When it comes to skincare and beauty products, it’s always a tussle between whether to save on an item or splurge for a little bit of luxury. While there’s always the saying you get what you pay for, you also want to be getting value for money. A lot of time you read about how when it comes to active ingredients there’s not much of a difference between products and that a lot of what you pay for lies in the brand name or packaging. I’m not particularly loyal to any brands so am always on the lookout for new items to try. Due to the drier weather recently hand cream has been a must so I was keen to see how the new Thankyou Botanical Geranium & Rosewood hand cream stacked up up against my favourite Aesop Resurrection Aromatique hand balm.
Thankyou Botanical Geranium & Rosewood Hand Cream
I’ve been using Thankyou hand wash for some time now and they’ve recently expanded their product range to include body lotions and hand creams, among other things. I couldn’t resist the pink packaging when I saw this hand cream at the supermarket. It has a very sweet fragrance which immediately reminded me of those pink musk Life Saver lollies. I’m not sure whether this is a pro or a con yet as I don’t usually opt for sweet smelling things. It is pleasant enough though and doesn’t linger too much.
Price: Price: $6.45 for a 70ml tube.
Pros: The feel good factor, definitely. Thankyou is a social enterprise that aims to end the effects of global poverty – you can read about their 100% model on their website – and each product comes with a tracker ID so you can see what project your product has helped fund. As for the hand cream itself, it is vegan friendly and made in Australia from ingredients derived from nature. I also like the packaging and prefer this kind of tube over the Aesop one. It’s definitely better suited for stashing away in your handbag.
Cons: Due to the lightweight formula I find myself having to reapply it often. It’s pretty easy to go through the tube quickly. I think at the moment it’s only available in selected supermarkets in Australia.
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
This hand balm is like the gateway Aesop product. You buy it because it smells nice and is reasonably priced (relatively speaking) and then next thing you know you’re dropping hundreds on a new skincare routine. I’ve been buying it for the past couple of years now and the last time I bought it as part of the Aesop Auriga set which is super lush.
Price: $31 for a 75ml tube or $39 for a 120ml tub. I don’t use it every day, only when the weather is particularly drying, so I find that a 75ml tube can last me a year at least.
Pros: The smell. Oh the smell. I personally love the smell of most of the Aesop range but I know that it may not be to everyone’s liking. I will also use any excuse to go into an Aesop store (I find them so calming) to try to get as many sachet samples with my purchase as possible (highest so far is ten). Plus this stuff is the business.
This hand balm is like the gateway Aesop product. You buy it because it smells nice and is reasonably priced (relatively speaking) and then next thing you know you’re dropping hundreds on a new skincare routine. I’ve been buying it for the past couple of years now and the last time I bought it as part of the Aesop Auriga set which is super lush.
Price: $31 for a 75ml tube or $39 for a 120ml tub. I don’t use it every day, only when the weather is particularly drying, so I find that a 75ml tube can last me a year at least.
Pros: The smell. Oh the smell. I personally love the smell of most of the Aesop range but I know that it may not be to everyone’s liking. I will also use any excuse to go into an Aesop store (I find them so calming) to try to get as many sachet samples with my purchase as possible (highest so far is ten). Plus this stuff is the business.
Cons: Aside from the price, the only downside to this product is the aluminium tube which I find is prone to tearing and leaking, especially when you’re crinkling it up trying to squeeze out every last bit of balm.
The Verdict
It’s much of a muchness really. The Aesop hand balm is definitely on the pricier side but it’s a little treat that I’ll continue to buy for myself. It does feel more intensive than the Thankyou hand cream so I find myself using less of it. I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing this Thankyou hand cream any time soon but I might chuck their Botanical Rosehip & Sweet Orange one into my basket next time I’m at the supermarket for comparison purposes. In the meantime I’ll keep road testing more affordable hand creams in conjunction with using the Aesop balm.
It’s much of a muchness really. The Aesop hand balm is definitely on the pricier side but it’s a little treat that I’ll continue to buy for myself. It does feel more intensive than the Thankyou hand cream so I find myself using less of it. I don’t think I’ll be repurchasing this Thankyou hand cream any time soon but I might chuck their Botanical Rosehip & Sweet Orange one into my basket next time I’m at the supermarket for comparison purposes. In the meantime I’ll keep road testing more affordable hand creams in conjunction with using the Aesop balm.
Do you have any tried and tested favourite hand creams? Any and all recommendations are welcome in the comments.
Hand creams are one of those things that I love to splurge on, but more often than not they just end up in the bottom of a drawer! I really do need to start using them more often.
Catherine | Hey, Mama
Ah I know what you mean! During summer all my hand creams get sidelined and come winter I'm rummaging around trying to find them all.