KOBA skincare earns mixed reviews: products feel hydrating and absorb cleanly, but scent polarizes and performance varies by dryness level. Reviews praise the body/hair oil’s light scent, dry finish, and post-shower softness, while the body lotion can be thick and gentle for sensitive skin yet not hydrating enough for very dry hands, with some describing a powdery or earthy shea-forward smell and awkward oil bottle spout.
Koba is interesting as I feel like their oil is more pleasant than the lotion. The body lotion is a nice lotion, but the smell is funny...kinda earthy. Not the most pleasant, but it goes away. For some reason, their oil smells different than the lotion and is a very light but pleasant scent. Very odd. I've used both for awhile and can't say it's hugely different than others Ive used. The bottle of the oil is really nicely shaped/nice to look at, but once you use it, you realize why most companies don't use this shape spout -- it is a very odd angle for the oil to squirt out and it becomes messy.
I was so excited to receive the body/hair oil and body lotion, but it was, unfortunately, underwhelming from the start when the packaging arrived a bit battered and stained. I loved the information card detailing the vegetable oil derivative, however, the oil was way too heavy for my hair and both products had a slight smell that I found unpleasant. It was generous for the brand to also send two samples, but they weren't sealed. Overall, I felt like the price point was too high and likely wouldn't purchase again.
The first day before trying out Koba bottom-up foot cream, my skin was dry and flaked, if I rubbed them together. The first thing I do before trying on any skincare product is a scent test. When smelling the foot cream, to me it kinda had the same scent as the natural soap I have, and the scent is almond, and one of Koba's ingredients is sweet almond oil. The other scents, in the product are wood and citrus, for me, I don't smell the citrus but do smell the wood but it” is faint. I usually stay away from wood scents/fragrances because they usually tend on the strong/overbearing side, but this is a light/pleasant scent. When using the foot cream, on day two my feet were soft, I will say the softest my skin ever has been on my feet. Allantoin, used in the foot cream helps to gently exfoliate the skin. When I applied the foot cream, on the first day I thought I put too much on but it hydrated my skin, leaving it feeling moisturizing, not slimy, sticky, or greasy afterward. I also put the cream on my scar, since it is close to my foot on my ankle because the skin there gets itchy more than my feet. I have a thick callus bump on the left side of my foot and the foot cream softens the skin around it to make it easier to take out. The callus is still a little there but the bump is now flat. My left foot had a little white circle dry patch on it, and now after using the cream, it is not there. I have sweaty feet, and it can lead to bacteria on the feet and fungal infection, the cream has antibacterial properties in it. When smelling the foot cream, to me it kinda had the same scent as the natural soap I have, and the scent is almond, and one of Koba's ingredients is sweet almond oil. It says it is for Normal, dry, or very dry skin.
I was really looking forward to trying the products! I ordered the products to Canada with the Thingdrop discount, had a pay a duty on it. The packaging looked great, loved it! The lotion and the body oil both have a clear distinct smell of Shea butter I believe which takes a while getting used to if you're not familiar with the scent. I didn't quite like it at first, but now don't mind it. Both the lotion and the oil works like magic though on my really dry skin in this cold weather. I've been using the oil after a warm bath at night and my skin has been super soft! I'll probably invest in the body oil again in the future.
KOBA skincare offers a collection of body care products, powered by safou oil.
In their own words
KOBA skincare offers a collection of body care products, powered by safou oil, to boost hydration and comfort for a healthy glow. Formulated and manufactured with African heritage and French skincare and perfume expertise, comes a range that is vegan, and cruelty-free infused with subtle fragrances, fine textures and sustainably-conscious packaging.
We have designed conscious packaging and partnered with green manufacturers who share our vision to lower the impact of the beauty industry has on the environment. Most of our creams come in aluminium tubes, which are infinitely recyclable, have a lower carbon footprint and preserve our formulas for products that last longer. We also joined the 1% for the Planet programme even before we launched our first line of products, which means that we commit to allocate 1% of our annual revenues to projects that support environmental causes. Finally, we are taking control back on the production of our hero ingredient: safou oil by planting safou trees in Congo. We work with local farmers there who source and extract our safou oil, allowing us to transfer this skill to the communities involved.
