The Body Shop Drops of Youth: A skincare range to target the first signs of aging
Some of you may remember my old review last year of The Body Shop's Drops of Youth Concentrate, which is part of the Nutriganics Line. And while I didn't review it last year either, the Nutriganics line also had a Bouncy Sleeping Mask too. The packaging of the products in the Nutriganics line is slightly different - the "older" Bouncy Sleeping Mask, for example, has a white cap rather than a black one, while the Concentrate had a different lid and dropper.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth: Five products, ranging from lotions to concentrates to masks
Anyway, we'll be looking at all these products in the Drops of youth collection - Lotion, Eye Concentrate, Youth Concentrate, Cream, and Bouncy Sleeping Mask, and as always, we're going to take a closer look at how these products work! Since there are quite a number of products to go through, this post is going to be a tad long, so buckle your seatbelts, and let's get starte!
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence Lotion
First, let's take a look at the Drops of Youth Essence Lotion. Basically, this is a lotion, which you pour out of a bottle and pat on your face. It's the most lightweight product in the range, and the least emollient, so if you do use multiple items from the range, this should go on first.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence Lotion Ingredients
The ingredients in the Drops of Youth Essence Lotion are Water, humectants (Propanediol), and Alcohol Denat. After that we hit the main preservative, Phenoxyethanol. So at its heart, this is a pretty simple, basic lotion. Some people may have concerns about the alcohol in the product, but I'm guessing it's present in there to aid penetration of the lotion, as well as any subsequent skincare products. Alcohol can certainly dry skin out (I'd never recommend that you use pure ethanol and douse your skin in it!), but those with oily skins might not mind it.
The rest of the ingredients include some emulsifiers (Betaine, Polysorbate 20), stabilizers (Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6), humectants (Butylene Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate), viscosity controlling ingredients (Xanthan Gum), pH adjusters (Citric Acid), and the like. I'm not a fan of some of the citrus fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene), but they are there in such small amounts that it probably shouldn't bother anyone.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence Lotion: A combination of water, humectants and alcohol make this lightweight
There are also some plant extracts, filtrates and cell cultures, for those who like natural ingredients (Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Eryngium Maritimum Extract, Cinnamomum Cassia Bark Extract, Poterium Officinale Extract/Poterium Officinale Root Extract, Zingiber Officinale Root Extract/Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture). Some of these are actually pretty interesting, and not often seen in other products - Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate and Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture are ones I haven't seen before. So as far as natural skincare goes, the product does seem to live up to the claim of being predominantly natural.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Essence Lotion: A super-light water-gel that sinks into skin fast
When I used the Drops of Youth Essence Lotion, I was a little surprised to see that it had a gel-like texture, in contrast to the typical watery textures of most lotions. It's still quite thin though - unlike a typical gel product, you can't really dab this on with your finger. You'd really have to pour it into your palm. I guess it is sort of a cross between an essence and a lotion in terms of texture. The scent is also gorgeous, a very fresh, green and citrus scent (I know I said I'm not a fan of citrus fragrance ingredients, and I'm not, but man do they smell good).
Despite having a gel texture, this Essence Lotion sinks in very fast with no residue on the skin, because the alcohol helps everything penetrate faster. Despite containing alcohol, this product doesn't actually feel drying on my skin. For those who don't like lotions that leave behind a sticky feel, this would be up your alley.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate
The Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate is the product that reminded me of the Nutragenics Drops of Youth Concentrate from last year. Taking a look at the ingredients list from the Youth Concentrate with last year's Nutragenics product, we can see that the ingredients lists are different - although, not to different as to have a totally different functionality and feel on the skin. Basically, no they aren't dupes, but if you like one, chances are you'll like the other.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate Ingredients
The main ingredients in the Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate are Water, humectants (Glycerin, Propanediol, Sodium Hyaluronate), Alcohol Denat., and a couple of plant extracts (Fagus Sylvatica Bud Extract, Chondrus Crispus Powder). After this we hit Benzyl Alcohol, which does double duty as a preservative and a fragrance ingredient.
