Review: I Love...Coconut & Cream Bubble Bath & Shower Gel

Last October I gave you a sneak peek at the British brand I Love...Cosmetics and their collection that was about to launch in the US. By now, you've all probably seen their bath and body products at Walmart, Rite Aid and Walgreens (I think they're at CVS too but I'm not 100% sure). Anyway, last week the entire line was on sale at Rite Aid for $5.99 each (regularly $7.99) so I picked up the I Love...Coconut & Cream body wash and have been using it for eight days straight. I normally don't post a review after just eight uses, but I can't keep this one to myself any longer!

 I Love...Coconuts & Cream Bubble Bath & Shower Gel

(retail: around $7.99, 16.9 oz)

Clearly the packaging of these body washes resembles Philosophy, and while I'd guess that I Love...Coconut & Cream is similar to Philosophy Coconut Frosting, I can't be sure because I've actually never sniffed that scent from Philosophy. But what I can tell you is that the ingredients lists are similar (though not identical) and you get a better value with I Love...Coconut & Cream (16.9 oz for $7.99 compared to 16 oz for $16 for the Philosophy body wash).

 

This is minor, but I prefer the flip-top cap on the I Love...Coconut & Cream body wash to the cap on Philosophy body washes (for some reason, the disk that you have to push down on always seems to stick when I use my Philosophy body washes).

So let me give you the rundown on my experience with I Love...Coconut & Cream:

First of all, I had a very tough time deciding which scent to purchase from this range. Mango & Papaya almost made its way into my cart and it smells absolutely divine. So does Raspberry & Blackberry. But ultimately I decided on Coconut & Cream because I tend to love creamy, sweet bath products in general, so I knew I'd probably reach for this one a lot.

Well, I'm certainly not disappointed! I rarely, if ever, want to use the same body wash for eight days in a row (variety is the spice of life, right?) but I honestly haven't wanted to use anything else since this bottle entered my shower.

The fragrance of this body wash is gourmand, but it's not a straight-up creamy coconut. If you're looking for something that smells like you just cracked open a fresh coconut and took a big whiff, this is NOT the one for you. However, if you generally like coconut-cream-pie types of fragrances, I think you will fall HARD for this one. It's not exactly coconut cream pie (no cinnamon or graham cracker crust notes) but there IS a bakery note to this body wash. To me, it smells more like coconut macaroons, or maybe even coconut cupcakes. The bakery note is more buttery, and softer than the usual pie-crust note we usually see with conconut pastry fragrances. Also, the fragrance is nice and strong (a must for me--I don't like to struggle to smell my body washes in the shower), but it's not so strong that it gives me a headache. I can smell it on my skin for a few minutes after my shower, but it does fade away.

Since I actually have a Philosophy body wash in my shower right now, right next to I Love...Coconut & Cream, I can easily compare the formulas for you. I Love..Coconut & Cream has a slightly thinner consistency--it's not as thick or rich as my Philosophy body wash. However, it lathers up just as easily as my Philosophy body wash and I require the exact same amount on my bath pouf as I do with Philosophy. The lather itself is lighter and a bit more airy (the lather of my Philosophy body wash is a bit thicker and more dense) but it doesn't feel sub-par. It's just...different. I find that I Love..Coconut & Cream cleanses my skin just as well as my Philosophy body wash, and my skin feels about the same after my shower. Neither body wash does much for moisturization when it comes to my skin, but I Love...Coconut & Cream rinses just as cleanly and leaves my skin feeling equally as clean as Philosophy.

FINAL VERDICT: I feel strange giving you a final verdict after just eight uses, so if anything changes by the time I get to the end of this bottle, I'll surely let you know. But for now, I LOVE this product and the fragrance is absolutely divine. I was hoping that this wasn't going to be a sub-par version of Philosophy's body wash, and I'm so glad it's not. The fragrance is absolutely comparable to the yummy fragrances you find from Philosophy, although the formula and lather are different (Philosophy is a bit thicker with a more dense lather, whereas I Love...Coconut & Cream is a bit thinner with a lighter, more airy lather). However, I don't have to use a whole handful of product to get the job done--I can use the exact amount I use from Philosophy and get just about the exact same results. If you can find a scent that appeals to you in this range, I think this is a very nice alternative to Philosophy body washes, at less than half the price.

PS: I can't tell you how this product functions as a bubble bath because I haven't tried this product in that capacity. I'm just not a bath person--never have been, never will be. Sorry!

Have you spotted/purchased anything from I Love...Cosmetics yet? Thoughts?