Spring Comes Early With New Caress Botanicals Shower Foams
One of the greatest beauty trends to emerge in the last few years involves a return to basics and earth-derived ingredients, what marketers have dubbed the “clean beauty” movement. The term may sound confusing, but the concept is simple enough: right now, brands are focusing on formulations devoid of any carcinogens and known allergens and concentrating on botanical-based and mineral-rich ingredients. Unlike all-natural or organic products, those in the “clean beauty” category aren’t necessarily devoid of any synthetic ingredients, but these don’t constitute the bulk of the formula components. Besides, there are numerous synthetic ingredients that are perfectly safe (and designated as such by after expansive research), and those are the ones prioritized by those brands seeking to enter the “clean beauty” space. Now, of course, different brands have different ethos and some are more likely to prioritize the incorporation of botanical-based ingredients; others, meanwhile, are more focused on eliminating the “icky” chemicals (parabens and sulfates, for instance) while keeping those that are markedly gentler. Caress Botanicals would fall into the latter category — while you’re unlikely to find rosemary leaf extract, camellia oil, baobab extract, jojoba oil, or quinoa extract within the ingredient list, you also won’t find any synthetic ingredients designated as hazardous.
In the case of the brand new Caress Botanicals Shower Foams — which smell divine, and I’ll get to that in a bit — the ingredients listed include: water; sodium lauroyl glutomate, which is derived from glutamic acid (an amino acid) and lauric acid (a fatty acid) and is used as a surfactant; cocamidopropyl betaine, a mixture of compounds derived from coconuts and used to create a foamy texture; sodium lauroyl glycinate, another mild surfactant sourced from naturally derived vegetable feedstocks and based on the amino acid glycine; tetrasodium EDTA, a chelating agent that improves the stability of certain personal care formulas; and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, a preservative. In other words, all these ingredients are perfectly safe; even if their scientific names give you pause, the research on these suggests they’re not hazardous. As for natural ingredients, you’ll find citric acid, an alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) derived from citrus fruits that helps to gently exfoliate the skin and promote cellular turnover, and glycerin, a natural humectant derived from plant oils (sources include shea butter and coconut oil).
The Caress Botanical Shower Foams, then, feature a stripped-down formula that prioritizes gentle surfactants designed to yield the airy foam at the center of the shower experience created by these products, synthetic fragrances inspired by nature, and a simple combination of glycerin and citric acid to cleanse skin without stripping it down. And, of course, they’re purposefully watered-down so as to create a sudsy lather rather as opposed to the denser formulas of its shower gel and shower cream counterparts.
On a sensory level, the Caress Botanicals Shower Foams create a rather pleasant shower experience. The scents are robust and refreshing without being overwhelming, the airy suds make you feel as giddy as a toddler playing with a bubble wand, and the formula glides over the skin smoothly and never feels heavy or sticky. Once you rinse the shower foam off your skin, it’s left feeling soft and gently perfumed. The pump dispenser, meanwhile, makes it easy to get just the right amount of product since there’s no guesswork involved. With most shower gels, you have to squeeze the bottle to dispense the product and, if you do so too hard, it can lead to wastefulness.
The shower foams are available in three fragrances: White Orchid and Coconut Milk, a beautiful floral scent that’s not too powdery but instead has an indulgent creaminess to it; Midnight Iris & Vanilla Bean, my absolute favorite since it’s feminine but mysterious (like the iris blossom itself) and the vanilla notes add a sensual element to the scent; and Neroli & Green Tea, a refreshing and green scent that’s got a floral quality to it, but is arguably the least bouquet-like of the bunch.
These fragrances seem to blossom during the shower experience, as if they were little buds blooming with every bit of foam released, and yet their leaves and petals seem to fold inward as the cleansing experience comes to an end, so that the fragrance that stays on your skin is very soft and whisper-like. To me, that’s an important element since I tend to steer clear of body washes with overly potent scents — especially since these can clash with the fragrances in my body lotions or body butters or with my perfume, creating an olfactory cacophony.
If you’ve been counting the days until the end of winter, the Caress Botanicals Shower Foams will feel like the ultimate treat, like a stroll through a beautiful garden replete with the bright colors and scents of spring.
The Caress Botanicals Shower Foams retail for $5.47 and are available at food, drug, and mass retailers nationwide.
