The Body Shop is one of those heritage names that manages to stay in our collective beauty consciousness without shouting for attention, thanks to its eco minded ethos and reliably pleasant formulas. Even so, its ever growing catalog can let a few gems slip under the radar.
Enter Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream, a title that sounds like it should come with its own lullaby. According to the brand, this overnight treatment teams black cumin seed oil, camellia seed oil and rosehip seed oil with Italian Community Fair Trade olive oil to drench tired skin while you’re off in dreamland, leaving it looking fresh, rested and touchably soft by morning.
Marketing poetry aside, I spent a solid two weeks massaging this custard textured cream onto my face, neck and décolleté each night to see if it could live up to the bedtime hype and if it deserves a spot on your dresser.
Disclaimer: this is not a paid or sponsored review. The jar was purchased with my own money and every opinion here is based on my personal experience. As always, skincare is subjective and individual results can vary.
What Is Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream?
Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream is an overnight treatment, meaning it is designed to be applied before bed and left on while you sleep. Products in this category tend to have richer textures and longer absorbing times than daytime moisturisers because they work during the skin’s natural repair window, roughly the eight hours most of us spend asleep. The goal is to help replenish moisture, support barrier recovery and leave skin feeling softer by morning without the interference of makeup, sunscreen or environmental stressors.
Formulated by The Body Shop, this particular cream places three seed oils at its core: black cumin, camellia and rosehip. These oils are blended with Community Fair Trade olive oil from Italy plus humectants like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to attract water to the skin. The brand positions the product for tired or dehydrated complexions that need overnight nourishment, advising nightly use across face, neck and décolleté. There are no SPF or daytime actives here, just a focus on cushioning the skin while you rest.
Did It Work?
In the spirit of hard hitting skincare journalism I benched my usual overnight treatment for three nights before starting the test run, which made me feel very scientific if also slightly exposed. Fourteen days felt like a fair window to judge results so every evening I scooped a grape sized blob, warmed it between my palms then pressed and smoothed it over face neck and chest as instructed, finishing with a quick knuckle massage along the jaw. The cream has a faint botanical scent that vanishes after a minute and a cushy texture that sits on the skin longer than a light gel but never crosses into pillow sticking territory.
Night one left a dewy film that, by morning, translated to nicely cushioned cheeks though my forehead looked the same as usual. By the third application I noticed the tightness that sometimes crops up around my mouth after cleansing had quieted down. The formula seems to seal moisture in rather than flood the skin with it, which suits combination areas but meant I still needed a hydrating serum underneath on colder evenings.
Midway through the fortnight the promised “revitalised” look was present, but in a low key way. My complexion felt softer to touch and makeup glided on with fewer dry flakes around the nose. What I did not see were big strides in radiance or tone. A tiny clog appeared on my chin around day ten, nothing dramatic yet a reminder that richer creams can challenge congestion prone zones.
By day fourteen my verdict was clear: Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream delivers comfortable overnight moisture and leaves skin supple come sunrise, ticking the basic boxes it claims. It did not quite reach the level of wow that would nudge my all time favourite into retirement, but it earned a respectable 7 out of 10 for dependable nourishment. I will finish the jar during winter when central heating ramps up, though I will not be giving it permanent residency on my top shelf.
Main Ingredients Explained
At first glance the formula is classic Body Shop: a hydrating backbone of water and glycerin backed by a crowd-pleasing mix of seed oils and silky silicones. Glycerin, sodium hyaluronate and mannose pull water into the skin during those eight shut-eye hours, while the silicone duo of dimethicone and dimethiconol lock that moisture down so it does not evaporate before sunrise. The texture credit also goes to pentaerythrityl tetraethylhexanoate, an emollient that gives the cream its satisfying slip without feeling greasy.
