Failed in my quest for an advent calendar - can't understand why Cadburys ones are so hard to find t...
Failed in my quest for an advent calendar - can't understand why Cadburys ones are so hard to find this year!
Member since:21.05.2008
Reviews:108
Members who trust:37
It's a few weeks since we used up our old handwash and ever since this took its place in the downstairs bathroom, I have been trying to review it! (So finally, halfway through the bottle, I have managed to put fingers to keyboard and say something about it before we use it all up, throw it in the bin and I forget about it . . .)
Initially we chose this for no better reason than the fact that Sainsburys had an offer on a few weeks ago, we use liquid soaps more than bar soaps in our downstairs bathroom and we always take a week to replace one - or fill the last bit up with water to try to stretch it out a bit further! - so buying them in multiples works out easier, and at least we can wash our hands. So we chose two different Imperial Leather ones and this is the remaining one.
The bottle looks quite eye-catching - I would definitely say it looked more feminine than masculine. Topped with the red ribbon Imperial Leather logo, the words "Japanese Spa" are printed entirely in lower case plum-purple letters and underneath a cropped, graphic-looking floral shape in pink and pale green is finished off with simple flower shapes and a figure that looks like it is from the Japanese alphabet, so again there is quite a pronounced
feeling of "delicacy". As each bottle holds 300ml I think it has lasted fairly well considering it must be getting used about four times a day.
I'm not sure what I'd expect a spa in Japan to smell like but I certainly think the highlight on the front of the bottle telling me that it contains green tea, rice milk and jasmine plants the suggestion of an oriental atmosphere in the mind. Having just washed my hands I am now sitting here smelling them (yes, honestly!) trying to decide what the scent reminds me of and it strikes me that it's not unlike a green tea bath and shower gel I once got in a bed and breakfast. Personally I am not sure what green tea smells like but I am guessing it's a little like this - a slightly smoky, plantlike scent with a sort of clean edge. I do, however, recognise jasmine when I smell it and I can't detect any in here! In fairness, when I turned to the back of the bottle, I did spot Camellia sinesis ("tea" in Latin), hydrolysed rice protein and Jasminum officinale amongst the ingredients so it does contain what Imperial Leather say it does, even if these things are hidden amongst a list of chemical-based cleansers and foamers! The back label also informs me that it's completely soap free, "mild enough for the whole family", dermatologically tested and has a skin friendly pH which seems to match up with my impressions of the product - nobody in our house has any major skin allergies, however, and I suppose all soaps are going to meet with someone who is sensitive to them one day.
The Japanese Spa handwash features a pump dispenser of the "twist to open/twist to close" type, white slightly translucent (but not transparent) plastic bottle that is roughly rectangular but curved so that you can grip it - although as it's a squirty product I personally tend to find a flat ledge to stand it on. The base is fairly small (I would guess 4cm by 9-10cm) so I imagine it would fit on the side of pretty much any sink, especially one designed to take an average bar of soap. The pump is really easy to use and doesn't stick or catch, but instead just works smoothly, although - as with most liquid soap type things - it needs a relatively firm press to get the liquid out.
It is certainly very delicate, almost to the point of being non-descript but there is just a hint of something there and is one of those handwashes that you have to lather up with water rather than one that foams up just because it's been squirted into your hands. The liquid is a sort of creamy white, almost like a duller version of condensed milk. The front of the bottle states that it's "lightly moisturising" and I think this is pretty accurate because on the moisturising side it's about average, that kind of handwash that made my hands feel soft immediately after I used it but smooth bordering on tight as they dried, as soap might do. It doesn't have such a drying effect that I felt I absolutely had to use moisturiser but for people with really dry or irritable skin might possibly find one useful afterwards. One thing I did notice was that it didn't irritate my hands - which I found quite impressive given that I have spent three or four days this week picking blackberries and delving into thorny branches and avoiding nettles to do it, so my hands are fairly scratched and battered but the handwash didn't make them feel any worse. The label on the back of the bottle suggests indulging yourself "in a traditional eastern blend of Green Tea, Rice milk and Jasmine to help cleanse your hands leaving them beautifully clean and soft" and I certainly can't fault its cleansing qualities even if I would question its ability to soften.
This was on buy-one-get-one-free when my mum bought it and I think the individual bottles were priced at about £1.49 at the time, which is perhaps not ideal as a budget buy but still what I'd expect to pay for a handwash. Overall, I think I would buy it again as it has an appealing fragrance and isn't over-drying on my skin (although it might be on other hands), but on the other hand I have a sneaky feeling that the description "limited edition" might suggest it won't be around for long! (It is still listed under "Limited Editions" on the Imperial Leather website at the moment, rather than in their main handwash range.) I hope, however, that Imperial Leather do at least think about retaining it because I think it makes a much more practical and quite sophisticatedly scented alternative to a bar of soap on the side of the sink which is bound to go jelly-like and soggy eventually!
Pictures of Imperial Leather Japanese Spa Handwash
Front of the bottle
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) An indulgent product, smells nice, creates bubbles, relaxes and is economical and a good price. (-) Contains too many ingredients, not many natural ones.
Advantages: lightly moisturising without residue, actual plant products used, economical. Disadvantages: if you have dry skin, you need to still moisturise after or use a different product
Advantages: lightly moisturising without residue, actual plant products used, economical. Disadvantages: if you have dry skin, you need to still moisturise after or use a different product
Sep 14th, 2009
exceptional by (8%):
very helpful by (92%):
