Radox is part of the Sara Lee "corporation" which is strange given that washing products and cakes/gateaux are just so diverse. Radok makes several different washing products to 'cake' yourself in including a wide range of shower gels, shower creams and bath soaks amonget much more.

Firstly, I have to confess that the Radox nourishing shower cream is not my shower product of choice, although I do use other Radox products and find the muscle soak excellent for a wind down after a few hours in the saddle. Being an out and out Lynx man (apart from after shave where I do have more sophisticated tastes) I must admit that Africa shower gel would be top of the list, although there are those times when you have to make do and use something "not quite right" and for this I have to thank, or not as the case maybe, the tastes of Mrs yackers1.

****The packaging/bottle****

This Radox comes in a 250ml see through bottle. The bottle is leaf shaped although there is a flat bottom (obviously) where the flip lid is. Keeping the bottle upside down in this fashion ensures the cream inside is easily accessible and that there is no need for any frantic and wrist aching shaking to get the last drop out of the bottle. Most similar products use this arrangement, although my favourite and shower gel of choice does not, so it is nothing unique to this product.

A few years ago many shower products contained a hooked end enabling the bottle to be hung on the shower rail, on the shower head or pipe, or any other place for that matter. The need for this feature seemed to disappear and this hanging hook was removed from many products, however, this Radox product has retained this hook, which is very useful.

Another great feature of the bottle is the lid, or the way in which the lid operates. The excretion hole of the lid is tiny and almost non-existent unless pressure is applied to the bottle. Once the bottle is squeezed the hole will enlarge and the cream will squirt out. This feature is so great because it means that the cream would leak out if the lid is accidentally left open whilst you're in the shower. Another thing I noticed was the lid and lid hinge mechanism are tight helping to ensure that the lid remains closed when not in use hence preventing any unwanted leakages.

With its floral design the packaging is definitely aimed to entice the fairer sex, although it does so very subtly. The design consists of drab and understated graphics. There are no loud and brash colours that scream 'look at me' and if actually looking for this product on the supermarket shelf I am guessing it would be quite a search. This is not helped by the drab colour of the actual cream, which I find strange given that other products in the Radox range are brightly coloured, such as the muscle soak, and are instantly recognisable. Radox doesn't appear to have any corporate or branding and I think this could be detrimental to the company.

Once the shower cream has been used up the bottle (excluding the flip top lid) can be rinsed out and put in the recycling bin to be re-incarnated in to another useful product, so it is also environmentally friendly.

****The active ingredients****

The "unique selling point" of this product appears to be that it 'contains shea butter and ginger' as stated on the bottle. Personally, I find this a bit of a strange combination but then I really only associate ginger with biscuits and in preparing a good, strong home curry. Maybe many cosmetics contain the ginger? Maybe this highlights my naivety and ignorance of cosmetic products? I do find ginger a strange ingredient to use in the manufacture of beauty products since a common allergic reaction to ginger, if a consumer has one, is a rash amongst a few other symptoms. So is putting ginger in a product that is likely to be smeared over the entire body really that sensible.

Shea butter is a natural fat found in the seed of the African shea tree that is extracted through the process of crushing and boiling. Whilst it has many uses it is widely used in cosmetics as it is claimed to not only deeply moisturise but also protect the skin.

As well as its 'healing' and nourishing qualities shea butter is also used as a chocolate filling ingredient. Maybe this is how Sara Lee's business diversified in to manufacturing this product? Just a thought.

This shower cream contains loads more ingredients including things like sodium lactate, coumarin, CI 19140, parfum and CI 14700 amongst much more, most of which I have never heard of before but they do sound very manmade and synthetic, that are probably in most shower gels, shower creams and the like. I do wonder if the CI numbers are the cosmetic equivalent of food stuff E numbers though.

