Unless you’ve been living under a particularly beauty-starved rock, The Ordinary is a brand you know well. It’s probably in your bathroom cabinet right now! But insiders know that The Ordinary’s parent company, Deciem, is a treasure trove of creative brands that are somewhat of a best-kept secret, despite The Ordinary’s fame.
Last year, Deciem unveiled LOoPHA, a modern fragrance brand to scent your life. Think sensorial hand and body washes, plus forthcoming body serums and scented hand and body mists with elevated fragrances like Oud + Amber (a smoky blend of sweet oud, warm amber, citrusy bergamot, and gourmand tonka bean), Broadleaf Forest (like the name suggests, a crisp combination of cedar, dry patchouli, and zingy vetiver), and Chalk, a nostalgic, specific scent concept brought to life via mint, fresh saffron, sugared anise, and powdered musk.
For our beauty director Jacqueline Kilikita, the body washes have quickly stolen the spotlight: “Not just because they’re stylish and affordable,” she says — everything is under $20, BTW — “but because the scents rival those of niche fragrance brands, in my opinion.” Oud + Amber is her fragrance of choice: “It smells like a sweet, smoky eau de parfum that lingers on the skin. One pump on a loofah is enough to cleanse my whole body, it’s that good, and it also doubles as a hand wash.”
Oud + Amber Hand + Body Wash, $18
Broadleaf Forest Hand + Body Wash, $18
What makes LOoPHA’s body washes really special is that they’re gentle enough for Kilikita’s dermatitis-prone skin, without exacerbating any dryness or irritation — and it’s all thanks to the ingredients.
Like The Ordinary, LOoPHA is all about innovative, effective ingredients (an emphasis on transparency is a well-known Deciem calling card) and clean — pun intended — minimal packaging. While the scents take center stage, the formula remains gentle and non-irritating, thanks to moisturizing jojoba esters (derived from the oil of the same name that is naturally bioavailable) and glycerin (a powerful humectant to help your skin retain moisture). Most notably, it uses apple- and babassu-derived surfactants for a rich, plant-based, sulfate-free lather.
As Refinery29’s senior writer (and lifelong lover of all things beauty), Broadleaf Forest is my go-to; I’ve gone through two bottles already — one by my bathroom sink, and another in the shower — and I’m nowhere near tired of it.
I work out a lot (hot yoga being my workout of choice), and so I demand a lot from my body wash: It has to whisk away buckets of sweat but not strip my skin. Other sulfate-free body cleansers don’t always create the rich lather that makes me feel clean, but this one delivers. In fact, I don’t think I’d have ever guessed it was sulfate-free in a ‘blind’ test — that’s how well it works. Plus, it creates a spa-like ambiance in my bathroom every time I use it.
Where Oud + Amber is warm and sensual, Broadleaf Forest is crisp and clean, but not too herbal that it takes a turn for the medicinal. While $18 is more than typical drugstore prices, the formulas are on par with what you’d expect from a luxury brand. Kilikita agrees: “I finished my last bottle a month ago, and honestly? I’m still thinking about it.”
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