30 years ago Geraldine Howard and Sue Beechey launched a small aromatherapy brand in Fulham, London, and soon, along came one of their first most famous clients, Princess Diana. 30 years later, Aromatherapy Associates is the brand everyone wants for their birthday/Christmas/who needs a reason?
Pop into Liberty’s this month and you’ll find this special limited edition of Aromatherapy Associates’ Rose Body Velvet in the beauty hall. Notes are rose, geranium and sandalwood, so it’s a deeper, more intriguing twist on the rose theme, with staying power. I unashamedly drenched myself in it last night (brilliant for dry winter legs!) and fell asleep in a veil of rose/geranium bliss.
Because this rich cream contains so many natural essential oils and plant extracts (including rosehip which helps heal scarred skin) it gives the signature scent real legs – this is not a body cream that smells great for about two minutes then fades, it’s a lot longer lasting.
Comforting and indulgent in winter, this is something you’d probably wear on warm summer weekends in the garden (when wearing fragrance feels too “heavy”). Rose Body Velvet has now joined the line-up in my personal aromatherapy “hall of fame” (NEOM’s cut grass and sunshine Happiness Candle and Michelle Roques O’Neil’s Therapie wakeup and smell the citrus Boost Hair & Body Wash being two others).
Rose Body Velvet (as in the Velvet Flower extract in this, which is rich in minerals and helps hold in moisture) contains peptides and gotu kola oil to support skin’s natural collagen production, improving suppleness and this cream can help increase firmness and up the all essential glow factor that tends to drain from our sun-deprived bodies in winter.
Even if this cream did nothing except cocoon me in a veil of rose, I’d be slathering it on. If you’re a fan of rose blends, particularly the more luxe Moroccan-style rose elixirs, like Jo Malone’s rose and oud cologne (rather than the more dewy single note rose fragrances) this blend has a bit of that about it and the sandalwood here clearly boosts its staying power on skin, while bowing to the top notes of rose and geranium. But while it smells divine, Rose Body Velvet doubles as a “skin food” too, with a lot of skin-boosting seed and plant oils in the formula. If you already know and love AA’s Renewing Rose range, this would be gorgeous layered over their Renewing Rose Hydrating Body Gel or Renewing Rose Body Oil.
If you veer towards deeper, more interesting rose blends and like a body cream with a scent that lingers nicely, cut out those on-the-way-to-work coffees and treat yourself to a luxe tub of creamy rose deliciousness instead. It’s voluptuous, indulgent and a hard one to beat if you’re looking for a Valentine’s gift for someone you adore (or splash out on some spring flowers and Godiva chocs and keep this for YOU!)
Aromatherapy Associates Limited Edition 30th Anniversary Rose Body Velvet £50/200ml
