If you have even the tiniest bit of interest in skincare you’ll already be well acquainted with the skin saviour benefits of vitamin C, from glow-inducing to anti-ageing and sun damage protection. You might even be one of the millions of people having searched for vitamin C as a skincare ingredient in 2020 – the no.1 most searched for skincare ingredient by a long way. When I visualise this ingredient in skincare it typically boils down to the poster girl – or I should say poster fruit – for vitamin C: the classic orange. Cue visions of orange peel, orange zest, orange slices going into pots of creams and bottles of serum, encouraged by beauty brands consistently using the fruit’s bright shade as the leading colour for packaging. You only have to check out the likes of REN’s Glow range, Balance Me Glow + Repair collection, Boots’ bestselling Vitamin C Brightening products or C-Berrica’s equivalent range to get the gist. In the realm of skincare we have been conditioned to associate orange packaging with vitamin C.

So what about yellow and lemons, where does that take us? It’s not an ingredient I’ve come across frequently in beauty, except in hair lightening products or zesty fragrances. But in skincare and bodycare? Well The Body Shop have introduced a Lemon range, a collection of 7 products ranging from hand sanitiser to body wash and hair mist, which seems like an odd assortment of beauty items until I read that as well as boasting a zesty ‘wake up’ scent ideal for a morning bodycare routine, lemon has antibacterial, cleansing and protecting properties – which of course works well for handcare products in the current COVID-19 climate. Here I review two products from the range: the protecting body lotion and purifying face wash.

The Body Shop Lemon Purifying Face Wash

After reading Caroline Hirons’ Skincare book I’m weary of using cleansing gel textures that can feel drying and strip skin of its oils. I needn’t have worried with this vegan face wash. Although it sits very much in the gel camp, it doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight, possibly thanks to soothing aloe vera. Unsurprisingly it offers a refreshing citrus scent – nothing too overpowering – and after cleansing skin of bacteria and impurities I follow up with a radiance mist, vitamin C moisturiser and SPF. Although nowadays I prefer cream and balm cleansers in the evening, for a quick morning skincare routine in the shower this is a great alternative. 125ml RRP £11.00

The Body Shop Lemon Protecting Hand & Body Lotion

This body lotion boasts an interesting claim: ’72-hour intense moisture for dry, over-washed skin’. Skin damage from repeatedly washed hands has undoubtedly featured high on the list of skin concerns in the last 12 months, so highlighting this product’s target on the front of pack seems a clever and very topical move. As for the 3-day moisture claim, increasingly the likes of 12-hour moisture promises no longer cut it in the beauty world, with brands aiming for bolder statements, the one-upmanship of who can deliver the biggest number. I’m not clear on whether you’d have to not wash your skin for 3 days though in order to benefit from this claim, in which case that would prove tricky, particularly for hands… The scent is the same zingy citrussy one featured in the face wash, but it’s the texture I’m particularly surprised and impressed with: creamy on application, it seems to transform into a light, water-based hydrating formula for an ultra-fresh non-sticky result. I would usually go for thicker textures for my body and especially for my dry hands, but this lotion leaves no residue which can be a big bonus if you don’t like the post-cream greasy feel. As with any scented lotion I avoid areas where eczema has developed (on my wrists and shoulders at the moment) as it irritates the inflamed area, but on my arms and legs this shea butter, olive oil and glycerin-rich lotion makes my skin feel incredibly soft. This one is a keeper for stepping into the warmer season. 200ml RRP £10.00

What lemon-infused beauty products do you use and would recommend?

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