September 13, 2017

Lush Naked Shower Gel Review

Purchased
I purchased this item.

I was highly concerned Lush Snow Fairy Naked Shower Gel would be replacing my beloved bottled version of Snow Fairy when it launched last week on Lush UK. I mean, it’s essential a big old chunk of soap shaped like a shower gel that smells like Snow Fairy right?

Lush UK has been very busy getting naked over the past two weeks. Scrubs, shower gels, and other items have been popping up in a new format sans bottles and jars. I get it, because Lush is all about the environment right? So, doing away with as much packaging as possible minimizes yours and their own carbon footprint. But I’m all about my shower gel. I like shower gel the way it is. In a bottle, in a liquid form, that can be squeezed into a sponge or a shower puff, that creates lovely lather, which I can use to wash with. If I wanted a bar of soap, I’d buy one. So, when I saw that Lush introduced several Naked Shower Gels last week I got a little sweaty and nervous. Were they planning to eliminate their entire range of shower gels and replace them with chunky, bulky shower gel shaped soaps?! Apparently not because thankfully Snow Fairy is still very much available with the early Christmas 2017 Collection at Lush UK in its liquid form.

Phew!

Dodged a bullet there.

Although, Lush’s idea is a good one because as they say this is easier to travel if you want to stash it on your on board bag! No liquid! Not to mention in 2016, they sold over 5 million bottles of shower gel which means a lot of empty bottles in a landfill last year alone. Their hope is that at least half of the customers who purchased these bottles will switch to naked shower gels, which could save 2.6 million bottles from ending up in landfill. I love the idea, I really do but I still prefer bottled shower gel! I’m sorry! I feel guilty!

Anyway!

Apparently, the idea of Naked Shower Gel isn’t just about soap. In fact, according to Lush, it doesn’t even contain a soap base and shares many of the same ingredients as your favorite liquid shower gel. Although, it does look essentially like soap. They use sodium stearate to solidfy the ingredients of your favorite shower gel.

I decided that I must try it for myself so away I went to the Lush UK site and I ordered a Snow Fairy Naked Shower Gel for myself. Within 3 days in magically appeared on my doorstep from the UK and I quickly got to work trying it out.

I don’t like it. A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, we had Godmother Soap which smelled like Snow Fairy and came in a normal rectangle-shaped soap size. It lathered up great, it was fantastic because you could get it year round, and it was travel-friendly. I’d buy it again if they made it but I probably wouldn’t buy Snow Fairy Naked Shower Gel again.

Here’s why!

Ok, so for all intents and purposes there’s not a lick of a thing wrong with this formula. It lathers up nicely, it smells like fluffy fruity candy just like our beloved Snow Fairy, and it feels amazing on my skin as it’s loaded up with excellent hydrating ingredients like argan oil and coconut oil.

Why didn’t I like it is the question though right? It’s very awkward to use. It’s a big chunk of soap and the odd bottle-shape doesn’t really fit into the contours, nooks, and crannies of your body easily. It’s also very slippery so as you rub it across your body you lose grip on it and end up dropping it on the floor. I also hate the fact that when I sit it on my shower shelf it slides right off unless I have a soap tray with a grip to hold it in place. For example, I used it and was lathering up so I popped it into the corner of my shower and it slipped right off onto the shower floor. When I first tested it I used it on my hands and again, popped it onto my the edge of my sink as I washed my hands and it slid right into the sink. That’s not big deal at all as you can just get a soap tray for it but if you want to pop it somewhere as you’re lathering up you have to be sure the tray is around to hold it. But the bigger size is a deal breaker. This thing is huge and about the size of an 8 oz bottle of shower gel!

It’s a weirdly textured soap/shower gel for sure. It feels looks like a soap but it feels like hardened gelatin. If you shake it, it almost feels like it is hollow with liquid contents. I was tempted to pop a hole in it with a knife to see if shower gel would pour out of it or something. It just feels like there’s liquid at the core. It’s odd. It does lather up nicely but not as well as a shower gel in my opinion.

The moral of the story is if you like soap, well, you might get on ok with the new Naked Shower Gel. But keep in mind, this shape is a little awkward to use! And if you’re a shower gel fan? Well, Naked Shower Gel is probably unlikely to change your mind and make you want to switch. I know I wasn’t convinced.

Lush Naked Shower Gel is available now at uk.lush.com with worldwide shipping!

Purchased
I purchased this item.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Andi

    I love the description and all I could think of what the commercial with the owl trying to get to the center of the tootsie roll pop. Once you rub off more soap you get to the gel inside 🙂

    I’m not a fan of the idea and I would much rather use regular plain old shower gel or soap.

    • Isabella Muse

      LOL Andi! I was tempted to punch a hole in it with a butter knife, it seems like it has a soft center. it sounds hollow but when you shake it, it almost sounds like their is liquid inside it! Weird!

  • Carol G

    I can see how this would get on your nerves! Nothing like dropping the soap and having to pick it up. That’s why I don’t use soap. I use shower gel. I don’t wash my hair everyday so I don’t want to get my hair wet by bending down to pick up soap that keeps sliding around!

  • Leih

    I hate this “naked” idea. It’s a great concept and I applaud them for minimizing waste, but now we’re just wasting more product. Unless perhaps they would sell sustainable packaging separately. Like they did (do?) for the shampoo bars. And that reminds me…. I was going to buy some shampoo bars. Dang it!

    • Isabella Muse

      I love them for minimizing waste. In theory, it’s a great idea! But I think a lot of people don’t like soap and they turn to shower gel for that reason. I find soap messy. It gets all gunky and gross when you put in a try to dry out. I’m not sure they could do a tin this size. This thing is huge! And quite bulky. That’s part of the reason I hate it so much! Great idea, just not ideal 😀

  • ruth

    as a thought, you could cut it into slices like they do at the store for soap. you would have a more manageable size and not break a toe when it’s dropped in the shower.

    • Isabella Muse

      I actually considered that but was concerned it would crumble into a million pieces since it sounds hollow!

  • Jessica

    Love the idea of going green, but I’m a shower gel kinda gal. Maybe they could introduce a recycling program or refillable bottles?

  • Lauren

    Love this review. I applaud Lush for the whole naked / less waste idea in theory but I also find myself disliking each new naked product more and more. A core tenet of product design is usability: is the product easy to use? Intuitive to use? Does it distract? Does it require unwieldy instructions or maintenance for upkeep? Lush naked products pass the bare minimum for usability. Now for luxury products (and let’s face it – Lush is luxury pricing for most of their target demographic), the product has to be usable AND delightful, right? I’m not gonna spend that extra cash on something that is annoying to use. I see what they are doing, and Lush is certainly distinguishing themselves from the pack. But I’m tired of spending money on Lush naked products that fall apart during use, stain my bathroom surfaces, or dissolve into thin air unless coddled away in a proper storage tray/mat/location/temperature/humidity level. The unique fragrances used to draw me in but I’m over it. More than half of new or seasonal items seem to smell like citrus or berry. And forget about vanity counter appeal… I was just reading your Peony Oil Face Cleanser review…perhaps I need to go back to the L’Occitane camp for some TLC!

  • savethemarianne

    I love it so much- I use it with a shower poof sponge thing though and find it’s more cost effective than a liquid because I sometimes would pour out excessive amounts from a bottle. I’ve had the solid version for a week now, using it everyday and it still looks new, whereas in my house we absolutely race through shower gel, and I don’t like the squeaky feeling of soap, so this is pretty HG for me.