Following in the UGG adorned footsteps of Australian hair and beauty brands Aussie (founded 1979) and Aesop (1987), Australian Bodycare started up in 1992 with products targeted at the professional salon and spa market.

Fast forward to 2015 and the brand has developed a whole range of products for home use, from skin wash to blemish sticks, and a body lotion, which is the subject of today’s review.

This body lotion is advertised as; “The perfect all over body lotion for all the family as well as a ’must have’ soother for post waxing and other hair removal treatments.”

 Smell

The aroma of tea tree oil instantly reminds me of my favourite face wash as a teenager from the Body Shop.

I didn’t have terrible skin, but this wash always stopped any potential pimples popping up and ruining school photo day/awkward first dates/pictures my friends took of me (with an actual camera or worse, a flip phone.)

So this lotion smells like tea tree, obvs, but it’s a subtly fragranced lotion.

Effectiveness
Consistency is key with a body lotion, too thick and you’ll be there rubbing it in all day, too thin and you’ll need to reapply by the time you’ve got to work #pethate.

This lotion is quite thin and was absorbed quickly into my skin, it didn’t sit on the skin as a body butter would do, but my skin didn’t feel dry at the end of the day.

Ingredients
The first thing I noticed about this lotion is that it only contains 1% tea tree oil.

Tea tree oil is well known around the world for its antibacterial and antiseptic properties and tea tree products are really good for use after shaving or being in the sun, because they have a cooling effect. It’s also a mosquito repellent and its anti-inflammatory properties mean it’s a safe bet for use on ingrown hairs.

Even though the tagline on the product is ‘crafted by nature’ the ingredients list is full of parabens, sulfates and Paraffinum Liquidum – a mineral oil that coats the skin and doesn’t let it breathe.

However according to the website a new paraben free formula is available.

Convenience

Unlike some of the other Aussie brands I mentioned, Australian bodycare products aren’t sold as widely. But you can buy them online through KLM beauty: http://www.australianbodycare.co.uk/index.php or in selected independent pharmacies.
I used the smallest size (100ml) which costs £8.50, this is a great size for carrying around but the lotion also comes in 250ml (£15.99) and 500ml (£25.99) bottles for keeping at home.

The ‘R’ Factor
£8.50 is pretty expensive for a 100ml tube of body lotion, so unless it was on offer I don’t think it’s extraordinary enough to buy another tube or recommend it to friends and family, especially with all those beauty baddies on the ingredients list.

To make your own truly natural alternative you could buy tea tree oil cheaply and add it to your existing body lotion – neat tea tree is pretty potent though so don’t overdo it!

Rating
2 out of a possible 5 koalas.

Don’t just take my word for it, here’s what other bloggers had to say about Australian Bodycare products:

Australian Bodycare Tea Tree Oil Skin Wash: Love, Lust and Fairy Dust
Australian Bodycare Tea Tree Skin Wash: Beauty Bible
Review – Australia Bodycare Shampoo & Conditioner: Kohl Mama

Credits
With thanks to Catalyst PR for providing the product.