Burt's Bees: Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash Review


Despite having used many products from the brand, this Burt's Bees Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash is actually the first bodycare product that I've tried from them.


Burt's Bees says (excerpts):

Wash away dull, reveal radiance.

• Nourishes with Royal Jelly
• Exfoliates with Jojoba Beads and Fruit Acid
• Moisturizes with Safflower Seed Oleosomes

99.2% natural


The Ingredients
Water, decyl glucoside, safflower oleosomes, sodium cocoyl hydrolyzed soy protein, glycerine, royal jelly, jojoba oil, hydrogenated jojoba oil, bilberry fruit extract, sugar cane extract, sugar maple extract, orange fruit extract, lemon fruit extract, fragrance, glucose, xanthan gum, citric acid, sodium chloride, lactoperoxidase, glucose oxidase, butylphenyl methylpropional, hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, hydroxycitronellal, linalool

The Texture
The light yellow-coloured milky liquid has a runny, slightly slimy consistency. As you can see in the images below, it has sparse tiny beads which are the jojoba beads that Burt's Bees is referring to.


The Scent
I love the scent. I would interpret it as a pleasant, milky-honey, salon-like smell.

The Lowdown
If you're used to most commercial sulfate-containing body washes, you would be disappointed by how little suds this one produces. It doesn't lather much but despite that, I find it easy enough to 'lather' the whole body due to its runny, rather slimy consistency. Some people would reach for the bottle several times in an attempt to get more lather. I've gotten used to this (lack of lather) and have managed to limit myself to two (sometimes three) small 'pourings' per shower.



The body wash doesn't come in a very large bottle (but they should, really). Priced at USD8.00 / £9.99 / €12.95 - €14.95 (I've seen various prices here in the Netherlands), it contains only 350ml and given the temptation to reach for the bottle more than once per shower, one can get through the bottle very quickly. Thus, it's not a cheap body wash. I'm quite all right with that as I use this body wash only twice a week.

Okay, the name is Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash. The so-called jojoba beads provide hardly any exfoliation. They are too few and they melt quickly during lathering. So, that's mechanical exfoliation out the window. They are just a gimmick, really. You'd be better off using a shower pouf, wash cloth or a loofah (also helps with the sudsing).

That leaves us with chemical exfoliation with the fruit acids - bilberry, sugar cane, sugar maple, sweet orange and lemon. The naturally-occurring alpha hydroxy acids are meant to encourage cell renewal. The thing is, I haven't noticed any difference in my skin after each wash (not that I had any high expectations anyway). Sure, the skin feels clean but I wouldn't say that it was glowing. If there was exfoliation, it must have been very mild/subtle.

Unless you over-rinse, the body wash does leave an unobtrusive film on the body. The skin feels mildly moisturised and one does walk out of the bathroom smelling really nice (the bathroom too). The scent lingers on the skin for a while or until one applies a scented body moisturiser.

Bottomline, don't expect too much from this Radiance Exfoliating Body Wash. I like it for its scent and its mildness. I might consider buying it again if there's a really good offer on. I mean, seriously, have you noticed how much more expensive it is for us here in Europe than in the US?!? It's ridiculous!


Further reading:
You could say I'm quite a fan of Burt's Bees' products. I use its lipbalms (amongst many other brands) and its hand salve/cream. I buy repeats of the Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Crème and I love love love the Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer.

Burt's Bees website

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I have a mini size of this that I received in a Grab Bag, I haven't tried it yet but I think I will now :-) I love their cuticle cream and lip shimmers too! They're amazing.

Janet said...

I have to agree with you on this! I've tried a sample of this and it doesn't really "exfoliate". But I think sensitive skin will love this as it is mild enough ^_^~

Anonymous said...

Yup, this body wash is quite expensive and it is only 350 ml.

I wouldn't mind trying a sample though (or like you mentioned if there was a huge discount I would consider buying).

Thanks for sharing this hun. "KTee"xx

Witoxicity said...

@Linzi Louisa
Hi, Linzi! Oh, a Grab Bag! I wish they had that here. It's a great way to try out different products from the brand. Do give this body wash a go and see if you like it. :)

@Janet
True. I like it despite its apparent lack of exfoliation. :)

@KTee
My pleasure! Yeah, I wish they had samples. Something like a Grab Bag that Linzi has would be perfect! :)

Anonymous said...

Great post. Burt's Bees is such an interesting brand. Take care, Nicole x

Witoxicity said...

@Nicole
Many thanks, my dear. I bought a few more Burt's Bees products a couple of months ago and will write about them when I'm ready. :)