LotionQuest

September 16, 2007 5:43 AM

Help me, a very picky consumer, find the perfect lotion.

Neutrogena used to make Rainbath Moisturizing Body Mist (not in any way like the other Rainbath products they still make). They discontinued it in 2002 and I can't find it anywhere. I have tried pretty much everything, including calling Neutrogena, to get my hands on it and no dice. I have come to realize that I just need to find a new product. Being totally set in my ways and adverse to change, I basically want as close to the exact same thing as I can possibly get.
- was a spray.
- was very light and not at all greasy. You couldn't feel it on your hands at all once your rubbed it in just a little bit. At the same time, it was very moisturizing.
- smelled amazing. Not perfumey, but just fresh and clean.

I can compromise on the spray part. And, fyi, I have already eliminated the Bath and Body Works lotions that contain silk. Wasn't quite right.

posted by sneakin to Grab Bag (17 answers total)

I too am very picky about the greasy-ness and the smell of lotion and don't often find products that I like. A few I have found that are non-greasy:

- classic Oil of Olay - very light and nice scent
- Clinique dramatically different moisturizing lotion - doesn't really seem to me to have much of a scent at all

And for body lotion, I have taken a liking to Jergins Aloe Vera which is cheap and can be found at places like Target. It isn't at all greasy and had a lovely fresh scent, though I think they might have recently reformulated it as it seems a bit more cloying now.

Sorry I can't help you on a spray one.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:39 AM on September 16, 2007

Have you check ebay? They have a lot of Neutrogena Rainbath products on there, although I don't know if any of them are the old formula you're looking for. That's how I still buy my Netrogena Mattifier, which I also love with a passion and is discontinued. If no one has it listed on there, ask on the boards at Makeup Alley. They're the go-to resource for all things cosmetic.
posted by MsMolly at 7:43 AM on September 16, 2007

Sigh. checked ebay. I proofed that post too.
posted by MsMolly at 7:44 AM on September 16, 2007

If I were you, I would go somewhere that sells higher end make-up and lotions, like Bloomingdales. You'll be able to try things out and talk to knowledgeable sales people.
posted by milarepa at 7:50 AM on September 16, 2007

Aveda has a nice spray lotion...a little expensive, though.
posted by quentiniii at 7:55 AM on September 16, 2007

origins' "urgent moisture" lotion is nice--not greasy and smells nice.
posted by thinkingwoman at 8:08 AM on September 16, 2007

i wouldn't use the clinique lotion mentioned above, at least not on your face. i learned that mineral oil is very bad for your face (i suppose it clogs pores?)
posted by timory at 8:19 AM on September 16, 2007

My girlfriend chimes in with:
Moisture Surge Spray by Clinique
posted by Bookhouse at 8:33 AM on September 16, 2007

Clinique Deep Comfort Body Moisture
This is the best lotion I have found, expecially for the scent. They say it's fragrance free, so I guess it's just the lotion that has a wonderful, clean scent. It's not the same as the one mentioned in the first comment.
posted by youngergirl44 at 9:57 AM on September 16, 2007

H20 Oasis 24. I used this ona plane coming back from Europe yesterday. It appeared to meet all your criteria.
posted by Xurando at 11:16 AM on September 16, 2007

I really like Nivea Soft. It's very light and not greasy at all but very moisturizing and not very expensive, you can get it the same places you'd find Nutrogena products.
posted by lannanh at 11:29 AM on September 16, 2007

sneakin, I just wanted to let you know I miss the Neutrogena Rainbath spray lotion too (I contacted them about it as well!). As far as I've been able to tell, they only seem to be using their unique spray bottle for their sunless tanners and sunscreens now. I've given up on finding a similar replacement and now I just use Queen Helene Cocoa Butter lotion (smells good, disappears into skin easily, and heck, it's cheap).
posted by zippity at 11:29 AM on September 16, 2007

Not spray, but super quality: Kiehl's instant satin soft body rub moisturizer
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:01 PM on September 16, 2007

Have a look at the Aesop range. By my standards a bit pricey (I usually wait until I get it as a gift), though it does last a long time. I have a moisturiser from there, I am not sure which one it is - I think it might be the Oil Free Facial Hydrating Serum (comes in a bottle with a dropper). Non-greasy and not perfumy, but pleasant smelling.
posted by AnnaRat at 4:35 PM on September 16, 2007

I'm in Italy on our honeymoon (yay!), and I haven't seen this in Canada, but I found something here that sounds exactly like what you are looking for - it is a deodorant spray (not antiperspirant), that is liquid (i.e. not aerosol), 0% alcohol, 1/4th moisturizer, and a fresh smell. Unfortunately I cannot find it as a picture or for sale online though.

The bottle says:
"Dove
Deodorant
Silk Dry
with silk extracts
Deo Vapo No Gas
Deo Pump Spray
0% Alcohol"
Languages on the back are Italian, Dutch, German and Portuguese. I imagine it would be sold in all those countries.

Here is a list of ingredients. Unilever owns Dove, AFAIK.

I believe I saw one made by Nivea as well that looked identical.

It is incredibly light, moisturizing, and smells fresh and clean. At least now you know it exists!

When we're in Canada, we are both fans of Nivea soft, so 2nding that otherwise.

Good luck!
posted by olya at 5:09 PM on September 16, 2007

Try searching for dry oil spray. From your description, it sounded like a moisturizer based on silicones, rather than natural oils, and a MSDS with the listed ingredients confirms this. You can google *dry oil spray cyclomethicone"* (no quotes)to find something similar- a number of bath and body companies use this sort of formula. You can even get them custom scented from a lot of independent retailers. Or make your own. I don't have a personal recommendation however, as I prefer "dry" oil sprays based on natural oils, which don't feel dry quite as immediately as those that are silicon based or enhanced.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:33 PM on September 16, 2007 [1 favorite]

I have been using Jergen's Smoothing lotion for a couple of years now and I'm hooked.
Non greasy - check
Clean scent - check

It does have a bit of alpha-hydroxy in it (which I think is what reduces the flakiness of dry skin) but I have pretty sensitive skin and haven't had an issue with it at all.
It should also be pretty easy to get a very small bottle so that you can try it out before committing to the huge bottle that I get every 6 months or so.

Actually Jergen's has quite a huge collection so triggerfinger may also be onto something with the Aloe Vera one. From my experience all their products smell nice and clean (mmm cherry almond) and are non-greasy.
posted by like_neon at 2:16 AM on September 17, 2007