Has a scent ever intoxicated you so much that it transports you to another world? That’s exactly how I’d describe what ensues when using Kahina Giving Beauty’s newest body serum, Essaouira*.
Named after the beautiful port city located in western Morocco, Essaouira embodies all things exotic, sweet, and spicy in a body serum. The floral hints of rose, lavender, and geranium blend pleasantly with earthy sandalwood to provide an uplifting scent reminiscent of warm, sun-kissed days and transport you body and mind to exotic, tropical lands. (Did you know, some scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed in Essaouira?!)
As always with Kahina products, coldpressed ECOCERT argan oil from southwest Morocco is the main standout ingredient in Essaouira. The high concentrations of argan oil help improve elasticity and skin texture while soothing redness. Essaouira also features delicious additions of watermelon, sunflower, olive and coconut oils to deeply moisturize the skin and absorb readily.
Along with Essaouira’s airy, sweet scent, the formula also feels more lightweight and fast-absorbing on the skin making it a perfect body serum for spring and summer. I love how this body serum keeps my skin nourished and soft and is especially soothing for my dry skin after spending time out in the sun and heat. While Kahina’s popular Fez Body Serum is also great for keeping skin moisturized, the scent is a bit warmer and spicier and I find the texture to be a bit thicker, more suitable for colder months. I definitely prefer the scent of Essaouira over Fez but that’s also a bit predictable based on my usual olfactory taste in floral, sweet, feminine scents rather than woodsy and spicy.
I tested the travel size version of Essaouira, which is 30ml for $32. That’s quite pricey for a small body serum although, I do believe the quality ingredients and effective formulation all make up for that cost overall. For a travel size body serum though, I was initially dumbstruck at how tiny the bottle appeared. A little bit goes a long way with this product, and it’s true that the travel size bottle may be perfect for a short vacation, but I found myself using up Essaouira very quickly.
If you love body oils and you are as obsessed with Essaouira’s beautiful scent as I am, I advise you buy the full size 200ml version ($98) because you’re going to use this baby up. I also prefer the pump-top applicator on the 200ml bottle more than the flimsy spout on the 30ml size.
Overall, Kahina Giving Beauty can do no wrong in creating nourishing and effective body serums. Essaouira expands upon Kahina’s commitment to pure, luxurious, eco-conscious formulas and the finest in organic, natural ingredients. Kahina, keep it coming!
$32-$98 at Kahina Giving Beauty and Integrity Botanicals.
Ingredients: argania spinosa (argan) oil*, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil*, olea europaea (olive) fruit oil*, caprylic/capric triglyceride, ocos nucifera (coconut) nut oil*, citrullus lanatus (watermelon) seed oil, pelargonium graveolens (geranium) leaf/flower oil*, rosa damascena (rose) flower oil*, lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower oil*, santalum spicatum (sandalwood) wood oil, tanacetum annuum flower oil*, citrus aurantium (petitgrain bigarade) leaf/bud oil, bisabolol, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract* *Ingredient from Organic Farming, 100% of the total ingredients are from natural origin; 97.51% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming. Formula certified natural and Organic by ECOCERT Greenlife according to ECOCERT Standard available at cosmetics.ecocert.com
Have you tried Kahina’s new body serum, Essaouira? What is your favorite natural, organic body product?
*Product kindly provided for consideration. As always, these are my own and honest options. Read my disclosure for more information.
Essaouira photo credit: Essaouira Lodge
