For many of us, our first skin/body care experience was likely fruit scented.
The apple lip balm; the mango body butter; the strawberry shampoo. These fruity smells marked our childhood and can bring nostalgia rushing back the same way that Johnson’s Baby Shampoo and Pears Soap do.
As we grow older, we realise that some of these fruity scents have a bit of a sickly, synthetic smell. Fruit based products are shoved to the back of the bathroom cabinet and ignored for years.
However, there is much to love about the ripening of fruit based beauty these days. Many of the brands we knew and loved as children or teenagers have redeveloped their formulas to smell less sweet and more - well - like fruit. In addition, new brands have burst onto the scene, mixing it up with powerful new products. There are beneficial active ingredients, lightweight formulas and cool packaging.
I’ve selected some of the best fruit scented beauty items and given them a rating based on the following factors - how much I enjoyed using it (i.e. fruit smell not overwhelming), effectiveness, value for money and nostalgia value.
Because who does love a little trip down an (orchard-lined) memory lane?
Shop Fruity Products
1. Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (Glow Recipe) ($38 for 30ml)
Glow Recipe is a K-Beauty inspired brand started by two women. It is recently available at Mecca Cosmetica in Wellington and has cult status online.
Intended for nighttime use, this Watermelon mask has a slippy, gel-like texture and is rich in hyaluronic acid and AHA’s. The packaging is gorgeous, in a square, glass jar (which is pretty enough to want to keep after you have used it up and better for the environment than plastic because #recycling). It also comes with a handy little spatula to paint the clear jelly onto your face. The mask sits on your face overnight and sinks in. It also absorbs reasonably quickly, so you won’t get it on your pillow.
The watermelon scent definitely has nostalgia value. It reminded me of Hubba Bubba - and iconic scent of my childhood - but a little less sweetened, and more balanced. There’s also some memory coming back to me of scratch and sniff stickers which were watermelon scented, or scented markers from Crayola. Either way, if you had a 90’s childhood, this watermelon scent will take you back.
One thing I didn’t quiet understand is the benefit of leaving this mask on overnight because it would be just as effective to pop on while watching Netflix with your girlfriends. Why a sleeping mask specifically? Despite this conundrum, overall, I found this mask to be fresh and appealing. It may be best for those who like products which don’t weigh down the skin but isn’t rich enough for dry skin. I would certainly recommend it for young people with oily to normal skin who are already fans of trying cult beauty products.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Effectiveness: 3.5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Nostalgia Value: 5/5
2. Pineapple Glow Face Mask (Two Faced) ($72 for 45ml)
Two Faced do some great beauty products with a fruit base, notably their best-selling coconut-scented ‘Hangover’ Primer. I trialed this product expecting to love it because I am obsessed with pineapples.
However, this wasn’t my favourite mask of those I tried. Yes, it smelt like pineapple, but it felt quite weird and blobby on my skin, making it hard to keep on. I found that it was tackier than the Glow Recipe masks and didn’t set well. The gold glitter in it was distracting and doesn’t deliver any benefits. Afterwards, my skin felt no different. I felt like it dried and tightened my skin, rather than hydrated it. Overall, this is well packaged and fun, but not an effective mask. It’s expensive for what it is and I would not buy this in the future.
Enjoyment: 2/5
Effectiveness: 2/5
Value for Money: 1.5/5
Nostalgia Value: 3/5
3. Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask (Glow Recipe) ($38 for 30ml)
This avocado may not have as much nostalgia value right now as strawberry and apple scented beauty items, but this fruit is the domain of millennials and we may look back one day on them with equal affection. This Avocado Melt Sleeping Mask is also an excellent bedside essential that I truly fell in love with.
As above, the Glow Recipe packaging is a delight and comes with a spatula (although you do have to dig around a bit to get product out). This mask was more effective than the Watermelon Mask for me and my skin type, and definitely I saw clear benefits from leaving it on overnight. It also contains Manuka Honey. Avocado for the win! It left my skin hydrated and glowing like an orb the next day.
I would absolutely use this regularly as a once-a-week treat. Of all the Glow Recipe products, this was my favourite and the once I would encourage people to invest in. It is worthy of all the praise it gets.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Nostalgia Value: 2/5
4. Mango Body Butter (The Body Shop) ($39 for 200 ml)
The perfect combination of an amazing smell, great texture and nostalgic value await you in the tub of this Body Shop mango body butter. It smells a bit different from my memory of the original (or at least as I remember the smell) but that’s no bad thing quite frankly. The old smell was sweeter and saccharine whereas this version has a crisp greenness that leaves you wanting more. I loved using this, think it is decent value for money and I would likely re-purchase as a body-care staple.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Nostalgia Value: 5/5
5. Coconut Lip Balm (Bondi Sands)($9 for 15g)
The slip on this lip-balm is heavenly and it comes it a handy applicator. The coconut smell is sophisticated and not overly sweet. It actually feels like real coconut oil was the basis of it. It’s brilliant value for money too. A simple, yet effective product. If you enjoy a bit of coconut in your like, I’d suggest you get this little beauty!
