I Went All the Way To Aspen To See If This Viral Body Butter Was Actually Worth The Hype
To know me is to know that I hate winter. Being cold, and on purpose at that, is something I dread. Plus the fact that my skin gets subjected to a Popeyes biscuit level of dryness as a result of the season’s frigid temperatures is its own type of hell. And no, I’m not just being a big whiny baby about it— it’s science!
“Melanated skin naturally has lower levels of ceramides and lower sebum production,” explains New York City-based board-certified dermatologist and founder of Rose Ingleton MD Skin, Dr. Rose Ingleton. “That’s why darker-skinned individuals struggle more with dry skin.”
So when the Sol de Janeiro team reached out to me and asked if I wanted to join them in Aspen, CO to celebrate their latest launch, the Delicia Drench Body Butter, it took a little convincing for me to agree.
I was not thrilled about going from cold New York to an even colder Colorado. I didn’t even have a proper pair of snow pants or boots with me in the city—I left them all in Toronto (yes, I’m Canadian and no, I never got used to winter). But with the cream going viral on social media and everyone in the beauty community hooting and hollering about how amazing it is, I was genuinely curious to see how it would hold up in a climate that was not only cold, but dry. And I figured if the weather was really that unbearable, I could always just stay indoors and do the whole après-ski thing.
So there I was, in my Brooklyn apartment, packing my warmest clothes: (faux) furs, and borrowed snow pants and boots– just praying for the best.
The next day, we landed in Denver before hopping on a private flight to Aspen. I peeked out the window and saw nothing but inches upon inches of snow. The first thought that came to my mind was, “What the hell did I just subject myself to?” I knew where I was and what I signed up for, but somehow, I was still in a state of shock.
Once we got to the hotel, I could already feel my skin drying up from a day of travel and the change in climate. I immediately turned on the room’s humidifier and cranked it up to the highest setting, then went to the bathroom for my post-flight shower. While my skin was still a little damp after I got out, I applied a generous amount of the Delicia Drench Body Butter to every inch of me. Not only did it have an exquisite, sultry scent— think: a blend of violet, vanilla orchid, sandalwood, and fresh vetiver— but it really did leave my skin fully quenched and silky. Those TikTokers did not lie.
With key ingredients like bacuri butter, a blend of copaiba resin and passionflower seed oil, along with hyaluronic acid, it’s easy to see why the cream is so effective. “Bacuri butter is very occlusive and helps to fortify the skin barrier and it is waterproof so it will hold in moisture,” explains board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin & Aesthetic Surgery of Manhattan, Dr. Michelle Henry. “It’s also packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, so it will protect the skin from environmental damages and free radicals while outside.”
Copaiba resin and passionflower seed oil on the other hand, are both ultra-hydrating and offer anti-inflammatory benefits, which can be beneficial for those with eczema, Dr. Henry adds. As for hyaluronic acid, “When applied topically it is a humectant, meaning that it attracts and retains water,” says Dr. Ingleton. “This makes it an excellent ingredient for hydrating and plumping the skin.”
While Sol de Janeiro has several other body butters on the market, Delicia Drench was specifically developed not only to relieve dryness, but also to repair damage to the skin barrier and balance the microbiome to encourage moisture retention.
Heather Forcari, the brand’s director of global education shares that in a consumer study, 99% of participants agreed the skin felt replenished with moisture, while 100% said skin immediately felt more soft after only one use— which I could attest to. But for me, the real test was seeing how it would hold up after a full day out in the cold.
On the second full day of the trip, we were scheduled to go skiing. The morning prior, we went to get fitted for our equipment, and as I sat there trying on ski boots, my self-diagnosed winter allergy, coupled with the fact that I hadn’t hit the slopes in about 20 years— and it wasn’t exactly something I was thrilled to pick back up— made me once again ask myself, “Girl, what the hell are you doing?” But I got up the next morning and did it anyway.
After I hit the shower, I slathered on Sol’s latest body butter, stacked on the layers, then put my snow gear on top. We headed to Buttermilk Ski Resort and I put on my skis as soon as we arrived. Terrified as ever, I got on the lift and went to the top of what I thought was the bunny hill— which it was not, but there was only one way down. I expected to fall a million times, but to my own amazement, the body really does keep the score. Almost immediately, it all came back to me— I still knew how to ski.
After a few journeys down the beginner slopes, I took a quick break. Then, three of us decided to try a more challenging hill. Admittedly, I didn’t know exactly what I was in for, and once we got to the top, I was ready to take that lift right back down. The wind was brutal and it literally hurt as it blew against my face. I told one friend that I was nervous, and didn’t know if we were making the smartest decision. She told me she felt the same way, but to give it a shot anyway—and I’m glad I did.
Once we started to make our way down, my nerves calmed and the cold no longer phased me. The sun was shining; the mountainous views were exceptionally stunning, and I was actually enjoying myself. Nostalgia kicked in, and I remembered how much I used to enjoy going on ski trips as a kid. As much as I wanted to fight it, the experience healed me in ways I didn’t know I needed.
When I got back to my hotel room, I felt lighter. I released a lot of emotions on the slopes, while my skin did not release an ounce of moisture. Every inch of my body still felt supple, soft, and smooth, and I did not re-apply the cream once; confirming she’s truly that girl.
It’s been roughly four weeks since I got back from Aspen and I’ve kept up with my new favorite body butter, mainly using it after my nighttime shower. Despite New York being horrifically cold, my skin has yet to experience excessive dryness or irritation. Instead, I’ve been glowing– in more ways than one.
While the initial goal of this trip was to see if Sol’s newest drop could live up to the TikTok hype, those few days in Aspen proved to be so much more. I learned that I can not only do things I no longer knew I was capable of, but I can conquer them. Even a getaway in my least favorite climate is something I can now fully enjoy— so long as I have the Delicia Drench Body Butter with me.
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