The Body Shop Earth Lovers Shower Gels

I'm not usually a Body Shop shopper, but when I received an invite to the Eco-Conscious Shower Gel launch I was interested to see what this new range is about.

The Earth Lover Shower Gels are readily biodegradable and formulated without sulphates, parabens or colorants, to minimise their impact on the environment. This also makes them gentle on the skin; they are quite a thin texture and aren't madly foaming alone but they do lather up nicely with a shower pouf.

This is the second range from The Body Shop to carry its Eco-Conscious label (the Rainforest Hair Care range was the first), and as well as the simpler, more easily biodegradable formula, it means that the packaging is made of post-consumer recycled waste.

There are six scented variants, launching in March, each with a fruit and herb combination (and there's also an unscented version). I picked the Melon & Eucalyptus and Unscented versions to try, and I like both a lot; the Melon & Eucalyptus is a soft, fresh smell, and the Unscented is good for anyone who is very sensitive to scents or prefers no fragrance in their body cleansing product (I'd have loved it when I was pregnant and my sense of smell went bonkers). They are both pleasant to use, gentle and affordable at £5 each. Swapping your usual shower gel (if it's not already a similar formula) for one of these is a small and simple step to green up your shower routine.

At the launch event for Earth Lover, The Body Shop invited along Eco consultant Donnachadh McCarthy to talk about other actions that can be taken to reduce waste and your impact on the environment in the bathroom. As well as using eco-cloths to clean rather than chemicals and fitting a water-reducing shower head, one of the tips that really resonated with me is not heating or lighting a room you aren't using. I'm turning into my father, but my nagging is gradually encouraging Miss London to turn off the light when she leaves a room!

Disclosure: the two shower gels mentioned were provided without charge as part of the launch event. I was also given some lemongrass seeds to grow, and we've just started those off in the airing cupboard.