I feel like I review a lot of lotions, but to be honest it’s the beauty product I go through the fastest—especially during the winter when my skin is dry and cracked. So it never hurts to share another great lotion that’s landed on my radar, right? Good, because I really enjoyed using Erbaviva’s Relax Body Lotion.
Erbaviva is a natural beauty company that creates organic, handmade skin-care products for babies, mothers-to-be and everyone else. With an array of products, including Mommy-To-Be Milk Bath, Belly Butter, Baby Sunscreen, Diaper Cream, a variety of lotions and even pure essential oils, it’s fair to say that Erbavia has a well-rounded line fit for just about everyone.
Erbaviva’s Relax Body Lotion Ingredients
Before I get into why I love their Relax Body Lotion, let’s look at its full list of ingredients:
Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Beeswax, Xanthan Gum, Algin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Oil, Pelargonium Graveolens (Rose Geranium) Flower Oil, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Oil, Citrus Aurantium Amara (Neroli) Flower oil, *Geraniol, *Limonene, *Linalool, *Citronellol
Sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are flagged by the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database as a low-moderate risk (3). In addition, geraniol (7), limonene (6), linalool (5) and citronellol (5), which are naturally occurring scents, are flagged with higher risks. Why is this? I suspect it’s because certain people can have skin sensitivities to them. Geraniol, for example, is a naturally occurring scent ingredient found in various essential oils such as rose and citronella. And although the FDA considers geraniol generally recognized as safe (GRAS), the International Fragrance Association restricts its use because of potential sensitization.
Fortunately, these four ingredients are components of certified organic ingredients, so if you don’t suffer from supersensitive skin, then it’s likely that you won’t have a poor reaction to these natural fragrances. If you are worried, conduct a small patch test on your skin.
My Thoughts
Naturally scented with a number of relaxing ingredients, including lavender, rose and neroli oil, Erbaviva’s Relax Body Lotion is just that—wonderfully relaxing. It’s blended with nourishing cocoa butter, skin-healing aloe and natural anti-inflammatory jojoba oil, making it a healing treat for the skin as well. Milky and lightweight, this lotion is non-greasy and perfect for storing on your office desk to hydrate hard-working hands in the afternoon. All you need is a couple of pumps from this bottle to effectively moisturize.
To snag a bottle of this 6-ounce pump for $20, find it a store near you or buy online. If you’re not looking to relax, try one of Erbaviva’s other lotion blends, including Awaken, Embrace and Breathe.
Gina DeBacker is the associate editor at Mother Earth Living. She loves that part of her job entails testing beauty products enriched with natural ingredients.
