The Body Shop is a popular environmentally and socially conscious beauty brand that you can find at retailers like Ulta. They released a Black Friday tote bag in honor of the biggest shopping day of the year, and Y'all know I am a big lover of anything limited edition!
FYI - this box is still available for purchase!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About This Box
The Box: The Body Shop Best Sellers Bag
The Cost: $39 + free shipping
The Products: 6 full-size items with a retail value of over $100!
Good to Know: As of publication, The Body Shop was holding a 40% off site-wide sale!
The Body Shop Black Friday Bag Review
This box didn’t come with an info sheet, but it did come with this great tote bag. I love that the interior is lined to protect against spills and it has a magnetic button closure at the top. The tote was handcrafted by The Body Shop’s Community Trade partners in India.
Vitamin E Moisture Cream, 1.7 oz – Retail Value $20 (currently on sale for $12)
I was excited to dive into these products, so immediately after receiving this box I took a shower and slathered this moisturizer on right after. I was a bit shocked when immediately my face started to burn? It didn’t last long, but that had me take a closer look at the ingredients list. While this has good skin ingredients like hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E, I was a bit startled to see the second listed ingredient as Isopropyl Palmitate, an ingredient made with Isopropyl Alcohol. I checked out my go-to skincare bible, Paula’s Choice, which said that while Isopropyl Palmitate on its own isn’t an awful ingredient (it’s labeled as “good”), it can be problematic for oily skin. Check, that’s me! I will be passing this along to a drier skin friend in the hope it works better for them.
Pink Grapefruit Shower Gel, 8.4 oz – Retail Value $10 (currently on sale for $6)
If a product describes it’s scent as “zesty,” I am going to love it. Surprise- I love this pink grapefruit scent! Along with grapefruit oil, this also has citrus peel extract and sweet orange seed oil. Since it has natural oils in the shower gel I wish there wasn't added fragrance, but overall I love this for a morning shower body wash to help you perk up and get ready for your day.
Shea Body Butter, 6.7 oz – Retail Value $21 (currently on sale for $12.60)
I am a sucker for products with a good texture (there is an entire Instagram tag devoted to #texturetuesday that I look forward to every week!), and I loved how thick this body butter is- it really is solid and doesn’t melt until it comes in contact with your skin. This is made with Shea Butter sourced from Ghana with the Tungteiya Women's Shea Butter Association. By partnering with them, The Body shop is helping to provide over 500 women with fair wages and incentives to invest in community projects. Along with that good shea butter, this also is made with cocoa butter and beeswax and it has a mild, neutral scent.
Hemp Hand Protector, 3.3 oz – Retail Value $20 (on sale for $12)
I will take ALL of the hand creams because I always forget to use them and I am determined to have a hand cream within arm’s reach everywhere in my apartment. This is super thick and rich and took some time to fully absorb, but it definitely hydrated my hands.
Tea Tree Oil, 0.67 oz – Retail Value $18 (currently on sale for $10.80)
There is no way around what I have to say: please do not put this on your skin. While pure tea tree oil can be effectively used as a spot treatment for acne, that is not what this is. The second listed ingredient on this is “alcohol denat,” or denatured alcohol. As Paula’s Choice says, “if denatured alcohol is listed as the fifth ingredient or higher, it is of considerable risk for sensitizing skin.” When they say sensitizing skin, they aren’t joking- denatured alcohol aggravates and weakens your skins moisture barrier, making it more susceptible to sun damage and other skin ailments. This is especially bad considering people tend to over-apply spot treatments (I know it is something I have to always resist the urge to do), meaning they are damaging their skin with each application—even if at first glance it appears the spot treatment is working. I feel so strongly about this I cannot in good conscious even pass it on to a friend to use.
Camomile Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, 8.4 oz – Retail Value $18 (currently on sale for $10.80)
The eye makeup remover is made with chamomile flower extract and coconut fatty acids. I found it to be gentle and effective without irritating my skin. None of the other listed ingredients stood out to me as being problematic, either.
The Verdict: I was so excited to try out this collection of best-selling products from The Body Shop, but I was a bit bothered by some of the ingredients that were in these products - I guess I expected more from an environmentally and socially conscious brand? That being said I love the tote, body wash, and hand crème included in this set, and overall I think this was still a good deal. I calculated a retail value of $107, which is exactly the promised value. Even though they are having a 40% off sale if this tote contains multiple products you have wanted to try this is the better deal to do so.
To Wrap Up:
Can you get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of publication, this box is still available!
Value Breakdown: This box cost $39 and has a total retail value of $107, which means you are paying approximately the following per item
- Moisture Cream: $7.29
- Shower Gel: $3.64
- Body Butter: $7.65
- Hand Protector: $7.29
- Tea Tree Oil: $6.56
- Eye Makeup Remover: $6.56
- Tote: n/a
Alternatively, if you count the nice tote bag as an item, you’re paying about $5.57 per item.
What do you think of The Body Shop Best Sellers Bag? Are you going to grab one?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.