I have trouble sleeping. I always have. It takes me roughly an hour to actually fall asleep, and that’s on a good night. Twilight Body Spray is a product that I am currently using every day and I keep it pride of place on my bedside table ready for me to spray over my bedsheets each evening to help me drift off quicker and more peacefully. Although this is clearly a body spray, there’s absolutely no harm in using it on clothes, sheets or as a room spray if you wish.
Or course we’re talking about the scent family that’s one of Lush’s most well known and most talked about – the Sleepy family. Comprised of Twilight Bath Bomb, Sleepy Body Lotion and more, this is a scent that’s designed to be used before bedtime because of it’s mind-soothing ingredients. The sweet and relaxing scent is made up of Lavender, Tonka, Ylang Ylang and Benzoin Resinoid.
Lavender is arguably one of the most used essential oils in aromatherapy for its calming effects. The Ancient Egyptians used it to help achieve a state of serenity whilst the Romans used it to combat headaches. Today, researchers have proven how potent Lavender is when used as a natural remedy to help aid sleep. Although it doesn’t directly affect the quality of sleep itself, it does ease worries and stress, thereby relaxing people enough to help them sleep better. Although Lavender has a distinct aroma you could describe as somewhere between herbal and floral, Twilight’s scent is much sweeter thanks to its other ingredients.
Tonka Absolute is obtained from the seeds of a tree that grows in South America. Lush buy their Tonka directly from the communities in Brazil that gather it. The beans are collected from the forest floor where they’ve fall from the tree canopy and are brought back to the villages where the beans are manually extracted from their shells. They are then laid out in the sun to dry – turning a rich brown colour during the process. The sweet beans, which smell like spicy vanilla, are then gathered together and sent to Lush in the UK. Tonka’s sweet, comforting aroma is definitely what gives this scent those creamy notes you detect.
Derived from the flowers of the Cananga tree, Ylang Ylang Oil is rich, exotic and wonderfully fragrant. The oil is perhaps best known for its soothing and relaxing properties, and is frequently used to help alleviate stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety. Its warm, custardy scent is said to promote inner peace and feelings of joyfulness, and there’s a lot of evidence that suggests it’s a pretty effective aphrodisiac too. Lush use Ylang Ylang from a supplier in The Comoro Islands and from Ghana, where they own their own plantation, helping the ecosystem there flourish.
Benzoin comes from the Styrax tree, native to Sumatra but also found in other parts of southeast Asia. Lush source Benzoin from Laos, where it is extracted from the trees. The resin collects in small incisions made in the bark, which is hardened and stored in pieces or pressed into blocks. This gum is then refined further, through the method of solvent extraction, to produce a resinoid. The lingering, sweet balsamic scent of Benzoin is like a mixture of cinnamon and vanilla ice-cream and is said to be extremely relaxing, yet warming and comforting too.
I think these four ingredients pair together so well and I instantly feel mellowed and comforted whenever I smell this fragrance. As I said, I’m currently using it on my bedsheets each night and I’m definitely noticing a difference in how relaxed I am. I tend to try and focus on the aroma whilst I’m falling asleep and although it’s not going to instantly cure my sleeping woes, it’s definitely helping me de-stress and enter a more relaxed state of mind.
It’s a great alternative to Sleepy Body Lotion if slathering yourself in a cream is too much effort for you! Plus, I think this body spray is slightly stronger in scent!
Ingredients
DRF Alcohol, Water, Perfume, Glycerine, Benzoin Resinoid, Lavender Oil, Tonka Absolute, Ylang Ylang Oil, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Cinnamate, Cinnamal, Coumarin, Limonene, Linalool
