Dear John Shower Gel

Dear John is a fragrance that I forget how much I appreciate, until I whip out the body spray and fall in love with it all over again. With so many different layers and such an interesting range of ingredients, this is a scent as unique as it is complex. 

When the Lush Kitchen announced that they would be making a shower gel version of this smell, I was equally intrigued and perplexed. On the one hand I was really excited to try a brand new shower gel, as those who follow this blog will know how much I love this format. However, there was a part of me that wondered if such a fragrance would actually work well outside of being a perfume.

Upon first inspection, I was rather pleased to notice the deep, forest green that Dear John Shower Gel sported. Given the design of the perfume bottles and body spray, I was expecting a cream-coloured liquid, so the actual product was definitely an upgrade of the colour I originally envisaged.  

Unfortunately, what I also noticed very quickly was that the shower gel was very thin - offering the same consistency as The Olive Branch. This meant that I found myself using far more than I would normally do so, as the product wasn't as compact in my hands as I would expect from most Lush gels. While the product lathered up really quickly and produced a generous amount of foam to wash myself with, I felt as if I used more that I usually would, just because of how runny it was and how freely it flowed from the bottle.

Supposedly a 'unisex' fragrance, this shower gel is quite complex: featuring layers of vetivert, cedar, clove, coriander, lime, coffee and pine. What I noticed about Dear John from the get-go was that it was the former three ingredients that made the biggest impression. From the bottle you can make out the sweet, smoky characteristics of the vetivert, blended with a gentle layer of woody cedar. Together, these two ingredients create an almost resinous smell, which when combined with a subtle hint of warming clove, makes for the most comforting of fragrances.

How this shower gel differed from other Dear John products, is the fact that the lime was not as noticeable as it is in other formats. While you can definitely detect its fruity presence, it was a little subtler than it is in other formats - meaning that I found this shower gel to be a little less refreshing than the body spray is.

What I also found a little disappointing was the fact that the shower gel was not as moisturising as most other variations available. I felt clean afterwards, and the fragrance lingered around for a short while on my body. However, my skin didn't feel as soft or as nourished as I was expecting it to be. For this reason, I can imagine those with very dry skin may benefit from using a body lotion afterwards to replenish the skin of moisture.  

Fans of Dear John will definitely appreciate this new addition to the family, and I have been enjoying having a bottle to indulge myself with on a daily basis. Having said that, those with a keen nose will notice that there are differences between this and the perfume, and some may not appreciate the subtle changes that have been made. The fact that I am half way through a bottle in just under three weeks, also suggests that this is not necessarily as good value for money as some of Lush's other shower gels. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Rosemary Infusion, Nettle Leaf Infusion, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Perfume, Proplyene Glycol, Fine Sea Salt, Vetivert Oil, Coriander Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Cedarwood Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Citral, Coumarin, Eugenol, Limonene, Linalool, Colour 42090, Methylparaben.

Vegan?: Yes.

2017 Price: £11.25 for 250g.

Year Of Original Release: ?

Scent Family:
Copperhead Solid Shampoo
Dear John Bubble Bar
Dear John Body Spray
Dear John Liquid Perfume
Dear John Shower Gel
Dear John Solid Perfume

Dear John Soap