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?
