Back in the day - when peppermint foot lotion cost pocket money - I was a regular customer of the Body Shop. We fell out for many years, in part due to the acquisition of the Body Shop by cosmetics giant l'Oreal but in the last year or so I've made the occasional purchase, mostly due to some cracking offers from the Body Shop's website and in the form of excellent rates of cash-back (www.topcashback.co.uk)

One of the issues for me was the price hike making Body Shop items relatively expensive, while supermarkets and other companies were coming up with exciting and ethical products at more competitive prices. This Fig and Rosemary Shower Gel from the Body Shop's Earth Lovers range usually retails at £5.00 which I think is way too much, but is currently on offer at a more realistic £2.50 for a 250ml bottle.

The key features of the Earth Lovers range are that the products are 100% biodegradable and sulphate, paraben and colourant-free. In describing the shower gel as biodegradable, the Body Shop means that what goes down the plughole will leave no residue or anything that cannot be naturally absorbed into the environment. The bottle is graded as 1 so that can be recycled where facilities allow.

It did strike me that, given that the Body Shop is trying to promote this product as very natural and additive free, there are an awful lot of ingredients in this product. Still, I bought it because I liked the sound of it, not because I was particularly concerned with the ingredients, however, I'm always happy to use products that don't contain parabens.

The packaging is simple but attractive and the flip cap is easy to use. Unlike some of the other Body Shop bottles (I'm thinking of the coconut shower gel) there is a bit of give in the plastic which means it's easy to squeeze. Personally I prefer something that hangs up in the shower but I wouldn't cite the packaging of this product as a negative.

When opening the cap the smell of the rosemary hits you immediately. I love this smell, slightly antiseptic and very fresh and clean. I like to use this best in the shower in the morning as I find the rosemary element of this product really invigorating. After the rosemary dies down the fig scent becomes more apparent. It's sweet but not cloyingly so, and slightly musky rather than being a fresh fruity scent.

The gel is clear and lathers nicely but not excessively so if you like lots of bubbles this may not be the product for you. The product is soap free and cleanses well without drying the skin. I wouldn't say it has any special moisturising power but my skin felt soft enough after use. There is a lingering scent which lasts a couple of hours after showering.

I like this product but wouldn't pay full price for it. Fortunately there are regular promotions at the Body Shop and if you keep an eye out you may be able to bag a bargain. In spite of the quite strong fragrance this product is recommended for people with sensitive skin and since such products are often fragrance free, this product might appeal to those who generally avoided scented products.