I’ve been an avid body and hand cream consumer for countless years now, and I can’t leave home without a tube (or maybe two)! Hopefully, L’Occitane en Provence has got a nice selection of hydrating hand creams. Definitely, two dry hands aren’t enough to try them all!
I’ve put my hands on three L’Occitane en Provence hand creams so far: Shea Butter Hand Cream – L’Occitane’s original formula par excellence – Almond Delicious Hands and Cherry Blossom. Which one is best hydrating cream? Let me judging them…
L’Occitane en Provence hand cream collection: product & packaging
L’Occitane en Provence offers different formulas and fragrances for its iconic hand creams.
These are the key iteam of thematic collections created around a key note like neroli&orchid, rose, lavender… The packaging links the product to the brand straight away: an elegant metallic tube with very detailed illustrations and limited edition designs. I’m not foolish to state they’re collectable items! L’Occitane en Provence Shea Butter Hand Cream contains 20% fairtrade shea butter and it has been formulated for extremely dehydrated skin. A neutral scent and a rich, dense texture are its features. This cream gets absorbed into the skin as any regular hand cream. It isn’t oily, sticky or heavy-weighted. Its hydration level? Very high: Shea Butter Hand Cream leaves the skin very soft and for hours. I could go outside without my gloves on a cold wintry day but I won’t! Its formula contains sweetening and nourishing ingredients: coconut oil, honey and sweet almond extracts.
L’Occitane en Provence Almond Delicious Hands (ou Crème Mains à Croquer pour être plus élégante) has such a yummy name! It’s an almond oil-infused hand cream and its scent is heavenly sweet. This cream has a lighter, fluid texture; it’s great for normal to dry skin. It gets absorbed quickly and might feel a bit oily at first. Almond Delicious Hands leaves my hands very smooth and hydrated but not for as long as Shea Butter Cream does. Nevertheless, it makes my skin supple and very elastic. It contains shea butter, coconut oil, sweet almond proteins and sweet almond oil.
A gust of spring: that’s L’Occitane en Provence Cherry Blossom (Crème Mains Fleurs de Cerisier), a hand cream with a light floral note. Of these three hand creams, Cherry Blossom has got the most fluid and lightweight texture. It isn’t oily at all so that it disappears in a snap. Positive factors? This hand cream provides moisture – without feeling slippery – smoothness and a delicate touch of scent. Its cherry blossom fragrance is exceptionally feminine and fresh. It’s a glycerine-based cream enriched with shea butter, bitter cherry extract, coconut oil and beeswax. It’s the less intensive of this L’Occitane trio, so it requires more applications throughout the day.
L’Occitane en Provence hand creams come in various sizes, scents, limited editions and gift sets. The smaller version (read also ‘wallet-friendly‘) is the travel size (30ml-tube) at 8£ (8€ in Europe and 12$) and can be purchased online at L’Occitane en Provence websites or any retail store.
Hands up: L’Occitane en Provence hand cream formula is high-standard and delicate. Delicate, yes, on your skin but not on your wallet: the price can be quite considerable for a daily product.
L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream is perfect for winter and is the most moisturising: it’s great for chapped and rough skin. However, I won’t change my mind on Almond Delicious Hand which is still my favourite. That’s not hard to explain as it’s hard to find a hydrating lotion that’s sweet but not sickening. A brilliant solution which is hydrating and firming at the same time. I recommended it! Even though I have to reapply it over again, it’s a pleasure. My pleasure.
Valentina Chirico aka Valens
