Bath & Body Works Or Margot Elena’s TokyoMilk
It’s an early start and I got up planning for the the day. A little workout maybe and breakfast of course. I tried getting off the bed the recommended way but that didn’t work so guess what? I rolled off! Just another normal day.
While munching on my cereal, I kept having a feeling i was missing something. It couldn’t be the fact that I never added milk to my cereal nor the slight error in forgetting to spread the peanut butter on my toast. What could it be?
“It’s the battle between USA’s fragrance giant, Bath & Body Works vs Margot Elena”
Here in the UK, we have a tradition of snatching anything that smells nice, from candles to flowers in your garden. Our top main brand is The Body Shop. This is due to the wide range of products available – massage oil, candles, fragrances and so on, as well as their reputation in ethics and fair-trade. Lately, some foreign powers have been destabilising the market here and shifting the balance on a massive scale.
There has been outcry on social media by die-hard fans of these new entrants commanding and demanding supply and availability of Bath & Body Works in the UK, but not as much for Margot Elena though. Why is this? Let’s break it down a bit and hopefully get to the bottom of the unequal demand.
Bath & Body Works: are one of the finest fragrance brand in the United States since the 1990s. They specialise in the manufacture of lovely scented candles, body lotions, shower gels, fragrance mists, pocketbacs hand sanitisers to list but a few. Bath & Body Works launched it’s website in 2006 and unfortunately, do not delivery outside of the US. With most people discovering B&BW only when they travel to the states, their only option of buying these products is through websites like bourbonapples.co.uk (they are one of the first to start selling them in the UK and also the most reliable even though they occasionally run out of stock quite quickly)
The fact is, I don’t think Bath & Body Works will start delivering to the UK anytime soon probably due to the shipping restrictions of liquid and flammables and also you might have to pay a hefty customs tax and duty when your items arrive. Though rumour has it that they will launch in the UK soon – They did in 1994 in Milton Keynes and closed down (there’s a reason to that!) Narrow escape for The Body Shop.
Tokyo Milk by Margot Elena: herself is an international perfumer known for re-inventing the bath & body market with her brands, Tokyo Milk, Lollia, The Cottage Greenhouse, Library of Flowers, Me Life + Home and Love & Toast – Phew! That’s quite a lot to type out.
To be fair to B&BW, we will only be looking at Tokyo Milk today. This is because Tokyo Milk is the brand I personally feel is a competitor to B&BW as well as TBS, correct me if I’m wrong.
Although Margot Elena has been around since about 1998, I’m not quite sure when the brands were established but they haven’t had the same fan following in the UK like B&BW has. Could this be due to the price or could this be due to other reasons?
I personally think all brands by M.E are very similar in the products they provide therefore, I always get confused on which to choose from. I like them all, which then leaves me in a frozen state of too many options. Tokyo milk seems pretty good but the only drawback is their lack of availability of body lotions and shower gels. The brand seems to focus on hand creams, candles, lip balms and so on. It all seems on the luxury side with the quantity you get in comparison to the price you pay. Don’t get me wrong, B&BW also seems luxury but super affordable when the deals are on, I hope we get some deals on M.E soon.
Rumour has it that Bourbon Apples will start selling M.E Tokyo Milk and Lollia soon but only time will tell. It will create a healthy competition for the UK fans of these brands and hopefully bridge the gap of unavailability and reduce to price and hassle for customers who want them without having to pay the hefty taxes.
Verdict:
- Both Bath & Body Works and Margot Elena are top quality.
- Though one has a higher presence in the UK, I am sure the other will catch up soon.
- The Body Shop won’t be too pleased but expect a huge battle for the market soon.
- Margot Elena hand creams are quite small for the price.
- Bath & Body Works are similar in size and price to The Body Shop products.
- Overall, there are all lovely brands you should explore.