Tom's of Maine Organic Orange Blossom Natural Body Wash and Beauty Bar

SUMMARY: Tom's of Maine - the classic American brand of organic, natural products -  now offers its a soap-free body wash and beauty bar with an all-natural essence of orange blossom.

ABOUT THE BRAND: Tom's of Maine is a different kind of company, one based on the belief that people and nature deserve respect. Over the years they've offered an array of household and personal grooming products ranging from phosphate-free laundry detergent to natural toothpaste. In 2006, Tom's became part of the Colgate-Palmolive Company but their philosophy of developing effective, natural, sustainable and responsible solutions continues.

BEAUTY ALMANAC TESTED

Tom's of Maine Orange Blossom Body Wash

USE: Tom's of Maine's Natural Orange Blossom Body Wash is a soap-free and sulfate-free shower gel that gently cleans and is clinically proven to maintain skin's natural moisture without artificial chemicals. Carefully selected natural ingredients include sunflower oil, Vitamin E and argan oil for ultimate hydration.

AROMA & TEXTURE: The texture is a silky, creamy gel that quickly lathers. The aroma is a non-perfumey, true-to-life orange blossom scent reminiscent of neroli essential oil. My only complaint is that there is also an additional, how can I describe it...pasty aroma from the gel itself that prevents this from being a 100% love for me. However, considering the quality of the ingredients, and how minor this unintended aroma is, I'm happy to overlook it.

INGREDIENTS: Water, coco glucoside, glycerin, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, decyl glucoside, sodium chloride, xanthan gum, natural fragrance, sodium gluconate, sodium lactate, citric acid, lactic acid, argan oil, tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E acetate).

ABOUT THE PACKAGING: The body wash is packaged in a simple plastic cylindrical bottle with squeeze spout.

WHERE CAN I BUY IT? $6.99 USD for 12 ozs at various online retailers.

PROS & CONS: Tom's of Maine's body washes are free from artificial fragrances, preservatives, animal ingredients and animal testing. There is no soidum laureth sulfate and no parabens! My only qualm was that odd pasty scent.

There are currently 76 reviews of this product on Target.com and the reviews are almost unanimously positive with a 5 out of 5 star rating. Comments include:

"I was pleasantly surprised by this orange body wash. Let's start off by talking about the scent. WOW... So refreshing without being overpowering. I found myself sniffing my arm like a weirdo all day long after using it. Onto the washing part: I find that with most body washes they don't typically last or they irritate my skin. This body wash was very gentle on my sensitive skin and it left me feeling clean day after day. It feels like I'm at a spa when I use it because the scent and the lathering bubbles make me feel like I'm living large! HA. Great product and reasonably priced. I will be purchasing this product again in the future."

...and less than enthusiastically:

"I liked the orange body wash although it wasn't my favorite. The scent was really nice and refreshing, but the consistency was a little too thin for me. I feel like with this product a little doesn't go a long way, the consistency is almost as thin as water. With that being said it is very gentle on the skin which I do like. I also like the fact that it has no harsh chemicals. I love all of the toms products but this isn't my favorite. I received a free sample of this in exchange for an honest review and overall it was ok."

Tom's of Maine Orange Blossom Beauty Bar

USE: Tom's of Maine Natural Beauty Bars are gentle on skin while also helping maintain skin's natural moisture. Their formulas feature organic botanicals - like virgin coconut oil and Moroccan argan oil - and are dermatologist-tested, free from artificial fragrances, preservatives, animal ingredients and animal testing. These bars also use Rainforest Alliance Certified palm oil.

AROMA & TEXTURE: I am in love with this and it is my new favorite orange blossom bath and body product. Unlike the shower gel, I noticed no other unwanted aroma and the orange blossom fragrance is just as strong in the bar soap as it is in the shower gel. The texture is wonderful; neither a solid cream texture nor a classic glycerin bar, this is kind of a hybrid. My skin was moisturized without any lingering dryness.

INGREDIENTS: Sodium palmate*, sodium cocoate or sodium palm kernelate, water, glycerin, natural fragrance, sodium gluconate, sodium chloride, argania spinosa (argan) kernel oil. *Rainforest Alliance Certified™

ABOUT THE PACKAGING: The bar is simply packaged in a paper sleeve.

WHERE CAN I BUY IT? $3.99 USD for a 5oz bar at online retailers.

PROS & CONS: Tom's of Maine's bar soaps are free from artificial fragrances, preservatives, animal ingredients and animal testing. There is no soidum laureth sulfate and no parabens! The aroma is wonderful and not too perfumey and the size/price is similar to other specialty supermarket brands.

There are currently 52 reviews of this product on Target.com and the reviews are almost unanimously positive with a 5 out of 5 star rating. Comments include:

"Overall, this product was refreshing and really helped to moisturize my skin while cleaning it as well. I received this product in exchange for an honest review of the product. I LOVE the smell of this bar. It left my skin smelling good all day long. I have troubles finding soaps that don`t irritate my skin and this one was super gentle and left my skin looking/feeling better than before. I would highly suggest trying this product if you want something that has a fresh scent and leaves your skin feeling refreshed after each use."

...and one reviewer commented that it might be drying to some:

"I received a free sample of the orange beauty bar. I have sensitive skin and am usually skeptical about scented body washes. However this body bar had a light natural scent and did the job. I felt clean and refreshed after using this product. The one con is that I felt slightly more dry skin than normal. I would follow up with a lotion after showering if you have dry skin. Overall I would purchase this product again."

Products mentioned in article

Tom's of Maine Natural Moisturizing Body Wash Orange Blossom

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)