Interestingly, there's also a small amount of Salicylic Acid, a BHA, which I personally like in my skincare products as an exfoliatant and anti-acne ingredient. But I wouldn't recommend this as a product for exfoliation per se, because the level of Salicylic Acid is probably quite low, and when I tested the pH of the product, it came out to about pH6.5. Since Salicylic Acid is more effective at exfoliating at lower pHs (a pH of 4 and below is optimal), chances are, you won't get huge exfoliating effect from this, and any exfoliating effect will be very, very gradual and over time. But, with the fairly high amount of humectants, this will give a decent moisturizing effect - provided you're not sensitive to alcohol. The fact that they have included some of the advertised plant ingredients in significant amounts is also great too.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate: Has a pH of about 6.5
The rest of the ingredients include more plant extracts (Eryngium Maritimum Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture, Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil), as well as functional ingredients like preservatives (Benzoic Acid, Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate), pH adjusters (sodium Hydroxide), as well as the citrus fragrance ingredients (Citronellol, Limonene, Linalool), which are all present in fairly low amounts.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate: Has less alcohol than the previous Nutragenics version
Comparing this to the previous Nutragenics Drops of Youth Concentrate, we see that there are some broad similarities, but also some quite major differences. The similarities are obvious and easy to identify - the humectants are the same, the preservatives are the same, some of the plant extracts are the same, the citrus fragrance extracts are the same, and some of the minor ingredients are quite similar too. So if you like one, you'll like the other.
However, the major difference for me is that Alcohol is now the third ingredient, rather than the second, in the newer Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate product, as opposed to the Nutragenics version. While it's hard to tell, it could be indicative of a lower alcohol content, which means that given my preferences for less alcohol in my products, I definitely prefer the newer version. But of course, different people will prefer different things.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate: Feels moisturizing and sinks in fast
When I tried the Drops of Youth Youth Concentrate, I found it to have the same refreshing scent as the lotion, and a nice gel-like texture that sinks in fast, and doesn't feel drying at all despite the alcohol. It doesn't leave much residue on my skin, although it doesn't absorb as cleanly as the Essence Lotion. I think this is in part due to the fact that the Youth Concentrate is a bit more emollient in formula.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate
We also have The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate, which is a very conveniently-packaged rollerball eye product. I love rollerballs for eyes - the cooling sensation when the product is applied feels so nice! This isn't just a plain ol' rollerball, though, it is a combination of a rollerball and a pump dispenser. So you press the pump a coupe of times to dispense the product onto the rollerball, and then proceed to roll it on your eye area.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate Ingredients
The main ingredients in the product are Water, humectants (Butylene Glycol, Sorbitol, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin), Alcohol Denat., emollient (PEG-20 Methyl Glucose Sesquistearate), film formers (PVP), polymers (Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer), and Silica. After this we reach the main preservative, Phenoxyethanol. This is an interesting combination of ingredients. The humectants, emollients and alcohol create a product that is a lightweight moisturizing product for skin, for, while the film formers, polymers and silica are present to make the eye area appear better immediately upon application. The film formers and polymers sit nicely on the skin to improve appearance, while silica can help to diffuse the light around the eye area, and help to give a slight optical illusion that the eye around the skin looks smoother. So, in addition to just being an eye serum, this also is great as a quick fix" where you want your eye to look good right now - say, if you have an event to go to at night and want a quick fix to improve the appearance of your eye area.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate: a pH of 6-6.5
Again, I spotted Glycolic Acid, an AHA that could in theory help to exfoilate skin, but, given the small amounts it seems to be present in, and given that the pH of the product is about 6-6.5 (yes, I tested it too), I doubt you will get serious exfoliation in this product. But nevertheless, it also provides humectant benefits, even if the exfoliation effect you get from this is small.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Eye Concentrate: Also has shimmer particles and film formers to immediate improve the appearance of the eye area
The rest of the ingredients include (Orbignya Phalerata Seed Powder, Olea Europaea Fruit Oil/Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Manihot Esculenta Tuber Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture, Fraxinus Excelsior Bark Extract), humectants (Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium PCA, Urea, Trehalose ), shimmer to improve the appearance of the eye (Synthetic Fluorphlogopite), film formers (Polyquaternium-51), and some ingredients that are great for skincare (Niacinamide, Tocopherol), binders (Pullulan), as well as other funnctional ingredients like pH adjusters, thickeners, and preservatives (Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Citrate, Citric Acid).
