Clarins Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate

...to buy a lot of Clarins products as gifts for clients at work and because they are particularly pricey, the lovely ladies at the Clarins counter treated me to a miniature Clarins gift set which contained, among other products in the same line, the Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate with plant extracts.

I'm always excited by free gifts, especially from places that are normally too expensive for my budget, and enjoy the prospect of using ...
...The full instructions from the Clarins website are listed as follows: -

In the bath
- Pour a capful of the product under running water (37°C/98.6°F max for optimal treatment action).
- Spread foam over body and inhale deeply to benefit from the aromatic action.
- Relax in your bath for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse with cool water (20°C/70°F) to help refresh and invigorate the skin.

In the shower
more

I recently had to buy a lot of Clarins products as gifts for clients at work and because they are particularly pricey, the lovely ladies at the Clarins counter treated me to a miniature Clarins gift set which contained, among other products in the same line, the Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate with plant extracts.

I'm always excited by free gifts, especially from places that are normally too expensive for my budget, and enjoy the prospect of using products containing natural ingredients. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to get home and try them out.

As I said, my bottle of the concentrate was a miniature so was 100ml instead of the standard 200ml. Mine was obviously free, but this generally costs £6.75 per 100ml, so a bottle would cost around £13.50 in most places.

***FIRST IMPRESSIONS***

The product comes in a fairly solid, transparent bottle with a white screw cap lid with typically Clarins-styled gold edging, though the standard size has a flip-top lid to make life a little easier. Even the smaller version looks classy and the gel itself is a vibrant, aquamarine blue, so first impressions are good.

***INSTRUCTIONS***

On the back of the bottle, there are instructions for using this product in either the bath or shower. I haven't used it in the bath, but as it is a concentrate, you only need to use one capful under warm running water. Since my bottle was a screw-capped bottle this seemed fine until I realised that the cap itself is actually quite large and there was no indication of whether I was supposed to use the small area which screws onto the neck of the bottle or the full thing! Having said that, once you open this product, it becomes clear all too soon that less is definitely more. I did wonder how someone might use the standard-sized bottle for the bath though. My own confusion about which part of the cap to use seemed ridiculous when I wondered how someone might pour a capful of the concentrate into their bath using a flip top lid!

The full instructions from the Clarins website are listed as follows: -

In the bath
- Pour a capful of the product under running water (37°C/98.6°F max for optimal treatment action).
- Spread foam over body and inhale deeply to benefit from the aromatic action.
- Relax in your bath for 10-15 minutes.
- Rinse with cool water (20°C/70°F) to help refresh and invigorate the skin.

In the shower
- Apply Relax Bath & Shower Concentrate to damp skin using a body sponge or wash cloth.
- Rinse with cool water (20°C/70°F).

***EASY TO USE?***

In the shower, this product is fairly easy to use. Simply flip open the top, or unscrew (with my bottle - which was a little more annoying as its more fiddly) and pour a small amount onto a wet sponge or flannel. I'm not sure whether or not the larger version of this product has a slightly more squeezy bottle but given that my bottle was fairly solid, it was a bit of a nightmare to try and get any of the product out! In the end, I resorted to shaking it up and down - much like you would a ketchup bottle - until a small amount came out. Thankfully, the opening to the neck of the bottle is very small, so you won't cover yourself in it and this is a good thing considering how runny the product is. It is more of a liquid than a gel, having the consistency of watered down single cream! You also soon realise with this product that a little goes a very long way, so there is a reason for its design, though I'm not 100% certain that the larger bottle is the same. A couple of 5 pence drops, when combined with water, is sufficient to cover your whole body. Though it doesn't lather in the same foamy way as you'd expect with other products, it does feel clean and refreshing.

