Review: Bath & Body Works Into the Wild Body Lotion

A few weeks ago, during Bath & Body Works' most recent fragrance event, I received this bottle of lotion for free in BBW's newest scent, Into the Wild. Today I'd like to give you my take on this new fragrance, and also reveal a nice added bonus: this is a dupe of one of my most coveted fragrances of all time!

Bath and Body Works Into the Wild Body Lotion

(retail: $10.50, 8 oz)

Bath & Body Works describes this fragrance as follows:

"...a seductive blend of exotic mandarin, lush petals, and white woods inspired by a sensuous escape into the jungle. "

Before I even sniffed this lotion, I was afraid that it might be a bit too floral for my tastes. Well boy was I wrong! I always tend to gravitate toward fragrances that have a bit of a tart note to them, and the mandarin in this fragrance gives my mouth that little pucker at the back of my tongue that I love so much in summertime fragrances. It's sweet, it's lush, it's tropical and it's got the perfect amount of tartness to keep it from being too syrupy or heavy.  For me, it's absolutely perfect for warm-weather months.

But after using this lotion for a while, I got the nagging feeling that I had smelled this fragrance before. It smelled...familiar. After days of not being able to put my finger on it, I went to my vanity (where I keep more fragrances than I care to mention) and looked around. It was then that I spotted that beautiful, all-too-familiar pink, orange and yellow heart-shaped bottle. 

My collection of Escada Limited Edition Summer Fragrances

It was then that I realized that Into the Wild smells almost exactly like Escada's Summer 2001 Limited Edition fragrance, Tropical Punch.

If you're unfamiliar with Escada's limited edition fragrances, let me give you a little background. Escada has been releasing limited edition summer fragrances for many years. It can be argued that the limited edition fragrance that started the mass-frenzy was Tropical Punch, which was released in the summer of 2001 (see center fragrance above). Without a doubt, THIS is the release that started my obsession with Escada's limited edition fragrances, and between the years of 2001 and 2005, I looked forward to each new release more than I looked forward to limited edition makeup releases.

Heck, I even went back in time and hunted down Escada's limited edition 1997 release, Que Viva, because I simply wanted to collect them all.

In my opinion, Tropical Punch, aside from being the catalyst for my obsession, is also the most original, and delightful fragrance of the bunch. After 2001, it seemed that each summer release from  Escada was simply a slightly different take on Tropical Punch. The fragrances release after Tropical Punch always seemed to be "Tropical Punch with a few extra notes added to the mix". Some years I could detect more pineapple, some years I could detect more floral notes. But year after year, for the next four years, I was always hoping that the new Escada release would be...Tropical Punch. Again. For me, Tropical Punch is just THE Escada Limited Edition Summer Fragrance and nothing will ever compare.

Sadly, after stockpiling Tropical Punch for many years, the bottle you see in the above photo is My Very Last Bottle. And because I didn't always keep it away from sunlight, the fragrance has turned a bit (which almost drives me to tears). So when I sprayed a bit on my arm and did a sniff-test against Into the Wild, it wasn't an exact match. But I hope you'll trust me when I say that Into the Wild smells very much like my memory of Tropical Punch, and even if it's not an exact dupe, it's close enough to have me doing carthwheels through my living room.

Even if you never owned Tropical Punch, I hope that you'll give Into the Wild a sniff the next time you're in Bath & Body Works. Since it is so similar to "the one that started it all", I think that Into the Wild will prove to be one of Bath & Body Works' most popular summertime fragrances. For me, it's the perfect marriage of tropical notes and it smells feminine, lush, sweet and tart all at the same time.

I cannot wait to smell this fragrance in body mist form (I have only smelled the lotion at the time of this review). I hope that the liquid formula is even closer to my sweet, sweet memories of Escada Tropical Punch.

Have you tried Into the Wild yet? If so, what do you think of it? Do you remember Escada Tropical Punch? If so, I would LOVE to know if you detect the similarities as well.