The Body Shop Drops of Youth: A lightweight, moisturizing product for the eye area with a cooling sensation and a brightening effect
The Youth Eye Concentrate has a cooling sensation on the skin, and absorbs fast. It does have shimmer in it, that does help to brighten the eye area and improve the overall appearance of the eye. Because of the lightweight texture of the product, this might not be suitable for people who have dry undereye areas, or who prefer thicker, more occlusive eye creams. Personally, my tastes for eye products leans towards the emollient, so this is a tad too light for me. But it can easily be layered under another eye cream if you wish. I personally might use this more as a "cosmetic quick fix", since it does visually brighten the undereye, but I will probably prefer something more emollient for my eye cream.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream
The Body Shop's Drops of Youth Youth Cream is basically a moisturizer, and probably the most conventional out of all the products we've seen so far. Unlike the Essence Lotion, it doesn't have an unexpected texture, and unlike the Eye Concentrate, it doesn't have nifty packaging, but nevertheless, it's a good staple if you like this range.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream Ingredients
The main ingredients consist of water, emollients (Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene), humectants (Glycerin), Alcohol, a couple of polymers and fibers (Nylon-66, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer), and then we reach the main preservative, Phenoxyethanol. Again, this is a moisturizing product, with both emollients and humectants, but designed to feel lightweight and aesthetically pleasant on skin, with the addition of Alcohol, and the polymers and fibers. As with all the products in the Drops of Youth range we've seen so far, the alcohol content can certainly be a concern for those who prefer alcohol-free products, or have particularly dry or sensitive skin, but may be fine for other people.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream: A combination of humectants and emollients help moisturize skin
The rest of the products include more humectants (Caprylyl Glycol), emollients (Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Alcohol), emulsifiers (Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate), and things like pH adjusters (Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid), citrus fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene), thickeners (Xanthum Gum), and so on. The plant extracts are there too (Eryngium Maritimum Extract, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Crithmum Maritimum Callus Culture Filtrate, Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil), for those who like their natural ingredients.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream: Has a pH of about 5.5
There is Salicylic Acid in there too, but again, it's there at such small amounts that it probably doesn't actually exfoliate too much. Also, the pH of the product is about pH5.5, which, while optimal for skin as it matches the skin's own pH, isn't that great for activating exfoliating acids. So, any exfoliating benefits you get will be very very gradual. But then again, as with the Youth Concentrate and the Youth Eye Concentrate, the Youth Cream isn't sold as an exfoliating product, but as a moisturizing product, so any exfoliation is just an extra plus.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Youth Cream: A thick gel that absorbs cleanly with no residue
The Youth Cream, despite its name, isn't a traditional cream in the sense that it isn't heavy or thick or oily. This is sort of more like a cross between a gel and a cream, and also like all the other products in the line, has that gorgeous fresh citrus scent (again, thanks to the citrus fragrance ingredients - not that great for skin in large amounts, but they smell great). It's not entirely gel-like, though, and is perhaps best described as a thick, opaque white gel. It absorbs fast, and leaves no residue on my skin at all.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask
Lastly, we come to the product I'm most excited for - the Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask! As the name indicates, the Bouncy Sleeping Mask has a pretty interesting texture - it's like a cross between a jelly and a dough and a gel, depending on how you're handling it, and it makes it so fun to play with! You can gently press it and it will spring back into shape, but if you poke it hard it will make a dent, but then again if you let the dented product sit for awhile, it will eventually re-form a smooth surface again. I could spend a good number of minutes playing with this! It comes with a spatula to scoop it up, too.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask Ingredients
The ingredients in the Bouncy Sleeping Mask are water, humectants (Propanediol, Glycerin), emollients (Dimethicone, Helianthus Annuus Hybrid Oil, Diheptyl Succinate), emulsifiers (Polysorbate 20), thickeners (Acrylates/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Copolymer), and then we hit Phenoxyethanol, the main preservative. So at its heart, this is a nice sleeping mask that moisturizes well (it has humectants and emollients), and also has a nice texture, and a good amount of plant extracts, in the form of Helianthus Annuus Hybrid Oil. I know for some people, a lightweight texture is important for sleeping masks, because they don't want the sleeping mask to get all over their pillow and end up waking up to a sticky pillow. Well, with this one, there's not much to worry about!
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask: It has a super fun texture that you'll want to touch and poke
The rest of the ingredients are a bunch of ingredients that are good for skin, including antioxidants (Tocopheryl Acetate), humectants (Sodium Hyaluronate), and functional ingredients like film formers (Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer), thickeners (Xanthan Gum), pH adjusters (Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid), preservatives (Benzyl Alcohol)and so on. The plant extracts (Orbignya Oleifera Seed Oil, Leontopodium Alpinum Meristem Cell Culture) are there too, as are the citrus fragrance ingredients (Linalool, Citronellol, Limonene).
For what it's worth, this version of the Bouncy Sleeping Mask is probably the same as the Nutragenics Bouncy Sleeping Mask that came out last year, since both products have identical ingredients lists. So if you've tried the previous Bouncy Sleeping Mask, you'll probably have a good idea of what this one is like!
