For the Past 7 Years, I’ve Relied on This $15 Product for Sleep [CNET]

This lavender Sleepy Body Lotion has become my go-to sleep aid.

If you love the smell of lavender but haven’t yet found a lavender-scented product that actually helps you fall asleep, I can relate. Throughout the course of my life, I’ve struggled with sleep and have experimented with natural sleep aids, including lavender products, only to find that they couldn’t reliably help me fall asleep.

However, lavender has been associated with “improved sleep quality before insomnia or other sleep disorders occurred,” according to a 2022 systematic review. A 2015 study also concluded, “Lavender and sleep hygiene together, and sleep hygiene alone to a lesser degree, improved sleep quality for college students with self-reported sleep issues.”

While I’ve always enjoyed the smell of lavender and have used various lavender products before bed, I’ve never 100% felt that the plant has helped me sleep. That is, until I tried the Sleepy Body Lotion from Lush. 

I first encountered the Sleepy Body Lotion in 2017 when a coworker gifted me a sample she had received. I didn’t think much of it, assuming it would be like all the other lavender lotions I’d tried. However, that very same night, I was proven wrong. Not only did Sleepy smell better than any other lavender cream, but it also helped me fall asleep faster. 

Seven years later, I still use Sleepy and can’t sleep without it. Here’s why. 

The Sleepy scent 

Sleepy combines lavender and tonka to create the perfect soothing yet intoxicating combination. Tonka has a warm, creamy, slightly sweet and subtly spicy scent (similar to spices like cinnamon or nutmeg) that ultimately elevates the lavender. However, it isn’t too sweet or too spicy. It’s just right. 

When Sleepy is applied to the skin, the scent lingers but isn’t as potent as it is straight out of the jar. I appreciate this because overly strong scents can be distracting when you’re trying to drift off. Plus, Sleepy has a natural scent that doesn’t err on the side of synthetic, making it easily blend into your bedroom environment. 

“It instantly unlocks the tension of the day and is one of the most comforting scents I have ever encountered,” one reviewer wrote. Another said, “Smells sooo good — I’m not usually a fan of lavender, but this just has the most beautiful soft floral scent.”

Sleepy on skin 

“Glycerin, cocoa butter and almond oil work together to moisturize skin and lock in hydration to keep skin soft, supple and comfortable all day or all night long,” Lush writes in the product description. I concur. I apply the muted purple Sleepy Body Lotion to my hands and forearms before bed every night and always wake up with soft, moisturized skin. It also keeps my cuticles happy.

Other noteworthy moisturizing ingredients include oat milk, organic jojoba oil and illipe butter, which nourishes the skin and restores vitality. 

When it comes to texture, Sleepy once again has the Goldilocks effect. It’s not too heavy, but not too light. It’s just right. “It’s super silky and doesn’t leave me feeling greasy or make me sweat in the middle of the night like some other lotions do,” said a reviewer. As someone who can wake up sweaty when I use certain ultra-heavy lotions, I agree that Sleepy has never given me this problem. 

Additional Sleepy Body Lotion pros 

Aside from what I’ve mentioned, there is even more to love about the Sleepy lotion. Here are other reasons why I keep repurchasing the product:

• Lush is cruelty-free.
• This product is made in Canada with only natural ingredients and safe synthetics. 
• Sleepy is vegan (so is around 95% of Lush’s year-round range)
• The body lotion is self-preserving, meaning that it contains no synthetic preservatives.
• Sleepy’s packaging is made from 100% recycled materials
• The packaging can also be recycled or returned (clean and empty) to a Lush store for $1 off your purchase. If you return five jars, you get a free fresh face mask. “The pots go to our recycling partners in Vancouver and Toronto where they’re recycled into new pots for our products,” wrote Lush, responding to an FAQ. 
• I’ve had a 3.1-ounce jar of Sleepy since December (around eight months) and still have about a quarter of the jar left. I use a dime-sized amount every night. However, if you use the lotion on your whole body, it may not last as long. 
• Lush’s packaging includes a sticker telling you which employee made your product and when. It also displays an illustration of them! 

Lush Sleepy Body Lotion cons 

While I personally don’t have any Sleepy Body Lotion cons, I know fragrance is highly subjective. An aroma that one person loves may not have the same effect on another. Case in point: “I love the feel of this lotion and I love the idea of a lavender scent for bedtime, but for me, the scent is way too strong and overpowering,” wrote one reviewer. “I’ve used it several times and tonight I got up and had to wash it off [because] the smell was bothering me so much. Don’t get me wrong, I like the scent, but it needs to be way more subtle, like one quarter of what it is would still be strong enough.”

It’s important to note that this lotion is not fragrance-free, so if you are sensitive to fragrance, it may not be right for you.

I also want to mention that while I am happy with the consistency of the Sleepy Body Lotion and do not feel like it leaves behind a residue (even when I use my phone), others have found it to be oily: “I got this a gift and I honestly love it. It smells beautiful and makes my skin feel so nice. But my only problem is that once it has absorbed into my skin it leaves an oily residue. The residue is really oily and can be irritating if using a phone and the oil goes everywhere. Other than this, I absolutely love it!!”

Overall, out of almost 1,500 reviews, the Sleepy Body Lotion has 4.6 stars, so it would seem that most people enjoy the product. But again, everyone’s preferences are different. 

The takeaway 

If you love lavender but haven’t found a product that helps you fall asleep, try Sleepy. It smells incredible, moisturizes the skin, has a dreamy texture and is the ideal scent for bedtime. I can’t sleep without it and will forever be repurchasing this body lotion.