I discovered Caudalie’s Divine Oil last October thanks to a recommendation from one of my long-time BFFs. We were at SpaceNK looking at all the skincare items and when I said I hadn’t tried Caudalie before, she told me, “you need to buy this, it’s amazing.” The $9 price tag of the small travel size seemed affordable enough to try without making a huge dent in the wallet. I had avoided oils for a long time mainly because I tried ones that were too heavy in texture and in fragrance. The Caudalie Divine Oil proved to be very different and I fell in love with it. Since then I’ve wondered how it compared to other cult-status luxury body oils. Thanks to the recommendations of some readers, I was convinced to test the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse and Moroccanoil Dry Body Oil as well. I’ve put the three to the test for a few weeks now. If you’ve tested these I would love your input and thoughts.
The Products: The Caudalie Divine Oil and Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse oils are designed as a multi-purpose product for face, body and hair. I’ve only tested on the body and hair. I found them perfect for the body, mainly legs and arms. I tested a bit on the hair and found them a bit too heavy for my taste. To date I have not tested on the face. Moroccanoil’s Dry Body Oil is designed for the body only. These oils absorb quickly into the skin without leaving a greasy residue.
Pricing and Size Options: The three oils come in a variety of sizes but breaking down the price per ml shows they are all priced similarly within the $0.50-$0.60/ml range. For the individual oils, the prices and sizes are as follows, although do note both Caudalie and Nuxe have some nice value sets you may want to look into:
- Caudalie has three sizes: a 0.5 oz for $9, a 1.7 oz for $32 and a 3.4 oz for $49
- Nuxe comes in two sizes: 1.7 oz for $29 and 3.3 oz for $45
- Moroccanoil has one size: 3.4 oz for $38
Scent: All three oils have a noticeable distinct scent, but each one is light enough to not interfere with your daily perfume. I have a sensitive nose – there are some fragranced oils that induce a migraine for me. Each of these three managed to be soft enough for my sensitive nose.
- Caudalie’s Divine Oil has the freshest overall feel. It’s a light spa-like floral. I detect a bit of cucumber (although I am in the minority). I suspect it’s just the fresh feeling I associate with it. I found the scent to be the medium-lasting. It lingers but is still very soft.
- Nuxe’s Huile Prodigieuse has the most floral scent out of the three. The scent does fade the most out of the three. I could still smell at the end of the day, but it did fade nicely. My husband preferred this one on me out of the three options.
- Moroccanoil’s Dry Body Oil has that signature Moroccanoil scent. It’s difficult for me to describe but it’s a raw type of scent mix of argan, olive and avocado oil. This one lasted the longest for fragrance.
Texture: All three oils absorbed quickly into the skin. I found the Moroccanoil to be the most liquid/fluid and thin in texture. It also dried very quickly to a silky finish. Both Caudalie and Nuxe had more of a slip to the texture which I preferred. They felt a bit thicker and also took slightly longer to dry but did not leave a greasy residue. They both left the legs looking well moisturized with a very soft sheen.
Packaging: I’ve included photos of the oils side by side below for comparison. I purchased the largest size option for the Nuxe for the spritzer at the top (the smaller size is a twist-off cap). All of Caudalie’s options have spritz caps which I find convenient. All the oils come in sturdy heavy-weight bottles. My preference for design and ease of application is the Caudalie – the lid stays on while the others have semi-flimsy caps that can fall off easily. I would not recommend picking up the Moroccanoil or Nuxe by the lid (which I can do sometimes) – you may find the bottle will drop since the lids are a bit loose. The actual spritzer lids are firmly attached to the bottles so if you don’t have a preference for the caps, each of the applicators are similar in size and design.
My thoughts on each one:
Caudalie Divine Oil is my favorite of the three for the packaging and scent. I love the fact that there is a small travel size available with a spritzer on the top. The packaging is sturdy and well designed for easy application. This one has a blend of grape, hibiscus, sesame and
argan oils combined with a patented anti-oxidant. I’m 100% smitten with the way this smells. It’s refreshing and soothing and wears well with any fragrance. I find it strong enough in scent to wear by itself. The small version I carry in my purse is perfect for refreshing mid-day. Ingredients here. Makeupalley reviews here. Additional reviews on Café Makeup, Mostly Sunny and Ghost Parties.
argan oils combined with a patented anti-oxidant. I’m 100% smitten with the way this smells. It’s refreshing and soothing and wears well with any fragrance. I find it strong enough in scent to wear by itself. The small version I carry in my purse is perfect for refreshing mid-day. Ingredients here. Makeupalley reviews here. Additional reviews on Café Makeup, Mostly Sunny and Ghost Parties.
