Yuzu And Cocoa Solid Perfume

Last year saw Lush expand their range of solid perfumes ten-fold. Whereas previously the solid format would only have been reserved for their biggest selling regular perfumes in store, 2016 was a year where an influx of limited editions were released in the Lush Kitchen - sometimes without a liquid counterpart anywhere in sight.

Yuzu And Cocoa Liquid Perfume was a rarity that I was lucky enough to own way before it came out last December - a product I remember frantically scouring the internet for years ago, after I first learnt that it had been produced during one of Lush's limited edition 'Forum Special' releases. Securing two bottles in the process, I told myself that I would have to use the product scrupulously, until there was such a time when Lush were generous enough to bring it back out again for general purchase.

Coupled with its liquid counterpart, Yuzu And Cocoa Solid Perfume made its debut appearance at the end of 2016, and for fans of the fragrance family, it was everything that they could have asked for. Bursting with the same fragrance as the original bubbleroon and shower cream, this limited edition was the perfect way to carry this wonderful fragrance around with you - hours after you had exited the bath or shower.

Looking at the ingredients list, I discovered that this perfume is very different to all of the other products in this fragrance. This solid rendition does not contain any yuzu juice, which is what helps to give the shower cream its very rich and fruity aroma. However, the combination of bergamot and grapefruit, along with the cocoa absolute, replicates the smell really well.

In the tin, both of the above ingredients merge together to create a warming, fruity collaboration - one that has very juicy notes yet is equally as musky. The inclusion of cocoa butter adds to this aroma - offering up a very subtle hint at the chocolate orange scent that I get quite prominently in all three of the other Yuzu And Cocoa products.

While the fragrance is very similar to its older siblings, I do think there is a slight difference. Firstly, I don't feel as if the fragrance of the solid perfume is as complex or as generous as the shower cream - it seems to have lost some of its warmth in this format and it doesn't give such a well-rounded burst of fruitiness.

Secondly, one of the main reasons why I love the liquid version so much, is because it matures on your skin across the day and emanates fragrance for hours and hours. Yuzu And Cocoa Solid Perfume not only seemed to disappear within the first hour I applied it, but the smell it did produce was very flat and rather weak.

Finally, as with many of Lush's solid perfumes, I found that I could detect the waxy note of the base ingredients, which spoilt my experience of this product somewhat. From experience, I would say that the key notes in Yuzu And Cocoa Solid Perfume aren't strong enough to mask the jojoba and castor oils, which is why they have bled into the main scent a little. 

As with most of Lush's other solid perfumes, it melts very easily under your finger and can be applied with ease onto your pulse points. While it does dampen very slightly once it's settled, you can still smell it on your skin. Furthermore, it also works really well as a hair perfume. Simply massage your fingers across the perfume and then run your hand through your hair, or dab the oils onto the ends of your locks. This gives your locks a burst of wonderful fragrance, and offers you the joys of catching a whiff of the scent every time a breeze ruffles your hair.

I found that this, and indeed any of Lush's solid perfumes, works well when applied before bed. This makes them much easier to detect on the skin, as the warmth of your body elevates the smell, and you can often smell remnants of the perfume the next day.

Overall, I would say that this solid perfume would definitely be more suited as a top up throughout the day, as I don't feel as if it is robust enough to stand by itself. Having said that, I cannot imagine needing to top up after using the liquid version, as it has impressive longevity and is far more interesting on the skin. Ultimately, fans of Yuzu And Cocoa will no doubt appreciate this release for what it's worth. However, I cannot say that it's a product I will be using regularly, or indeed very often at all. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Organic Jojoba Oil, Castor Oil, Candelia Wax, Perfume, Bergamot Oil, Cocoa Absolute, Tonka Absolute, Grapefruit Oil, Benzyl Alcohol, Citral, Coumarin, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool.

Vegan?: Yes.

2016 Price: £9 for 12g.

Year Of Original Release: 2016.

Scent Family:
Yuzu & Cocoa Bath Bomb
Yuzu & Cocoa Bubbleroon
Yuzu & Cocoa Liquid Perfume
Yuzu And Cocoa Shower Cream
Yuzu & Cocoa Solid Perfume