I received this hand cream as a gift on Christmas Day, started using it that same evening, and have been applying it twice a day ever since. As well as loving the glorious fragrance, I am also delighted to have seen an improvement in the condition of my very dry hands - although I have to confess that I had not been paying them as much attention as I should have in recent weeks, and so I expect they were extremely glad of their Christmas treat.

The Cranberry Joy fragrance is a limited edition from The Body Shop, and features in a range of products - which include a candle, shimmer lotion, body butter, bath crystals, soap, hand wash, fragrance oil, room & body spritz, and lip balm. Although products in this particular fragrance seem to come around at Christmas time, there are currently lots on offer on eBay, and a 30ml tube is in The Body Shop sale (as of 7th January), reduced from £4 to £2.

The hand cream comes in a slender tube, which is a deep red colour, and which features a pretty design at the top depicting lots of Joyful Cranberries. The tube also is also circled with some salmon pink bands, and it has a deep gold lid. The front of the tube shows The Body Shop logo, and gives you the information that this hand cream is a 'Moisturising cream bursting with the scent of fresh berries'. It is available in two sizes, 30m and 50ml, although this will depend on which outlet you choose. My gift was the 50ml size.

The tube is designed so that it stands on its flip-open lid, which is nicely secure once it has been clicked shut. There is a small hole in the centre of the lid, and you squeeze the tube to release the cream. Because the cream is very thick, I found that I needed to use quite a firm pressure (however, I should point out that my right hand is 'in the wars' at the moment - it's painful, and a bit weaker than usual). Able-bodied (or able-handied) consumers might not need to press quite as hard. Because the lid clicks very firmly and closes the neat little tube securely, this is a product that would be easy to pop into your handbag.

The hand cream has a very thick texture, and so you only need to use a small amount. It is beautifully moisturising, and is a real pleasure to use. It has an intensely fruity, almost tangy fragrance, which is what you'd expect from cranberries - this is a tart fruit, after all. I think the scent is absolutely gorgeous, and the fragrance lasts for some time. I find that this nourishing hand cream leaves my hands feeling luxuriously soft, and although I'm not generally a fan of highly-fragranced toiletries and cosmetics, I like this one very much.

The product spreads easily, feels very comfortable on my skin, and despite its thickness it is absorbed quickly, leaving my hands feeling beautifully soft and smooth. I find the tart, fruity fragrance to be very refreshing, but if you are not a fan of fragranced toiletries then this may not be one for you.

The Body Shop's website shows a number of customer reviews, which are very complimentary about this product, and it gets a total score of 4.5 out of 5. I also like to check out MakeUpAlley's reviews of cosmetics and toiletries, and this product gets 5 out of 5 there, although there were only two reviewers.

The hand cream also comes in two other fragrances, Spiced Vanilla and Candied Ginger. I also received the Spiced Vanilla hand cream with my Christmas present, but I find the fragrance of this too sickly for my taste, and so my husband has taken it to use at work, where his hands can get dry and sore.

Cranberry Joy has a fairly long-lasting fragrance, and we both love it. Although this was part of a special range for Christmas, I wish that The Body Shop would continue to stock this throughout the year. It has such a lovely fruity fragrance that I think it would be suitable all year round.

The Body Shop is well known for its ethical values, and they are against animal testing. The tube is recyclable, and the contents are good for twelve months after opening. I'm not going to repeat the very long list of ingredients here, other than to say that this product contains ethically-sourced cocoa butter from Ghana, beeswax from Cameroon, brazil nut oil from Peru, soya oil and organic babassu oil from Brazil. If you wish, you can find the ingredients listed on The Body Shop's product page.

I have been on the lookout for a really good hand cream for a while now. My Holy Grail is Clarin's Hand and Nail Treatment Cream, but that is really expensive and so it only comes my way once in a while as a real treat. I've been using No7's Protect and Perfect Hand Cream for some years now, and while I really like that, I've been looking for something that would offer extra moisturisation. I actually prefer the Cranberry Joy, and even though I was lucky enough to win another hand cream in a pre-Christmas beauty competition, I think I will definitely be stocking up on this Body Shop hand cream.

Cranberry Joy hand cream is currently in The Body Shop's sale, where a 30ml tube is reduced from £4 to £2. There are also a selection of eBay sellers who feature this product, in either the 30ml or 50ml sizes. It is available as a single tube, as a two-tube set, as part of the set of three fragrances, and also features in a variety of gift sets. It is available in both Buy It Now, and in a number of auctions.

I think this product compares very favourably with No7's Protect & Perfect Hand Cream, but perhaps isn't as wonderful as my longed-for Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream. However, I will definitely be stocking up now, and I will also be looking out for this product as next Christmas begins to draw near.

I am giving this product four stars, and only deducting one because it is not widely available during the year.

(This review is also on Ciao, under the same user name.)