Kiehl's Creme de Corps - possibly the best body lotion in the world?

Beauty companies are no strangers to hyperbole when it comes to their product blurbs, but the label on the bottle of Kiehl's Creme de Corps body lotion still made me laugh when I first read it. A "Superb All-Over Body Moisturizer of Superb Quality", it promised to provide "a skin texture heretofore unattainable". And to top it all off? "Qualité Internationale!" That's right, not just your common or garden American or European quality, but international quality - and in French too! I couldn't possibly turn it down.

On the way to the counter to pay for it, I passed a man who was obviously a fan of Creme de Corps too - "I always used to bring this back for my girlfriends when I was travelling in the US", he informed the sales assistant, as I hoped the multiple girlfriends were consecutive relationships and that he wasn't literally bringing suitcases full of Creme de Corps home with him and handing them out to his many lady friends.

Anyway, back to the review.

Now the wording on the label may have been slightly tongue-in-cheek - a throwback to the old-world apothecary roots of the Kiehl's brand - but there's no doubt about the fact that this is a fantastic body lotion. Although it doesn't look terribly fancy in its no-frills bottle, Creme de Corps is packed full of moisturising plant oils and butters (sesame seed oil, jojoba oil and cocoa butter to name a few) and feels immediately rich and hydrating on application.

It sinks in really easily despite the rich texture and makes my super-dry and itchy skin feel comforted right away. A small amount goes a long way and there's no fragrance, so this is an ideal choice if you don't like your body lotion to clash with your perfume.

So now I get to what you really wanted to know - did I achieve a "heretofore unattainable" skin texture? Well, I've used very good body lotions before this and the key to good skin texture is always regular use of whatever moisturiser you're using. Creme de Corps does give me smooth, soft and glowing skin and I predict it will be a lifesaver in winter weather. No different to many other body lotions I've used in that respect, but definitely a keeper for the bathroom cabinet.