L'occitane En Provence Extra Rich Shea Milk Soap Review

Can't believe it's only almost ten. Feels like it should be much later. Anyway...another soap review. This time from L'occitane. I've never tried anything from them but always wanted to. I feel like I'm always hearing about their hand creams, the almond shower oil,  and I know they have what is probably overpriced pure Shea Butter. I like to look at reviews of stuff before I buy...most of the reviewers say that this soap changed and it's not as good as the original. Wish I would have gotten to try the original but this is what we have.

L'occitane claims:

Take part in a tradition that outlasts any trend. Our authentic formulas are made the old-fashioned way, respecting the traditional cauldron method used by master soap makers. Enriched with shea extract, known for its softening and nourishing properties, this body soap is also suitable for sensitive skin.

Made in France.

From what I read the biggest change is the scent. I don't know what it smelled like before but this one smells like sandalwood. Not sure if it's a blend or intended as pure sandalwood because they don't really say. I'm not typically a fan of pure sandalwood, but this one is nice. It smells luxurious. And really high quality.And when you rinse, it mixes with the heat/water of the shower and smells even better. I have used quite a few sandalwood soaps and this one is my favorite with the scent of Auromere Sandal-Turmeric soap coming in 2nd. 

Another thing I like is that it sticks to you a bit. I can definitely smell it on my skin after I get out the shower and it leaves a nice scent.

I also like the scent in the bath. I think it smells better in the bathtub actually and I wouldn't mind a bubble bath scented like this. 

As far as how it leaves my skin...not dry, not moisturized. Almost normal. I've had other soaps leave my skin feel softer but this is not bad. I can skip moisturizer sometimes....

The lather is rich and thick and rinses pretty cleanly. One thing I notice is that it produces so much less soap scum that most other soap bars I've used. 

The price is $14 for 7 ounces. I thought it was $12 when I bought it so it looks like the price increased recently. Bummer. 

Another major change from the original to this one is that L'occitane changed the formula to exclude Palm Oil. There is "sustainable" Palm oil but some argue it's not truly sustainable. At least that's what L'occitane thinks. If you are one of those people that like to avoid products with palm this could be a good option. Lush also makes palm oil free soaps. 

Not the best ingredient list. Sunflower Oil isn't very common in such high concentration so that's a little different. The rest of the ingredient s are meh except the Shea Butter and the Almond Oil. 

Ingredients: 

Sunflower Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Stearic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Sodium Hydroxide, Water, Shea Butter, Perfume, Sweet Almond  Oil, Salt, Citric Acid, Tetrasodium Glutamate Dictate, Glycerin, Hydrogenated Lecithin. 

Overall, I like it and surprisingly enjoy the scent more than I would have thought. I think it would make a great gift bar.  I really want to get my hands on all their other soaps...definitely need to go place an order for the Lavender. I have a few soaps I need to get through before I get anymore but then I might just place that order in the next few months...