New Softsoap Luminous Oils Body Washes — Do They Shine Bright?
For years, when choosing a hand soap to place in my bathroom counter, I’ve gravitated towards Softsoap — after all, there are plenty of refreshing scent options, and the prices are beyond reasonable. As the brand has ventured into the body wash realm, I’ve given their various formulations a test drive (or test splash, if you will) — among them last year’s Softsoap Fresh & Glow Fruit Polish. Needless to say, I was excited to review their latest launch: the Softsoap Luminous Oils Body Wash collection ($2.97 each at mass retail, drug, and grocery stores nationwide).
The two-piece collection is comprised of two non-greasy, sheer, gel-like, floral-scented body washes: Avocado Oil & Iris or Macadamia Oil & Peony. On a sensory level, both body washes are delightful — especially in regards to their fragrances. As someone whose favorite flower is the peony, I adore the scent of the Softsoap Luminous Oils Macadamia Oil & Peony Body Wash, how it’s perky and feminine and just the right amount of powdery. Similarly, the Softsoap Luminous Oils Avocado Oil & Iris Body Wash perfectly captures that mysterious, moody, sensual aroma of the iris flower. The texture, meanwhile, is light and gel-like, so that the body washes never feel heavy or overly viscous nor do they leave any sort of film or greasy residue lingering atop the skin.
Now, because each of these body washes is infused with a botanical oil known for its skin nourishing properties (fatty acid-rich avocado oil or macadamia oil), you might expect these to leave skin feeling soft, smooth and hydrated. Sadly, this was not my experience. After using the Softsoap Luminous Oils Macadamia Oil & Peony Body Wash for several days, my skin began to itch almost incessantly and I developed a bit of a rash long my arms and legs. Admittedly, my skin has become increasingly sensitive over the years, but I don’t recall the last time a body wash triggered such a reaction. Curious, I examined every ingredient listed in the formula and found several possible culprits. The formula contains sodium laureth sulfate, which might sound alarming, but I’ve used plenty of body washes with this ingredient. After all, despite its name being strikingly similar to that of sodium lauryl sulfate, the two substances are not one and the same: sodium laureth sulfate is actually considered milder and more gentle than sodium lauryl sulfate, with the latter being the ingredient that’s earned plenty of scorn among beauty insiders. That said, sodium laureth sulfate isn’t necessarily a desirable ingredient — it’s considered “safe” for use, but that doesn’t translate into the cleansing agent being good for you. In a perfect world, all body washes would be sulfate- and paraben-free, but most mass market brands still continue using some sulfate derivative since they’re generally cheaper than some of the more innovative alternatives. Moving on, I noticed a few other ingredients on the list that could have triggered an adverse skin reaction: first, a trio of artificial dyes (D&C yellow no. 10, FD&C red no. 4, and D&C red no. 33); second, polyquaternium-7, an anti-static agent and film former; and third, cocamide MEA, a thickening compound synthesized from a mixture of ethanolamine and coconut fatty acids that, when combined with certain ingredients, can trigger a reaction, creating harmful nitrosamines that are known carcinogens (though the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Board suggests that, at concentrations of 10% or less, cocamide DEA and cocamide MEA should be safe).
When I tried out the Softsoap Luminous Oils Avocado Oil & Iris Body Wash, my skin reacted in the same exact fashion. Save for the plant oils in their monikers, these body washes have nearly identical ingredients in their formulations. The Softsoap Luminous Oils Avocado Oil & Iris Body Wash contains nonfat dry milk, and it doesn’t contain D&C red no.33, but these are the only other differing elements.
Now, I can’t know precisely what dehydrated my skin so severely, but I suspect cocamide MEA was the culprit since I’ve read that other people have noticed their skin felt parched after using body lotions and washes with the substance. I can’t speak on the potential long-term health effects of applying cocamide MEA to the skin on a regular basis —after all, I’m not a scientist, so I can only offer any insights I’ve stumbled upon during my own research — but I can say that, on a short-term basis, it does seem to be rather drying for the skin.
In addition to the aforementioned substances, what surprised me while reading the list of ingredients for this body wash was the virtual absence of humectants — save, of course for the macadamia seed oil (and, in the case of the Softsoap Luminous Oils Avocado Oil & Iris Body Wash, the avocado oil). There was no soybean oil, jojoba oil, coconut water, glycerin, sunflower seed oil, aloe leaf extract, lavender oil — literally nothing that would further soothe and nourish the skin or that would restore any lipids and strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier. If, like me, you have dry skin, this does not bode well.
Now, to be fair, my husband has been using these body washes as well, and he hasn’t had any adverse reaction to them. But, again, I’m the one with the dry and often sensitive skin in the household.
My overall takeaway: despite their pretty packaging and alluring scents, the Softsoap Luminous Oils Body Washes don’t deliver radiant results.
