I have a strange relationship with body creams. I think they are a necessity especially living in a climate where I live. But I don’t really go out of my way to search out the perfect body cream and try new ones out all the time the way I do with face and beauty products.
I had the opportunity recently to try out 4 products from Nivea’s “Hydra IQ” line. Hydra IQ is a moisturizing technology based on Nobel Prize-winning research on Aquaporins which are the skin’s internal hydration channels. I decided to look up what aquaporins are myself. I won’t go into it though if you’d like you can read more about it here.
The first one I tried was the Express Hydration which is supposed to absorb in seconds and moisturize for hours, contain sea minerals and have a subtle blue lotus scent. For normal to dry skin.
I really like the smell of this one – it’s a bit perfumey but it’s light. I feel like I don’t need to add another fragrance so it’s perfect if I’m not feeling like wearing any extra scents.
I found that this lotion felt a bit sticky on me. I don’t have super dry skin however so maybe it’s just because it doesn’t get fully absorbed into my skin? Even hours later I felt a stickiness when on my skin. It is summer out so perhaps this one is best suited to my chapped winter skin.
Next up, Extra Nourishing Body Milk – said to be enriched with natural minerals and almond oil and provides long-lasting protection. For dry to very dry skin.
This cream was sticky when first applied but the stickiness quickly vanished. I really liked the scent of this one too – it was softer though and I assume it was the Almond Oil I was smelling.
Since this was labeled as a “milk” I assumed that it would be a more liquid consistency but in fact it was thicker than I expected. It wasn’t super thick like a body butter or anything like that but it was very white in colour and took a lot more rubbing to get it all absorbed into my skin.
Onward to Happy Time body lotion – enriched with bamboo extracts and milk proteins; has a mild orange blossom scent and provides 24-hour moisture for a “feel-good sensation”. For normal to dry skin.
This one does have a light kind of citrusy smell but it doesn’t smell like vitamin C :P. The consistency was thin and this one absorbed into my skin quickly and easily. It left the same sticky sensation however as the Express Hydrating one so while I love the smell for light summer time fresh fragrance I don’t think I could handle the sticky feeling in the heat.
And lastly – Smooth Replenishing Body Lotion which is enriched with Shea Butter and is good for dry skin. Ideal for moisturizing, softening and protecting.
This one didn’t have a strong odor to it although there is definitely fragrance. Nice and light again I would say. The consistency was thin, similar to the Happy Time lotion and it absorbed really quickly, almost with no effort. I didn’t notice any stickiness with this one. I think this one was my favorite of the bunch.
All of the lotions did indeed keep my skin moisturized throughout the day. Though I don’t have super dry skin, if I don’t moisturize I tend to get itchy and I never noticed any itchiness throughout the day.
As a side note, my very scientific and technical method for testing stickiness without applying lotion all over my body is as follows:
I will apply a bit of the lotion to the inner arm where you arm bends. I let the lotion absorb then throughout the testing time (every few minutes, hours, throughout the day) I will do an arm curl. If I don’t feel anything then I determine that it’s not sticky. If I feel any kind of stickiness then it’s sticky
What are your favorite body lotion basics? Have you tried any of the Nivea ones in my review?
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend an event introducing the Hydra IQ technology. Since I couldn’t make it I was kindly sent some of Nivea’s products to try. I was not asked to provide a review and was not compensated. What I have written are my honest opinions on the products.
I love using Happy Time lotion, it actually is a smell I look forward to after the shower
Kathleen of whenjmetk.com
@Anonymous Thanks for your comment
Really we have completely different packaging? How strange!
p.s. you guys get cooler packaging in canada, no fair!!
i like these lotions a lot (just started trying them a month ago). i’m a nivea fan, though. we don’t have the body milk in california, usa yet–can’t wait to try that one too!
This is a good product. many people are using……..
Thanks for share.
Hmm, always on the hunt for a good lotion! I like the sound of the last one, and can’t stand the sticky lotions, so I’m glad you talked about that with all of them! I have ridiculously sensitive skin so Nivea usually has great products for that!
http://sweetandsassy-sherry.blogspot.com/
have you ever tried the Nivea skin firming lotion? i love Nivea, so just wondering:)
YOURS, MINE AND OURS
@AubreyOhDang! I just checked and up it’s available! (different bottles) http://www.niveausa.com/products/body-care
@A Fine Balance Yes the last one was definitely my favorite!
do you know if the hydra IQ line is avail in the states? i’d love to try that body milk one. my legs are really dry. I usually just use straight up vitamin E oil on ’em cuz i’m lazy and hate waiting on lotion to absorp, but I”m interested in the dry to very dry skin lotion.
Im glad you liked them and it seems like a good line. Was there one you liked more over the others?-
@Make Mommy ChicLOL too funny! I know what you mean though – cream gets used up – and handbag is for life
@NelahIsn’t if funny that we just kind of use body lotions without much thought to them?
@The Little Dust PrincessYeah I’m not a fan of thick hand creams either – you can’t do anything after, your hands are too greasy!
I used to use Nivea when I was in high scholl. Can’t even remember whether I liked them or not (I guess not). I have been using Jergens for body for the longest time. Really have to give Nivea another try. Thanks for review, Elaine.
Hi, i’ve used the Happy Time lotion. I liked that it was light, quick absorbing and had a very nice happy smell. I like the price point of Nivea lotions and tend to gravitate towards them when they are on sale. It’s funny, I’ll rationalize buying a $1000 hand bag but absolutely will not pay more than $8 for a bottle of body lotion. Thanks so much for the post Elaine!
Thank you for the review, Elaine! I’ve never tried the ones you reviewed, but I did receive a free sample of hand cream from Nivea once. I got it at the Eaton Centre. LOL I found the cream too thick for my liking and didn’t finish using it.
Thanks for this review! I hate when lotions leave a sticky residue.
I’m doing a giveaway for a Strawberry extract body cleanser you might be interested in! Come by and check it out.
I’ve tried some Nivea products in the past but couldn’t remember which ones. For the past 2 years, I’ve using the “Aveeno daily moisturizing lotion” and it works really well for me. I have to keep this in mind the next time I ran out of body lotion. Thanks for the review, Elaine. It’s super informative!