Hello centuries-old Pommade Divine, the remedy balm with a very big fan base! But does this much-loved 97% natural do-everything balm live up to the hype?
For me, YES (and no). Yes because it’s amazing on nails, dry patches and I haven’t burned myself this week so I couldn’t tested on a minor burn but it’s been a household “help” for generations, and it’s quite nice to see a list of “old-fashioned” make-it-better ingredients on the box, including Myristica Fragrans Oil (which is nutmeg) and Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil (clove).
It’s one of the treats in the Cult Beauty/Caroline Hirons box so there’s a lot of buzz around it right now. I think it’s probably one of the most protective balms I’ve ever used but I have two issues with the hype around it.
VOGUE says it smells of apples and cinnamon – ? And Caroline Hirons inhales the pot in her video about the new Cult Beauty Box – “Ahh, it smells good!” . Again – ?
I expected something that would smell pretty amazing. What does it smell like, to me? Vaguely nutmeg and cinnamon-esque and then there’s a sort of apothecary scent hanging in there which hit my nostrils shortly after. But beauty, like food, is such a subjective love/don’t love thing, one woman’s snails in garlic butter is another’s food nightmare…
I think it’s well priced – 50ml costs under £20 – and there is that intangible romantic “taking care of generations since 1800” and Downton element to it to (it’s mentioned in the Downton book apparently).
The only other “caveat” – which is a personal one, is that I just do not like the taste of Lanolin (at all) which is the first ingredient in Pommade Divine, so I cannot use it on my lips (but…if Pommade Divine launched a mini jar of a better-tasting lip balm I would SO buy it because this balm really has exceptional moisturising properties along with that comforting “healing” element!)
Olus Oil (vegetable origin – a natural alternative to petroleum) and Shea Butter are the two next ingredients – see the full list in the pic – and I’ve been using this as a hand balm this weekend and it really is superb. I also like the fact that this isn’t a very melty/oily balm (thanks to the Lanolin which gives it a dense but softening consistency).
So it’s a YES from me.
(And a no from my lips).
Will I keep using it? Yes. I like it.
So if you love a comforting, space-saving multi-tasker you can use on your nails, itchy, dry skin, cuticles, rough heels and chapped (lips) and hands as well as minor scrapes, burns and bruises…voila!
Pommade Divine retails at £19.80 and you’ll find it pretty much everywhere from Cult Beauty to Fenwick, LoveLula and other places, as well as on Pommade Divine’s own website.