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse comes in close second. It has a unique combination of 30% Precious Plant Oils and Vitamin E to nourish,
repair and soften your face, body and hair. This felt amazing on the skin with a beautiful floral scent. It smells the most luxurious of the three and it’s my husband’s favorite. I know there are many who are die hard fans of Nuxe – it’s one of the most popular beauty oils I’ve read about. I think preference between the Caudalie and Nuxe will come down to scent preference. Ingredients here. Makeupalley reviews here. Additional thoughts on Café Makeup, Anna Talks Beauty and Essie Button.
repair and soften your face, body and hair. This felt amazing on the skin with a beautiful floral scent. It smells the most luxurious of the three and it’s my husband’s favorite. I know there are many who are die hard fans of Nuxe – it’s one of the most popular beauty oils I’ve read about. I think preference between the Caudalie and Nuxe will come down to scent preference. Ingredients here. Makeupalley reviews here. Additional thoughts on Café Makeup, Anna Talks Beauty and Essie Button.
Moroccanoil is the most lightweight out of the three. It has that signature Moroccanoil scent that I love in their Hair Oil. It proved to be a nice lightweight oil, but I found it to have the least moisturizing effect. It dried very quickly on the skin and I needed a bit more moisture. However I will say that I’ve found this winter season to be particularly dry. I’ve needed extra help with moisturizers and conditioners for all areas of face, hair and body. I suspect this one will be perfect come summer when one is in need of a lighter-weight moisturizer for the body. It’s a nice product but has no comparison to the Caudalie and Nuxe (at least in my mind). Ingredients here. Additional thoughts on Ommorphia Beauty Bar.
My top two picks are Caudalie and Nuxe, with a slightly stronger preference for the Caudalie. I haven’t tested these on my face yet, at this time I don’t know that I will. I’ve tested a few face oils in the past month and the results were not all that great (I found them much too heavy). I really like these for the body though.
Where to Buy: I found the
Caudalie the easiest to find at multiple locations such as Nordstrom,
Sephora and SpaceNK. The others I had to travel and search a bit to
purchase (or buy online). Some of the items I couldn’t find in store
even if carried online at the same retailer. Many of these can be found
at small boutique-stores that carry specialty items as well.
Caudalie the easiest to find at multiple locations such as Nordstrom,
Sephora and SpaceNK. The others I had to travel and search a bit to
purchase (or buy online). Some of the items I couldn’t find in store
even if carried online at the same retailer. Many of these can be found
at small boutique-stores that carry specialty items as well.
- Caudalie can be found at Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Sephora, SpaceNK, and Caudalie
- Nuxe can be found at Beautyhabit, Bloomingdales, SpaceNK and Nuxe Paris
- Moroccanoil is available at Nordstrom and Moroccanoil.com but I’ve also seen this in various boutiques
Have you tried these body oils before? I know I’m late to the party testing these so I’d love to hear your thoughts. What are your favorites? Additional thoughts on comparing Caudalie vs Nuxe?
The pictures in this post are gorgeous!
These all sound so lovely! I've wanted both the Nuxe and Caudalie ones for ages, and I didn't know about this MoroccanOil one until now. More to add to the shopping list!
I just got the Nuxe oil, so I can't comment on that one.. yet.
I do however really love the Aveda Composition oils.
Not only to they moisturize but they have lovely therapeutic scents too!
Lovely pictures and great post!
TarteTanya
Great review! I have heard so much about the Caudalie and many love it. Now upon reading your review about it, I think I will give it a try for it seems like a great product to try out.
What a lovely, comprehensive review. I have not tried any of these, but I use Diptyque Satin Oil for Body and Hair. I don't use it on my hair, it is not moisturising enough for that, but it's perfect for body. It has a light scent and you'd have to check that it's one that doesn't trouble you. I use the oil before bedtime since I shower at night, and my morning the scent is gone.
