Body butter is actually a type of skin moisturizer. They are heavier than creams and lotions because they have less water in them. Normal lotions may contain up to 90% of water but with body butters we get all of the oils and the butters. Body butters are a little bit richer than normal lotions but it absorbs quickly and can last for quite some time. Most body butters are made using a seed or nut oil as their base ingredient to produce the most moisturizing recipe.
I received a jar of Bali Ratih's Ultra Rich Body Butter from Jac (thanks Jac!) along with a couple or Adudya Lulur Pengantin Body Scrubs and a bottle of Bali Ratih's Hand & Body Lotion. Bali Ratih is one of the famous brand names for beauty products from Bali, Indonesia.
The Bali Ratih's Body Butter is suitable for all skin types and comes in four flavours:
- Avocado : rejuvenates dry skin
- Chocolate : tones and tightens skin
- Coconut : moisturizes skin deeply and provides long-lasting protection against dryness
- Mango : moisturizes skin deeply and provides long-lasting protection against dryness
The body butter I received was the Mango Body Butter.
The ingredients printed on the tub's label is:
Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Theobroma Cacao Butter,
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclomethicone, Glycerin, Glycine soja,
Cetyl Alcohol, Beeswax, Mono Propylen Glycol, Methylparaben, Sorbitol,
Carbomer, Butylated Hydroxy Toluene, Lanolin, Dimethicone, Disodium
EDTA, Propylparaben, Titanium Dioxide, Triethanolamine, Fragance,
Extract, Essential Oil Blend, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aquadest.
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter is actually Shea Butter, derived from the karite tree, and is a staple ingredient for body butters. Shea Butter is always considered to be a good emollient. The body butter also contains Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) which forms a barrier on the skin, slowing water loss. In addition, it temporarily protects exposed skin from harmful stimuli.
Bali Ratih's Body Butters comes in round plastic tubs with screw-on lids just like The Body Shop's (TBS) body butter tub. The tub opens with a counter clock-wise twist to reveal the moisturizing concoction inside.
An opened tub of body butter.
At a glance, the texture of the body butter looked a little bit like mayonnaise (suddenly I feel like having a burger.. or maybe a sandwich? Am I hungry??) The colour of the substance is very pale cream and the surface has a pale sheen to it. This is how the body butter looked like:
Looks like mayonnaise, doesn't it?
The texture of the body butter is slightly rich, thick in consistency and creamy but not too greasy.
The creamy and rich body butter on my finger.
To use the body butter, you would have to scoop out the goo according to your moisturizing needs and apply them to your skin (most best for areas like your elbows, knees, heels and any other dry patches of skin). The texture felt a bit rich just like any body butter would normally feels like.
Here's how the butter looked like on my skin before I spread it evenly:
Here's how the body butter looked like after it is slightly massaged into my skin:
There is a slight cooling sensation whilst I was massaging in the body butter. There is also a slight greasiness on the area where the butter was applied and it took some time for the butter to be fully absorbed by my skin. My skin did felt moisturized and soft after the rich buttery moisturizer sinks in. The body butter left a very subtle mango smell fused with a bit of sweetness to it but not too much.
I did a side to side test of the Bali Ratih's Body Butter with a TBS's Body Butter and found that both have the same thick consistency in texture but TBS's body butter has a slightly more softer & richer texture and it spreads more easily. After both is applied to my knees, I could feel that TBS's body butter left a tad greasier feeling on my skin compared to Bali Ratih's. The absorption rate for both body butters are almost the same and the greasy residue left on your fingers after rubbing yourself with the body butter is also the same.
My verdict: There's not much difference with Bali Ratih's Body Butter when compared to TBS's product but I consider it to be a good substitute for TBS's Body Butter for those who are in need of a body butter with the fraction of TBS's price. It could be a great gift for people you love and the price is easier on your wallet too! Now, the chocolate flavour looks sooo interesting! I guess I am hungry.. haha!
Where to shop for Bali Ratih's Body Butter? You can find further information at Jac's website.
