Philosophy Lilac Blossom Shower Gel Review, Photos, Swatches
Philosophy Lilac Blossom Shower Gel
A Swing & a Miss with Lilac Blossom
Philosophy Lilac Blossom 3-in-1 Shower Gel ($16.00 for 16 fl. oz.) showed up as new, exclusive, and limited edition when I was casually (err, stalking) Sephora’s site, and so it somehow managed to leap into my basket…
Philosophy describes the scent as:
inspired by the alluring essence of lilac blossoms, this shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath embodies beauty and enchantment. the extra rich and creamy formula provides a moisturizing lather that caresses your body as it gently cleanses and softens skin and hair. the sweet floral, alluring scent of lilac blossoms captivates the senses for a charming, mesmerizing experience that makes a lasting impression.
The bottle is so prettily packaged, and I love how the gel itself is a thick, luxurious lilac purple, but the problem with this particular scent is exactly that–the scent. It doesn’t smell like lilac at all; there’s not even a hint of lilac in it. Instead, it’s a soft, slightly sweetened floral concoction that’s not at all displeasing, but it’s also not the “scent of lilac blossoms” as described. It is also notably subtle when Philosophy scents usually burst in the shower with their fragrance.
my thoughts on the formula: They lather up well and leave skin feeling clean without any tightness or dryness. If you prefer your body wash to leave behind a long-lasting scent, these won’t be for you, but if you like to enjoy the scent while you shower but don’t want it to linger heavily beyond, then these are perfect. (I belong to the latter category!) I don’t find them to lather quite as well in the hair, and they work in a pinch to clean hair, but I prefer many other shampoos over this one. It does, however, work well as a bubble bath, too–a little goes a long way.
final thoughts: Even though the formula itself performs as well as other Philosophy scents, the fact that the scent itself really misses the mark is a downside. Again, I think the scent is pleasant in a generic, floral scent kind of way, but if you’re looking for lilac blossom you won’t find it in this bottle.
where to buy: Philosophy
Wow if this really smelled like lilac, I would be all over these!!!
This is so disappointing! I love the smell of lilac and am constantly looking for lilac scented products but they seem to be few and far between 🙁
I was quite excited when I saw this the other day at Sephora.
Unfortunately, after I smelled it, I had the same reaction as you. It was really disappointing. Especially when it’s rare to see something lilac scented.
My mom hated this. She was all “Where’s the lilac? I PAID FOR LILAC!” xD
Hey Christine! I love the color and the bottle of this one. Usually Philosophy hits the mark right on when it comes to their scents…
I was wondering when any info and/or promo photos for MAC’s Surf Baby would be up? Thank you so much, for all that you do! 😉
I don’t know, sorry!
Awww! I love the scent of lilacs – there used to be a lilac tree outside my bedroom window when I was a child.
FYI, if you can ever get your hands on Kappus floral glycerine soaps (they’re German, readily available in NZ so hopefully worldwide as well) there is a Purple Lilac scent and it is DIVINE. And, yes, it smells exactly like lilacs!
Will have to keep an eye out!
I hope you can get your hands on it – otherwise I will send you some!
That catch is that nobody has ever been able to synthesize or even process actual lilac fragrance. Roses, orange blossoms, and lavender and all easy peasy, but anything “lilac” will NOT smell like lilacs – it’s simply not possible.
When I first saw the title of this post, my heart skipped a beat because I’m a lilac lover! But…aww…looks like it’s nothing special.
That’s irritating! I used to work at a perfume making store (you blend fragrance oils to create custom scents) and things like this would throw people off. I swear if I still worked there, I’d have a customer come in, smell real lilac and think it’s off because this is what they associate with the flower!
Too bad. This was the first Philosophy shower gel I was excited about. I don’t want to smell edible.
Too bad about the scent fail. I’m a sucker for lilac anything!
Thanks for reviewing this. I got so excited at first, lilac is my absolute favorite scent. Disappointing! You saved me some money and hassle!
Did anyone see the New Lancome Ad with Kate Winslet?
I think I’m in the lilac hating minority here. Perhaps it’s because lilacs send me into horrible allergy attacks. They’re just FULL of pollen!
So the “doesn’t smell like lilac” factor is actually something that would make me want to buy this XD
i dont like anything other than fruit and cake based smells, florals dont do it for me, but the bottle looks lovely.
I’ve noticed that while some Philosophy shower/body products smell very nice (or like what the name would suggest) a few others smell downright nasty! I was shopping for a birthday gift for a friend just last week and was sniffing my way through these products and, really, some were just very unpleasant smelling!
They specialize in the food scents more anyway, not really the flowery one.
Forget about this and go buy yves rocher lilac cleansing gel, the smell of lilac is so present , they also do the lilac bony lotion and eau de toilette.The scent of lilac is very close, plus it’s only 1/3 of the price!
Aww, I like Philosophy products but it sounds like a dud!
Hi Christine! 🙂 I know this is random, but have you thought of doing comparisons of all the WnW trios with Mac/Urban Decay/high end shadows? You have the *best* swatches. In “I’m Getting Sunburned” there’s a Swish dupe, and in Silent Treatment there’s one that’s close to Style Snob, and Comfort Zone has Vex, Femme fi (or UD Blunt?), Tempting, and 100 Strokes dupes from looking at it (but I can’t tell because I don’t have the MAC shadows!). That sort of post would be insanely helpful. 🙂
Thanks for your reviews, Christine!
Thanks for the suggestion!
Too bad it’s not truly lilac-y because I adore lilacs and I’d have bought this!
Try Yves Rocher Pur Desir de LILAS. They have shower gel and body milk which smell real Liliac. Love it.