Bath and Body Works started its summer Semi-Annual Sale last week, and two of my Project Pan products that I've finished are currently part of the big sale, so I thought it'd be a good time to give my two cents about the products. The other product is the Beach Cabana candle, whose review you can read here, if you're interested in it.

The second product, then, is the Cotton Blossom body lotion, which is on sale for $3 or less in stores and online right now (retails for $11 normally). I got this just last year, and the fragrance is part of Bath and Body Works' "Pleasures" collection, which is normally found only online but can sometimes be found in stores during their Semi-Annual Sale. The bottle I have is from the older packaging from when the fragrance could still be found in stores, and the new packaging seems to reflect the update all of the store's lotions and body products have gotten. It seems the formula of the new Cotton Blossom lotion may also be different now, as the labeling on the new bottle claims that it is made "with aloe and Vitamin E" whereas mine says "infused with real orange blossom and cotton extracts."

Here is the product description:

Inspired by the scent of pure cotton linen blowing in the breeze, this fragrance is clean, fresh and powdery soft.
Naturally Pampering Ingredients: Conditioning Aloe Vera, Protective Grape Seed Extract, Nourishing Vitamins E & C

So maybe the formula for the Pleasures/Signature line has remained the same after all.

That said, let's move onto what's most important -- the fragrance. I'd heard so many good things about Cotton Blossom that I had to try it for myself. At its base, it's a very sharp fresh linen scent. But as it dries, it becomes more floral and powdery smelling. I've also used Bath and Body Works' other cotton scent, Sea Island Cotton, before. They're different. Sea Island Cotton is more masculine smelling, more "salty." Cotton Blossom has a little bit of salt air to it, but it's very slight. Would I buy it again? Probably not. I didn't mind the scent, but it wasn't a favorite of mine. And as with a lot of Bath and Body Works lotions, the scent was quite strong, even hours after application. Perhaps I would buy it again in its body mist form, but it's unlikely.

I have to say that I really loved the lotion's formula. I have lotions from their Signature/Pleasures line in the old packaging, and I have lotions from their current Signature line in the new packaging, and I do notice a difference. In 2010 or 2011, the company reformulated a lot of their lotions to include shea  butter and jojoba, but I actually prefer the original formula. For one, the old formula (which is still available on their website for now and probably during this Semi-Annual Sale) is a lot thicker and, I think, moisturizing. The newer formula is much runnier and reminds me of drugstore brands, like St. Ives and Vaseline. I like a thicker lotion, particularly on my hands.


If it weren't for the fact that I'm trying to eliminate parabens and petroleum products from my life, I would definitely repurchase this product ... in the Cotton Blossom scent or any scent that didn't rub me the wrong way.

Extra information about the Bath and Body Works Cotton Blossom body lotion, 8 fl oz/236 ml (circa 2012) ...

Ingredients: Water, Glycerin, Petrolaum, Cetyl Alcohol, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Fragrance, Ceteareth-20, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Gossypium Herbaceum (Cotton) Extract, Citrus Auratium Dulcis (Orange) Flower Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Diaxolidnyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Benzyl Alcohol, Tetrosodium EDTA, Disodium EDTA, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Red 33.

This finished product is not tested on animals.