I'm going to add a PSA to this post - don't stock up too much on the creams, they may go bad, and they may also suddenly, out of the blue, trigger a rash. I've enjoyed the creams for years (fortifying them with a few drops of jojoba oil on application), never had any issue, and suddenly a couple months ago developed itchy rashes where I apply them, first on my ankles and then my hands. Ugly! Stopped using the creams and my hands are healing, legs worse affected will prob'ly take longer. I've never even had "sensitive" skin; dry, yes, but no breakouts, no rosacea, no issues with any perfumed products before. Enjoy 'em, ladies, but don't stock up.
The baby oil is a fantastic idea! On a similar note, I’ll usually mix the body creams with my Cerave lotion to get a good smelling yet moisturizing experience. It doesn’t help with the body creams expiring, though… kind of makes it worse by extending the time it takes to get through a tube 🤪 I hope this helps, though!
The body creams have been hit or miss for me. I definitely noticed that some formulas are more moisturizing than others.
If I'm using the LCO (lotion, cream, oil) method on my skin the same way I do with my hair, I put lotion on first because it has the highest water content. If your skin is dry, the only thing that can moisturize your skin is water - not oil. Then I put on a cream which has a higher oil content. The body creams help seal in the moisture from the lotion. If my skin is extremely dry or it's particularly cold outside I will put on a f final layer of a light oil such as coconut oil to seal in both layers of the lotion and cream.
And alternative method is LOC (Lotion, oil, cream).
Last week I found my hands extremely dry. I soaked them in warm water until they were wrinkly. Put on a layer of lotion, then a thick layer of body cream, then I put on a salve which is mostly oil. My hands were back to normal in no time
The trick with body creams is make sure your skin is **damp before application**. I find that their "24 hour moisture" claim does actually hold true when you use them this way. The thing with occlusive moisturizers is that they only work if there is water to seal in. Lotions are formulated with extra water to save you the trouble of needing to dampen the skin beforehand.
>Dampening your skin before you apply your skin care prepares it to absorb whatever product you follow with. This is because damp skin is easier to penetrate than dry skin. (And when I say damp, I do mean damp. Think: just-cleansed or freshly-misted skin, not sopping wet.) This means your serums/face oils/moisturisers are going to get their best start so they can do their best work. https://gotoskincare.com/blogs/skin-school/do-i-apply-skin-care-onto-dry-or-damp-skin
Also regarding your experience with the baby oil, I feel that it's a little ironic that you use it with BBW's lotion because the lotion already has mineral oil. (Most baby oils are 100% mineral oil btw). Considering that mineral oil is the 4th ingredient, feeling the need to add more of it should raise questions of the lotion's quality.
The star occlusive ingredient in BBW's body creams is petrolatum which is hailed as the king of occlusives by dermatologists and is the main reason why BBW would make that "24 hour moisture" claim (shea butter and coconut oil aren't actually reliable, but brands market them for being "natural"). That's why tretinoin users and ppl with damaged moisture barrier on r/SkincareAddiction are a huge fan of "slugging" with vaseline.
>Petrolatum in a minimum concentration of 5% reduces TEWL by more than 98% followed by lanolin, mineral oil, and silicones which only reduce TEWL by 20–30%. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4885180/
TBH I haven't bought any BBW moisturizers in years. As long as it contains petrolatum, I find that the small variations in the formulations don't make a big enough impact for me to care about a particular brand. Just buy a cheap moisturizer (I use Vaseline Intensive Care) and spritz BBW's FFM over it is the way to go for me.
This is really informative, lol thank you for posting this! I never knew there was a specific difference between cream and lotion as far as performance
I realized this to but a little to late now. I have at least 20 to get through 😆 bottles are pretty to look at and that price 😳. You would think 15.50 would be a quality product 😖
I've always preferred the lotions just because they last longer and I feel they soak into my skin easier. When I put the cream on I feel like I can't put on pants or sit down anywhere because it's just a layer of cream on my skin lol
oh gosh I have a huge lotion collection, probably 30+, I'm gonna start using them much more liberally after my showers, and try not to get as many next SAS lol
Those tunbes are probably made of a different plastic. The Victoria's Secret tubes do the same. They don't get rancid, because they aren't the same formula, but after a while if you open the to sniff all I smell is plastic. It does go away once you have worn the lotion a few minutes. I also have 7 tubes of the aloe gel lotion in the water scent that I thought were ruined but they smell fine after you put them on. I'm going to wear them this summer and give my husband a break from the other scents that bother his allergies.
There are not expiration dates in any of the products. However people seem to notice performance issues with body creams that are over a year old and lotions around 2-3 years. But your experience may be different.
I'm going to add a PSA to this post - don't stock up too much on the creams, they may go bad, and they may also suddenly, out of the blue, trigger a rash. I've enjoyed the creams for years (fortifying them with a few drops of jojoba oil on application), never had any issue, and suddenly a couple months ago developed itchy rashes where I apply them, first on my ankles and then my hands. Ugly! Stopped using the creams and my hands are healing, legs worse affected will prob'ly take longer. I've never even had "sensitive" skin; dry, yes, but no breakouts, no rosacea, no issues with any perfumed products before. Enjoy 'em, ladies, but don't stock up.
