HAND CREAM & TREATMENT
Yet again we had sensational results for hand creams and hand treatments – perhaps because, well, who doesn't love a great hand cream…? Taking a few seconds to smooth in something luscious is a moment to stop, breathe… relax, we always feel – and then there’s the TLC it delivers to hands, nails and cuticles. For a treatment option, apply generously overnight and slip on a pair of cotton gloves.
These were all a delight, testers declared – hand cream should be used regularly and lavishly so it’s important to like the consistency and fragrance (which occasionally divided testers). As with other categories, several of the formulas are properly natural so they share the Best Natural Award.
But first, the Gold Award winner has gained one of the highest average scores in Beauty Bible history so read on….
GOLD AWARD L'OCCITANE Shea Butter Hand Cream
Our testers loved this so much it gained an extraordinary seven 10/10s – we’re pretty certain we’ve never had that number before from any of our panels (each ten testers). The average score was 9.5/10, as one tester liked the product but not the shea butter scent and marked it down a bit simply for that. This hand cream is truly deserving of being called a treatment as you can tell from the Comments below. It’s been an iconic product for 15 years worldwide with stacks of Awards, including from Beauty Bible. No mystery about the main ingredient in this vegan formula – it contains a generous 20% shea butter, as well as a blend of emollient argan and coconut oils. Ingredients are 96% natural origin. The scent is warmly shea infused with jasmine and ylang ylang essential oils. The tube is made from 95% recycled aluminium.
£23 for 150ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. I love L'Occitane products but this was a real find as it is highly effective and yet not at all greasy which can often be the case with such moisturising hand creams. Smells of shea butter - very nice! It absolutely delivered. I was cynical as I get through a lot of hand cream but often rely on diprobase (which is not glam at all, very greasy but the one product that will help keep moisture in my hands but with this product I did not have to use diprobase except when I had done a day's heavy gardening. I also used it on my feet. Buy it - it's worth every penny and is a really moisturising cream. And the travel version would work well in a bag. The aluminum tube is easy to use and easy to squeeze the right amount’ • ‘10/10. Absolutely loved this product for my hands and feet. Perfect, thick and luxurious consistency. Warm vanilla-y shea butter smell, very comforting. Used regularly and have repurchased. I'd been very naughty and peeled off some gel nails myself just before I got it and my nails were very scuffed and this was an absolute hero product to tackle the condition of my nails! Somebody asked me if I’d had a manicure (I hadn't)’ • ‘I have used this cream exclusively since the day I got it. I love it!! This cream comes in a squeezable tube; it is easy to dispense the right amount into your hand. It is a small handbag size tube. Easy to carry around. My hands were immediately soothed. They felt soft and the sore, dry patches felt less painful almost immediately too. I have bought a full size one because it's so good on my sore hands’ • ‘After 14 days of continuous use, my hands are no longer sore. I'm a carer so I wash my hands frequently. My dry, cracked patches are gone! My partner has commented on how soft my hands are. He is not one for noticing these things so I was surprised! It's fantastic!!’ • ‘Heaven in a tube, its the best hand cream ever, this has obviously been designed by a pair of hands for a pair of hands! Lovely hydrated skin and cuticles. Soft hands, no scratchy bits when trying to put delicate clothes on. It’s thick and beautiful. I use a little during the day on the backs of my hands and tons at night. I can still turn the pages of a book with it on and it doesn’t leave grease on them’ • ‘The backs of my hands look smoothed out and not the horrible wrinkled dehydrated skin they normally look! The wonder product for dry aging hands!’
£23 for 150ml - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD and BEST NATURAL (JOINT) Dr. Hauschka Hydrating Hand Cream
Another very high score for this all-natural hand cream and more rave Comments. This is an absolute classic within Dr.Hauschka’s range: a heritage product, which has won several previous Beauty Bible Awards and has now attracted a new batch of fans with a different tester panel. The formula was created to nourish and pamper dry, overworked, chapped or cracked hands and our testers’ hugely appreciated that, as you can tell from their Comments. With healing softening beeswax and wheat germ oil plus blackthorn and anthyllis, the rich soothing formula is designed to soften, hydrate and keep in moisture. It does double duty as a hand mask (apply it generously and top with cotton gloves overnight), and is also fab for softening rough elbows. It’s worth noting that this still comes in the original aluminium tube, which is recycling-friendly. While some other winners are highly natural, we’ve awarded the Best Natural Award to Dr.Hauschka for jumping through the extra regulatory hoops to confirm its credentials; all 160 products are certified natural and organic by NATRUE.
