coco Skin. Alongside it there are always three mini samples in other scents, so that you meet the remaining oils and can decide what to order next time. Green Vanilla is the one people ask about most.
"Pure organic oils with a minimalist ingredient list. Very little in the bottle, and what is in it is premium, organic and carefully chosen. That, to me, is luxury." That is Rosita's rule, in her own words.