The things I liked about this lotion:

It’s a nice medium-weight lotion that soaks in within a few minutes.  It has a mild self-tanner odor — not horrifically strong.  It did give me a nice, non-orange, even layer of tan.  This surprised me, because I’ve read a lot of reviews of this lotion, and many people say it did absolutely nothing for them.  However, I suspect those people do not have fish-belly white legs like I do!  Plus I only used it on areas to even out my farmer-tan — legs, neck, and upper arms — I wasn’t looking to enter Dancing With the Stars anytime soon.  So yes, this “light bronzing” color works great if you’re desperately, desperately pale, and you’re just looking to look a bit more alive, perhaps like you spent the afternoon in the sun.  If you already have a healthy glow, or you wish to look like you spent a week on a beach in Mexico, I’d suggest going for the darker bronze formulation.

(I applied a tiny amount to my inner arm and after about fifteen minutes a nice, non-orange tan streak appeared on my inner arm.  I suggest everyone trying out this lotion take this precaution as well.)

The things I did not like about this lotion:

Overall, I think it’s a little too high maintenance for me.  I found it oddly stressful to try to apply it without streaking — I spent five minutes obsessively making sure I was getting the lotion on without leaving any gaps, and then five minutes wandering around in old pajamas I wouldn’t mind getting tanning streaks on before being able to get on with my life.  Whereas it usually takes me about 15 seconds to slap lotion on my legs and dress.  Also, the effects lasted maybe a few days, and I always smelled faintly kind of like self-tanner.  That really just did not work for me.  Other problems — while the pump dispenser is very convenient while the bottle is full, it means a lot of product gets lost when the bottle is almost empty.  I’d prefer some kind of squeeze tube instead — it would be less wasteful.  It was also a little expensive — I think I paid about $12 for 8oz at Whole Foods when I bought it, and I think I got maybe ten applications out of it.  If I’d been thinking of tanning more than my legs and upper arms, I’d have gotten a lot fewer out of it.

Overall: it’s a nice self-tanner lotion that I think would really appeal to people who are more high-maintenance than I am.  If you are very, very pale, don’t mind spending 15 minutes every few days applying this self-tanning lotion, don’t mind spending $12 for 8oz of lotion, and would like to look lightly tanned, this will be a great resource for you.  So I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.

Alba Botanica Light Bronzing Very Emollient Body Lotion is available at Amazon for $15.07.

(Alba Botanica products are 100%-animal-testing-free, but they are not organic, nor are they vegan.  They are vegetarian, however.)

Ingredients:

Purified Water, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cyclomethicone, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil, Dimethicone, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Dihydroxyacetone, Erythrulose, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract*, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract*, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Tocopherol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Retinyl Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Steareth-20, Xanthan Gum, Lactic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance (1), Amyl Cinnamal(2), Benzyl Benzoate(2), Benzyl Salicylate(2), Citral(2), Citronellol(2), Limonene(2), Eugenol(2), Farnesol(2), Geraniol(2), Linalool(2)

* Certified Organic
1) Natural Fragrance Derived from Essential Oils
2) Component of Natural Essential Oils

 I bought a bunch of these a few years ago and keep finding them in old jackets.  I used to really like them — they’re a nice basic lip balm.  They last a long time, they don’t run, and they’re not shiny.

However, they have one unfortunate deal-breaker — their spf does not protect against UVA rays, and I like to protect myself from getting cancerous melanomas, so I do not consider them adequate sunscreen, so I won’t be buying any more.

But if Alba would like to jazz up these lip balms with something a little more UVA-proof, (and perhaps remove the lanolin ingredient?  wool-wax kind of grosses me out) — I’d buy them again.  (The active spf ingredients in this lip balm, padimate O and oxybenzone, are NOT adequate for sun protection — only avobenzone, mexoryl (ecamsule), octocrylene, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide are.  I’ve written more here about good vs. bad sunscreens.)

(Alba Botanica products are cruelty-free, vegetarian, but not organic.)