£14 for 50ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. Fabulous product for my overworked, worker’s hands; sorts that dry skin out fast leaving skin so soft. My hands feel really nourished, soothed. My worker’s hands were dry and a bit sore from work and this sorted them out. They are soft and the edges of my nails aren't dry any more. It's a nice herbal smell, natural fragrance. A lot of other products I've used have stung when I applied to my hands but this was so soothing. I'm really happy with this product’ • ‘An amazing hand cream that actually does what you need it to do. It’s the right combination of intensive and every day that it works really well. Absorbs beautifully into the skin and doesn’t leave a greasy residue. Consistency is spot on, its not too watery or concentrated and delivers enough cream to smooth over the skin without feeling too greasy or thin. Hands felt amazing in the morning, just nice and soft. After a month my hands look less dry and flaky, and a lot softer. The main difference I have seen has been on the backs of my hands, my skin is less crêpey and dry and has more bounce to it. Yes, it has been noticed my hands look less old lady like’ • ‘Almost perfect (apart from the screw top!). It’s a medium texture cream, it was easy to rub in and quickly absorbed without being greasy or waxy like a lot of hand creams. It however still left my hands feeling nourished for hours. The condition of my hands has improved; the best part is I get small but sore patches of eczema between my fingers occasionally and this cream has cleared them up without me needing a prescription cream. It was a very subtle fragrance, and not at all too floral or feminine which is great, as it will appeal to everyone. , A little goes a long way so a tube lasts ages’ • ‘This is a lovely hand cream, light yet really nourishing. It visibly hydrates my hands. If they look dry and crêpey I use it and they instantly look better. . I use this throughout the day. It absorbs fast and leaves no residue. Smooth, soft, hydrated. Less lines, texture was better, felt less thin. Nails felt strong. I don’t have cuticles as such so cant comment on that but skin around nails in general looks and feels healthy and strong. A lovely cream to use daily with a gorgeous, light, fresh smell. No idea what it is but it was really pleasant. Nice at night as a hand mask and perfect to apply any time during the day that hands need it’ • ‘This is such a lovely hand cream, it is substantial without being too thick and sinks quickly into the skin. There is no greasiness or sticky residue after use. Results appear almost instantly and you can visibly see the difference in the suppleness of the hands. The hydrating hand cream was very smooth and easy to apply and quickly absorbed by the skin without any stickiness. It was easy to see the areas that the cream had been applied to. The cream doesn’t suggest for overnight use but having tried that with gloves on overnight, it is very effective and hands felt much softer and skin very supple’ • ‘A lovely creamy hydrating hand cream that provides a great barrier for your hands’ • ‘this is a great hand cream- I get very dry itchy hands and this certainly helps. I use hand cream several times a day as my hands get very dry- I have 3 dogs so spend a lot of time outside and wash my hands a lot. This has helped vastly. My cuticles are less raggedy. I think the improvements are more in how my hands feel as opposed to look but the skin looks plump straight after applying. I keep the tube in my bag and reapply several times a day. I would like a travel sized version to keep in my bag.’
£14 for 50ml - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD, BEST NATURAL (JOINT) and BEAUTY STEAL (JOINT) This Works Stress Check Kind Hands
Formulated as an intensely moisturising hand salve to use after hand sanitiser – remember those days? – this contains skin-loving vitamin E from wheat germ plus shea butter to soothe over washed and/or sensitive hands. It’s 98% natural, vegan and cruelty free. Testers adored the brand’s Stress Check fragrance, with lavender, neroli and ylang ylang, which has been proven to reduce feelings of anxiety and worry. So it’s a double whammy product for hands and mind, which testers loved. It comes in a 75ml version for just £10 so a real Beauty Steal.
