Review: SODA & Co Sugar Scrub and Lip Balm

 

I was excited when natural body care brand SODA & Co contacted me to review their products because I'm slightly obsessed with body scrubs and lip balms and these really looked - well honestly - FUN!

 SODA & Co is another local brand, (very local because they're based in Melbourne!) and it came as no surprise to me to learn that their philosophy does focus on a fun approach to natural body products.  In their own words:  "..being natural doesn't have to mean bland or boring. At SODA & Co colour is everything. Our products are a reflection of all things good for you whilst being fun and upbeat." 

SODA & Co products are not tested on animals, are rich in natural plant-based ingredients and are free from any of the following:

Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Ammonium Laureth Sulfate
Tree Nut or Peanut Oils
Parabens
Petrochemicals
Synthetic fragrances
Mineral oils or
Phenoxyethanol


SODA & Co  Sugar Scrub

 

These very appealing and cheerfully packaged body scrubs are described as "All Natural, Mouth Watering Gentle Exfoliating & Moisturising" and come in 3 fragrances not at all surprisingly described as uplifting: Mint Burst, Orange Splash and Pink Lemonade. They're enriched with moisturising ingredients including Cocoa Butter, Jojoba and Vitamin E promising to invigorate and soften the skin and claim to be gentle enough to be used everyday if you like to wake up your skin with a good scrub!

 

 

My impressions:

I received Mint Burst (a mint candy scent which reminds me of Mentos candies if you know what I'm talking about) and Orange Splash and I dipped into Orange Splash first. I found the slightly sweet, zesty natural orange oil scent definitely uplifting without being too cloying or overpowering in any way.  And the scrub itself?  I only needed to scoop out small amounts of this sugar granule scrub and rub onto my damp skin for seriously the scrubbiest scrub experience ever! Moisturising scrubs can often get the balance wrong and skimp on the actual scrubbing granules themselves meaning you have to scrub like crazy to get any kind of result but as you can see in the picture above this dense mix is all about the scrub!

 

Do I sound just a little excited? I can't help it because I was in scrub heaven as this did a fantastic job of exfoliating my skin without stinging or scratching, and because it's a sugar scrub it didn't leave any gritty granules in the shower after rinsing either - always a plus.  The natural oils remain on the skin after rinsing off the scrub and I don't need to moisturise at all afterwards. This is a 2-in-1 exfoliating and moisturising scrub indeed!  

 

 

Ingredients listing for Orange Splash Sugar Scrub:

Sucrose, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Sodium Chloride (Australian Sea Salt), Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Glycerin, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Potassium Sorbate, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Tocopherol (Vitamin E), Vanilla Planifolia Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil.

 

SODA & Co Sugar Scrubs are $26.95 AUD each for 225g of product.

 

 

 SODA & Co Lip Balm

 

These little pots of balm come in 4 flavours:  Mint Burst, Orange Splash, Pink Lemonade and Natural Cocoa.  The key ingredients are Sunflower Seed Oil, Cocoa Butter, Jojoba and Vitamin E to soften and nourish the lips.

 

 

My impressions:

Packaging considerations first - I like the little tin with the nifty screw top lid because it's just so handy to carry around in my purse or pocket with no fear of any mess. The 2 flavours I've received - Natural Cocoa and Orange Splash - smell natural, and very much deliciously edible which makes sense because they are made from recognizable, edible ingredients (see the Orange Splash ingredients listing below). 

 

The balm is a solid texture that melts just enough with a swirl of the fingertips to apply onto my lips and doesn't feel sticky, greasy or waxy at all, just buttery smooth enough to make my lips feel soft and give them a subtle sheen.  I'm quite addicted to reapplying these balms because they are positively yummy and appeal to my fun side - they bring back all kinds of good memories of flavoured balms I loved as a little girl and what could be wrong with that?  Speaking of which, I think these would make great gifts for those little aspiring beauty buffs out there too :)

 

Ingredients listing for Orange Splash Lip Balm:

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Cera Alba (Beeswax), Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Citrus Reticulata (Mandarin) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Vanilla Planifolia Oil, Tocopherol (Vitamin E).

SODA & Co lip balms are $8.95 AUD each for 10g of product.

 

 

You can purchase online from the Soda & Co website here.  Free shipping is available to Australia for orders over $25 and New Zealand for orders over $50.

 

 

 (These products were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)