This Dreamy Bath & Body Works Cream Is Like The ‘90s In A Bottle

Ever since I graced my body with its own skin care routine, I’ve been diligent about moisturizing every square inch of it after every shower. So my army of body care products has gotten quite crowded. When Bath & Body Works’ Sweet Pea Ultimate Hydration Body Cream came across my desk, though, my skin regimen felt like a whole other experience.

This isn’t to say my other body lotions and oils and creams aren’t great — they are. I’m not fussy with the products I put on my limbs; I just need them to provide moisture. But imagine slathering on a milky elixir that does the hydrating job as it catapults your mind back to the early ‘90s. Well, that’s what the Bath & Body Works cream does.

The brand itself is nostalgic for me: I remember waltzing past it each time I went to the mall and smelling the cornucopia of fragrances. And, as any B&BW shopper will know, Sweet Pea happens to be one of its OG scents. That’s why I get the kind of thrill that one would only experience when coating their entire body with something that smells exactly how they did in their youth.

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First Up: The Basics

As anyone who’s been inside a mall before knows, Bath & Body Works is a powerhouse brand known for its distinctly scented line of candles, body care products, soaps, and home fragrances. Out of its dozens (if not hundreds) of scents, Sweet Pea stands out as a longtime fan favorite.

I’m not great at describing fragrances, but allow me to try: The first thing that stands out to me when I smell Sweet Pea is that, well, it’s really sweet. It also somehow smells pink, just like its packaging. There are fruity notes — pear, for one, along with raspberry. It supposedly contains sweet musk, too, which makes sense as I’m always drawn to musky fragrances. Then there’s a touch of florals thanks to freesia.

Just because the product has an old-school scent doesn’t mean its formula is outdated. As of this summer, B&BW added the buzziest skin hydrator to its line of body moisturizers: hyaluronic acid. That, combined with glycerin and shea butter — two other moisturizing MVPs — make the cream incredibly effective at quenching dryness and infusing your skin with hydration.

Why I’m Obsessed

The packaging claims the body cream gives you 24-hour moisture. While I’m skeptical when beauty products say something’s going to last all day, I’ve found the B&BW Ultimate Hydration Cream to do a solid job. It’s definitely got a rich consistency, but there’s some bounce to it (likely because of the hyaluronic acid) so it absorbs super quickly without leaving a layer of heavy white goop sitting on your skin.

Once I finish applying it all over, my limbs don’t feel sticky at all. At the same time, I can tell there’s a potent concoction of hydrators going to work underneath the skin’s surface — and whenever I touch my arm or my leg during the day, it feels soft and supple.

My favorite part about the product, however, is the scent. I find myself sniffing my shoulder to get a wave of nostalgia. The smell reminds me of the days when my mom would take my sister and me shopping, and the only things I’d want to buy were stuffed animals and something small from the Bath & Body Works store — the latter of which I’d store in my Jansport backpack and carry to school. You know, life before dealing with adult problems and stress and material desires and all that!

The TL;DR

If you’re on the market for an A-plus body cream, this one does the trick — and it’s just over $15. But if you’re really into reliving the ‘90s, as I am, you’ll particularly enjoy smelling like Sweet Pea all day long.