Alba Botanica Lipcare SPF 18 (0.15oz) is available at the Alba Botanica online store for $2.50.

Ingredients:

Active Ingredients
Padimate O 7.5%, Oxybenzone 5.0%

Ingredients
Castor oil (ricinus communis), candelilla wax (euphorbia cerifera), beeswax (cera alba), natural flavors, jojoba oil (simmondsia chinesis), lanolin, carnauba wax (copernicia cerifera), olive oil (olea europaea), tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (vitamin E), evening primrose oil (oenothera biennis), soybean oil (glycine soja) and echinacea (echinacea purpurea) extract.

Standards
• Hypo-allergenic
• SPF 18
• No artificial colors, petrolatum, mineral oil, phthalates or parabens.
• 100% vegetarian ingredients and no animal testing

Signature ingredient: We use soy bean oil, rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, to moisturize and protect lips, while echinacea extract and evening primrose oil detoxify, heal, and nourish.

Product description: The secret to soft, smooth, healthy lips in every season and climate. A natural, non-petroleum blend of botanical plant oils, vitamin E and echinacea moisturize, nourish and protect lips from the sun and elements.

Features and benefits: Our lips deserve nourishing protection. That’s why we’ve given our Lip Care an SPF of 18 as well as a range of healing botanicals. Natural plant oils hydrate and protect lips while vitamin E, echinacea and peppermint rejuvenate and restore.

Who should use this product? For all skin types.

Directions for use: Apply daily. Reapply as needed.

Alba Botanica Papaya Mango Body Cream is from Alba’s “Alba Hawaiian” line in the yellow, orange, and green print bottles. It has the words “Alba Organics” on the side — I suppose this must be a new development at the Alba Botanica/Avalon Organics/Unpetroleum company. Maybe Alba Botanica is now Alba Organics?

Anyway, the cream is hypoallergenic, made from 75% certified organic ingredients, and filled with “tropical fruit enzymes and beta-carotene blended in a rich, luxurious body cream to soften, soothe, and smooth rough, dry, flaky skin.” To use it, you’re supposed to apply liberally to entire body, especially elbows, knees, and heels.

(It’s 100%-cruelty-free, vegetarian, and 75% organic. But it is not vegan.)

My take on it: Well, I like the jar — it’s a medium-sized plastic tub that is easy to carry around and doesn’t take up much space on any countertop. I like the fragrance — it’s very fruity and mango-ey, though it is a little chemical smelling, which I’m not so keen on. It has a wonderful texture — creamy and thick but melts into my skin pretty quickly for a thick cream, not grainy at all, very smooth, and not heavy or greasy. I do kind of wish it were a little thicker — I was looking for something primarily to moisturize my feet — I’ve been wearing flip-flops all summer long and my feet are really in need of serious moisture. I think this is a great rich cream for legs, arms, and hands, but really dry feet that have been exposed to really dry dusty conditions every day of the week? Not so much. I think I may have to find something else for that. (The other problem I have is that I usually put this on before I go to bed, and get it all over my hands, and then when I wake up and rub my eyes in the morning I get papaya-fragranced chemicals in my eyes and that makes my eyes tear. I think I’ll have to find an unscented foot cream somewhere . . . )

Alba Hawaiian Papaya Mango Body Cream (6.5oz) is available for $11.95 from the Alba Botanica online store, as well as Whole Foods and Longs.

Ingredients: Purified water, certified organic aloe barbadensis leaf juice, caprylic/capric triglyceride, carthamus tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, stearic acid, vegetable glycerin, glyceryl stearate, stearyl alcohol, butyrospermum parkii (shea butter), polysorbate 60, dimethicone, extracts of carica papaya fruit, mangifera indica (mango) fruit, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit, arnica montana flower and anacyclus pyrethrum root, aleurites moluccana (kukui) seed oil, macadamia ternifolia seed oil, rosa moschata seed oil, beta carotene, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, potassium sorbate, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E), carbomer, caramel and fragrance.

