CAPRI Aloe Nurture Extract Soap

When I think of my childhood, I remember the little cardboard packaging of Capri coming in our house in the grocery bags that Dad, Chachu or Bhai would bring in. I would shuffle through them to find if there is one in the pink packaging to reserve exclusively for myself. Just looking at Capri triggers that nostalgia <3

Owned by ZIL Limited, Capri as a brand has come a long way. Now, there is a fierce competition given by all the face washes, scrubs, liquid/bar soaps and even organic substitutes. Recently, Capri revamped the formula as a 'Moisturizing' soap with natural extracts of Aloe Vera, Honey and Milk proteins to promote the freshness & confidence in being a "Natural Beauty".

I was lucky enough to receive a thoughtful little basket packed with the upgraded Capri Aloe Nurther Extract Soaps among other goodies. The aroma and presentation were a treat. As for the product , you all should know this - it has been over a decade since I transitioned completely to face and body wash liquids & exfoliators. How did the detour to a local bar soap go for me? Find out, next:

Capri Moisturizing Soap enriched with Aloe Vera Extracts, Honey, and Milk claims to derive its major ingredients from natural source(s). I personally admire a local brand taking a shift from blatant 'gorapan' claims. It's a fact that you can only 'take care' of your skin - through skin care products AS WELL AS your diet. Promoting an XYZ product to lighten your skin tone 'magically' in a 10-sec ad does not only ruin the self esteem of those who have duskier complexion, but also sets a distorted perception of 'beauty' in our society. That's like playing with the insecurities of the naive audience. I commend how Capri promoted Natural Beauty - Being Confident In Your Own Skin, rather than herd-following that particular 'girl-next-door' who used a certain soap for 2-4 weeks and came out 10 shades lighter. Honey, you were a fair girl to begin with, wearing a thick layer of makeup, shooting under a galaxy of flattering lights - bottomline, you played your role in adding some fuel to somebody's insecurities about their skin color. -_- To be honest, that's not just our local advertising, but marketing in general across the globe.

Taking a U-Turn back to our topic at hand - Capri Moisturizing Soap promises to deliver gentle cleansing with the calming properties of Aloe Extract along with the Honey and Milk Proteins. Capri soap bar retails for PKR 42/- at convenience stores and supermarkets across Pakistan.

The first thing I noticed was the change from cardboard packaging - that I remembered - to a standard plastic wrapping over a soap bar. I find it hard to categorize the fragrance of the Capri Aloe Nurture Extract Soap except that it is your typical synthetic soap smell. Not overpoweringly sweet, but... soapy. The ivory soap bar has an engraving of CAPRI on it and a simple design.

Over the period of two weeks, my husband and I have used Capri for our regular bathroom soap - as a face & body wash. I have tried it along with my Olay Pro-X. Some key features which I (surprisingly) experienced:

- The bar did not melt or go too soft to create a mess. Our soap dish does pool in water, but its placement causes water from the shower to sprinkle almost continuously for the duration that it is on. After crossing the two-week mark, it still looks like something that would last another two-three weeks. For reference, it has been used during shower only - like 15-20 times.

- It lathers well. My husband might disagree to it because he applies the soap directly to his skin and thinks that it does not lather as well as he would have liked. I, on the other hand, find it to work just fine for the face and body wash.

- It does not dry out the skin as I have experienced with other soap bars within the same budget. The harsh chemicals leave my facial skin dry and patchy after a single usage. Not to mention the frequent red allergic response with those. I do apply moisturizer after 10-15 minutes and for that period, it is comfortably matte.

- It brightens my complexion noticeably. I thought it was a fluke or my eyes playing some trick for the first couple of times. However, the effect is real - albeit, not long lasting. My skin feels like it has been cleansed deep down. There is no post-facial/exfoliation "glow" and the freshness stays noticeable for half and hour or so... but the legend is true :-)

With my Olay Pro-X Cleansing Brush, it worked fine to make my skin look fresh. I have not experienced any allergy or breakouts to the formulation. It does not dry out my skin, but if I skip moisturizer altogether, the skin does become oily after an hour or so. Oilier than what I get with the routine face wash of mine. As a body wash, however, I do not experience any such issue. My skin stays smooth. As I mentioned previously, the brightening effect is short-lived. I wash my face once a day or may be twice when I am wearing the makeup. The results of face washing are pronounced for a while. After that, my skin goes back to normal.

To test it out, I applies Capri on half my face and Noxema face wash on the other half. My skin became smoother, matte-r and brighter with Capri. However, after an hour (without moisturizer), the skin texture returned to normal oily self on Capri's side while Noxema held up its smooth & soft results for a longer time.

Conclusively, it is not a miracle product, still I was pleasantly surprised by what Capri Aloe Nurture Extract Soap had to offer. For its price, it performs moderately well by not causing the itchiness and dryness that many soap formulations do - I guess we have to thank the soothing properties of aloe, honey and milk for that. All those who regard affordability factor as the most important and wish to opt for one-soap-for-all, be sure to grab some in your next grocery visit and  try this one out. It is not a replacement for my face wash products, but a good-buy for the amount you pay:

Capri Aloe Nurture Extract Soap can be purchased for PKR 42/- in Pakistan at the convenience stores near you as well as at the supermarkets & hypermarts that you visit for grocery shopping. For more information on offerings and updates of Capri, stay tuned to their Facebook.

Have you tried Capri Aloe Nurture Extract Soap yet? Let's hear it in the comments below! Your feedback brightens my day <3

Cheers,

Bia

Disclaimer: This post may contain PR Samples shared for review. The opinions expressed are, however, unbiased and honest as per my personal experience.