I am a long-time lululemon customer and enthusiast so when the self-care line was introduced, I ordered right away. They are in the business of making athletes comfortable so I expected the best.
Was I disappointed? Not totally, but a little.
The lululemon self-care line consists of lip balm, deodorant, moisturizer and dry shampoo. I ordered:
- anti-stink deodorant in aloe lotus – $20
- basic balm – $16
- no-show dry shampoo – $38
- sweat reset face moisturizer – $52
The new line was not available in store in Halifax, NS so I had to order everything online. My order arrived with a custom, self-care cardboard box, a reusable makeup bag and the products.
quick summary
- anti-stink deodorant – fail, doesn’t work, doesn’t smell great, marks clothing, smells worse when mixed with sweat – buy again? definitely not
- basic balm – works nicely, not unique or exceptional in any way, no shine, too expensive when benefits are compared to lower priced competitors – buy again? no
- no-show dry shampoo – like the smell, seems to work well, on par with living proof, pillow talk and other competitors in the same price range – buy again? yes
- sweat reset face moisturizer – appears to have the ingredients found in other high-end moisturizers, however does not decrease post-exercise flush, as advertised. Smooths skin and moisturizes. – buy again? maybe
anti-stink deodorant – $20
I was most disappointed in this product. I am average in body odor; my armpits smell sweaty if I don’t wear a hygiene product, especially in warm weather.
The anti-stink deodorant is aluminum free, as many deodorant products are. Aluminum is an ingredient used in antiperspirants to block sweat ducts from producing sweat. lululemon states that their product allows us to sweat like normal humans but eliminates the resulting stink. This claim is false.
Ingredients per lululemon:
- Pre-biotics – reduces the growth of bacteria and restricts odor-forming bacteria (lies)
- Zinc – a natural salt that acts as a highly effective odor absorber (lies)
- Coconut Oil – works to condition and soften the skin
I found this deodorant to not work at all. I used it for a week with poor results every day. When I used it in the morning before going into my air conditioned office, I could smell sweat within an hour or two wearing a sleeveless dress and light sweater. Sweat with powder on top.
Additionally, the spray function would sporadically stop working and because such a large area is covered with the spray, my sports bras were excessively marked up with the product when I changed. I returned this product to lululemon for a refund.
Dermatologist Dr. Dray states that deodorant is similar to a perfume and if you don’t want to stink, you may want to wash your armpits sporadically throughout the day. A more effective product to use to eliminate sweating is Certain Dry. That’s what I use regularly and I find I don’t have under arm odor for up to three days after use.
During the review process, I tried an aluminum free deodorant called Dr. Mist and I found it actually works to eliminate underarm odor.
basic balm – $16
The basic balm is quite nice. It contains jojoba oil, shea butter and beeswax to soften lips and retain moisture. I found it felt comfortable on the lips, smooth and slippery with no shine so customers can enjoy discreet moisture. The entire self-care line is marketed as unisex.
Overall this product was typical of any lip balm. I wouldn’t choose it over any other, it did not stand out in any way. You can get the Nivea Vanilla Butter lip balm, two for $4, which also has jojoba oil, shea butter and beeswax and provides the same sensation on the lips as the lululemon basic balm.
Tip: apply lip balm when you apply your face moisturizer so they are hydrated by the time you finish your makeup and are ready to apply your lipstick per Ali Andreea. Check out her makeup tips below.
no show dry shampoo – $38
I’ve always had a hard time finding dry shampoo because I dislike the smell of most of them – they’re too intense. I only use dry shampoo on the morning after I’ve showered the night before to refresh my scalp and ensure I don’t get oily throughout the day. If I don’t use dry shampoo, my hair becomes very greasy and disgusting.
lululemon claims that users should skip the wash and use this dry shampoo after sweating. That is fine for individual exercise like running or spin class, however if you don’t wash your hair after jiu jitsu, you are susceptible to ringworm, staph and other skin infections.
I found the lululemon no show dry shampoo has a light, clean smell; it reminds me of the smell of new lululemon clothing. I found it to be effective and you get a lot of product for the cost. As compared to living proof, my former favorite, which is $32 for 118ml, lululemon is $38 for 248ml.
The only issue I had was after about 3-4 uses, the spray function didn’t work and I had to run the top under hot water to get it working again.
I recommend the no show dry shampoo and would probably buy again.
sweat reset face moisturizer – $52
This product was sold out when I ordered the product line initially and I had to place a second order. Each order came with the special packaging and reusable makeup bag. The packaging used by lululemon for this line is excessive; for just the moisturizer, it came in a box with the reusable zipped bag and a cardboard tube. However, if you don’t mind excess, it is pretty nice.
My tests for this product included using it under make up and applying it after a run when my face was flushed from exertion. I found that it worked nicely under make up however it did not reduce the flushed appearance of my skin, nor did it provide a sensation of cooling after a run, as advertised. My face continued to sweat through the moisturizer, which resulted in me blotting my face and likely removing some of the expensive product.
I researched the ingredients and found they are similar to higher-end products, hence the price tag. lululemon has focused on algae, menthyl and a high-performance hydrating molecule in their description. The information I found about these ingredients indicate that they can hydrate the skin for up to 30 hours.
It appears that one of the best ingredients of this product is Fucus Spiralis Extract (algae). Dr Dray opens her review of la Mer with the benefits of algae in moisturizers. Additionally, you can learn of the benefits of algae in this 2002 study:
A gel formulation that included 1% of the extract was applied topically to human cheek skin twice daily for five weeks. A significant decrease in skin thickness measured by B-mode ultrasound was elicited, as was a significant improvement in elasticity measured with a Cutometer as compared with controls. In cheek skin, the thickness normally increases and the elasticity usually decreases with age. These results suggest that the Fucus vesiculosus extract possesses anti-aging activities and should be useful for a variety of cosmetics.
summary
The lululemon self-care line is mostly the quality you would expect from lululemon however I feel the marketing isn’t really suited for some of the products. It seems as though they were forcing it to fit into their current branding but I think they may want to revisit with the moisturizer because it absolutely does not reset sweat or decrease post-workout flush; it’s just a nice moisturizer.
Additionally, I predict they will revise or discontinue the deodorant because it has received horrible reviews, including mine.
If you would like to see reviews of other products relevant to our community, let me know in the comments below!
