Cosmetics in cubes - we test, evaluate and share our impressions

Small, practical and eco-friendly. Cosmetics in cubes, thanks to their many advantages, have returned to fashion, and the fashion for them has turned from a fleeting trend into a strong branch of the cosmetic market. So if you're thinking about choosing a soap, lotion or shampoo, check out our test results. We have selected for you cubic cosmetics that you should try on your own skin. Our subjective opinion can be found below.

1. Uoga Uoga Nile Crocodile - natural solid soap for children with shea butter and lavender oil

Let's start with the packaging:

• beautiful, funny graphics,
• recycled cardboard,
• zero foil,
• no paper flyer.

Good start, what's next? Uoga Uoga soap is vegan, handmade in the country of origin Lithuania and does not contain palm oil, which is clearly indicated on the box. We read on. The composition is impressive: short, natural and without drying foam, that is, SLS.

It's time to wash your hands for the first time. A three-year-old child takes a cube in his hand and sniffs it. Verdict: Nice scent. Lavender oil, although transparent, has a sweet, oily note, so the soap smells very gentle. We turn on the water. It lathers well and leaves a protective layer on the skin after rinsing. This is due to shea butter, which plays an important role in the composition of the cube. We put the bar in the soap dish, but we feel that it is soft enough. This is normal in the case of natural soap, so you should definitely replace the usual stand with a mesh, for example, with the Tatkraft Mega Lock wall. Thanks to the strong suction cup, you can hang the soap in the shower or over the bath and use the bar for the whole body. After bathing, the skin of a XNUMX-year-old child is smooth, clean and fragrant, without irritation, which is good for children prone to redness.

2. Woga Woga Care about coffee? – natural peeling soap with mint oil and coffee

On the box is a drawing: a hand sketched in pencil with a huge grain of coffee and a mint leaf. The smells of coffee and mint are well combined here. The aroma is natural, there are no synthetic fragrances, and the most intense smell is mint oil.

A small cube is divided into two colors: white and brown, it shows coffee particles interspersed in it: after all, we are talking about washing and cleaning in one. The packaging is very aesthetic and, like the cube, eco-friendly. The cardboard is recycled, you will not find leaflets or outer foil here. All necessary information is indicated on the package.

We have a large number of good oils in our composition:

• olive,
• from coconuts
• from a sunflower
• Shea Butter,
• ricin.

Time for the first try. In combination with water, the soap foams very gently, which is a good sign, because there are no foaming agents in the composition. The exfoliation is also gentle, so after rinsing, the skin becomes smooth and does not irritate.

You can use this soap on hands, knees, elbows and feet. This is where the body needs exfoliation the most. The exfoliating effect is already noticeable after a few baths, but the skin becomes moisturized and soft after the first application. It is important to keep the cube in a dry place, otherwise it will simply dissolve in water and lose its shape.

3. Ma Provence - Shampoo with yellow clay for normal hair

The cube has the original shape of a flower or donut with a hole. A very practical idea, just take such a cube and even in the shower it will not slip out of your hands. Made in France and certified by BIO and Ecocert, Ma Provence Bar Shampoo is an organic alternative to conventional liquid shampoos.

According to the manufacturer, one such flower replaces as many as two bottles of shampoo (i.e. twice 250 ml each). So I check on my head. I rub wet hair with a bar - it foams quickly and easily. Smells nice, dry and herbal. It contains yellow clay that absorbs dust, sebum and other impurities from the hair. In addition, it nourishes and, together with plant extracts, strengthens and regenerates the hair.

As for herbal extracts, in the list of shampoo ingredients, for example, I found Asian sumac fruit wax that prevents water loss. According to the definition of organic cosmetics, 99,9% of the raw materials in this cube come directly from nature.

Okay, but what about the hair? After washing off the foam, the hair behaves like a regular shampoo, clean, fragrant and not even very tangled. When I dry them, I feel like I need a spray conditioner. No wonder, the usual clarification is to blame. My hair is dry but my scalp is smooth and fresh after washing.

Fun fact: the cube looks like new even after the third use. Efficiency is counted at six. The only rasp is a thin foil in which the soap is wrapped.

4. Orientana - Ginger Lemongrass Body Lotion

How about replacing a large tube of body lotion with a small cube? There is nothing simpler, this balm not only has the shape of a cube, it is also small - it resembles a cake in shape. The packaging is made of thin cardboard (unfortunately coated so not recyclable) and all information at a glance.

