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There are so many moisturizers, body creams and lotions on the market—sometimes it's hard to know what's worth your money and what's not. The cult favorite Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream ($48) has thousands of five-star reviews on Amazon, but that product is also pretty pricey. Do you need to buy the $48 dollar cream or can the Trader Joe's Brazil Nut Butter ($6), which contains many of the same ingredients, do the job for less? That's what I wanted to find out.I purchased both products from Amazon, because my Trader Joe's didn't have the product in stock in store. I got the 8-ounce Trader Joe's body butter for a slightly marked up $14 on Amazon, and the much smaller 2.5-ounce Bum Bum Cream for $24. Buying the same 8-ounce size from Sol de Janeiro would have cost me eight times as much as the price that Trader Joe's sells its cream for in stores.I'm 33 and I tried both products to compare, and my 58-year-old aunt also did every day, twice a day, for a week. She was particularly interested in seeing if the creams could help firm the skin on her arms and hands. Here's how our experiments shook out.Related: 11 Best Skin-Tightening Moisturizers, According to Celebrity Derms
What Is Trader Joe's Brazil Nut Body Butter?
On its website, Trader Joe's describes its body butter as a "thick, rich ... mega-moisturizer." It's designed to be applied "liberally" to the body, "especially on dry skin." The cream is formulated with hydrating ingredients like coconut oil, shea butter, açai extract, Brazil nut seed oil and caffeine-rich guarana extract. With a rich, beachy scent that has notes of caramel, pistachio, coconut and vanilla, the cream is formulated to have a whipped texture.Related: ‘I’m a Dermatologist, and I’m Begging People Not To Forget To Moisturize This One Area’
Many of the ingredients in the Trader Joe's Body Butter are similar to those in the Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. They're both formulated with coconut oil, açai, Brazil nut seed oil and guarana extract. They're both made to smell like salted caramel, pistachio and vanilla. They're both designed to hydrate dry skin.The biggest difference, aside from price, is that the Bum Bum Cream is clinically-tested. Sol de Janeiro says on its website that the product is "clinically-proven to visibly firm and tighten" skin.Related: I’m a 53-Year-Old Dermatologist —These Are the 5 Mistakes Women Over 50 Make With Their Skin
My Trader Joe's Body Butter Review
1. Texture
The Body Butter has a rich, thick texture. My aunt compared the butter to a "blanket" and the Bum Bum Cream to a "sheet," in terms of coverage. Neither left behind a greasy feeling, but the Bum Bum cream absorbed a bit quicker, while the Body Butter seemed like it sat on the skin for more time—providing what felt like longer hydration.
2. Scent
The scent of both products was very similar (and very good), but the Trader Joe's cream also had a slightly fruiter smell—likely due to the inclusion of ingredients like grapefruit and lemon peel extract. Trader Joe's typically brings the cream out in the summer months, so it makes sense that it has a slightly more summery scent.
3. Firming Ability
Trader Joe's doesn't make any claims about firming in its product description—though, like the Bum Bum Cream, the Body Butter does include guarana. It's a highly caffeinated plant that Sol de Janeiro credits as being "known to help stimulate micro-circulation and boost energy for smoother-looking skin."
In mine and my aunt's experience, we saw a more noticeable glow in the arm and hand she applied Bum Bum cream to, versus the arm and hand she used Trader Joe's Body Butter on. (Sol de Janeiro is pictured to the left and Trader Joe's to the right. The photos were taken a week apart.)
The hand with her rings is the one she applied the Trader Joe's Body Butter on.However, when asked which hand and arm felt smoother, my aunt's husband blindly picked the one she'd applied the Trader Joe's product to.
Related: The 15 Best Body Lotions for Aging Skin, According to Board-Certified Dermatologists
Final Thoughts
Left: Bum Bum Cream, Right: Body ButterBoth my aunt and I preferred the overall experience of using the Bum Bum Cream due to its lighter feel, quick absorption and proven glowy hydration, which is probably why thousands of people do shell out $48 for an 8-ounce container. But the Trader Joe's Body Butter is so close in scent, ingredients and with an even more luxurious, rich texture that it's hard to recommend anything that's eight times as expensive as that product.If you're looking for a hydrating moisturizer with ingredients like Brazil Nut oil and guarana extract, the Trader Joe's Body Butter is an inexpensive way to participate in the trend of caffeinated beauty products.
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