One litmus test of a store's success in New York City is the frequency with which its logo shopping bags are spotted on the street and on the subway. I've noticed quite a few Sabon bags being carried and reused for other purposes by my fellow commuters, so I decided it was time for me to revisit one of this company's local boutiques. I've visited Sabon a few times before, but I usually left empty-handed. Some of the products and scents just didn't appeal to me, and others bothered me slightly by looking too similar to items from other brands (Agraria, Côté Bastide, Lush...).
On my latest trip to a Sabon shop, however, I ended up purchasing a bottle of Patchouli Lavender Body Oil. I liked its antique-looking, ribbed-glass bottle, the idea of concentrated, oil-based moisture for my dry elbows and legs, and oh yes, the scent. I surprised myself by being drawn to this fragrance, because it doesn't smell like lavender essential oil, vanilla absolute, or actual patchouli; in other words, it's definitely a synthetic scent. However, it's a sweetly comforting smell: the patchouli is just a trace of warm spice, not at all earthy or aggressive, and the lavender-vanilla blend is as soft as a well-laundered pair of flannel pajamas. In fact, Sabon's Patchouli Lavender Vanilla fragrance reminds me of nothing so much as a grown-up baby oil, which would account for its soothing effect on my mood.
My one quarrel with this product is the packaging. Initially, I thought a spray dispenser was an excellent idea, since it would prevent me from accidentally spilling oil all over the bathroom floor. Now, having used it several times, I wish Sabon had used a pump attachment instead. The spray nozzle is fiddly and slow to react: you need to depress it once, wait for it to rise sluggishly to its original position, press it again, wait, and repeat, until you've released enough oil to massage into your legs, arms, and so on. This process somewhat detracts from the potentially relaxing experience of using the oil.
Oh, and I'll just mention that this product's scent is very close to Bath and Body Works' "Sleep" aromatherapy blend. So, again, the copycat issue. However, Bath and Body Works itself is so ubiquitous (it would be impossible to count those migrating B&BW shopping bags!) that I prefer any smaller alternative. Sabon has a more intimate feeling, at least, and this Body Oil is a good way to start trying its merchandise if you're curious.
Sabon Patchouli Lavender Vanilla Body Oil sells for 100 ml for $19 at Sabon's website.
i LOVE spray oils. it would be very very simple for them to dilute the oil down so that it flows more freely! i. e, . look at how well EL’s Bronze Goddess sprays!
Hi Jo! Yeah, if a slow spray-dispenser is my biggest problem in life, I should just stop complaining, right?! I do like the actual oil a lot. But it’s kind of irritating, since I’m supposedly using the oil to relax and pampler myself! 😉
Hmm.. I’ve been looking for a reasonably priced alternative to BB&W. I may have to check Sabon out. Drugstore brands do nothing for me fragrance wise, and I refuse to spend what department stores demand for body products. I love the BB&W Sleep line.
Jennyanydots, I love your username reference! 😉
You might want to explore Sabon; the quality is better than B&BW’s store line, and although the range of scents isn’t as large as B&BW, there’s still enough variety. Plus, it’s a smaller company with much better in-store customer service, which I always appreciate! I’m just a little tired of B&BW’s world domination (or nationwide domination, at least!).
I’m always looking for an alternative to BBW – I think the quality is poor and the scents don’t appeal to me at all. I will have to check Sabon out next time I’m in NY. I usually find my lotions/oils/etc at TJ Maxx – Babedas, anyone?!
The one bad thing about NYC shopping is the absence of a *good* TJ Maxx (or a Marshall’s, or a Target in Manhattan…). Well, mustn’t complain!
No Sabon on my coast – guess I’m stuck with B&BW!
Oh no! Well, don’t submit too easily: there’s always Lush, not to mention affordable natural lines like Avalon Organics, ShiKai, Desert Essence… 😉
loll – believe me, I know them all!! I have pretty much all I want from B&BW – went crazy with sales for a while but haven’t been in for quite some time. I NEED a Lush fix desperately, and I DO have one of those.
Ah, I’m preaching to the converted! 🙂
Also have never seen or heard of Sabon here in California, but speaking of alternatives, just throwing in that I love the EO line as well as the ones you mentioned above, Jessica.
I remember when BB&W was a little offshoot of the Express brand and they had a tiny boutique attached to the stores. I remember forever being terrified they would go away because I was in love with Freesia. It was purple smelled pretty and I love the word freesia. I used to have Garden Botanika and Body Shop stores in the mall near me and they are long gone, but Ioved them and their customizable fragrances. Now it’s pretty much all BB&W.I think world domination is correct. I don’t know if they were the first but they’ve mastered the art of incentive coupons, buy so many and get whatever free, that make you think you are saving, but you end up spending more than you ever intended. Still you get get alot for you money, so I can see why it works. I will probably start trying online brands, but, it’s hard testing things online when you have no idea what they smell like first. I am definitely going to check out Sabon!
Oh, the siren call of the incentive coupons! I’m not immune to those, trust me… I remember when B&BW was relatively new, too, and I owned a couple of their fragrances. They were so sweet and fun, and affordable too; a good option for students and women in their early 20s. What was the one I liked best… it had some pink lettering on the label. Flowering Herbs? And I used to buy cosmetics at Garden Botanika in the mall, too, because (like B&BW) it was a good alternative that fell midway between drugstore and high-end department store brands.
My favorite early B&BW fragrances were Cardamon [sic] Ginger and Chamomile. They had some nice florals and flowering herbs – I stopped buying them for a long time because they replaced everything with fruit. Eventually they brought flowers back in.
Fruit, fruit, and more fruit… and don’t forget Warm Vanilla Sugar! lol.
This sounds nice, and I like the packaging too. I tend to use oils vs. lotions, it seems the scent stays around much longer.
Hi SmokeyToes! I like your gravatar. I used a few oils this winter, including one from Essence of Vali and one from Naturopathica. They feel so healing. Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Apricot Oil is another favorite of mine.
The Sabon oil’s scent lasted well into the day, coming back in little “whiffs” from time to time!
Thanks! He’s my kitten Smokey.
Thanks for the feedback on scent staying power, always good to know. FYI, if I posted twice, my computer hiccuped… sorry.
Aw! I love cat toes.