We read: "100 percent nature." This means that the composition will be very useful for the skin:

• Beeswax,
• kokum oil,
• cocoa butter,
• as many as eight cold-pressed vegetable oils.

The smell of this cube comes from oils: ginger and lemongrass. Smells intense and fresh. Unfortunately, the cube is covered with a thin thick foil to prevent it from dissolving too quickly. Once removed, this natural beauty product must be used within nine months and is best stored in a dry place away from faucets, water and baths. So I put it in the closet, on a small wooden stand. In the evening, after taking a bath, I wipe my skin with a cube. The smell reminds me of food, a fragrant Asian menu item. However, after a while, it softens, so in the long run it does not bother and is not noticeable. I apply a thin layer of lotion all over my body and check if it sticks. No, the skin is smooth, soft and cosmetics are quickly absorbed. And if, according to the promise of the manufacturer, it should have anti-cellulite and firming properties, it is worth using it for several weeks. The cube is functional, it should last at least a month.

5. Four Starlings - An all-purpose shampoo in cubes and Four Starlings - Hair conditioner in a cube, smoothing

I will test two bars at once: an all-purpose hair shampoo and a smoothing balm. The fact is that washing my hair without conditioner is a rather difficult beauty challenge for me. Bleached and dry hair just needs extra care.

Let's start! The shampoo cube from the Four Starlings was closed in a cardboard box, without foil or additives. A plus for an eco-friendly solution that blends perfectly with natural cosmetics.

The writing? Worthy, because the shampoo contains:

• cocoa butter and shea,
• jojoba oil,
• red clay,
• d-panthenol,
• essential oils of green lemon and geranium.

In turn, the conditioner, in addition to oils, contains peanut oil and safflower oil, aloe juice and horsetail macerate. So many good nutrients, smoothing and soothing. Good, because I just have a sensitive scalp.

I foam the shampoo in my hands (according to the instructions) and massage my head. Despite hard water, it lathers well. It smells a little like lemon, nice. I rinse off and my scalp is smooth without the irritation that sometimes happens to me. In turn, slightly tangled hair needs a conditioner. So I reach for the smoothing cube. With wet hands, I gently roll it out, and the resulting emulsion is distributed through the hair, but only on tangled ends.

It's not bad, the hair becomes slippery and smooth, like a regular liquid conditioner. I wash my hair and dry it. The orange fragrance of the conditioner stays on the hair for a while. I don't need spray conditioner anymore. After three washes, my rating remains positive.

I rate the effectiveness at five, but, as is the case with other natural cubes, they need to be placed away from water. They quickly dissolve and lose their shape, so I again use a soap dish - a grid attached to the wall.

6. Wow Wow Bravo! – hard soap with charcoal and juniper berries

Beautiful work of art, carton packaging and recyclable. First benefits. I smell. The cube does not have a pronounced smell. Natural soap usually has a very strong smell. Extracts and oils give the effect of aromatherapy. But if someone does not like spicy, herbal or citrus scents, maybe this scent will seem ideal to them?

The ankle lathers very well, no surprises here. The biggest surprise is the wash effect. It feels like the ankle is detoxing the skin. I washed my body and face with it - the description says that charcoal soap cleanses the skin very well, and this is absolutely true! Most importantly, I don't feel tight or dry. The skin is smooth.

I thought that instead of putting the bar in an ordinary soap dish, I would replace it with a special holder with a magnet. Natural soap dissolves quickly, so instead of throwing it away, it's a good idea to air dry it. For example, using the Wenko wall mount.

Back to effects. I was most impressed by the condition of my skin - in the morning it looked like after a cosmetic detox. I have couperose skin, so I am easily irritated, but in this case the effect is excellent. I think the washbasin will become such a detox for me, and I will use it once every few days.

7. Orientana - Jasmine & Green Tea Body Lotion

The balm cube is wrapped in thin parchment and closed in a cardboard box. Fortunately, there is no foil. The smell is clean, floral, the combination of jasmine and green tea reminds me of my grandmother's favorite cosmetics.

I rub the skin, a thick layer of balm quickly settles on it. It is rather sticky and absorbs slowly.

So, let's look at the composition, they are here:

• butter,
• oils (sesame, almond),
• Beeswax.
• green tea extract and jasmine oil.

Such a rich formula may seem too heavy so I think it works best for very dry skin. The lotion wears off pretty quickly, if applied once a day, I have the impression that after three weeks there will be nothing left of it. Too bad, my skin already liked it.

If you're looking for more information on eco-friendly cosmetics, be sure to check out Waste-Free Cosmetics.