[poll=6]

I really like this stuff — I was thinking, wouldn’t it be nice if there were a cruelty-free nonpetroleum vaseline? And I found one! This stuff is perfect for dry elbows. It only has one tiny problem — despite the fact that it’s touted as being made from coconut oil, let me tell you, it’s made from hydrogenated castor oil. It has the sticky castor oil texture, and the castor oil smell. I don’t mind it too much, but I’d really prefer something that smelled less . . . medicinal? Or less like a diaper rash cream? Anyway, if you’re a vaseline-junkie, but you don’t want to support (evil) Unilever, or put petroleum-based products on your skin, this stuff is great. Just don’t wear it to formal events because it will really clash with your perfume (just like normal vaseline!).

Alba Botanica claims that their Unpetroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly is “rich in fatty acids, coconut oil, is anti-microbial, deeply moisturizing, and soothing to the skin.” It has “beeswax, moisture rich coconut oil and soothing, protective vitamin E,” is “natural, non-petroleum jelly” that is “perfect as an all-over body moisturizer for soothing, softening skin rejuvenation.” (The Alba Botanica people must be crazy — if you used this as an all-over body moisturizer you’d seriously over-moisturize yourself, this stuff is really heavy, and you’d have to stand around for three hours waiting for it to sink in — it takes forever. Just like vaseline.) “The original, multi-purpose skin moisturizer and protectant is made from only pure plant oils and all natural waxes. Use it daily to moisturize and soothe dry skin, prevent chafing and windburn, gently remove eye-makeup, help protect baby from diaper rash. It’s good for all skin types. Perfect for dry, flaky, or chapped skin.” It’s made “without petrolatum, paraffin, or mineral oil, and it has no synthetic fragrances or colors, no parabens, it’s hypo-allergenic, and is 100% vegetarian (but not organic).

Alba Botanica Un-petroleum Multi-Purpose Jelly (3.5 oz) is available for $7.34 with free super saver/prime shipping from Amazon.

Ingredients: Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil, cocos nucifera (coconut) oil, beeswax, hydrogenated castor oil, tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (Vitamin E).

This used to be my favorite body lotion — it’s pretty cheap and you can buy it with SPF (well, the “daily shade” version of it has spf). Unfortunately, it doesn’t have an SPF that protects from skin cancer, so I stopped using it. It’s the basic Alba Botanica lotion, and you can buy it in bulk from Whole Foods (or . . . you used to, anyway), which is a real deal. I still use it occasionally because I have a giant bottle of it, but only on days I don’t think I’ll go outside much.

According to AlbaBotanica.com, it has a maximum, therapeutic formula that blends organic aloe vera, green tea and chamomile extracts with natural plant emollients and vitamin antioxidants to soothe, nourish, and revitalize dry sensitive skin. It also has alpha hydroxy acids in it to help exfoliate dull surface cells. It is light textured and non-greasy. Supposedly it’s excellent for all skin types, is good for everyday use, is available in 12oz and 32oz bottles, comes in “unscented,” and “original” scents, and it also comes in a “maximum dry skin” formula for people with really dry skin. It’s hypo-allergenic, has no synthetic colors, has some organic ingredients, is pH balanced, and has 100% vegetarian ingredients (and is, of course, CCIC-approved-cruelty-free).

Overall, I think it’s a great lotion — the price is right, it’s nicely hydrating, it exfoliates, and it has a very mild scent. I only took off one star because it doesn’t protect against skin cancer. It had some other minor drawbacks, such as it doesn’t sink in right away, it’s a little greasy, the unscented version smells sort of gluey — like the Aubrey Organics lotion I reviewed a while ago — while the SPF-containing version smells sunscreeny. The overall rating for the lotion on MakeupAlley is 4.4/5 stars — people seem to like it.

Alba Botanic Very Emollient Body Lotion (12 fl oz) is available for $8.99 at Amazon.com (or 32oz for $19.42 and free shipping), many local natural drugstores, and Whole Foods.