****It's time to wake up and smell the coffee****

If you pop open the lid and inhale deeply your nostrils will be filled with a strong, sweet smell (although it is not sickly sweet), which is quite over powering. Whilst the fragrance is unique I think there is a definite resemblance of coconuts which is strange since no coconuts are harmed in the manufacture of this shower cream. If you take a more subtle approach, open the lid and let the aroma evaporate naturally the smell is less powerful but there is still an odour of coconuts. Given the potency of ginger I would have expected to recognise this 'ingredient' but it just wasn't there, although I guess this isn't such a bad thing.

I found the rinsing process quickly diluted the smell and within a few short minutes after showering the smell had gone almost immediately. Personally, I didn't have a problem with this as the smell is far too feminine for my liking.

Overall I would describe this product as lightly fragranced so if you like subtle scents or you want to ensure that nothing overpowers your perfume, body spray or whatever nice smelling product you may be wearing then this shower cream would be ideal.

****Lather me up, baby****

The Radox product is a light orange/peach and, for want of a better word, cream colour. I guess I could describe it as a dirty off-white but I don't think this is a good description for a cosmetic product. The cream itself has the same consistency as a moisturiser, which is to be expected given it contains shea butter. It is definitely not like any kind of shower gel.

Applying the Radox feels exactly like applying moisturiser so applying it and then adding water to rinse it off just didn't feel right. One thing I did notice is that a little goes a long way, which is not surprising given the consistency of the cream. The Radox lathers up nicely although it does take a lot of water and a lot of rubbing to really get it going. For those of you who like the feeling of massaging body products in to the skin this is an ideal product since using this product properly is a time consuming task so if you are a 'get in get out' sort of person this is not an ideal product for you.

****Apres shower****

Once out of the shower and dried my skin felt, what I would only describe as, weird. My skin felt soft, that was for sure, although it also felt slippery and greasy, just like I had applied a really greasy emollient or some Vaseline petroleum jelly, which was pleasant in places but awful in others. I will let you make your own mind up of where this would and wouldn't feel so good. Luckily, well for me at least, this feeling didn't last that long and had virtually disappeared by the time I had got dressed.

****Suitable for all skin types?****

I do suffer from dry skin in places and suffer from very mild eczema so really harsh cosmetics are a no go area for me. That said I bought in to the bottle's claim that this Radox cream has "perfect PH balance" and that it gets "thumbs up from the skin experts" and thought that I would be fine, however this was not the case as I did get a rash in the sensitive areas where I am prone to get them. I regularly use the Radox muscle soak and I have never had any issues with that. Maybe I have an allergic reaction to ginger that I don't get when I consume it?

I should reiterate that the rashes weren't severe and that they were short lasting but I was still affected nonetheless so it is something that should be considered if you have any skin complaints. It is a shame that Radox's "100 years of know how" has resulted in a product that I can't use.

****Availability and price****

Radox products are widely stocked and available from all leading supermarkets, convenience stores, mini marts etc. and in addition the nourishing shower cream seems to be a popular product of the Radox range that is stocked so getting some of this shouldn't be a problem.
At around £1.60 for 250ml, or £2.00 for the 500ml bottle this shower cream is in the low to mid range price bracket and given that it lasts such a long time (because only a tiny amount is required) it is excellent value for money. Furthermore, this product can often be found on BOGOF promotions or other deals so it is often worth keeping an eye out.

****Conclusion****

Everything about this nourishing shower cream is feminine. From the packaging to the smell to the requirement to really rub it in to the skin, this product screams out "to be used for the fairer sex", and Mrs Yackers1 is more than welcome to it, especially given that I seem to have some adverse reaction to it.

However, despite the above and on those occasions where the 'man of the house' has run out of a usual shower gel then I would actually recommend this as a backup if there is any lurking around the house. Whilst it may not look masculine or smell masculine (to begin with) it serves the purpose of cleaning the skin, which is the main thing. In addition, the smell will soon wear off so it will not interfere with your deodorant/body spray and aftershave, unlike many other cosmetic products which is good. Just don't expect to be in and out of the shower as quickly as you would with other shower gels though.


(originally posted on Ciao under the name of yackers1)