Natura Brasil Castanha Line Review

If you remember a couple posts ago, I reviewed the Natura Brasil Pitanga Shower Oil, and loved absolutely everything about that product-the look, the price, the ingredients. It was the first product I've ever tried from the brand, so about a month ago, I was generously sent by the brand to test out their Castanha Line. Included in this line was a hand cream, a body butter, body scrub, and their exfoliating body soap. Obviously the scent among these products are all the same, but more importantly, this line also has another thing in common: the intensely creamy texture (except for the scrub) and moisturizing effects these products have.

This post will be a little different than my past posts. I'll go through each product briefly, then talk about the pricing/overall thoughts on the line. 

Castanha Hand Cream ($19.50)

Up till this product, I've been using the crazy-popular L'occitane hand cream that has had a cult-favorite standing for quite some time now among the public. At first glance (just because of the packaging), I was already thinking about whether this would be a more affordable "dupe" to L'occitane's ($28). And I'm happy to say that it is, but a touch less emollient than the L'occitane! Every time I use this, it moisturizes and smooths my hands without leaving a greasy, slippery after-feel that I hate so much. As a health professional, I have to wash my hands constantly, so this gives me the comforting moisture without making me drop things due to slip. 

Castanha Body Scrub ($25)

For me, usually I usually like body scrubs that ACTUALLY scrubs. I just need something to take off that dead layer of skin, ya know? I'm actually surprised the scrubbies were made out of sugar and grape seeds and not out of the actual Castanha nut itself. In the shower, the sugar crystals don't dissolve too easily, providing more working time. I wish it was a tiny, tiny bit more abrasive (for lack of a better word), but all I do is wipe off some water before I scrub. When washed off, this product leaves behind pretty intense moisture due to the Olive Oil and shea butter. No need to apply lotion afterwards-yes!

Castanha Body Butter ($25)

First, let me say that the texture of this reminds me of cool whip. It's on the thicker side and definitely has the whipped texture with lots of bubbles. It's pretty fun to use, and a little seriously goes a long way and does a tremendous job for my always-ashy legs. The only annoying thing is that my dog likes the scent, and wants to lick at wherever I just applied body butter. 

Castanha Exfoliating Soap ($10)

Wow, I seriously haven't used body bar soaps since like...high school!! Usually bar soaps are quite drying on the skin because of its alkaline properties (skin is naturally slightly acidic ~pH 5.5), and honestly I have no idea what pH this soap bar is (anyone want to go back to the UCI Bio lab and steal a pH testing strip for me? :P), but it cleanses without drying me out. The texture is very creamy and soft, but since the bar itself is dense, it doesn't melt away quickly in the shower. One thing to note is that even though there are grape seeds in here to exfoliate, it practically doesn't actually exfoliate the skin. Get the scrub if you want exfoliation. 

Overall Thoughts: 

These are definitely worth buying full price. I would want to try out other scents next time, but as far as I can tell, Natura Brasil makes such luxurious products that definitely deserve more hype! All of Natura Brasil's products are very reasonably priced and formulated without: parabens, sulfates, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, PABA, petroleum, triclosan, DEA and animal ingredients! 

And what's even better is that they partner up the local families in Brazil, and their programs serve the population there to preserve Brazilian culture. They're also a B-corporation, which  means that they are certified to meet rigorous standards regarding transparency and environmental performance.