£15 for 150ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. This has converted me to regularly using hand cream. I'm normally put off by the greasiness but this soaks in straight away. The pump dispenser is so much better than a tube that gets greasy too. Nice and easy to smooth into skin. No sticky residue and didn't have to wait for hands to dry before doing other things. Dry skin around my nails and cuticles is much improved after using this. My nails feel stronger. A couple of people have asked what smells good after I've applied this’ • ‘The nicest, most effortless hand cream with the best fragrance ever! Forget about boring and greasy hand creams. This one is a game changer. My nail stylist commented how soft and healthy my hands and cuticles look’ • ‘As mentioned earlier, initially the consistency worried me but actually it’s amazingly rich and moisturising. It brings instant relief and soothes the dry areas. I had some minor allergic reaction to one of the cleaning products and had dry and red skin between my fingers and I was impressed how quickly my skin became better. I applied it probably around 4-5 times a day and within a day the redness and itchiness were gone. Also it immediately brought comfort to the skin. It worked well on cuticles’ • ‘My hands had a nicer tone. They looked younger and smoother. The wrinkling and dryness were gone. After lots of outdoor activities my hands still looked fine, usually I suffer from dryness and itchiness if I don’t wear gloves or the weather is rough. But the more I used this product, the better my skin looked, it became stronger and it did not react to adverse conditions so quickly’ • ‘skin smells absolutely amazing after applying this product and it also performs really well - Hands felt really smooth after first use. I get dry/hard skin around my cuticle and it softened my cuticles after using this for the first time. After using it for 14 consecutive days (several times throughout the day) the dryness around my cuticles had completely disappeared I get dry/hard skin around my cuticles’ • ‘The fragrance of this product is my favourite thing about it! It smells absolutely beautiful. The smell is not too strong but is strong enough to smell when applying and does last for a while afterwards. The scent reminds me of a Spa, it is really calming smell. The product is a medium thickness cream; it is just the right consistency. It is not sticky at all and whilst it appears quite thick and white when you first start rubbing it in, it rubs and soaks in really quickly’ • ‘Lovely product that smells fantastic – like a spa - and is good for dry hands. My hands are dry anyway but after housework or gardening they need extra moisture and this is great for that. Skin looked smoother and felt softer. Nice to use before bed as the smell is very soothing. A good product in a good sized bottle’ • ‘I loved the scent of this and the results were brilliant, I think it will be a life saver in the winter when my hands are dry. My hands are soft, smooth and have no dry patches, even the skin on the back of my hands looks younger and radiant!’
£15 for 250ml - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD Manuka Doctor Antibacterial Luxury Hand Cream
Moisturising Manuka honey leads in this gently fragrant hand cream, together with soothing, softening shea butter, supported by some effective lab made ingredients. The honey is antibacterial and, in all, the product formula has been lab certified to kill up to 99.99% harmful bacteria. (Yep, it was a pandemic product but still just as useful.) While the initial outlay means it doesn't justify a Beauty Steal Award, it’s incredibly good value for the ginormous 500ml pump dispenser. The brand recommends massaging two pumps worth into your hands for a minimum of 30 seconds, working into all areas – good tip. Five testers gave it full marks but two were underwhelmed by the results and one tester marked it right down because she didn't like the ‘musty honey smell although most others loved it. (Scent is such a personal thing that we’re not surprised when testers disagree.)
£20 for 500ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. Brilliant results. I use various hand creams and have never seen results like this one, which feels nice and soothing to apply with its very light honey fragrance. My hands are usually dry and this hand cream showed great results after a few usages. Hands look and feel moisturised and younger looking’ • ‘one pump is perfect for me. It smooths over the skin like silk and absorbs perfectly with no residue, even my partner loves using it as it doesn’t stay wet or sticky on his hands’ • ‘your skin immediately feels hydrated; I have dry cuticles and they instantly feel relieved. Any dry patches disappear as you massage it into your hands. My hands feel softer and moisturised even after some really cold days out pushing a buggy in the cold’ • ‘"you have to try this" are the words I’ve said to friends more than once! And “wow!” is the reply more than once! It’s light but creamy and is a dream on your hands. It makes them soft but doesn’t leave a residue at all. I love it! So thank you for introducing it to me’ • ‘ the bottle is huge so will last me awhile, if it came in a small size too that would be great for travel/car/handbag. It has added antibacterial properties too so if it was travel friendly (small enough to fit in handbag) this would come in very handy’ • ‘Excellent product, great value for money, buy it’ • ‘Pretty perfect consistency actually - any runnier and it would have been too runny. Absorbed quickly, easy to smooth in, No stickiness at all - major plus point, touch dry quickly. Moisturised, soft hands and helped maintain good cuticles. I liked that there was antibacterial properties in the cream, as we let Covid protocols slip it was a good way of protecting my health along with caring for my skin’ • ‘There's a really gentle, natural, very light scent to this cream, which I love! It leaves hands soft and smooth, and dry cuticles moisturised and soothed. I do use a lot of quite harsh chemicals in my job and my hands can get quite rough and dry. Also I've a recent cut on the back of my hand which seems to be healing really quickly.’
