Better than expected! (Mukti Hand & Body Lotion)

Member Name: carly_pussycat

Product:	Mukti Hand & Body Lotion
Date:	22/10/07 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Smells gorgeous, very natural

Disadvantages: Perhaps not quite as effective as a couple of other creams

This year I was lucky enough to get on the testing panel for The Green Beauty Bible (organic/natural sister book to The 21st Century Beauty Bible). I was quite unbiased when testing most of the products because I didn't know most of the brand names and therefore had no idea of the price or their reputation either. I had ten things to test and this was the hand/body lotion.

The first thing that struck me about this product I'd been sent was the ridiculously small size of the container (50ml). Considering it's called Mukti Hand & Body lotion it seemed like the whole thing would be used up within a couple of weeks if you used it as a body lotion, but in the interest of being unbiased I didn't check the price or whether it comes in larger sizes until later.
The product itself looks attractive yet simple. It comes in a small white plastic pump bottle with the eye-catching Mukti logo and product name on the front, ingredients list on the back. When it comes to hand creams I am generally more in favour of pumps because who wants to replace a lid on a bottle whilst wearing hand cream? This one also comes with the option of locking the pump (for travelling?) but like all other pump locks you have to press it right down to lock it so it's a hassle not normally worth bothering with. The pump is very smooth to use and will dispense just the littlest bit or however much you want. The scent is possibly the best I've smelt in a hand cream to date - very zesty and fresh, citrussy and sweet like naturally sweetened fruit peel. The texture can't be faulted either because it spreads very well with a small amount and absorbs as quickly as my best hand cream (Aveda Hand Relief).

(",) On hands (",)
It leaves your hands feeling slightly protected, like a thin serum, but it never leaves a greasy/ slimy feeling so you can do all your normal things afterwards without having to wait a while for it to absorb (this is the main thing that'll stop me regularly using a hand cream).

I wouldn't say that this has done anything drastic to my hands, but then they are in reasonably good condition anyway considering I am 24, don't do any gardening and always wash up with gloves on. I think it'd be best used as a continuous treatment rather than any kind of intensive care because it's not the richest cream I've used but it seems to keep my hands nice.
(",) On body (",)

Considering the effect on my hands I wasn't expecting miracles on my body because my legs get quite dry and my upper body never gets particularly dry so doesn't need much moisturisation. It was how I expected - on my legs the cream stopped them looking dry but it didn't really have any lasting effect or improve them (as oils or very rich creams can). Again, it was pleasant to use because there was no greasiness, but I was not willing to use this on my body for too long because it smelt so nice I wanted to save it for my hands.
After I finished testing this I took it upon myself to look up the company and price of the product.

(",) About Mukti Botanicals (",)
Taken from their website www.muktibotanicals.com.au
"Capturing beauty's new mood for natural, chemical-free beauty solutions Mukti (mooktee) is the perfect fusion of modern science and traditional herbal remedies.

A luxurious, certified organic, plant based beauty collection that utilises the best mother nature has to offer, Mukti Botanicals are infused with ingredients that are safe enough to eat including herbal extracts, vitamins, pure essential oils and essential fatty acids.
Mukti is suitable for all skin types including mature, dry, normal, sensitive, oily and acne-prone. Mukti's commitment to the environment is based on sustainable packaging, biodegradable ingredients and recyclable containers"
Looking at the ingredients on my lotion I see the largest ingredient is Aloe Vera, which explains to me why it doesn't have a very intensive effect. I use Aloe Vera gel for soothing dry skin sometimes, and whilst I find it does soothe and cool it doesn't deeply moisturise so it's good as a regular treatment but not something you will use once in a while to sort out very dry skin. All the ingredients on the lotion are certified organic, which could be a major plus for you if you're looking for natural alternatives to your normal creams, whether for personal choice or for health reasons if you're allergic to other chemical laden products.

For the ingredients being totally safe, natural and organic and it having a pretty good effect on my skin I'll rate this as 4 stars, but if you don't mind using non-organic products you'll probably find creams better than this (eg. Aveda which is normally pretty natural anyway).

Summary: A beautifully scented natural hand cream that does the job pretty well