St. Ives, and picking from seventeen of them
St. Ives is the value end of body care done properly: 600ml and 650ml bottles that last a household a month rather than a week. The range splits three ways, and the scent matters less than which of the three you need.
Face scrubs, and a warning
The Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub (Rs 860) is the famous one, and it is also the most abrasive. If your skin is sensitive or acne-prone, the walnut shell in it is too rough; use the BHA Green Tea & Bamboo (Rs 910) or BHA Apricot (Rs 920) instead, which do the work chemically with salicylic acid. Rose & Aloe (Rs 910) and Avocado & Honey (Rs 950) are the gentler physical options.
Body wash, by what your skin is doing
Itchy or tight in winter: Oatmeal & Shea Butter (Rs 1,400), which has the longest track record of any ingredient for calming itch. Bumpy upper arms: an exfoliating wash does more than a weekly scrub, so Sea Salt & Pacific Kelp (Rs 1,770) or Pink Lemon & Mandarin (Rs 1,840). Everyday: Rose Water & Aloe (Rs 1,560), Coconut Water & Orchid (Rs 1,560) or Citrus & Cherry Blossom (Rs 1,450).
Lotion, and when to put it on
Within three minutes of getting out of the shower, on skin still slightly damp. Lotion works partly by sealing water in, so a fully dry body gets less from the same bottle. Oatmeal & Shea (Rs 1,670) for winter, Vitamin E & Avocado (Rs 1,760) and Coconut & Orchid (Rs 1,690) for summer, Rose & Argan (Rs 1,840) if you want the scent to linger, Collagen & Elastin (Rs 1,690) for crepey skin.
The one face cream
Collagen & Elastin Face Moisturizer (Rs 1,750) is a good, cheap moisturiser. Buy it for that rather than for the collagen, which cannot pass through skin from a cream.
St. Ives FAQs
Is the Apricot Scrub bad for your skin?
It is more abrasive than most faces need, because it exfoliates with ground walnut shell. On oily, resilient skin used gently once a week it is fine. On sensitive or acne-prone skin, use one of the BHA versions instead, which work chemically rather than by scrubbing.
Which body wash for itchy winter skin?
Oatmeal and Shea Butter. Oatmeal has the longest track record of any ingredient for calming itch, and the matching lotion continues it.
What helps the bumps on my upper arms?
That is usually keratosis pilaris. An exfoliating body wash a few times a week, followed by lotion, softens it more reliably than a weekly scrub. It is harmless and responds to consistency rather than force.
When should I apply body lotion?
Within three minutes of towelling off, while skin is still damp. Lotion seals water in, so applying it to fully dry skin gets you less from the same bottle.

