£20 for 500ml - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD and BEST NATURAL (JOINT) Tam Mason Nourishing Hand Oil
Somerset-dweller Tam is happily settled in the countryside surrounded by apple orchards. Recently, Tam combined a degree in textile design and a successful career in marketing with her passion and knowledge for natural and organic ingredients to develop a capsule hand and body care collection. Jo called this 100% natural oil ‘a veritable miracle-worker’. The formula, which matches Tam’s Hand Scrubs, is designed to soften hands and also condition and strengthen nails. With base oils of shea butter and oat come rosehip, vitamin E and kiwi seed. The subtle scent balances verbena, black pepper and lavender essential oils. Just massage a few drops on the back of one hand and rub in with the other, then swop! We’ve discovered this stocked at the gift shop of Sarah’s local ‘stately’ – Forde Abbey - and a list of other mostly West Country gardens. So - worth a forage, our testers say.
£22 for 30ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. I absolutely love this product and enjoyed using it each night. Relaxing experience to unwind at the end of the night. Hands felt very well nourished afterwards with stronger nails and healthier cuticles. Love the fragrance, one of my favourite things about the product, great to breathe in before bed whilst applying. Very relaxing. I would absolutely buy it and I told my manicurist about it as well’ • ‘A great alternative to hand cream with a calming wonderful smell to it. I found the consistency to be just right, not too runny and not so heavy that it doesn't absorb. I used it every night, it's non greasy and my hands felt like velvet. My skin feel smooth, looks brighter, and the cuticles softer. I think the bottle can deliver too much but with a bit of self-control, it was fine. Very easy to smooth it on and very quickly absorbed’ • ‘I love this product, I'm not very good with hand cream, as I hate the feel of it on the palms of my hands. With this oil, I smooth it in using the back of the other hand, so it never reaches my palms. There's no residue, it's completely gone in a second. I also like the packaging: a cardboard tube with a dropper bottle inside. This stops spillage of oil that frequently happens with an oil product’ • ‘I have a few age spots on the back of my hands and I do believe they are fading a bit. My nails and cuticles are in good condition’ • ‘A lovely hand oil, that really makes a difference’ • ‘I really enjoyed using this hand treatment every day. It became like a nighttime self care ritual, which allowed me to wake up with hands that did not feel like sandpaper. Just a few drops of this oil, nourished and moisturised my hands. And not only that, it made my nails look healthier and shinier’ • ‘I used this product every night for a month, It made the skin on my hands well nourished, plumper and more youthful. My family said that my hands feel very soft’ • ‘My hands and cuticles feel very nourished and supple; I am a hand oil convert. The hydration is impressive and my cuticles have never been in a better shape. I also take care to use a nail stick to push the cuticles before applying the oil, which help immensely. Lovely product, a great discovery that I would not have made had I not participated in the Beauty Bible trial. I feel my hands and skin have never looked better and it made me take even more care of my hands.’
£22 for 30ml - click to buy
SILVER (JOINT) AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL (JOINT) Caudalie Vinotherapist Hand & Nail Repairing Cream
More high scores here. Seems like shea butter is the must include ingredient for hand creams, here paired with grape seed oil, a version of the brand’s signature ingredient – the grape. There are also antioxidant polyphenols in this 98% natural origin, vegan formula, which was developed to nourish and repair dry hands as well as protecting them from dehydration and external aggressors. Plus there’s a lipidic (love the word!) duo of avocado oil and olive oil that is, they tell us, highly nutritious for the skin, reducing discomfort and preventing dehydration without leaving paws greasy. For very dry hands, the brand suggests applying a thick layer, donning a pair of cotton gloves and leaving overnight as a hand mask. It’s 100% Plastic Collect but one tester found the tube on the flimsy side, although ‘the hand cream inside, wonderful stuff!’
