Dove Nutrium Moisture Body Wash
According to the dermatologists and scientists behind Dove‘s new line of Nutrium Moisture body washes, most cleansers dry out the skin and so, to counteract this detrimental effect, they’re infused with rich moisturizers meant to rehydrate the skin. Unfortunately, Dove’s experts tell us that these hydrating agents simply sit atop the skin’s surface — never truly penetrating past those top layers. The solution, they suggest, is making sure that body washes contain moisturizers that mirror those found naturally in the skin. The Dove Nutrium Moisture body washes, then, contain nourishing soybean oil, deeply hydrating lipids that are purportedly identical to those found in the skin, and Glycerin, which helps retain moisture.
But let’s skip past the corporate press release babble and get to the good stuff: my hands-on, first-hand experience with the product. Three types of Dove Nutrium Moisture body washes are available: Sensitive Skin, Gentle Exfoliating and Deep Moisture. Personally, I find the Sensitive Skin body wash to be the most pleasant of the three (from a sensory perspective), but the Deep Moisture wash beats out the others in terms of the scent.
Usually, I’m not drawn to extra creamy body washes, but these feel pleasant on the skin — they soften without leaving a balmy, greasy coating that makes you feel, well, dirty. I do wish the consistency was a little lighter because, when you squeeze some of the washes onto your palms, you’ll find what looks like a Cool Whip-like, half-dollar sized, lotion-like dollop. When you smooth it onto the skin though, you will see that the cream feels way more lightweight than one would have assumed.
The Sensitive Skin body wash really is gentle enough for even the most irritable skin, but I will admit that the scent doesn’t quite thrill me. Though billed as unscented, the Sensitive Skin wash does have a scent — it doesn’t include artificial fragrances, but it does have a distinctive smell, which actually feels really synthetic and soap-like (and personally, I like my washes to smell like fruits or florals, not chemicals). And, while the Deep Moisture body wash does smell substantially better, it still isn’t quite as fresh and invigorating and olfactory experience as I would prefer.
But these body washes do leave the skin feeling smoother than most cleansers so, in that regard, I’m definitely a fan.
Dove Nutrium Moisture body washes, $8.79 each. Visit Drugstore.com. Also available at most food and drug chain retailers.