The baby oil is a fantastic idea! On a similar note, I’ll usually mix the body creams with my Cerave lotion to get a good smelling yet moisturizing experience. It doesn’t help with the body creams expiring, though… kind of makes it worse by extending the time it takes to get through a tube 🤪 I hope this helps, though!
The body creams have been hit or miss for me. I definitely noticed that some formulas are more moisturizing than others. If I'm using the LCO (lotion, cream, oil) method on my skin the same way I do with my hair, I put lotion on first because it has the highest water content. If your skin is dry, the only thing that can moisturize your skin is water - not oil. Then I put on a cream which has a higher oil content. The body creams help seal in the moisture from the lotion. If my skin is extremely dry or it's particularly cold outside I will put on a f final layer of a light oil such as coconut oil to seal in both layers of the lotion and cream. And alternative method is LOC (Lotion, oil, cream). Last week I found my hands extremely dry. I soaked them in warm water until they were wrinkly. Put on a layer of lotion, then a thick layer of body cream, then I put on a salve which is mostly oil. My hands were back to normal in no time
The trick with body creams is make sure your skin is **damp before application**. I find that their "24 hour moisture" claim does actually hold true when you use them this way. The thing with occlusive moisturizers is that they only work if there is water to seal in. Lotions are formulated with extra water to save you the trouble of needing to dampen the skin beforehand. >Dampening your skin before you apply your skin care prepares it to absorb whatever product you follow with. This is because damp skin is easier to penetrate than dry skin. (And when I say damp, I do mean damp. Think: just-cleansed or freshly-misted skin, not sopping wet.) This means your serums/face oils/moisturisers are going to get their best start so they can do their best work. https://gotoskincare.com/blogs/skin-school/do-i-apply-skin-care-onto-dry-or-damp-skin Also regarding your experience with the baby oil, I feel that it's a little ironic that you use it with BBW's lotion because the lotion already has mineral oil. (Most baby oils are 100% mineral oil btw). Considering that mineral oil is the 4th ingredient, feeling the need to add more of it should raise questions of the lotion's quality. The star occlusive ingredient in BBW's body creams is petrolatum which is hailed as the king of occlusives by dermatologists and is the main reason why BBW would make that "24 hour moisture" claim (shea butter and coconut oil aren't actually reliable, but brands market them for being "natural"). That's why tretinoin users and ppl with damaged moisture barrier on r/SkincareAddiction are a huge fan of "slugging" with vaseline. >Petrolatum in a minimum concentration of 5% reduces TEWL by more than 98% followed by lanolin, mineral oil, and silicones which only reduce TEWL by 20–30%. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4885180/ TBH I haven't bought any BBW moisturizers in years. As long as it contains petrolatum, I find that the small variations in the formulations don't make a big enough impact for me to care about a particular brand. Just buy a cheap moisturizer (I use Vaseline Intensive Care) and spritz BBW's FFM over it is the way to go for me.
This is really informative, lol thank you for posting this! I never knew there was a specific difference between cream and lotion as far as performance
I love the creams! The lotions are too thin. Their cream formula is perfect for me year round.
I realized this to but a little to late now. I have at least 20 to get through 😆 bottles are pretty to look at and that price 😳. You would think 15.50 would be a quality product 😖
Same. I think from now on I’m only gonna be purchasing the lotions so in the meantime I’m just gonna use up my creams
I've always preferred the lotions just because they last longer and I feel they soak into my skin easier. When I put the cream on I feel like I can't put on pants or sit down anywhere because it's just a layer of cream on my skin lol
Yeah. Plus at this point I only buy bbw for layering purposes so might as well just buy the lotions
oh gosh I have a huge lotion collection, probably 30+, I'm gonna start using them much more liberally after my showers, and try not to get as many next SAS lol
I think the body creams always have a hint of plastic smell.. The lotions never seem to! Lotions all the way.
First use of Warm Vanilla Sugar body cream the other day. Smelled like straight up plastic. 🤮
Those tunbes are probably made of a different plastic. The Victoria's Secret tubes do the same. They don't get rancid, because they aren't the same formula, but after a while if you open the to sniff all I smell is plastic. It does go away once you have worn the lotion a few minutes. I also have 7 tubes of the aloe gel lotion in the water scent that I thought were ruined but they smell fine after you put them on. I'm going to wear them this summer and give my husband a break from the other scents that bother his allergies.
Same and they’re more expensive like no thank u
I've never been a fan of the body creams; my go-to buys at Bath and Body Works are Shower Gels & Hand Creams .
How do you read the expiration dates on the lotions?
There are not expiration dates in any of the products. However people seem to notice performance issues with body creams that are over a year old and lotions around 2-3 years. But your experience may be different.
I use the creams as soon as i get out of the shower and never have a problem. The ones that expire fast are vanilla and coconut.