Product review: Garnier Intensive 7 Days Body Lotion

Let’s give this product its full name: Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Ultra-Softening Lotion with L-Bifidus and Nourishing Shea Butter, for dry to extra-dry skin.

OK, with that out of the way, this is a body lotion that retails at £2.99 for 250ml, and is currently on offer for £2 at Superdrug. In true Golightly fashion I tested it on only one leg for a week, so I could see how it compared against my usual body lotion.

Like many similar products, the bottle makes all kinds of claims, such as your ‘skin will feel intensely hydrated for up to 7 days’ after use, and it’s ‘inspired by probiotics’. But of course I’m going to turn the bottle over and look at the ingredients list instead because that’s where a good review should start, and the placebo effect is something we want to minimise.

The main moisturising ingredients in this body lotion are actually: mineral oil, glycerin, palm oil and cetearyl alcohol (a non-drying form of alcohol). These work nicely together to hydrate, add oils to and protect the skin. The shea butter is so low down on the ingredients list that it’s unlikely to do much.

The ‘L Bifidus’ is actually L Bifidus lysate, so these allegedly probiotic bacteria have had their cell walls burst (by either heat, cold, chemicals, etc) and are stone dead. As far as I can see, they’re going to do as much for you as deep fried or freeze dried yogurt, if they do anything at all since they are 10th down the ingredients list.

Ninth on the ingredients list is benzyl alcohol, a nasty, drying form of alcohol that has upset my skin in the past, so I was rather worried that it was going to bring me out in a rash. Fortunately being 9th on the list means there’s very little of it in the product so I didn’t have any bad reaction after one week of use.

There is a light fragrance, which is kind of inoffensive and fades quickly. I perhaps would have preferred it without the fragrance, especially on dry, sensitive skin.

Now then, does this stuff work? The simple answer is yes, I’ve had very good results with this. The lotion sinks in quite quickly without any mess or tackiness, and leaves skin looking smoother and feeling comfortable for 24 hours. If you don’t mind the way it smells then this is good value for money and an effective moisturiser for dry body skin.

After I stopped using it, my skin went back to its usual state within 48 hours, so I’m not so sure about the ‘7 days’ claims. Why not just say ‘this works’ and have done with, dear manufacturers? Having said that, this is definitely a product I will use again. Marketing flim-flam aside, it is an effective moisturiser with a nice low price tag.

Have you tried Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days for yourself yet? I’d be interested to hear about how other people got on with it.