little white truths

Ever since I first tried the Lime & Ginger version of this body scrub (reviewed here), I've wanted to try it in other scents - but my local Priceline only stocks the Lime & Ginger so I've just kept buying that.

Recently, however, I made a large Ethique order from one of the online retailers - which meant I could choose things that Priceline doesn't stock. This scrub was one of them, and I'm glad I've tried it because I really enjoy the scent and I may well buy it again. More on that below.

Ethique claims/product details:

• A deeply exfoliating coffee, coconut and chocolate body scrub that's loaded with antioxidants and has a delicious chocolate-coffee scent
• Ideal for all skin types, it contains aromatic cocoa, ground arabica coffee beans, pumice and creamy cocoa butter to exfoliate, buff and polish the skin
• Helps to prevent clogged pores, increase circulation and promote healthier, brighter skin
• Leaves you feeling smooth and soft all over
• Makes an ideal exfoliating treatment in preparation for fake tan application
• Made in NZ
• Certified carbon neutral company; 100% biodegradable; compostable packaging; palm oil free; gluten free; certified cruelty free and vegan
• RRP $19.95 AUD for 110g, but do shop around

What I love about Ethique is that they don't use plastic packaging and everything about the products is biodegradable. So you can throw the cardboard box into the compost, and you also don't need to worry about what's in the products because everything's sustainably sourced.

We need more companies like this, and the more we have, the more competitive things will be - which will drive prices down (at the moment it's a lot cheaper to buy a bottle of body scrub than it is to buy one of these, and the bottle will last longer: I hope that changes soon).

Verdict

I really enjoy this product, and while these scrubs aren't cheap and don't last very long (I could say the same of all the Ethique products I've tried to date), they're still my favourite items from Ethique and I'm more likely to keep buying these than I am anything else I've tried from the brand to date.

The product is a dark brown cube of soap that smells of coffee, chocolate and coconut, and it's a scent I love because it's delicious. It's not a strong scent, though, and one of the things I've learned with Ethique is that the older a product is, the less it smells. So on the odd occasion that I receive a relatively fresh item, the smell is amazing - but most of the time, the products I've bought haven't smelled that strongly.

What I like about this is that the scrubby matter it contains is very fine so it doesn't feel scratchy or harsh on the skin, but there's enough of it that it's effective. It's certainly not the most concentrated or effective scrub I've used, but it still does the job so that's the main thing.

What I don't like about it is that the soap is getting smaller very quickly, so these aren't good value on a price-per-use basis and I can't afford to keep my bathroom stocked with Ethique products all the time. I wish that weren't true, but there it is.

The product itself doesn't lather, so don't expect it to because you may wonder how well it's cleaning - as I did when I first used it - but it's not marketed as a cleanser so I've forgotten that and instead focused on what else it's doing.

The difference between this Mochaccino version and the Lime & Ginger version is that this bar is harder in texture. What this means is that I can't pinch off small bits at a time (I do that with the Lime & Ginger version) to make it last longer, and it also feels a little rougher and less forgiving against the skin - which may be a positive for some and a negative for others, depending on your preferences.

While this product is on the expensive side when you consider both the price and how quickly it's vanishing, what sets it apart for me is that it's a pleasure to use. Something about the smell and feel of it against my skin means I enjoy reaching for it in favour of other scrubs. Also, it leaves my skin feeling nicely buffed after use but it's neither too harsh nor too scratchy, so it's something I can use often without feeling that I've overdone it.

Overall, I enjoy this scrub and recommend it, but it's not my favourite. However I love the smell and the effect it gives (as well as the experience of using it), and I'll definitely be looking to try more scrubs from Ethique next time they're on special. 

Decent.