Hard Candy Bath + Body Coconut Love Collection

Hard Candy has always been known for their affordable makeup and fun packaging so when they branched out into skincare I was intrigued. I expected colorful bottles and fruity fragrances geared towards beauty crazed adolescents and I was right. The Coconut Love Collection infused with peony and sandalwood is available in large, appealing tubes that satisfy your sweet tooth without the calories.

I’m not crazy about the fragrance. It smells good (I can definitely pick up hints of coconut) but there is something a tad artificial about it and I don’t actually see coconut listed on any of the bottles. That being said, the Hydrating Body Wash is only $5.97 and gets the job done. The formula is creamy, lathers well and cleanses thoroughly without leaving skin excessively dry - it's everything you'd expect from an average shower gel. The only thing I recognize in the ingredient list is sulfate and aloe but you do get a lot of soap. 

While I’m in the shower I also use the Hydrating Sugar Body Scrub ($6.97) to exfoliate dry flaky patches. The granules are large and coarse so they do a great job at buffing away rough skin to leave you smooth and supple. It works wonders on elbows, knees, legs and hands plus the formula contains sunflower oil for a bit more moisture.

The Mud to Foam Face & Body Cleanser ($6.97) was a good idea in theory but in actuality it turned out to be an odd combination that doesn’t quite work. My skin is not overly sensitive but it does react to certain ingredients so I would never put this on my face. I also find the formula a tad confusing. It looks and feels like a thin clay mask (hence the kaolin) but it doesn’t foam or lather like a cleanser. The milky emulsion removes some makeup, dirt and oil but I don’t know how effective it would be on the entire body since it isn’t very hydrating and I can't see myself standing in the shower slathered head-to-toe in white clay. A body butter or lotion would have been a better option for consumers.

I expected the Fragrance Mist ($6.97) to smell like the other products – sweet and coconut-y but it smells like alcohol or very strong hairspray. Not sure why you’d use a “hydrating” collection and finish your beauty routine with a skin drying mist but it seems counterproductive. The ingredient list for this product is underwhelming. It contains alcohol (no surprise there), fragrance, red and blue...that’s it. I guess teens wouldn’t mind dousing themselves in this before school but I don’t think adults would reach for it any time soon.

I can see where they were going with this line - fun, sweet, cheap and youthful - mission accomplished but the quality is mediocre.

Hard Candy is available at Walmart