this thing's incredible

This £7 Body Moisturiser Is Instant Dry-Skin Relief in a Spray Can

Photo-Illustration: The Strategist

It started with an Instagram post. After getting some new ink — a pair of floral decals on my shins — I tapped over to my tattoo artist’s feed, excited to see their handiwork. But seeing how dry the skin on my knees looked in the photo, I abandoned the idea of sharing the post. My facial skin-care routine was on point, but I hadn’t yet replicated it to cover the thirsty skin on my body. Other people living with long-term eczema will know what sort of dryness I mean, where your skin feels scaly, broken, borderline enraged.

And though I regularly slathered on emollient cream Diprobase, I knew I couldn’t drag that heavy, medical-grade pot to summer trips and festivals. I’d need something more portable; an occlusive body moisturiser that wasn’t too thick, and also wouldn’t leave a distinctive heavy-cream white residue when applied.

I’d already tried Vaseline’s traditional cocoa body moisturiser, but decided to give its cocoa-scented spray moisturiser a go instead. I guess the TikTok algorithm sensed I needed something effective and lightweight; I’d seen this spray product a few times already. Though I pictured it as being greasy and substantial — think Vaseline’s classic petroleum jelly — I decided that at only £3.29 for 190ml, on sale, I didn’t have much to lose.

My first trial run: a warm and sunny morning, with my legs out in shorts. The diffuser-style spray is built like a good plant mister, direct enough to cover a wide area without spluttering at everything else around you. It left my legs glossy and smooth to the touch, soaking in quickly. The moisturiser isn’t sticky on contact, but you can’t spread it around much with your fingers once applied — another quick spritz fixes this (something to look out for, if you feel you’re racing through the bottle).

As a fan of this range’s buttery-chocolate scent, I knew the moisturiser would combine well with my staple “Honey I Washed the Kids” Lush body spray. A warning: If your skin is both dry and sensitive, the fragrance here may well irritate it or cause a reaction for you. I was lucky enough to have cleared up any eczema breakouts before I sprayed.

An efficient twist-cap unlocks the spray nozzle, stopping it leaking or misfiring in your bag. It’s worth stashing in your hold luggage on a trip abroad, or chucking in your weekend bag for short trips or festivals. Now, when my next post-tattoo shoot comes along, I’ll be ready.

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