Review: Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel

My ears seem to perk up at the sound of skincare products that are made specifically for dry skin. While my face may be Normal/Combinations, my body can get really dry, especially during winter.

I’ve had the interesting pleasure of trying out a range of “for dry skin” body products before, and when it came time to trial the new Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel, I immediately knew that I wanted to do a comparative analysis with this. I had been using the Justine Tissue Oil Nourishing Body Lotion right before this product, and earlier in the year, I used the Avon Care Restoring Moisture Body Lotion. So I wanted to compare all three products and put a post together sharing my review and final thoughts on the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel.

But first…

Before I get into the review, here is a quick overview of the 3 products I was using during this comparative analysis:

Justine Tissue Oil Nourishing Body Lotion

This is a lightly fragranced creamy body lotion that has Vitamin E, Sweet Almond Oil, Germ Oil and Wheatgerm Oil to help moisturise the skin for up to 24hrs. It’s formula is made to be easily absorbed by dry skin.

Avon Care Restoring Moisture Body Lotion

Containing Coconut Oil and Vitamin E, this fragranced creamy body lotion is fast absorbing for dry or very dry skin, and is made to moisturise, nourish and condition the skin.

Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel

As an oil-based gel, this contains only 3% of water and has been clinically proven to treat dry and very dry skin, and provide immediate relief and long-lasting moisturisation.

• 

Packaging

Throughout the years of trying out various skincare products, one thing that I have been paying attention to is the packaging, and how convenient a brand makes it for me to use their product. If I have to struggle, I’m likely to ditch said product…

Now when it comes to skincare and body products, I’ve also come to realise that I prefer packaging where I don’t have to scoop something out with my fingers. Because I tend to grow my natural nails out, I don’t like getting product underneath my nails while I’m trying to use it…

But outside of that, products placed in tub-like containers aren’t my favourite. I like to squeeze or pump the product out – essentially controlling how much product I would like out. This is one area that the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel doesn’t work for me. As much as you do have the advantage of seeing how much product is left over (so that you know when it’s time to repurchase), I simply prefer the packaging from Justine and Avon Care – the bottles where I can squeeze the product out and control how much I’m using.

Texture

If there is one thing that springs to mind when I think of the word ‘oil’, it’s ‘grease’. Perhaps not all oils have some kind of greasy element to them, but they most certainly leave a bit of a shine or slick.

This is probably one of the big reasons why I am not a fan of oil-based body products. This gel does leave a bit of grease after application, so you really do need to either spend some extra time massaging the product into your body or wait for the gel to be absorbed fully before wearing clothes or touching objects and surfaces. It wasn’t pleasant getting my fingerprints all over the back cover of my phone. This is where I would go for creamier body lotions. The texture comes off as silkier and doesn’t leave the sheen that oil-based products would.

With that being said, I absolutely LOVED the colour of this gel! What a welcome refresher from the usual whites or creams of the body lotions that I am used to using. I’m not used to coloured body lotions (although I think Oh So Heavenly products have this quality about them), so this is something that I loved the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel for.

Effectiveness

First of all, HELLO GLOW! None of the creamier body lotions that I tested this Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel gave me the glow that this product did. Of course, there’s the fact that it the product is oil-based so it will naturally give you a bit of a sheen on your skin, but if you are looking for something that will give your legs a healthy glow, then I would pick this over the Justine and Avon body lotions.

The Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel advertises as ‘Works harder. Goes further’, meaning that a little bit of product goes a long way because of how concentrated the gel is. While I could get away with using about a R2-sized amount of gel on my chest and shoulders, the same can’t be said for my legs. Again, naturally, my legs are much longer than the rest of me, and would require more product (especially since the most dry areas of my body are my knees and back of my heels).

I will admit that once you apply this in the morning, you are good to go for the day. I didn’t find the need to have to reapply later on in the day, so I got my long-lasting moisturisation from the gel. The same, however, can be said for both the Justine and Avon body lotions that I also tried out. It’s also work mentioning that all 3 products worked in giving instant relief from the times I found my skin to crack or got very dry.

Price

First, let’s list the *prices of the 3 body lotions I used:

• Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel: R185 for 200ml
• Justine Nourishing Body Lotion: R119 for 200ml
• Avon Care Restoring Moisture Body Lotion: R62 for 400ml

Based off of these prices, naturally, my budget-savvy self would purchase the Avon Care Restoring Moisture Body Lotion. It’s the most affordable out of the 3 lotions, and I’m getting twice the amount for almost half the price.

But is the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel value for money? Yes, it is. Aside from the greasy feeling, I can’t deny that the product is effective and does what it says it does – provide immediate relief and long-lasting moisture. I may personally not like the tub container or the fragrance, but when it comes to restoring my dry skin, it does the job. The difference is that when I compare it to the 2 other products, I wouldn’t necessarily reach for this gel at first sight. Based off of the 4 weeks that I have been using this, I can tell that the 200ml tub will last me for 3 months (possibly more), which is a plus in my eyes, but that’s because I don’t see myself using this on a day-to-day basis.

Overall Impressions

Would I choose the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel over the Justine or Avon Care body lotions? Probably not, but I would add the gel into my winter body care routine because of how much moisturisation my skin needs during that season. I would, however, give this gel a solid 3.8/5. The gel has proven its value to me during these past 4 weeks, and I am willing to continue using it in the future, although it may not be a go-to as yet.

One thing I do think that the Bio-Oil Dry Skin Gel beats both Justine and Avon is its accessibility. I could easily walk into a Clicks or DisChem store to pick up a tub; the same can’t be said for the other 2 products.

I appreciate the innovation of the pink gel, and an oil-based product that is potent and works with how my skin is waterproof. There’s an understanding of what dry skin needs and Bio-Oil works to restore that. It may not have the buttery texture of creamy lotions, but I do think that if you are looking for an instant glow, and immediate relief, this is a product that you can consider.

*Prices are correct to my knowledge at time of publishing

NOTE: The #DrySkinGelGlow campaign was done in partnership with Beauty Bulletin. Views expressed in this post are completely my own and not persuaded by Beauty Bulletin or Bio-Oil South Africa.