***SMELL***

This is very much an acquired taste and if you are after something fruity smelling and feminine, steer clear of this product and every other product in the same line. Whilst they have different ingredients, I have found that the following products tend to have the same smell as the Bath & Shower concentrate: Clarins Relaxing Body Polisher and Clarins Relaxing Body Balm.
When you first open the concentrate, you are hit with an overwhelming smell which is difficult to define. At first, it made me think of beeswax, or some other non-perfumed furniture polish. As I got used to it, I got a whiff of what I originally thought was the smell of cucumber as it reminded me of the smell of my facial tonic, but it was more herby than that. It was only after I read the list of ingredients that I realised what I hadn't been able to put my finger on and it was the smell of basil. For those of you who use fresh basil in your cooking, you will know that it has a very strong, individual smell which is lovely in its place when combined with chicken and tomato etc., but in the shower??? I'm all for natural ingredients but, for me, the smell is overpowering and neither feminine nor masculine. It's just very, very strong and not massively pleasant. It made me wonder what it must smell like to others because it lingers for a long time on your skin after you've washed it off and, whilst it does make you feel moisturised, I wouldn't say I felt particularly clean. The feeling after I dried off was a bit like the slimy feeling you get when you've applied a product with baby oil in it.

***INGREDIENTS***

According to the Clarins website, the bath & shower concentrate contains the following ingredients with healing powers as stated: -

- Cleansing base of vegetal origin

- Basil
Basil is an aromatic herb cultivated in the south of France. In phytotherapy, basil is recommended to relieve nervous disorders.

- Bitter orange
Petit Grain (or Bitter Orange) also called "bigaradier" in French is indigenous to Mediterranean countries. The ancient Greeks employed it as an antiseptic in aromatherapy and in phytotherapy as a calmant. In cosmetology, it is valued for its fragrance and revitalizing properties.

- Commom valerian
This means "to be well" in Latin. The root is rich in essential oils which exert a sedative action. It is frequently utilized for insomnia and to reduce stress, distress and anxiety.

- Geranium
Geranium is a perennial plant commonly found in Europe. Its new vegetation is tender, green and rich in sap. Having a high content of essential oils, it has been valued over the centuries for its soothing and astringent action on skin. The pleasant fragrance of its essential oil has made Geranium a key ingredient for the perfume industry.

- Hops (Stimulates)
Known as "Devil's Wood", because it climbed up trees "at the speed of a thousand devils" and always counter-clockwise, hops was introduced into France in the 12th century. The cone-shaped fruits are rich in essential oils, which have sedative and hypnotic properties. It is frequently used to treat anxiety and depressive states. Hops contain active principles that are precursors to vitamin D.

- Horse Chestnut tree
The name Horse Chestnut came about as the Turks used to feed chestnuts to their horses. Its bark is extremely useful in phytotherapy, as it is highly effective in treating blood circulation disorders. For a long time now, Horse Chestnut flour has been utilized cosmetically to give the skin extra radiance. The pulp is also used for making soap.

- Linden
The linden is a tree which grows in temperate climates and can produce as much as 100 kg of flowers. An essential oil is extracted from them, together with anti-inflammatory and protective components. Among these is quercetin, a flavonoid well-known as an excellent free radical scavenger.

- St John's Wort
Recent studies have shown that this has anti-depressant properties. The oil extracted from St John's Wort is valued in cosmetology chiefly for its moisturising effects.

So in theory, if what is stated about the ingredients is true, this should be relaxing, if you can get past what strikes me as a very strange smell.

***VALUE FOR MONEY***

Personally, I don't really think this product is great value for money. I'm sure it's very good for your skin and is relaxing once you get used to it, but the smell can be very off-putting - to the point where I would have been very disappointed if I'd bought this and it hadn't been a free gift. I find that I tend to use this product on the weekend, rather than going into work and worrying that I smell a bit strange to my colleagues! I'm sure it just smells fresh, but I prefer my bath scents to be a bit more obviously feminine, so that I have the confidence to go out knowing I smell nice! If you like the smell, I think this is great value for money in terms of how long it lasts, but I have yet to find someone who genuinely loves the smell of this stuff. As a Clarins product which makes your skin feel lovely and soft, it does not disappoint, but it's all about personal taste in the end.

***MY FINAL VERDICT***

Apparently you are supposed to use this product in the evenings or after exercise, so perhaps I need to do that to see if it really works on the relaxing front as I've only used it in the mornings so far with no exercise involved previously! I still can't see myself being able to inhale the scent for very long (as it describes in the instructions) but each to their own. I also haven't tried this in the bath, so I will try that before I rule it out entirely. Having said that, I cannot see myself ever buying this product. Smells are important when it comes to liking or disliking a bath/ shower gel and I cannot see myself ever liking, or even getting used to the smell of this.
 

...less