£12 for 75ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. A lovely luxurious hand moisturiser that you should try if you are looking for something new. Very easy to smooth in and absorbs without leaving hands greasy. The consistency is lovely - neither runny nor sticky. It immediately smooths and moisturises, leaving soft hands with no dryness’ • ‘It is simply the best hand cream I have ever used. Perfect consistency. A thick but easily absorbable cream. Nice silky smooth texture. Smells amazing with a divine strong sweet fruity ambrosial smell. Good enough to eat. My hands looked and felt smooth and moisturised and younger. Win Win. The sweet smell lingered as well, which was nice. Nourishes repairs and protects as per the claims on the tube. I enjoy using it and it provides fantastic results. I just wish I had tried it sooner. It is divine!! ’ • ‘I'm a little embarrassed to say I dismissed this when I opened my box. However, when I tried it, it certainly made me take notice. It absorbs quick, so won't stop you getting on with your day, and even after washing up, I felt like it was still there, protecting and nourishing my skin. I will apply this maybe three times a day, the last time just before I go to sleep, and I love the smell. My age spots that were creeping in have almost gone, and I don't have to worry about getting old lady hands for a little while longer!’ • ‘My Mum asked me which cream I was using, so she's now using it also! I’ve already bought more. It just does what I need. It fits in with daily tasks, doesn't take ages to rub in, and has all the right effects on my skin - Skin texture improved, age spots almost gone, and nails and fingers soothed’ • ‘it smells amazing and makes a noticeable difference to my hands which look and feel softer and smoother especially minimising dryness, tightness and crêpeyness which I only started to notice along with a few small light brown spots on my right hand about a year ago. A lovely easy to use portable pretty and effective product that I would highly recommend. Would 100% buy’ • ‘A lovely smelling, non-greasy, quick absorbed hand cream. The fragrance is very fresh and zingy; I'm thinking it must be a grapefruit type of scent. I did like it; it seemed to take me by surprise every time I used it. Then it fades to a light floral, it's just nice! Comfortable moisturised hands and my dry cuticles definitely benefitted from this hand cream.’
£12 for 75ml - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD Pelegrims Polyphenol Hand Pomade
As testers pointed out, this is not a hand cream but more like a balm and definitely a hand treatment. (Pomade was usually a substance used to style hair from ancient times – maybe don’t try this on your crowning glory, though.) The story of this independent privately owned brand is charming: Pelegrims is the brainchild of a natural formulator Alex Verier backed by Jérôme Moisan, a former tech exec and sommelier, with high powered marketing and comms input from Gaelle Scoul, previously at Le Labo. The brand uses waste products from wine makers and partners, Westwell Wines. Their vineyard is situated just below the Pilgrims Way on the North Downs in Kent – thus the name. All the partners share a desire for sustainability and harmony with natural processes (both in the skin and in Nature more widely), holding themselves to B Corp standards. Once testers accustomed themselves to the consistency, they were super impressed, particularly those whose daily work involved endless hand scrubbing.