I've been using Nuxe dry oil for years but am curious about Caudalie as well. I love using Nuxe everywhere and I also have the one with golden shimmer in it which I use on my face. Didn't give me breakouts or anything like that. Also, I like to use it when I want to soften my skin or to mix it a bit with my foundation to get that glowy look on cheeks for example. 🙂 Anyway, it can be used in so many ways 🙂
Oh, forgot to say – lovely photos! So beautiful! At the moment there is no sun in Croatia, only fog. 🙁
Thanks for the link love, Sabrina <3 I still love the Caudalie one. I'd like to try one of the oils from African Botanics next, but they're pretty pricey so I probably can't use it as liberally as the Caudalie one!
I currently use Nuxe oil and love it. I slather on as a hair mask and sleep with it in until the next morning. It's dry oil, so does not stain pillow cases. After your review I will be trying the Caudalie as it sounds wonderful also!
I managed to pick up Claudalieon a 20% off day so got the full size for £20. It does exactly what it says and I do keep it away from my hair too. Not 100% convinced by the smell as it seems very honey dominated and therefore quite sickly but I love what it does and how easily absorbed into the skin it is.
From these three, I tried only Nuxe. The reason is that I fell in love it so I just continued to buy this one (already 3 bottles empty). It feels and smeels divine. Next thing I might try is Caudalie, but, must check their list of ingredients first.
Btw, beautiful photos, as always on your blog.
Sabrina – I just love your blog and your reviews, but I must be the only person who cannot stand the scent of the Caudalie! I have tried it on numerous occasions with a number of different testers in several different venues and there is just something that I find completely distasteful – I don't know which note it is. I find the scent very very strong and almost sharp, and there is no dying down of it on me – I have to wash it off before I get a headache. However – the Nuxe is pure heaven! It is truly one of the original "pas par tout" oils – fantastic texture and delightful light scent! You can usually find travel sizes available in Nuxe gift sets on various beauty websites.
I am a Huuuge fan of face and body oils – they are an important part of my beauty routine and I really believe they make a difference.
That said, I'm not as keen on dry oils, and I join Nina above in my utter dislike of the Caudalie.
I am a fan of (fine) tropical fragances, but as much as I tried, I find the smell Caudalie's divine oil offensive (on myself and on others), though I love the packaging. The Nuxe is a bit better, but I still find it smells… cheap?
I know they are huge hits so it must be me… 😉
Great feature! The Caudalie Divine Oil is one of my all-time faves! xo
The Nuxe oil scent reminds me of the old Coppertone suntan oil. This as a high compliment as it brings summer to me in the dreary winter months. I wish it lingered longer. The oil makes the skin soft and glowy.
The Nuxe oil scent reminds me of the old Coppertone Suntan lotion. I love this because it brings summer to me during dreary winter months. I only wish it lingered longer. The oil keeps the skin soft and glowy.
I've tried Caudalie and Nuxe and completely agree with FrancaB about the scent. It's not to say that they're bad products, it's just that I can't get past their smell. Scent is such a personal thing, though, so it's just a matter of finding a combination of oils that soothes and nurtures the skin and that smells nice to the person who is wearing it. For me, that would be Tatcha's Camellia Beauty Oil. My skin, hair, and nails respond beautifully to its refined texture and I find the light bamboo and green tea fragrance fresh and relaxing. The scent quickly dissipates, leaving only a soft smooth feeling behind so it doesn't interfere with any perfume I might choose to wear. It's by far more expensive than Caudalie or Nuxe, but when I compare it to all the other oils I've tried throughout the years, it is the clear winner–for me 🙂
I personally really love Omorovicza body oils, they are expensive and I had to think twice before buying, but it was so worth it!
Out of these three I have only tried Caudalie (must try Nuxe at some point, too), and liked it a lot.
These all look completely divine. I'm curious about the Morrocanoil, I've used their hair oil forever. Have you tried Osmia Organics oils? I think you'd like them, they smell lovely and do a great job of providing non-greasy moisture
As far as the products go, I have been using Moroccan oil for several years. I find it is the best thing for my sensitive scalp, and hair which has been dyed red, blonde, and brown over the years. I would definitely recommend it, and am yet to find a cheaper alternative.
I also love the Carita Fluide de beauté 14