Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream reviewed here… with some mixed feelings on my behalf.
Right at the very first moment of discovering the Kukui Nut Body Cream, a love story began. This was a years ago, around the start of my fascination for not just natural, but also organic skin care. Not really going through the ingredient labels yet, just getting natural skin care and makeup from the organic store. I went through three jars of this lovely body cream before scrutinizing the ingredients on the label.
During that time, I had become a lot more particular about toxins and irritants in both food and skin care. Do you want your skin care to be made exclusively with natural and organic ingredients? In that case, most Alba Botanica reviews will bring less good news.
As many of Alba’s products, the Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream is a relatively natural skin care product. It’s nice and I like it a lot, although some of the ingredients are disappointing. I have a few other, more natural and organic body cream suggestions at the end of this review.
Packaging
Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream comes in a large tub made of plastic. Whether the tub can be recycled or not is unclear, I suppose so. It actually makes a great jar to clean and re-use for homemade skin care recipes, seeds, fish food, nails & screws, paperclips, you name it, the possibilities of a plastic jar are endless.
Since the presence of plastic in nature is quite ‘endless’ too, we might as well give it a new purpose around the house (sarcasm intended).
Texture
The cream is thick, but a little goes a long way and it spreads out easily.
Scent
Yumm. Divine. A sweet, sensual lingering smell, with hints of caramel, cream and roast nuts.
Ingredients
Ingredients, INCI: Aqua (Water), Aloe Vera Barbadensis Juice (1), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carthamus Tinctorius (Safflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Glyceryl Stearate, Stearyl Alcohol, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Extract, Anacyclus Pyrethrum Root Extract, Arnica Montana Flower Extract, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Vanilla Planifolia Fruit Extract, Aleurites Moluccana Seed Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Oil, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Carbomer, Dimethicone, Polysorbate 60, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Coumarin, Fragrance (Parfum) , Beta-Carotene (CI 40800), Caramel (1) Certified Organic Ingredient.
Lots of beautifully natural plant extracts, however, only the aloe vera juice is organic. I went for a look on their website, just out of curiosity. Quote from Alba Botanica’s official about page (link opens in new tab): “Our products contain natural, organic and cruelty-free ingredient alternatives which are 100% vegetarian.”
It also specifies that Alba Botanica’s natural skin care products are made without parabens, phthalates, artificial colors, propylene glycol, aluminum, mineral oil, petrolatum, oxybenzone, PABA, nano-particles, DEA, MEA or TEA, PEGs and PEG derivatives, ethoxylated ingredients associated with 1,4 dioxane, formaldehyde donors, or GMOs. Quite a list, sounds like they got all the ‘bad guys’ covered!
Still not too happy about the following ingredients. This a what I’ve found on ewg.org/skindeep, a database with scientific research on thousands of cosmetic ingredients.
- polysorbate 60 – This substance can be contaminated through ethylene oxide with the carcinogen 1.4 dioxane. Polysorbates are synthetical ingredients, not a natural one and there’s limited evidence for organ toxicity.
- dimethicone – This one is a silicon-based polymer, with some risk for organ toxicity and suspected to be an environmental toxin. Silicones are derived from petroleum, just like petrolatum and mineral oil.
- phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin are there for preservation or fragrance and pose some concerns. [Read more on these ingredients here: Bummer… It’s ALMOST entirely natural organic skin care!]
What I like about the Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream
- Delectable scent, lingers for a very long time.
- Many natural ingredients.
- Organic aloe vera juice.
- Perfect texture.
What I like less about the Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream
- Some synthetic ingredients, making this gorgeous body cream not completely natural.
- Only one organic ingredient.
Final thoughts & other Natural Organic Skin Care Reviews
This was love at first sight for me! However, that was before I started reading cosmetic labels. Unfortunately, trust is good, but double-checking is even better. I understand why Alba has to add some chemicals to the Kukui Nut Body Cream – keeping the germs and fungi under control is vital – but still, there are other companies who have developed new ways to do so, while keeping it natural.
The Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream is a good product, for a good price, just not a totally natural & organic body cream. I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but I’m willing to make a tiny exception… only because of its heavenly scent!
Pricetag:
- A tub of 6.5 oz goes for around $10.00 on Amazon.
- iHerb is a bit cheaper, as usual, with $8.75 and first orders on iHerb get an additional $5 off.
Looking for something entirely natural?
What to replace this body cream with, if you’re looking for something completely natural? Obviously, nothing is going to be exactly the same as this cream. That said, there are a few alternatives from all natural and organic skin care lines.
- Radiant Skin Silk by Annmarie Gianni has a vanilla-ish scent (coming from Peru balsam) which puts it in the same sweet and suave fragrance ‘corner’ as Alba’s Kukui Nut Body Cream. Radiant Skin Silk is not as thick in texture, because it’s more of a lotion than a cream. It can be combined (layered) with Annmarie Gianni’s Coconut Body Oil for extra nourishment. To try these organic body care products first, instead of going full size right away, there’s a Travel Kit available with small size ‘Body Essentials’.
- Miessence Intensive Body Cream is much like a lotion as well, it’s quite runny and has a floral scent coming from organic essential oils of geranium and patchouli.
Annmarie Gianni and Miessence make some of the absolute best organic skin care products on the market today, with the finest botanical ingredients. They do however fall into a different price-range than Alba Botanica.
In need of… a more economical route towards all natural & organic body care?
Perhaps crafting your own natural skin care recipes is a good idea. All it takes to create organic skin care recipes is the use of organic ingredients instead of ‘regular’ ones. Blending a body oil is fairly easy and you can scent it with the organic essential oils of your choice, which gives you full control over the fragrance. Stir in some cocoa butter or shea butter to make a homemade body butter. Check out these natural organic skin care recipes, or go straight to this fun ánd super easy whipped shea butter recipe.
What do you think of Alba Botanica’s Hawaiian Kukui Nut Body Cream?
Please share your own Alba Botanica reviews and organic skincare tips!
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