The Good: Decent lather, Easy to open bottle, Inexpensive.
The Bad: Not antibacterial, No scrubbing grit, Not a very strong scent
The Basics: Ivory Clean & Simple Lavender Body Wash is a decent cleanser, but not much of a shower/bath experience.
Recently, my wife and I were enjoying several aisles of clearance merchandise at our local grocery store when we came across the Ivory brand line of body washes. Neither my wife, nor I, had heard of Ivory body wash before that day, but it did not surprise me that the product was already hitting the clearance shelves. Ivory is a brand associated with simplicity and an almost utilitarian form of cleanliness (their bar soap is akin to plastic – virtually scentless and bland), whereas body washes are marketed as a luxurious way to clean in the shower or tub. Body washes are all about cleanliness and intriguing scents, so the idea that ivory was having a difficult time launching a line of body washes (at least in my area of the country) was unsurprising. That said, I was intrigued and if there is anything my current job is excellent at, it’s getting me dirty and smelly enough so that I am encouraged to try new (to me) cleaning products like body washes. My first experience with Ivory body wash is the Ivory Lavender body wash.
The Ivory Lavender body wash is a fair body wash, which is still relatively new to market and is arguably being clearance locally because it fails to deliver a recognizable or potent smell. It is ideal for those who want to clean their bodies without leaving their skin or hair smelling like anything at all. In fact, it is somewhat surprising that Ivory makes the claim that this smells like lavender; lavender is a strong scent, but the Ivory Clean & Simple is not a very strongly aromatic body wash.
Ivory Lavender body wash is very subtle in its aroma and the scent is a much more subtle floral aroma than lavender. The 12 fl. oz. bottle usually sells for $2.99 and seems to be commonly available, at least in Michigan, but we were able to find it on clearance for half price, which made it worth risking our money on. The Lavender Body Wash is a mildly effective, easy-to-use product that leaves skin feeling clean . . . as long as it is used for general daily maintenance as opposed to deep cleaning. When one is especially smelly, the best this does is get one clean; it does not deodorize without one truly scrubbing the hell out of one’s body and the truth is, the Ivory Lavender body wash is far less effective than a good, abrasive loofah. The result is a body wash that is impossible to recommend for those working tough, smelly, jobs as opposed to those who want a basic cleaning product for day to day body cleansing.
Body washes generally seem disproportionately expensive to me, though on clearance, the Ivory Lavender Body Wash is certainly very reasonably priced. Ivory's Lavender Body Wash initial price is competitively priced, though it does offer less than other body washes in that most other body washes I have used provide more of an experience when showering. The Lavender Body Wash does manage to lather up incredibly well, so for daily maintenance, it may satisfy a thrifty shopper.
The Lavender Body Wash is an opaque white fluid about the consistency of most shampoos. This is a smooth body wash, so there is no grit in it to help exfoliate the skin. Using the Lavender Body Wash is simple. The bottle features a flip top that opens with the flick of the thumb. The bottle is easy enough to open and close one handed as to make it convenient in the tub or shower, especially if one is using a loofah or washcloth in the other hand. The bottle of Lavender Body Wash is fairly flat on the front and back and rounded on the sides. It is slippery when wet, so it is important to get a good grip on this body wash bottle!
Dispensing the Lavender Body Wash is very easy. Simply squeeze the bottle and apply the fluidic body wash to your hand, loofah or cloth. In my experience, the body wash is more liquid than creamy and, as a result, comes out much like a hand soap or dishwashing liquid. As a result, about a half dollar-sized dollop is all that is necessary to clean my whole body when it mixes with the water from my shower or bath. I've found it most effective to dole out the body wash in dime-sized dollops in order to get the most out of each application, but generally it takes very little of this body wash to go a long way.
Part of the reason the product washes off so well is that it lathers exceptionally well. Used sparingly, like in dime-sized portions, the Lavender Body Wash may be spread over an entire limb the way it lathers up. Simply agitating it on the skin yields a foamy, clean lather that both moisturizes and cleans skin. Without a loofah or other rough applicator, it does not remove dirt or grime beyond what one expects from water running. As the water flows over it, it washes off easily leaving behind no film or residue, only clean, soft skin.
The Lavender Body Wash lost me with its scent. This body wash has a lightly floral scent, more akin to lilacs than lavender. This lacks the spicy, intriguing scent of real lavender and is instead too mild to truly be considered authentic in its aroma. Ivory's Lavender Body Wash is made primarily of water and given how weak the aroma to the product is, that is hardly a surprise.
Ivory Lavender Body Wash is a pretty fair cleaner, but it is in no way superlative. Given how one of the big aspects that separates body washes is the scent, Ivory might get points for smelling clean, but not for smelling truly like lavender. It is a soft, mild cleaner, with an entirely inoffensive, generic aroma; that might satisfy some, but not me.
For other body washes, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Suave Limited Edition Seasonal Homemade Almond Cookie Body Wash
St. Ives Revitalizing Pear & Soy Body Wash
Old Spice Denali Body Wash
5/10
For other health and beauty product reviews, please visit my Health And Beauty Review Index Page for an organized listing!
© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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