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask: The only product out of the 5 reviewed that has no alcohol
Notably, this is the only product with no alcohol, so if you (like me) prefer to avoid products with alcohol where possible, this product will be right up your alley. This product feels very light on skin, and although it's fun to play with because of its interesting texture, when you actually apply it on your skin, it basically feels like a gel sleeping mask or moisturizer. It absorbs fast into skin, and doesn't feel heavy, thick, or oily at all. For those who are looking for a night product for their skin, but don't want the traditional night creams, this is a good alternative. As a matter of fact, you can use it during the day too - it's certainly light enough for that!
The Body Shop Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask: A gel-like sleeping mask that moisturizes without feeling heavy
So, would I recommend The Body Shop Drops of Youth range? I'll be honest: I don't really like products with alcohol, if you can't already tell. While I've written elsewhere on the blog that I recognize that alcohol has its use in skincare products (such as thinning out the product, and aiding penetration of other skincare ingredients), it's something that I personally try to avoid. I've got a case of "once bitten twice shy" when it comes to alcohol - previous bad experiences with alcohol-containing products that were dring have made me reluctant to use products with alcohol in them in the future. But I know that most people are perfectly fine with alcohol in their skincare products, particularly those with oily or acne-prone skin, and that alcohol can often make a product lighter-textured and easier to use.
In the case of the Drops of Youth range, despite my concerns about alcohol, the range as a whole feels moisturizing, and didn't dry out my skin. So I highly doubt the range will dry out anyone's skin, or anything like that. So if you're looking for a skincare range that is lightweight, absorbs fast, and doesn't leave any residue on your skin, this is going to be a good choice. My favourite product, obviously, is the Bouncy Sleeping Mask - not only is it super fun to play with because of its novel texture, it's also moisturizing but lightweight.
The Body Shop Drops of Youth: Alcohol content aside, the range is moisturizing and lightweight
Alcohol aside, the Drops of Youth products have several good things going for them. For example, they have some interesting and fairly unique plant extracts, including filtrates and cell cultures, which you don't often find in mass-market brands. They also are easily-absorbed into the skin, and feel light, and have a very nice scent, and the range includes products with both emollients and humectants, which should do a good job at moisturizing your skin.
The prices are also pretty decent, ranging from S$37.90 for the Essence Lotion to S$59.90 for the Youth Concentrate (or S$79.90 if you want the jumbo-sized version). There's also the Drops of Youth Challenge going on, the prize of which is a year's supply of the Youth Concentrate. You can learn more about in my IG post here.
| Recommended? | Formulation | Packaging | Ease of Use | Effectiveness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| If you don't mind alcohol | 5/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| The Bottom Line: The products do have alcohol, but other than that, have a lightweight texture, do a good job at moisturizing skin, and have some novel plant ingredients. | ||||
I want to try the Sleeping Mask so bad! Can you use it every night or once or twice a week?
ReplyDelete@Yiotou_La: You can use it either every day or occasionally, it's up to you :) The main function of this product is hydration, and there's nothing in to stop you from using it everyday if you wish :)
DeleteThis post is very useful for us. Because we have a lot o tips and tricks from this post. Thank you for this amazing post share.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much , best blog that I've came along in my life ❤️
ReplyDeleteDid you have any skincare concern prior to using this and did using this fix any of those concerns?
ReplyDeleteMine is hyperpigmentation, oily skin, and visible pores/bkackhead....but right now Im on the hunt to get rid ofmy hyperpigmentation/ acne scar.
Did you have any skincare concern prior to using this and did using this fix any of those concerns?
ReplyDeleteMine is hyperpigmentation, oily skin, and visible pores/bkackhead....but right now Im on the hunt to get rid ofmy hyperpigmentation/ acne scar.
I love the Sleeping Mask. I opened one, tried it and went out to buy 2 more! Love how it keeps my skin moisturised through the night in my air-conditioned room.
ReplyDeleteAnother Body Shop gel/cream I buy more than 1 jar of is their OILS OF LIFE™ INTENSELY REVITALISING SLEEPING CREAM. It has such a super-delicious scent of floral and fruit that I use it for the instant aromatherapeutic kick!
I hope you will write a review abot the body shop drops of light range, their range contain salicylic acid too.. i wanna ask your opinion about comparing the drops of youth and drops of light serum and cream
ReplyDeleteI really like the reviews you write in your blog. They are very informative and has helped me to choose the right products for my skin. I was wondering if you can do a review on the Melissachens skincare products from Malaysia. Thank you so much
ReplyDeleteHi! Would you mind if I used one of your images of the Youth Eye Concentrate on my FB page?
ReplyDelete