Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Intensive All-Purpose Balm: Helping Harvest Hands

BEAUTY ALMANAC TESTED

SUMMARY: Crabtree & Evelyn's aromatic, ultra-rich Gardeners Intensive All-Purpose Balm soothes and moisturizes dry, chapped skin. Made with ultra-rich, nourishing shea butter and beeswax, botanical notes of clover leaf, eucalyptus, and rosemary lift the senses.

ABOUT THE BRAND: "Long before the 'natural' and 'wellness' movements became popular, Crabtree & Evelyn was producing ranges featuring fruit, flower and plant essences. The company continues to draw on its rich heritage and knowledge of plants and botanicals whilst embracing new discoveries.

Today the Crabtree & Evelyn product range comprises fragrances, bath and shower gels, soaps, home spa products, body lotions, hand creams and home fragrance. The ethos of the company remains, seeking out the most beneficial ingredients inspired by nature to create a range of products which make a world of difference. A blend of the very best of nature and science coupled with tradition and innovation." Crabtree-Evelyn.com

USE: Formulated for weathered skin exposed to the elements, Crabtree & Evelyn's Gardeners Intensive All-Purpose Balm is ideal for use after gardening or any task where hands, feet, knees or elbows are in need of a little rejuvenation. The balm can be applied directly to rough, dry areas as needed.

NUMBER OF TIMES TESTED FOR THIS REVIEW: 3x over the last 3 months from a product I received from the company for review purposes.

AROMA & TEXTURE: The balm looks a bit like petroleum jelly but absorbs surprisingly quickly with its beeswax and shea butter base. Thought the balm leaves skin glistening, there is almost no residual greasiness after application.

The aroma is almost therapeutic with its blend of garden botanical notes. The eucalyptus and rosemary are most prominent. The fragrance does linger so one must enjoy these herbal aromatics.

INGREDIENTS: A complete list of ingredients is not provided but the brand website offers the following: "Made with ultra-rich, nourishing shea butter and beeswax. Fresh from the garden, herbaceous and botanical notes of clover leaf, eucalyptus, and rosemary lift the senses." Crabtree-Evelyn.com

ABOUT THE PACKAGING: Simple aluminum canister with screw off top covered in a simple tan, black, and orange label.

WHERE CAN I BUY IT? Available at Crabtree-Evelyn.com, ~$10 USD for 14g.

PROS & CONS: This stuff is addictive and a few applications leaves one wanting to reapply and reapply! The aroma is indeed as important as the texture here but the balm does help with the discomfort associated with cracked or dry skin. For gardeners who spend hours crouching in the soil, the balm would be just as useful for knees as well. The travel-sized tin is convenient for a jacket pocket or weekend cosmetic bag. I wish I could have found an exhaustive list of ingredients but as the product is quite new and hasn't made it to online retailers yet, there isn't a lot of information other than what C&E shares on their website and in their press release.

THE BOTTOM LINE: A great-smelling, super-moisturizing balm as useful for after-gardening hands as for winter-weather cuticles and other dry skin patches.

Products mentioned in article

Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Intensive All-Purpose Balm

Marlen Elliot Harrison

Dr. Marlen Elliot Harrison’s journalism in the fragrance industry has appeared in international print and online publications such as Playboy...(more)