Ila Body Cream for Glowing Radiance – Review

Ila Body Cream for Glowing Radiance 

ILA Spa  is a luxury brand of organic beauty products for body, face and even some home fragrances, like candles and incense. When they say pure, they mean it – all the ingredients used come from a plant or mineral, and nothing else. The brand’s become something of a cult beauty classic, earning the prestigious Prix D’excellence award from Marie Claire.

This brand is definitely pure indulgence. I got a sample of this to try, but the full price for the body cream is $68.00 to $85.00 for about 7oz. Yeah, my eyes bugged out, too! I’m also testing the face oil by Ila, and hope to get a review out on that next week.

Right off the bat, I noticed its very earthy scent. I’m not sure what it is. The ingredients state “argan oil and organic shea butter combined with damascena rose otto and tuberose”, and I personally haven’t sniffed argan oil or damascena rose otto so I can’t figure out if that’s what’s behind the scent. It’s not really my style, but I could get used to it.

I applied this fresh out of the shower, twice after exfoliating with a body scrub. I used this about 4 times. This body cream is thicker than a lotion, but slightly thinner than one of those super rich, concentrated creams I’ve tried in the past. It’s light and felt nice. However, I found that it took a while to completely smooth in. The cream left a white film like titanium dioxide, which was weird. It took about 20-30 seconds of slightly vigorous rubbing to absorb into my skin. Once it did, it absorbed quickly and after a minute or two, you only feel softness. The scent remains for a while after application.

I probably mentioned this before, but I like my lotions and creams to absorb quickly. Even though I love indulging myself in fancy products, I don’t want to spend extra seconds just rubbing something on my body. Therefore, quick absorption is an absolute must for me. Ila Body Cream fell flat in that department. It just takes too long to rub in.

Last night, I rubbed one leg with it, and the other leg with some leftover Bath & Body Works Lotion I’m trying to finish. The Bath & Body Works lotion sunk into my skin in seconds, and the cream took forever in comparison. Sort of disappointing.

Overall, I love the after effects, but it’s nothing I can’t achieve with other less expensive body creams. I can take or leave the scent. The slow initial absorption is a deal breaker for me.

Ingredients:  Aqua, Rosa Damascena (Rose) Flower Distillate, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters & Glyceryl Stearate & Cetearyl Alcohol & Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Arachidyl Alcohol and Behenyl Alcohol and Arachidyl Glucoside, Glycerin, Andropogon Zizanoides (Vetiver) Oil, Glyceryl Caprylate, Xanthan Gum, Rosa Damascena Flower Oil, Tocopherol, Polianthes Tuberosa Extract, Potassium Sorbate, p-anisic Acid, Linalool, Farnesol, Geraniol, Eugenol, Citral

USDA Certified Organic?:  No

Average Price: $68.00-$85.00 for 7 oz

Additional Notes: Once opened, best used within 6 months; not recommended for pregnant or soon to be pregnant women due to the high use of essential oils