Me & Mr Bones…

…We got a thing going on.

On my right (your left) is Mr Bones – the official Kiehl’s mascot. He can be found in every Kiehl’s store worldwide, and serves as a reminder of Kiehl’s tradition in medicine and dedication to science. As many of you already know, Kiehl’s opened their first store in Sandton City in September this year. Kiehl’s was founded in 1851 as an old-world apothecary in New York’s Lower East Side neighborhood, where their flagship store is still located today, and makes the cult product (of which I’ve heard Beyoncé is a fan), Creme de Corps.

The nice people at Kiehl’s gave me this box of travel sized samples to test out.

What was inside the box you ask?

The goodie box consisted of Kiehl’s Lip Balm #1, Musk Blend No 1, Ultra Facial Cleanser, Ultra Facial Toner, Ultra Facial Moisturiser, Creme de Corps and Midnight Recovery Concentrate. Having used all of the products, only one impressed the pants off me. If you guessed Creme de Corps DING! DING! DING! you guessed right! This lotion is the colour of custard and is unscented (but has a slight aroma according to my nose). It goes on like a dream (it has a creamy, spreadable texture) and melts into your skin, providing it with a pretty sheen and keeping your limbs moisturised for the whole day. Not many moisturisers can do this. Lovely!

But wait.

Whilst Kiehl’s claims that their formulas are derived from unique natural ingredients, being a lover of green cosmetics, I decided to to some research. This lotion contains some nasty ingredients, such as Oxybenzone (which has been banned from cosmetic products in Japan), Propylene Glycol and Hydroxytoluene. Basically, Kiehl’s Creme de Corps isn’t completely natural and does contain some harmful ingredients. I SO BADLY want to love this product, but because of the nasty ingredients, I can’t. I was so excited to hear that Kiehl’s was made from ‘natural’ ingredients, but that little light went out when I discovered that Creme de Corps does in fact contain a few potentially damaging chemicals.

I will say that if you are a non-believer in green products and you are looking for a phenomenal body moisturiser, do yourself a favour and get to Kiehl’s immediately for a bottle of Creme de Corps. They also have a thicker version – Creme de Corps Soy Milk & Honey Whipped Body Butter – which smells heavenly! You might want to lick yourself after applying it.

For my eco-beauties out there wishing for a green body lotion to rival Creme de Corps, never fear, for I have made such a discovery and will be reviewing it this-coming Monday.

Rating: 3/5 (If there were no nasties, it would have been a 7/5)
Product: 5/5 (Ignoring the chemicals)
Packaging: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Price: Around R550 for the big pump bottle
Would I buy again?: Not until they remove the offending chemicals
Where to buy: Kiehl’s, Sandton City