Ingredients: Certified organic herbal infusion of chamomile (chamomilla recutita), echinacea (echinacea purpurea), green tea (camellia sinensis) and lavender (lavandula officinalis), plant oils of safflower (carthamus tinctorius), jojoba (simmondsia chinensis), sesame (sesamum indicum), grapeseed (vitis vinifera) and avocado (persea gratissima), vegetable glycerin, certified organic aloe barbadensis, glyceryl stearate, isopropyl palmitate, stearic acid, cucumber extract (cucumis sativus), organic sea kelp extract (macrocystis pyrifera), panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), lecithin, silica, methyl/propylparaben, tocopheryl acetate and tocopherol (vitamin E).

I’m a big fan of Alba Botanica products. They’re cruelty-free, relatively inexpensive, and available almost everywhere. I ordered a bottle of Midnight Tuberose Bath & Shower Gel online, and so far it’s been great. It’s made with a blend of elderberry, aloe, and chamomile, which will “refresh and revitalize your bathing routine” while “natural emollients and soothing aloe vera will nourish, moisturize, and gently cleanse for soft, healthy skin.” It’s hypo-allergenic, pH balanced, has no sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate, no synthetic colors, it is paraben and phthalate free, and EU Cosmetics Directive compliant. Supposedly it is excellent for all skin types, and can be used as a shower gel or as a bubble bath. It’s not vegan, but it is 100% vegetarian. It’s not organic, but if you really want to buy organic Alba Botanica products, you can purchase stuff from their “Avalon Organics line,” which is completely organic.

Alba Botanica Bath and Shower Gel can be bought in tuberose, lavender, honey mango, island citrus, or sparking mint (though Alba Botanica also makes a “body wash” in coconut milk, papaya mango, or passionfruit). I’ve always liked tuberoses, so I picked it instead of the other scents. It is supposed to smell “exotic and irresistible” and evoke the scent of a tropical garden. I’d have to say it does smell sort of tuberose-like, though not as good as a real live tuberose. But I suspect that’s difficult to recreate in a bottled product. It does smell slightly chemical-y, but it’s not overwhelmingly acidicly chemical-odored, so it doesn’t bother me. I ordered it online, and I was surprised by the size of the bottle — I was expecting a small bottle, but I received this giant bottle (I guess 12 oz is pretty large), so the $7.95 goes pretty far. I like the design of the bottle — it’s pretty plain, but attractive. And as a shower gel it works pretty well — it gets me clean anyway, that’s all I ask for.

It also gets fairly good reviews on MakeupAlley — an overall rating of 4.5/5 (out of 19 reviewers). A lot of people seem to be fans of tuberose . . .

Alba Botanica Midnight Tuberose Bath and Shower Gel (32 oz) is available for $16.95 from Amazon.com.

Ingredients: Purified water, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate, disodium laureth sulfosuccinate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium cocoyl isethionate, vegetable glycerin, glyceryl stearate, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, certified organic rosa canina fruit, sambucus nigra (elderberry) fruit, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower, melissa officinalis (lemon balm), calendula officinalis flower and chamomilla recutita (chamomile) flower extracts, citric acid, sodium chloride, ethylhexylglycerin, phenoxyethanol and fragrance.

I really like Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen — first of all, it’s cruelty free like all Alba Botanica products. It also has avobenzone in it so it protects against skin-cancer-causing UVA rays, unlike most sunscreens (I’ve written up some information here on on why UVA blocking sunscreens are important and why most sunscreens, even those with high SPFs, don’t contain UVA-blocking ingredients, and why they are therefore worse than going out with no sunscreen whatsoever). I’ve used it for about a month now, and not only is it streak-free (yay!), but it also has a thick consistency, so it doesn’t tend to spray everywhere when I open the bottle, which I also really like. It’s also lightly moisturizing, it sinks in fairly quickly, and it’s fairly inexpensive for a facial sunscreen — $7.95 for 4 oz. It is not waterproof — but since every waterproof sunscreen I’ve ever tried has been disgustingly gooey, I do not mind. I tend to put on waterproof sunscreen only when I’m about to dive into a body of water. I’ll probably pick up a bottle of Alba Botanica waterproof sunscreen next time I’m on my way to a pool.

