little white truths

I bought a few Natio body products on clearance in my local Priceline last year, and it's only over the past couple of months that I've been able to start opening and using them because I had so many things in my cupboard to get through before them.

First up for review is this body lotion, which I've been using perhaps every second day for the past two months. I don't use it every day because it's not hydrating enough for my dry skin, so for that reason alone I wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't buy it again.

Natio claims/product details:

• A non-greasy and easily absorbed daily moisturiser with the fresh scent of an orange grove in bloom
• Enriched with green tea, almond, sesame and jojoba to leave skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated
• Gives the skin an all-over burst of instant and lasting hydration
• A nourishing lotion that leaves skin feeling smooth and soft with an all-over healthy glow
• RRP $14.95 AUD for 250ml, but do shop around

Worth noting now is that it looks like Natio has changed the packaging of this product, so the bottle is now taller, thinner and rounder.

Nevertheless I understand that the product itself is the same, so this review still applies and you can also still find this product if you're interested: it hasn't been discontinued.

Verdict

This product is ok but it's not great and I do have a number of issues with it, which I'll go into shortly. It may be that the body butter from this range is better, but I wouldn't buy one of Natio's body lotions again because the formula isn't for me.

It's quite a thin, runny product and it applies and spreads well. It smells very green and I smell more greenery than orange blossom, although it's not an unpleasant smell (it's fresh) and it lingers gently on the skin without being overpowering.

Two things I like about this product are: it comes with a pump; and you only need a small amount per application so the bottle will last forever. So if you prefer pumps because they're easier to use and you don't like getting through your body products too quickly, then something like this might appeal.

Do note, though, that the formula itself isn't my cup of tea. I'm aware when I'm applying it that it's very thin and it doesn't feel as though it's hydrating my dry skin, and indeed my body usually feels rather thirsty after I've used this. So if like me you have dry skin, then I would skip this product. If however you have oily or normal skin, then this might be more your speed.

Another thing I don't love about it is that it leaves quite a tacky finish that tells me not all of it is absorbing (which could at least in part be why it doesn't feel nourishing enough for my dry skin). What this also means is that I need to wash or wipe my hands down before eg I use my computer again, because the finish is too tacky for my keyboard.

On the claims: yes I agree that this is non greasy and while yes some of it absorbs instantly, not all of it is absorbing (hence the tacky finish); yes it has a fresh scent; no it doesn't leave my skin feeling soft, smooth or hydrated (it doesn't achieve any of those three things in my case); and no it doesn't give my skin a burst of instant or long-lasting hydration.

Overall I don't think this is an awful product, it's just that it doesn't meet my personal needs. It may be fine for normal to oily skin, but for my dry skin, I need something with more punch. And while yes this is a lotion so you'd expect it to be lighter than eg a body cream or butter, I've used plenty of lotions before that do a lot more for my skin than this does, and I still expect a lotion to hydrate my skin enough - especially in summer when it's not that dry.

Not for me.