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Nostalgia Value: 3/5
6. Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturiser (Glow Recipe) ($67 for 60ml)
This was the same as the Watermelon mask above effectively, but in a pump bottle. Again, it had gorgeous packaging and a nice scent which brought back childhood memories. This moisturiser was effective at plumping my skin and I liked using it, however, I would say it is less memorable than the mask. There are lots of hyaluronic acid based moisturisers in the market (this one reminds me of Clinique’s Moisture Surge range) and while perfectly pleasing I didn’t find this stood out to me. I’d suggest to someone with oily skin.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Effectiveness: 3/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Nostalgia Value: 4/5
7. Strawberry Body Yoghurt (The Body Shop) ($24 for 200ml)
Woah, mama! This is the real MacCoy of childhood scent. The strawberry smell is very much alive and kicking in this body yoghurt (a little like a looser body cream). It is strongly scented and slightly synthetic. Those who hated strawberry smells the first time around need not apply.
While I expected to be overwhelmed by the scent, I actually found that it was oddly appealing to me. Oddly, I liked smelling like a Strawberry Shortcake Doll and was happy to go out with my skin hydrated and sweet.
It does contain more water than the body butter, and therefore is cheaper, so represents excellent value for money. If you’re thinking of trying it, I’d say go for it. The nostalgia value is high in this particular Body Shop product. But, like me, you just might love it. As always from The Body Shop, sold at a very competitive price. This is the sort of product you might buy for your daughter at Christmas as a stocking filler but find yourself stealing because it smell keeps calling you back.
Enjoyment: 4/5
Effectiveness: 3.5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Nostalgia Value: 10/5
8. Blueberry Cleanser (Glow Recipe) ($58 for 160ml)
Glow Recipe really nail their packaging again, and this cleanser is no exception. The pump has an effective open-close twist top, and the clear bottle means that you can see how much you have left. I also love the UV light inspired tint.
Despite sniffing this multiple times quite intensely, there wasn’t much of a blueberry smell (although come to think of it, I’m not sure Blueberries have a particularly strong odour - the scratch and sniff stickers which were blueberry were always quite subtle). I also felt like it was quite a tough cleanser which stripped the skin of moisture. It is very effective at removing dirt and makeup but rather soapy. I like how this product looks, and would almost buy it again, if just for the excellent packaging, but I ultimately do not think that the juice stands up. A nice cleanser but too harsh for my skin.
Enjoyment: 3/5
Effectiveness: 3/5
Value for Money: 3/5
Nostalgia Value: 1/5
9. Face Oil (Drunk Elephant) ($124 for 30ml)
This was the only product which was technically not fruit but it is a seed and fruit has seeds so roll with me here. I really enjoyed using this Face Oil and found it a great alternative to my much loved Margaret Hema oil. The consistency is good and thick and it spreads well over the skin and absorbs fast.
While less fruit inspired than other products, this product boasts benefits. Raw and cold-pressed straight from the pip, this luxe oil is a powerful antioxidant that nourishes and protects the skin from free radicals and environmental aggressors. It claims it will help to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, redness and any skin unevenness whilst imparting a youthful glow.
I like the ceramic bottle and useful dropper. Key ingredients include Sclerocaryabirrea (marula) seed oil: a highly absorbable oil, rich in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9 that hydrates, nourishes and replenishes the skin. This is a product I could well see making its way into my skincare wardrobe, time after time.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
Value for Money: 3.5/5
Nostalgia Value: 0/5
10. Grapefruit Shower Gel (The Body Shop) ($17.50 for 250ml)
I just adore this shower gel, and want to use it every day for the rest of my life. Tangy and sour, it’s an invigorating burst of freshness to start your morning. Grapefruit is probably not a smell marketed at kids because of the bitterness of the fruit. Therefore, I didn’t have much nostalgia while smelling it. But my adult nose adores this floral, fresh and zesty scent.
Sadly I accidentally left this out during my photoshoot; yes, there’s always one! I’d love to see The Body Shop use a more eco-friendly packaging model, but for now I just want to smell this heavenly grapefruit smell each and every morning when I rise out of bed. Rush out and buy it now. Absolutely worthy of spending your money on.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 5/5
Value for Money: 5/5
Nostalgia Value: 3/5
11. Beste No 9 Cantaloupe Jelly Cleanser (Drunk Elephant) ($54 for 150ml)
This is a very easy to use gel facial cleanser which comes in handy travel friendly packaging. Cantaloupe isn’t a very childlike fruit and I have zero memories of ever using a product scented with it, but this cleanser certainly makes the grade and is a nice choice for those who prefer jelly textures. It has a light, gel texture which effectively removes makeup and dirt. As it is more gel-like, I’d suggest using as a first cleanse before following with something more creamy. You may need to moisturise after use as I found it slightly dries the skin out, but has a good balanced PH level of 5.5.
Overall, a good product which I’d perhaps buy again during Summer when I want something a bit fresher to wash my face with.
Enjoyment: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Value for Money: 4/5
Nostalgia Value: 1/5
