Is This the Perfect Shower Gel for Dry Skin Types?

Main Image – Live That Glow

The weather’s really starting to warm up now and to get into proper summer mode I’ve started switching up the warmer, sophisticated type scents I love in my winter skincare for the coconut, citrus and floral fragrances that conjure up images of lazy beach holidays.

And since I already love Fresh Beauty’s face products, one of my go-to summer favourites is their Sugar Lemon Bath & Shower Gel.

The Brand

Founded in Boston in 1991 by Russians Lev Glazman and Alina Roytberg, Fresh specialises in effective formulas, gentle, natural ingredients and a luxury vibe (I love the real rose petals in some of their products).

Generally kind to sensitive skin, I’m already a big fan of a few of the brand’s face products, including the fantastically soothing Soy Face Cleanser and Rose Face Mask.

Fresh Sugar Lemon Bath & Shower Gel

When this first arrived I was expecting something of a fresh lemony fragrance, so I was quite surprised when an initial whiff revealed this smells *exactly* like a popular floor cleaning product.

Kicking myself for not going for the Brown Sugar scent instead, I went ahead and gave this a go in the shower and was pleased to discover that when foamed up the mango and lychee extracts in this really come out, giving it a light tropical scent which I find uplifting and summery.

On damp skin, this is a high foaming gel, and alongside gentle surfactants decyl glucoside and cocamidopropyl betaine, it does contain sodium laureth sulphate (one of the most common foaming agents and a less drying alternative to sodium lauryl sulphate).

While this ingredient can sometimes be guilty of slightly irritating the skin of very sensitive types, the addition of nourishing goodies like brown sugar (a natural humectant drawing moisture to the skin), castor oil and shea butter keep this more soothing and hydrating than a lot of gels I’ve used.

The Full List of Ingredients

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Oil, Litchi Chinensis Seed Extract, Sucrose, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Tocopherol, Parfum (Fragrance), Citric Acid, Polyquaternium-10, Laureth-2, Benzoic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Sulfate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium Bicarbonate, Butylene Glycol, BHT, Phenoxyethanol, Limonene, Linalool, Citral, Citronellol, Geraniol

On the Skin

The brown sugar and other moisturising goodies here make this fairly gentle on the skin- and also means that if I’m ever stuck for time to moisturise after showering my skin doesn’t feel the effects too badly and still feels pretty soft. 

If I do this couple of times in a row though my skin does become slightly dry, while the artificial fragrance here could potentially irritate the most sensitive skin types. For me, that makes this gel better suited to those just looking for a yummy scent for their bath or shower rather than a moisturising skin treatment.

The Takeaway

I like the summery scent of this and the quick cleanse it gives, although I generally prefer something slightly more hydrating so I’m keeping this for the warmer months when my skin isn’t as dry.

Great for: Anyone who enjoys fruity/tropical scents. A thorough, squeaky-clean feel without stripping skin too much.

Not-so-great for: Really dry or sensitive skin- which may not get on with the sodium laureth sulphate or the fragrance here.

Fresh’s Sugar Lemon Bath & Shower Gel is £18 for 300 ml, Space NK UK and $23 for 10 oz/ 300 ml, Sephora US