The stars are the three seed oils printed on the label. Black cumin seed oil brings a hit of thymoquinone, an antioxidant compound often praised for calming stressed complexions. Rosehip seed oil adds naturally occurring trans-retinoic acid (a very gentle vitamin A cousin) plus a good ratio of linoleic acid that can help support a compromised barrier. Camellia seed oil is lighter in feel and rich in oleic acid, so it cushions drier patches nicely. Community Fair Trade olive oil rounds out the quartet with extra squalene for smoothness. All four oils sit in the low to mid range on most comedogenic scales, meaning they can clog pores for some acne-prone users yet are tolerated by many. Comedogenic simply means an ingredient has the potential to block pores and trigger bumps or blackheads.
Beyond the oils the formula leans on beech bud extract, adenosine and rosemary oil for a mild revitalising nudge, though none are included at superstar percentages. A handful of fragrant essential oils such as geranium, lavender and orange peel create the spa-like scent but can be bothersome if your skin dislikes fragrance. Alcohol denat appears high on the list which helps the cream feel lighter yet could be drying for very sensitive types, though the emollients generally balance it out.
There are no animal-derived materials listed so the product appears vegan friendly and is certainly suitable for vegetarians. Still, the brand does not market it as certified vegan, so strict vegans may want to double-check with customer service. As for pregnancy, the blend contains essential oils and a form of vitamin A in rosehip, albeit naturally occurring and low. Out of an abundance of caution I would recommend expecting or nursing parents clear any leave-on product with their healthcare professional first.
One final footnote: the jar is tinted a cheery amber thanks to synthetic colorants CI 19140 and CI 14700 which serve no skin benefit and can occasionally irritate very reactive faces. If your skin has tolerated standard drugstore moisturisers you will likely be fine, but ingredient purists may raise an eyebrow.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
After two weeks of nightly use here is the straightforward breakdown.
What Works Well:
- Cushy texture seals in hydration without feeling suffocating so skin wakes up comfortably soft
- Seed oil blend offers a gentle antioxidant boost that pairs nicely with barrier supporting glycerin and hyaluronic acid
- Light spa like scent fades quickly yet makes the routine feel a bit more indulgent
- Jar format allows easy control over how much product you scoop which helps avoid waste
What to Consider:
- Silicone rich finish may not suit those who prefer an all natural feel
- Essential oil blend can be tricky for very reactive or fragrance sensitive skin types
- Moisture level is solid yet not spectacular so extremely dry complexions might still need an extra hydrating step underneath
My Final Thoughts
After two weeks of pillow talk with Oils Of Life Sleeping Cream I can say it plays the dependable night-in friend rather than the grand love affair. It satisfied my combination skin’s thirst, kept the odd flaky patch in check and behaved politely under makeup the next morning. It did not, however, sweep me off my feet with a luminous glow or visible firmness, meaning it earns a solid yet unspectacular 7/10 in my ledger. I would recommend it to a friend whose main wish is comfortable overnight moisture and who is not put off by a whisper of essential oil fragrance, but I would steer a glow-hunter or someone with very reactive skin toward other jars.
So who will relish this cream? Normal to slightly dry complexions craving an uncomplicated cocoon should get on nicely, especially in cooler months. Oilier or congestion-prone skin may find the silicone-oil blend a touch much and extremely parched faces might still want a hydrating serum or sleeping mask layered underneath. As for value, the mid-range price feels fair for the texture and ingredient roster though not irresistibly budget friendly.
If you fancy a different bedside companion I have some tried-and-tested alternatives. Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is my current allrounder darling, ticking every hydration, barrier and soothing box at a wallet-pleasing price while staying compatible with virtually every skin type I toss it at. For luxe comfort and a hint of marine collagen the Pro-Collagen Night Cream by ELEMIS remains a failsafe, especially if fine lines have started whispering. Fans of lighter gel textures that still repair overnight should look at Water Sleeping Mask by LANEIGE, a cooling option that never clogs my T-zone. Finally, when my skin feels stressed or post-treatment the Squalane + Ectoin Overnight Rescue by BIOSSANCE steps in with cushiony calm and zero fragrance fuss.
Before you slather anything new please remember the unglamorous prep work: read the ingredient list, patch test behind the ear or on the jaw for a couple of nights and introduce only one newcomer at a time. Sorry to sound like that over-protective parent but it beats waking up to an unexpected breakout. And of course results stick around only as long as you keep using the product so consistency, as always, is queen.