I love trying out new products so I was delighted to receive a free bottle of a new Bold 2in1 fragrance, Rose Blush and Peony, courtesy of the new 'Savvy Circle' launched on www.supersavvyme.co.uk. I was in two minds whether to accept this product trial initially as I normally only use non-biological washing products (usually Fairy) as both I and my oldest sons suffer from sensitive skin and eczema. Getting the product for free did seem like the ideal opportunity to try a biological gel out and see whether I got enhanced cleaning performance and whether this would irritate sensitive skin or not.

The 2in1 gel comes in a chunky plastic bottle which dispenses the attractive pink gel easily with just a gentle squeeze. The gel is used directly in the drum of the washing machine, using the lid which transforms into a handy dispenser. One of the advantages of this method of dispensing is that the drawer of the washing machine isn't used at all, avoiding the need to clean it out! I did wonder whether the plastic dispenser might be a little noisy as it clonked around in the machine but, in all honesty, I can't say that I heard any noise from it at all.

I was hoping that this gel would show a marked improvement in cleaning performance from my usual non-bio. I have always been led to believe that biological powders (or gels, as in this case) are much more effective at cleaning and removing stains. In all honesty, however, I haven't really witnessed any major improvements and, for instance, the Bold gel didn't even make an impact on my son's white polo t-shirt that was sporting a nice muddy imprint of a football. I know that Fairy alone wouldn't have been able to tackle a mud stain but I was disappointed that this Bold didn't perform any better.

My other concern had been how this gel would react with my family's sensitive skin. Here I was much more impressed as, despite using this for all of the family's laundry for the past few weeks including bedding, there has been no sign of any irritation on any of the boys' or my skin. None of us have experienced a recent outbreak of eczema which was my main concern. This certainly put my mind at rest about the suitability of this product for people with sensitive skin.

Above all else, though, the main benefit of this gel is the beautiful aroma that it leaves both on the freshly washed laundry but also clothing that has been dried and worn. (Apparently, this is a result of very clever sounding 'Micro Capsule Technology.' which ensures that the smell is gradually released when the clothes are worn.) The scent itself is totally gorgeous - a really fresh, floral fragrance that is just strong enough to waft through my clothing all day without seeming cloying or overpowering. It is a very feminine fragrance but I've had no complaints from my husband or sons so I don't think it is overly noticeable. I do love it though and it certainly cheers me up to smell my clothing smelling so pleasant all day long.

As this is a 2in1 product, it is designed to replace the need to use an additional fabric softener. I never use fabric softener anyway so this doesn't save me any money or time but I can see why this appeal to people who usually do. I can see that this fragrance replaces that usually added by a separate fabric softener but I can't say that I've noticed my clothing feeling any softer than they would usually feel.

In all, I have been pleasantly surprised by my experience with Bold gel. I love the fragrance of this Rose Blush and Peony variety and feel really comforted by my beautifully scented clothing and I was very relieved that the gel hasn't irritated our delicate skin at all. I was, however, disappointed that this wasn't any more successful at tackling extremely dirty washing.

This variety along with many others in the range is available from most supermarkets for around £4 for a 667ml bottle, estimated to tackle 18 loads of washing. It's not a cheap product, especially as I would need to use an additional stain remover as well, but it is a beautifully scented way of cleaning my family's laundry so I will probably be buying this again.