£23 for 60ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. Never heard of this brand and never used what I can only call a balm. I thought I wouldn't like it but didn't realise that really my hands have been crying out for something like this. It's like a spa treatment for your hands, that's the only way I can describe it. It feels luxurious and special. Gorgeous’ • ‘At first I thought - this is never going to sink in, but then it did. Never felt anything like it when it ‘s first applied; it feels rich but then absorbs - like magic. So moisturising and plumping - smoother hands, which felt and looked plumper. Beautiful scent too, One of the nicest products I've smelt • ‘I noticed the back of my hands looked more radiant if that makes sense. Really luxurious and moisturising. Feels rich and then soaks in and the smell is beautiful’ • ‘This product is incredibly effective at restoring severely dry skin; I am struggling to remember another product I've used that is so effective at bringing back to life skin so cracked, even painful, that no lotion or cream would make the slightest difference. It is as effective as a strong urea cream for feet and it works magic and miracles on my finger knuckles, which can be so dry that they peel in flaky chunks (horrible, but with so much hand washing as a carer, it's a constant battle). This product is the best I've found for completely restoring skin from being so dry that only medical products would work normally’ • ‘I found it doesn't need to be used continuously and also that it needs very little product to restore and maintain suppleness, comfort and softness. It would be very cost effective to use this every other day, say, instead of trying to fight the battle against severe dryness with ordinary hand creams and lotions designed more for pleasant aromas and lightweight moisturising. This hand treatment balm has had the toughest challenging and exceeded all expectations! ’ • ‘I loved the fragrance and packaging and ethos of this brand; it felt like a story and I knew where the products came from, it all felt luxurious and high end. It made me feel special. The fragrance is amazing. I could smell the flowers and oils and it was so relaxing and intoxicating. I felt like I was at a spa; applying it during the day felt like a mini break from what I was doing’ • ‘it is more of a pomade/balm than a cream so you have to get used to the consistency, it will not rub in and absorb in the same way as a cream and it will take a bit longer. You need to use a lot less than you would a regular hand cream; if you use too much your hands can feel sticky and slippery so it took me a while to get the quantity right for my hands. A true treat for your hands, not the easiest to use but the smell and the whole experience is worth it. It feels like a spa treatment in a tube’ • ‘This is a beautiful product. The packaging is elegant and pretty. The tube also looks beautiful. The cream is both rich and indulgent. Hands feel much softer and a lot less sore. Cracks are reduced and nails stronger.’
£23 for 60ml - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD Olverum Soothing Hand Lotion
Part of the extended body range to accompany the legendary bath oil, (another BB Award winner this round in Bath Treats – Uplifting), this 99.55% natural origin formula was created to be ‘richly fortifying and restorative’, with healing aloe vera and moisturising jojoba oil. (The palm and coconut-derived ingredients are certified sustainable, by the way.) The product helps support the skin barrier, maintaining hydration and actually drawing moisture deeper into the skin, according to the brand. The soothing aromachology fragrance comes from marjoram, lavandin and geranium to soothe skin, they say, and still the busy mind. Testers were impressed.
£28 for 250ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. Gorgeous product! I was really surprised by how much I liked this. One of those unassuming products that actually gave me a little boost every time I used it. Perfect pump dispenser, one pump is enough for two hands. Sunk in really fast, made my hands look hydrated (and therefore less 'old') pretty much instantly! I would buy in a heartbeat. Beautiful scent, feels luxurious, recommended! ’ • ‘This is a brilliant hand cream, I would highly recommend it to a friend. Why? Because it leaves your skin feeling moisturised and smelling lovely. It never feels sticky even if you use multiple applications i.e. sometimes I put some on, let it sink in a few seconds and put on some more. Each time it disappears into the skin quickly and doesn't leave a sticky residue. I've used by my computer as I work from home a lot and find it doesn't interfere with me typing on the key board after a few seconds its done its job and I can return to my job! Also I believe the packaging looks smart for any home/office or hotel. My 19-year-old son kept using this product too - first time he's ever used a hand cream, and I got my youngest son who is 14 to use it, they both loved it! ’ • ‘I noticed immediately that my hands were smoother and looked less wrinkly and dry’ • ‘I have used it now for over 2 months and found that my hands, nails and cuticles are in much better condition. My nails are very tough and don't break easily but the hand cream has helped them to look healthy and moisturised. My cuticles are also less 'broken' near the sides of my nail. My family have commented on the 'nice' smell when applying it’ • ‘Very nourishing, lovely smelling hand cream. Really noticed the difference as I don't usually use hand cream for this length of time, skin looked healthy, really helped during the winter months and will carry on using this product daily. Hands are visibly softer and less dry - nails seem stronger and less dead skin around cuticles. A few people commented on the fragrance and how lovely it was’ • ‘the pump dispenser is a great idea, it makes it so much easier to apply hand cream throughout the day. The herbal fragrance is not only pleasant as a hand cream, but also when I inhale the fragrance it’s calming and soothing. This really is a hand cream with hidden benefits! The ingredients list is packed with essential oils and these are noticeable in the fragrance. It absorbs really quickly which makes me use this more often as I don’t have to wait around for my hands to dry. Due to this I quickly got into the habit of using it 3-4 times a day and this can be seen in how healthy my hands look. Even though this absorbs quickly, it is still nourishing. I get very dry and sore hands in winter and this has kept them looking healthy and feeling soft. A lovely hand cream that I will re-purchase’ • ‘the general appearance of my hands is better. I have notice fewer skin cracks around my fingers and less dry, flaky areas around my nails (which I would usually pick and give myself very sore fingers!) my cuticles are looking clearer too. In general my hands look and feel better and I don’t feel the need to wear gloves to hide them away’ • ‘I felt hands were protected as I went about my day when using the hand cream. My hands did not get dry or sore and when I got a few cuts on my hands it helped to keep them supple and healed them with no scars. Was not specifically an overnight treatment, but I did use it at night. I found my hands in the morning were nicely moisturised.’
