Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash Review

Hello lovely ladies,

I seem to be reviewing too many bath products, is this a new addiction, I wonder? After reviewing the 2 body washes from the Sephora collection , the Fraise Creamy Body Wash and the Monoi Body Wash, today, I have a product for you from the Forest Essentials line. For anyone who has walked past their store would know how heavenly the fragrance is which wafts out of the store, it is heady! Kind of reminds me of this episode of Tom and Jerry when Tom sets up a trap for Jerry by keeping some cheese and the smell of the cheese meanders through the rooms, to Jerry’s hole. If you get the inference, leave a note in the comments, so we all know that your childhood wasn’t wasted!! 😉 Coming back to the product in hand – let us see how this one performed.

Product Details:
This shower wash contains carefully selected herbs, as per Ancient Ayurvedic texts. Indian Rose oil is known for its exquisite fragrance and stress-relieving properties that leaves the skin beautifully hydrated and soft. Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Bala and Gokharu heal and repair the skin by preventing it from the effects of free radicals. Herbs like Genhu, Sonapatha and Bamboo gently cleanse the skin, and are known for their nourishing and cleansing properties.
Price:
INR 975

My Experience with Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash:

My standard skin type information – though I have oily to combination facial skin, I have fairly dry body skin. As per my dermatologist, I have been advised to use lukewarm water throughout the year to ensure my dry skin doesn’t escalate to dermatitis. As I have mentioned in my previous reviews, I do not use soap on my body. I prefer a body wash/body scrub; however, I do not really have a favourite. I generally have 3-4 of these running in rotation and I pick the one for the day depending on what fragrance I am in the mood for. I rarely ever repurchase – except for the Body Shop Strawberry body wash or their Strawberry body scrub. I picked this a while back, I think in April  while in Chandigarh. I picked this up along with a face wash (will review shortly) and their rose water.

Packaging: The packaging is quite similar to other Forest Essential products. It comes in a transparent, plastic, cuboid bottle. There is no pump dispenser. Though it is easy to control the flow of the product as per your requirement. The packaging seems more simplistic definitely does not scream (or even whisper) luxury. No! A golden cap does not make the packaging look luxurious! Why do I point at this because all said and done, Forest Essentials has established themselves as a luxury brand. Keeping that in mind, I feel the packaging should be in line with the philosophy and positioning, which it definitely isn’t. The good – there was no leakage during travel.

Texture: The product is a transparent runny body wash. It is easy to dispense from the bottle and spreads easily on the body and lathers well. Post washing off, it does not seem to leave a residue on the body.

Fragrance: I feel, this is what differentiates the FE products – the fragrance. “Indian Rose Absolute” – as the name suggests is a heady fragrance of concentrated Indian rose. The moment you open the bottle, you realise it isn’t the delicate softness of an English Rose. Instead, it is the strong fragrance reminiscent of Rose “Ittar’ or even “GulKund.” It is typically Indian. It is fairly heavy on the nose. If you do not like strong fragrances or not used to heavy ittar type of fragrance – this may well not be your cup of tea. I cannot really pin point when and where, but I feel I have grown up with these quintessential Indian rose fragrances and actually, quite enjoy them.

To me, it is not overpowering or too strong that it starts irritating. The fragrance is fairly strong while you are using it but does not linger onto the skin for too long. You really need to touch your nose to your skin to feel any fragrance. So, the fragrance is pretty much there only while you are still in the bath. The fragrance does stay in the bath fro some time, though.

Application: The application is fairly simple and straight forward. You can use it directly or with a loofah.

Efficacy: A quick look at the claims:
Stress relieving
leaves the skin beautifully hydrated and soft
Anti-inflammatory
Repair the skin
Cleanse and nourish the skin

Okay, so we have looked at the claims. Please keep in mind that this is a shower gel not a body lotion, so  it stays on your skin for no longer than 5 minutes tops. in that 5 minutes, can it help with repair of skin or provide anti-inflammation…not much, if at all.

While the fragrance is heavy and heady, I would say it is more calming than stress-relieving. And this is also because i have prior association with the fragrance. For someone new to this – this may or may not work as a stress relieving or calming fragrance.

I would say that the shower wash lathers well and leaves the skin feeling soft and supple – not dry but not overly hydrated either. While it worked well thought he summer months. I do feel that during the winters, i would definitely need to use a body lotion.

Ingredients:
I was going through the label and I could not comprehend what are the ingredients which help with foaming and cleansing process. Is it really Genhu, Sonapatha and Bamboo? I felt something was amiss. Then I noticed that the label does not say “Ingredients” but “Key Ingredients.”

I was not sure why the products lists the ingredients as “Key Ingredients”. What I would infer from it is that they are mentioning the main ingredients here but there are other ingredients which are not listed here. Which to me is a cause of concern. I am not sure what the Statutory requirement is in regards to labelling of cosmetic products in India.

I did not understand what “key ingredients” mean from the perspective of percentage used. Are “Key Ingredients” the ones which are used in higher percentage in this product? Would rest of the products be the ones which are used in lower percentage? Or are the ingredients mentioned on the package, are conveniently labelled as “Key” because these are the ones the Company wants you to concentrate on to push the “Ayurveda” concept/marketing to you. I had expressed my concerns with the brand regarding this issue and asked them to share the full ingredients list with me, but they haven’t got back to me with the complete list yet.

Bottomline – shady as hell!! I know it’s a big brand. I know it is well loved. All the ingredients aren’t mentioned on the product. Why? I do not buy the reason *cough* excuse *cough* that there is insufficient space on the packaging. If that is the case, why do they not put in the detailed list of ingredients on their website. When you attempt to pull up the ingredient list on their website – it just displays the label again. Convenient and shady!

Synopsis of my conversation with the Brand – The ingredients mentioned on the product aren’t listed by percentage. So, at the end of the day, you do not know how much of say “rose oil” has been put into this product – is it 10%, 1%, .01%. Forget 1 ingredient. You do not even know if ANY of the ayurvedic ingredients (mentioned on the label) are used in any substantial amount.

Also, you have no clue what else goes into the product. Even though they have stated that they will revert to me with he full ingredient list – i am not holding my breathe. If/When i hear from them – i will update this post in the review/comments section.

The “Key Ingredients” list is just to make you believe that the product is fully Ayurvedic – coz apart from Water and Glycerin, that is the only stuff which is listed. All it says to me is that it is a marketing ploy, nothing else!

To sum this up for you:

Pros of Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash:

• A substantially fragrant body wash.
• Gentle on the skin.
• Spreads easily.
• Lathers well.
• Does not leave a residue post washing off.
• Did not irritate my skin.
• Foams nicely.
• Did not dry my skin further or aggravate the dryness – in summers.

Cons of Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash:

• Not too hydrating.
• The fragrance does not linger on the skin.
• The packaging does not fit the “luxury” brand.
• No pump dispenser on the bottle.
• Lack of ready information with regards tot he full ingredient list.

IMBB Rating:
3/5
The rating is a reflection of the product and packaging. I have not taken into account the Company’s ethics and gimmicky marketing practices here. If i were to do that, the rating would plummet down.
Do I Recommend Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash?
Yes.
Would I Repurchase Forest Essentials Silkening Indian Rose Absolute Shower Wash?
Hell no!

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