This gorgeous pot of buttery face cream from The Body Shop has shot straight into my Sensitive Skin Good Buys category. I don’t actually have a Sensitive Skin Good Buys category, but maybe I should create one, because products for sensitive skin are most definitely a frequent query. The as yet non-existent category would definitely contain the entire Toleriane range from La Roche-Posay (the light moisturising fluid* is an absolute dream for sensitive skin that’s also on the oily side) and I’d pop the Cerave Hydrating Cleanser* on there along with Avene’s quite brilliant Soothing Moisture Mask* for a solid – pleasingly affordable – start.

But already I’ve digressed; this was supposed to be a quick review of the Aloe Soothing Day Cream from The Body Shop, not a list of all of the other things I’d put into the same category. I meant to do a thirty second flash review, not sit here at my desk into the early hours comparing various skin soothers. The owls have started hooting, everyone is asleep and here I am drafting a new post for people with skin that’s dry and tight, maybe a bit itchy. People who have gone a bit overboard with the face peels, or have been out in the sun and need something to calm and repair.

That will no doubt take me another five years to publish, so for now it’s back to the Aloe cream. Focus. What does it do, how does it feel? Well, unlike the aforementioned Toleriane Fluide*, which has a runny, lightweight consistency, the Aloe Soothing Day Cream feels more buttery and robust. Still, it’s not greasy, so if you’re prone to a touch of oiliness in the t-zone then this wouldn’t bother you too much. (Properly oily skin would probably be better with the Toleriane, I think.)

In terms of what it does, I’d say that it gives good, long-lasting hydration and comfort for those with skin that’s on the dry side. The aloe is calming, there’s glycerin for effective moisturisation and the formula is alcohol and fragrance free. It’s nice if you’re dry, it’s nice if you’re slightly sensitive and it’s great if you want a non-complicated cream to follow your acid toner with or to buffer your retinol with a bit, if you’re new to retinol and easing yourself in gently. (Good call.)

I have no idea why the Aloe Soothing Day Cream is a day cream, because there’s no reason you couldn’t use it at night and it doesn’t particularly contain anything that’s better for daytime use (there’s no SPF, which would be the main differentiator, I would have thought), so if you like to keep things simple on the beauty shelf and just want to own one fairly simple moisturiser that hydrates and soothes then this would be perfectly acceptable.

But if my skin was very sensitive and flaring up at the drop of a hat, rather than just a bit tight and dry, then I’d probably step things up a gear and (if we’re sticking to the relatively affordable, easily available product section of the online beauty department) go for something like the Cerave Moisturising Cream (£5 here*), which helps to strengthen the skin’s barrier. (If extreme dryness was my complaint then I’d make a beeline for Weleda’s Skin Food (£10.95 here*) which is so ultra-rich it’s reserved for only the driest of skin.)

I’ve just noticed that Angelica has been sticking her fingers into my pot of Aloe Soothing Day Cream – jars and pots containing things she’s not supposed to touch hold a great fascination for her. And I think she watches me apply my creams and potions and likes to copy, but I am more than happy for her to occasionally smother her face in this one. (She actually randomly blobs it on and forgets to rub it in, so “smothers” is probably an exaggeration.) It’s gentle, absorbs well and inexpensive.

You can find the Aloe Soothing Day Cream at The Body Shop here* – it’s £13.