Supermarket staff were mystified when a cream for baby’s bottom began selling like hot cakes.
Then they discovered the reason - mums were putting it on their own faces.
At £2.49 a pot, Waitrose’s own-label Baby Bottom Butter is only a fraction of the cost of designer products.
And its new-found fans claim it is the answer to their prayers.
The buying frenzy began after it was given glowing endorsements on parenting websites.
One contributor to mumsnet.com wrote: “I can’t even remember what made me put it on my face one day but OMG - it is fab.
“I have been using it constantly for 2 weeks now and my skin now has the smoothest texture, which I don’t think it’s had since prepubescence.
“And it makes my foundation look super dewy and youthful too. It is SO much better than all the expensive face creams I have tried - including Creme de la Mer.”
While some complained that it left their skin spotty or greasy, another mum gushed: “I have taken to putting it on twice a day, I am eighteen again!”
And a third added: “Really really impressed with how plumped and smooth it makes my skin look, especially around the eyes”.
The butter is free from artificial chemicals and contains olive oil, camomile - for nappy rash - and lavender.
Waitrose says it has seen sales of “natural” baby toiletries rise by 38 per cent after it removed parabens, petrochemicals and colours from its own-label products.
Sales of Baby Bottom Butter doubled to around 30,000 tubs in the first part of this year, taking its Hampshire-based supplier by surprise and leading to shortages on the shelves.
However, women keen to try it have been assured that new stock should be on sale from Monday.
Waitrose’s baby care buyer Jo Maclaine said: “It seems that the botty butter gives softer cheeks wherever they are.
“The feedback we have had has been amazing and proof that looking good does not have to cost the Earth.”
Of course it is not the first time an unlikely item becoming the new musthave beauty product.
Haemorrhoid ointment has also been championed as face cream by the likes of actress Sandra Bullock.
However cosmetic surgery expert Dr Patrick Bowler, who appeared on the TV programme Ten Years Younger, said he was sceptical about the supposed benefits of Baby Bottom Butter.
“The women buying this may think it will make their faces as smooth as a baby’s bottom, but the truth is that while it’s likely to be quite a good moisturiser there’s really nothing extraordinary about it.
“And if they’re buying it because they have babies, they’re likely to be quite young themselves, which means they’ll have pretty good skin anyway.”
译文:
屁屁油脸上涂
超市员工可想不明白了，怎么擦在小宝宝屁股上的油就成了抢手货。
他们终于知道为什么了——原来妈妈们用这些油来擦脸了。
标价2.49英镑的Waitrose自家品牌婴儿油比品牌产品可便宜多了。
忠实拥护者们称此产品为天赐之物。
自从产品在育儿网站上获得热情的赞扬，便掀起了一阵购买狂潮。
mumsnet.com的一位撰稿人这样写道：“我都记不得那天怎么想起往脸上擦这个的，但天哪，这个产品实在太棒了。”
“我现在已经连着用了两周，而我的皮肤前所未有的光滑，青春期以来都么有这么光滑过。”
“再上底妆后，整个妆面十分水润，也显得很年轻。比我用的那些昂贵的面霜都要好——包括海蓝之谜。”
虽然有人抱怨说产品用在脸上会起豆豆，皮肤会很油，但是有位母亲还是大赞说：“我一天用两次，现在我又回到了18岁！”
另有一位母亲说道：“真的非同凡响，我的脸变得非常圆润光滑，尤其是眼周。”
这款婴儿油没有化学添加成分，含橄榄油，治疗尿布疹的黄春菊及薰衣草。
Waitrose称其还见证了自家“天然”婴儿卫浴系列产品再去除防腐剂，石油化学物及色素后销售额大涨38%。
今年上半年婴儿油销售总量翻倍至3万瓶，这着实让Hampshire的供应商大为惊讶，各大商场都处于短货状态。
但星期一会新到一批货，确保满足有需要的女性。
Waitrose婴儿产品采购员Jo Maclaine说：“看来无论在哪里，婴儿油都能塑造娇嫩的脸庞。”
“所有产品反馈都表明产品真的很不错，这证明要漂亮不一定就要花大把银子。”
当然这也不是第一次产品爆冷门，成为美容产品中的新一代必备品。
痔疮软膏就一直作为润肤油受到包括Sandra Bullock在内的一批女性的拥护。
然而，电视节目“年轻10岁”中的美容外科专家Patrick Bowler博士说他对婴儿油的护肤效果表示怀疑。
“买这个产品的女性也许认为用了以后脸就能像婴儿的小屁股一样滑嫩，但事实上，这个产品除了能够充当保湿霜以外，没有多大神奇的功效。”
“如果她们是给自己的孩子买的，那她们本身就很年轻，皮肤本应很好的。”