My only minor problem with Alba Botanica facial sunscreen so far is that it’s a little too oily for my face for daily usage (I have an oily T-zone) — if I plan to be out in the sun all day I will slather it on my face every two hours, and it does give me a slight oily sheen on my nose and forehead (but nothing like any other sunscreen I’ve tried — those make me look like an oil slick). However, on a day to day basis I don’t use it — I use Alba Botanica Sea Moss Moisturizer with Avobenzone instead, because it’s less oily. But the facial sunscreen has a great consistency for my arms and legs — it’s nicely moisturizing — I put some on every day.

Alba Botanica Facial Sunscreen is available for $9.00 at Amazon.com.

Active Ingredients: Octinoxate 7.5%, Octyl Salicylate 4%, Benzophenone-3 4.0%, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.0%

Inactive Ingredients: Certified Organic Infusion of Green Tea, Chamomile and Gingko Biloba, Glyceryl Stearate, Caprylic/CapricTriglyceride, Octylpalmitate, Certified Organic Calendula and Lavendar, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearic Acid, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Allantoin, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Calcium Ascorbate, Methyl/Propylparaben, Phenoxyethanol

Alba Botanica Sea Moss Moisturizer SPF 15
4/5 stars

I started using this moisturizer two months ago, and it’s great. Alba Botanica does not test on animals, so no rats were tortured to produce it, and as a moisturizer it’s very nice — it’s lightly moisturizing and not too greasy. It’s hypoallergenic and 70% organic. Best of all, it has avobenzone, which is one of the best available UVA ray blockers. While many sunscreen products claim to have UVA protection, only avobenzone, mexoryl, octocrylene, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide actually have UVA protection (http://www.skincancer.org/content/view/39/8/). Since mexoryl isn’t legal in the U.S., octocrylene may cause endocrine problems, and titanium dioxide and zinc oxide leave white streaks, avobenzone is by far the best available UVA protection in this country. UVA protection is really important — it protects against skin cancer. (UVB protection only protects against sunburn. It used to be thought that UVA rays were harmless, and UVB rays cause sunburn and skin cancer. However, a recent Australian study determined that in the past 20 years more and more people have been using sunscreen on a daily basis, but skin cancer rates were also increasing, which seemed crazy. So they then figured out that UVA rays were the real culprit, and that’s why you should have UVA blockers in your sunscreen.) Also, because it does not have titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, it’s clear and doesn’t leave white streaks the way many other UVA protecting SPFs do.

The only drawbacks to Alba Botanica Sea Moss Moisturizer SPF 15 are that it has weird sea moss ingredients in it (I’m not really a fan of sea moss, I would prefer a plain, unscented moisturizer), and that the avobenzone in it only works for 2 hours, so if I go outside I have to reapply sunscreen every two hours. However, this is worth it to me because I hate the longer-lasting sunscreens like titanium dioxide/zinc oxide products that leave white streaks.

It’s available for $13.69 at Amazon.com.

Active Ingredients: Octylmethoxycinnamate (7.5%), Benzophenone 3 (5.0%), Avobenzone (2%)

Inactive Ingredients: Certified Organic Aloe Vera Barbadensis and Lavender Hydrosol (lavandula officinalis), Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Organic Marine Complex: Chondrus Crispus (Irish Moss), Dermochlorella (Algae), Enteromorpha Compressa (Algae), Laminaria Digitata (Kelp), Macrocystic Pyrifera (Kelp), Spirulina Maxima (Algae), Ulva Lactuca (Sea Lettuce), Organic Oat (Beta Glucan), Vegetable Glycerin, Cetearyl Alcohol, L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Certified Organic Green Tea Extract (Camellia Sinensis), Silica, Certified Organic Jojoba Oil (Simmondsia Chinensis), Sorbitol, Vegetable Emulsifying Wax, Phenoxyethanol, Methyl/Propylparaben, Grape Fruit Extract (Citrus Grandis), Botanical Fragrance