Series: Rei Tanaka | Part 8: "The Allure of Body Cream"
Part Eight: The Allure of Body Cream
This is the second installment of model Rei Tanaka's essay series, from 2009. Weaving words that spill forth from her unique sensibility, the theme for February is "body cream."
We want you to succumb to the temptation of its texture...
Photos and text by Rei Tanaka
Spreading it from head to toe after taking it in your hands.
Body cream is bewitching.
Is it their appearance, their scent, their feel that makes them so? Perfume also radiates a similar charm, but I feel a different kind of allure in body cream.
The key difference from perfume is the texture.
The way you encounter them differs. Perfume passes by lightly, but I believe body cream has a lingering presence that clings. It offers a gentler touch than perfume.
Perhaps it's the act unique to cream—spreading it from head to toe after taking it in your hands—that brings a sense of comfort. It feels as though you are emitting a fragrance from within, not just on the surface.
Their appearance is also captivating. Pale, milky, colorful creams. From simple containers to luxurious ones, they come in endless variety and steal my heart. Before I know it, I've accumulated quite a collection of body creams.
The Chloe body cream I've been cherishing lately is exquisite in its scent, appearance, and texture, and simply applying it to my body makes me feel refined.
Applying body cream to the skin reliably imparts a rich moisture, and the results appear faster than facial care, which is another pleasing aspect. And above all, doesn't the act of caressing your body with body cream enhance its effects even further?
Often, even within the same brand, perfume tends to steal the spotlight. But I want you to acknowledge the body cream that sits regally beside it and succumb to its temptation.