A Recipe For Soft Skin — Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Body Butter
The funniest thing happened last night as I was massaging some of Too School’s absolutely divine Egg Mellow Body Butter onto my arms and legs: my 4-month-old puppy, Bowie, awoke from his slumber and began sniffing around his makeshift bed on the couch (yes, he’s so spoiled that we have little beds for him everywhere) before directing his gaze at me, as I stood a few feet away, and making his “you-know-you-want-to-give-me-a-treat” face. He simmered down after a few seconds, at which point I went down to sit on the couch. A sleepy Bowie stumbled over and nuzzled next to me before gently beginning to lick the side of my thigh. Oh, he’s giving me kisses! How sweet! I thought. Then I realized he was giving me little puppy kisses right down my leg, and I realized this was not a sign of affection but, rather, a slick attempt at licking off my delicious-smelling body butter. I looked at Bowie suspiciously and enticed him to play on the floor for a while while my skin fully absorbed what was left of the body butter. I learned two important lessons from the experience: first, that I’m a complete pushover and an idiot when it comes to this dog; and two, that the Too School Egg Mellow Body Butter ($29 at Sephora.com) is irresistible to humans and canines alike.
The sweet scent reminds me of yellow cake batter or buttercream frosting, which makes sense given that egg yolk extract and shea butter are key ingredients in the product formulation. The consistency, meanwhile, reminds me of a Country Crock spread, so that the cream glides onto the skin with even more ease than a pat of butter sliding inside a glass pan, greasing its entire surface. That said, the cream doesn’t feel thick or greasy so, in that sense, it’s nothing like butter — it’s just that initial sensation, how it seems to melt and slip and slide on the skin, that’s reminiscent of butter. Once the cream has been massaged onto the skin, it’s absorbed relatively quickly, and skin is left feeling soft and nourished.
Since I started using this body butter, my arms feel considerably softer — even the back of my arms which sometimes develop a rough and bumpy texture due to both the heat and a life-long battle with keratosis pilaris (a condition caused by a build-up of keratin that results in hair follicles being congested and, in turn, translate into annoying little bumps). Looking through the ingredient list, you’ll find some of the usual suspects like shea butter, sweet almond oil, macadamia seed oil, jojoba seed oil, apricot kernel oil, and sesame seed oil, as well as more peculiar ingredients — chiefly, egg yolk extract. While you may associate this substance with lemon curd or vanilla pudding, egg yolks are believed to have skin-replenishing properties due to the fact that they contain tons of protein and essential fatty acids like lecithin and linoleic acid. Lecithin, in particular, can penetrate the epidermis and work to reinforce the membranes of individual skin cells. Linoleic acid, meanwhile, helps to strengthen the skin’s natural oil barrier. Together, then, these fatty acids can help to hydrate the skin and seal moisture therein. The body butter also contains egg white extract (otherwise known as albumen), which are believed to have astringent properties, removing dirt and debris from inside pores and thereby making pores less visible. If these egg white properties are, in fact, true it might explain why this cream has done wonders in terms of treating my keratosis pilaris, potentially removing that keratin build-up and unclogging those pores on my arms without dehydrating the skin. Who knew eggs were so, well, egg-cellent?
While some DIYers might already be dreaming off cracking eggshells and concocting their own skin-nourishing treatments, I’d rather not smell like an omelette, so I’ll leave the egg yolk experimentation to the Too Cool for School masters.
Another interesting point regarding this delightful moisturizer pertains to the process by which it was made, which involved using a steam blending technique in which 10 oil components (including argan, jojoba, macadamia, sesame seed, apricot kernel, baobab seed, and sweet almond oils) were quickly melted into butter at 100℃. This process not only ensured that the formula would have enough of a shelf life for customers to use for months at a time, but it yielded that sublime texture I raved about before.
Other ingredients in the Too Cool For School Egg Mellow Body Butter include: centella asiatica (gotu kola) extract, which is rich in amino acids, beta carotene, fatty acids and phytochemicals that help to stimulate collagen production and boost antioxidant activity; soluble collagen, which of course helps to restore any depleted collagen and give skin a firm and taut appearance; sodium hyaluronate, which can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in moisture and bind it to the skin for long-lasting hydration; aloe leaf juice, which soothes and calms the skin; fig fruit extract, which is rich in vitamin A and therefore helps to promote cellular turnover; purslane (portulaca oleracea), an herb believed to have skin-soothing and antioxidant properties; peony extract, which is believed to have anti-inflammatory benefits; licorice extract, a natural skin brightener; Kudzu root, which has antioxidant benefits; and ceramides, the lipids that function as the glue that holds skin cells together.
After using this product for over a month, I’m not only sold on the idea that eggs might just be the key to great skin, but I’m hooked on the sweet, vanilla-tinged, cake-like scent of this indulgent body butter. It really does smell good enough to eat — just ask Bowie (but don’t expect an answer since, you know, he’s a dog).