£28 for 250ml - click to buy
BRONZE (JOINT) AWARD and BEAUTY STEAL (JOINT) Molton Brown Heavenly Gingerlily Hand Cream
Gingerlily is one of the signature scents of this very popular brand – now over 50 years old. Here the fragrance is a marriage of ginger, tuberose, lily, sandalwood and musk, reminiscent, they say, of a Tahitian lagoon. This hand cream is a partner to Heavenly Gingerlily Hand Wash, which also won an Award this round (see here). The brand describes this as ‘sumptuously hydrating’ and it comes in an on-the-go 40ml tube, at a Beauty Steal price. Although the brand doesn't pretend to be natural, it is 100% vegetarian, cruelty free and free from parabens, with refillable packaging. The brand’s Elsenham manufacturing facility is carbon neutral. As with the Hand Wash, testers were rubbing their paws…
£12 for 40ml - click to buy
OUR TESTERS’ COMMENTS:
‘10/10. This is one of the best products I have used, as it does not leave a greasy film on my hands as it absorbs quickly, so you can apply and then get on with what you need to do. The fragrances are also subtle but lovely. My hands tend to be really dry, my hand felt immediately hydrated after use and the skin felt less scaly and the pores less defined, as they were not as dry. The product absorbed really quickly and did not leave a film on the skin. It left my hands looking younger as they were not dry and the skin looked more glowy - I know that sounds strange for hands but the hydration provided by this cream made such a difference to the texture of my skin’ • ‘Smells lovely, looks lovely (great colour) and if you don’t buy it for yourself buy it for someone else; hell - buy for both!’ • ‘The tube on this product is great as it is soft & pliable, which allows you to dispense as much as you need; it is also a very classy, really nice product to have in your handbag - a really good size, as not too big that it is cumbersome but not so small that it is used up too quickly. Buy it you won’t regret it’ • ‘Moisturises dry hands straight away, but also disappears into the skin quickly leaving no oily/sticky residue. Its effects seemed to last quite a while’ • ‘It is beautifully moisturising and I didn't need to use much product to feel the benefit. This cream has been carried round in my handbag for use on the go, and will be replaced when I run out’ • ‘Just squeezed out the right amount - the cream is thick enough not go come out in a gloop everywhere. Gorgeous fragrance - I'm quite sensitive to fragrances and thought that ginger might be too strong, but in fact it was a lovely subtle smell that didn't irritate. Hands were much happier - did not feel rough to the touch and fewer wrinkles’ • ‘A really nice hand cream. I get incredibly dry hands, especially as summer turns to autumn and in the winter, as I get Raynauds. I can see this cream really helping as I can't use anything too fragranced, but the light perfume of this cream won't aggravate my hands’ • ‘One of the main reasons that I do not use hand cream as often as I should is because I often find they take too long to soak in and I can’t use my pen without it slipping, or my phone or touchscreen without leaving smeary marks, but this cream was different as it soaks in really quickly. It probably doesn't leave hands as instantly well moisturised as some of the thicker creams out there, but because it sinks in so quickly, I enjoyed using it regularly, which has to be good in the long run??’
£12 for 40ml - click to buy