Joy 'Atmosphere' Naked Shower Gel

A few months into Lush’s new #Lushlabs initiative and we’re presented with four limited edition ‘Atmosphere’ Naked Shower Gels: a brand new venture that sees the company experimenting with package-less cosmetics to bring to the masses across the globe.

Ever since Lush introduced the concept of naked products to the world, they’ve been busy experimenting with how to present their ideas to the public. The #lushlabs initiative is the company’s way of releasing their ideas in their unfinished formats: so that they can get feedback from consumers before finalising the designs for the products they release to the mainstream public.

Joy Naked ‘Atmosphere’ is one of four limited edition shower gels that are supposed to heighten your experience in the shower: acting as more than just a simple tool to wash yourself with. Along with Money, Let Go and Love, this naked gel comes encased in a thin ‘plastic coating’ made out of seaweed, which is supposed to dissolve away in the shower or can be thrown onto a compost heap, where it will decompose very quickly and leave nothing behind.

Firstly, I have to state that I found these gels to be rather expensive. £3 for what equates to little more than a dessert spoon amount of gel is a tad overpriced for anyone, even if it is guaranteed to help reduce waste and protect the planet. While I understand that these pods are unlikely to be the final design, and that they're being released in small batches which makes them a little more sought after, I do think that the price tag is a little steep.

Mark Constantine stated that the difference between an Atmosphere and a simple shower gel is that the former has been designed to bring about an experience in the shower. The combination of smells and oils are supposed to alter or elevate your mood whilst you're washing yourself: a fact that I tried to remember when testing out each of the limited editions. Furthermore, he recommended that you use the entire pod in one single shower, to really engage with the sensory side of the product. 

As someone who is not privy to a lot of money at the moment, this latter recommendation was not something I was willing to indulge in with all four of the Atmospheres. However, when it came to Joy, I gave it my best shot. In all fairness, there is enough shower gel in each pod to spread across a good four different showers. And after comparing my experiences when using the whole capsule, and when using only part of one, there is not much of a difference to write about.

To use, simply pinch the atmosphere between your fingers and the pod will tear open. Whether you're choosing to use the whole capsule in one go, or you're being a little more reserved, I would highly suggest that you have a container or some sort to rest to pour the shower gel into. Simply breaking it into your hands will leave you to lose it very quickly, and it'll be difficult for you to both wash your entire body and engage with the scent at the same time. 

With all four of the Atmosphere Shower Gels, I found that they didn't lather up as well as any of Lush's other former gels. While the consistency was rather thick (on par with ), and the gel itself was noticeably moisturising, I found that I was unable to create much of a lather at all. Although the gel worked a little better when I was massaging it between my hands - with the seaweed coating present as well - I found that I had to use much more than I normally would, just to feel as though I had cleaned myself enough.

Lush's product description reads: 'How much nicer would it be if everyone burst into song to express their joy? Unfortunately, this doesn't happen anywhere but the theatres, but this atmosphere is your ticket to happiness. Put on your favourite tunes and shower with a song and dance of bergamot oil and ginger absolute.' 

To me, Joy is by far one of the better gels in the collection. Containing lemon, grapefruit and orange oil, this limited edition smells both fresh and fruity, although the scent is rather mild when compared to many of Lush's other gels. From the box, I can smell both the lemon and grapefruit oils working in unison to great a fresh, fruity combination; while the olibanum oils offers a gentle, woodiness that rounds the fragrance off wonderfully. 

In the shower, the inclusion of the black pepper oil makes itself known: you can actually smell a spicy, warm note of the black pepper as you massage the gel across your skin. This, alongside the clove bud oil, adds a gentle but rather lovely peppery note to the fruity lemon aroma that the shower gel mostly offers.    

I will say that I very much appreciated the smell that Joy Atmosphere Shower Gel offered, even though it wasn't at all complex or particularly strong. In fact, the strength of the shower gel left me pining for more after I had left the shower, and I wasn't able to detect it at all on my skin.

Overall, I would definitely like Lush to reformulate this a little better so I can invest in it once again, but have a much better experience. The shower gel needs to lather better; the scent needs to be a little stronger so that it doesn't disperse in the shower so quickly, or disappear from the skin after towelling yourself down; and the price tag needs to be adjusted so that I feel a little more Joy about the state of my bank account afterwards. 

Quantitative Ingredients: Glycerine, Water (Aqua), Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Lauryl Betaine, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Calcium Lactate, Fine Sea Salt, *Limonene, Bergamot Oil, Black Pepper Oil, Clove Bud Oil, Ginger Absolute, Grapefruit Oil, Lemon Myrtle Oil, Brazilian Orange Oil, Styrax Oil, Olibanum Oil, Xanthan Gum, *Citral, *Eugenol, *Linalool, Colour 19140.

Vegan?: Yes.

2018 Price: £3 each (although not currently sold separately)

Year Of Original Release: 2018.