Blueberry Fields Forever — The Body Shop Launches its Special Edition Blueberry Body Butter
Time flies when you’re having fun — which is why, you might be surprised to discover that it’s been over 20 years since The Body Shop introduced its first body butter, revolutionizing the skin care industry by revealing a thick, creamy lotion that could be slathered and massaged onto the skin like butter, melting at body temperature so as to leave behind no greasy residue but, instead,offer the skin a moisturizing hug. The original scent, Mango, is now accompanied by such aromas as Vineyard Peach, Strawberry, Vanilla, Almond, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Pink Grapefruit and Sweet Lemon (to name just a few of the 20 varieties). The latest addition to The Body Shop’s body butter family is the Special Edition Blueberry Body Butter ($20 at TheBodyShop-USA.com) which, as the name implies, smells like juicy blueberries.
Like all of The Body Shop’s body butters, this one contains ingredients sourced through the brand’s Community Fair Trade Program, which enables the brand to buy high quality botanical extracts from small communities around the world, paying farmers fair wages and investing in community development programs — from the erection of new schools and hospitals to the establishment of medical and nutritional centers. The shea butter and cocoa butter in the formula, for instance, are obtained from the Tungteiya Women’s Association in Ghana. When you buy a Body Shop Body Butter, then, you’re also supporting the brand’s socially minded initiatives.
Creating a single jar of Special Edition Blueberry Body Butter involves extracting the oil from 500 blueberries. This natural fruit extract not only gives the body butter its tangy yet sweet aroma, but it nourishes the skin thanks to its high concentration of vitamin A, which promotes cellular turnover and collagen and elastin production, as well as vitamin C, which brightens the skin and helps to even skin tone while also improving capillary blood circulation. Since blueberries are also rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals, this body butter also helps to protect the skin from the free radicals that can lead to premature aging signs. As for the rest of the ingredients in the formula, shea butter locks in hydration and fortifies the skin’s own moisture barrier; cocoa butter softens and smooths the skin; glycerin functions as a lightweight humectant; sesame seed oil, which boasts a high concentration of zinc and, as a result, helps to boost collagen production so skin remains supple and maintains its elasticity; and Brazil nut extract, which contains selenium, an antioxidant that protects the skin from damaging UV rays.
I adore the texture of this body butter, how it spreads on the skin with more ease than butter on hot toast, how it feels luxurious and succulent and instantly makes the skin feel cooler and more comfortable, and how it’s readily absorbed by the skin so that no balmy sensation remains after application. Given how harsh this winter has been, I’ve moisturized even more rigorously than normal and this body butter has been a key part of my routine as of late — I literally used up every drop of product inside the round jar. As for the fragrance, it’s a very clear blueberry aroma but it’s also highly concentrated so that it’s perhaps most akin to the scent you’d experience when eating a blueberry pie or spreading blueberry jam atop a piece of bread or a delicious pastry as opposed to smelling like a bowl full of blueberries (again, consider that 500 blueberries went into making that one body butter!). You’ll smell good enough to eat!
