On trial: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

I’m a body lotion fiend, loyally slathering myself from top to toe after every shower or bath and usually applying a second coat before bed. I do have naturally dry skin but I also just love a good body cream that sinks in easily and has a lovely scent.  

With longer, warmer days coming soon (ish), I need something thick and rich to really give my skin some bounce and gloss so I can ditch the tights and roll necks.

Right on cue, the No1 skincare brand for major retailers around the world has just dropped its benefit-packed collection at John Lewis. Sol de Janeiro’s biggest hit is its Brazilian Bum Bum Cream – one is sold every 14 seconds – so as a body lotion/cream/butter aficionado, I had to put this magic potion through its paces to see whether it really is all that. (Spoiler: I’m already telling everyone I see to get it.)

It’s a caffeine-rich, super-hydrating body cream that’s absorbed quickly and doesn’t leave your skin feeling tacky. I apply it after my shower every morning and I don’t have to faff around waiting for it to absorb before I can get dressed. 

Despite the name, this gorgeously rich, long-lasting butter can be applied anywhere on the body. Thighs, tummy, arms and, yes, your bum will all benefit from its supersoft magic touch.

Brazilian Bum Bum is packed with guaraná extract, a known micro-circulation stimulant containing five times as much caffeine as coffee. It’s also got cupuaçu butter to lock in moisture and antioxidant acai oil. My skin definitely looks smoother now.

Heaven? Brazilian Bum Bum smells ever so slightly sweet, but without being at all sickly or overpowering. It promises vanilla, pistachio and salted caramel but just because those sound like ice-cream flavours, it doesn’t mean you’re going to smell like a sundae.

If you’re very sensitive to scent then maybe give it a go at bedtime first, but I’m applying it twice a day and I don’t find any clash between it and my perfume.

That scent, that hydration, the long-term tightening benefits… all of these factors rightly make Brazilian Bum Bum Cream a cult hero. No wonder Sol de Janeiro holds the title of most-engaged brand on Instagram and has more than 100 million views on TikTok.

There’s a Brazilian crush Cheirosa ’62 Perfume Mist for hair and skin that I’ve been told smells like holidays. That’s what I’ll be snapping up with my next order, which will also include a bottle of the non-greasy Bum Bum Body Firmeza Oil. It smells just like the Bum Bum Cream and will be perfect to slip in my bag for after I’ve been swimming.

Then there’s the ultra-fine Brazilian Bum Bum Scrub. It has the same nourishing ingredients and incredible scent as the cream, and gently exfoliates – without microbeads, of course – to help skin be even smoother, softer and more gorgeous.

Discover the whole Sol de Janeiro range at John Lewis for yourself here.

Never mind my derriere, Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream has transformed my pesky dry, bumpy upper arms and legs into limbs I’m happy to display (within reason) in public. I’m obsessed with the smell and how this butter treads the line between delicious and dessert so perfectly. Time for a bulk order. ★★★★★