I bought all of these myself from Space NK. Nobody sent them and nobody asked me to write this, I just wanted to smell like salty vanilla. (I’ve also got Driftwood and Santal Bloom sitting on my shelf, but those two are getting their own post.)
Full confession. I’m a sucker for a fragranced body product. I’ve said it before (my Sol de Janeiro Body Badalada post is basically one long admission of guilt) and I’ll say it again. If it smells good, it’s coming home with me.
So when I spotted a vanilla that’s meant to smell salty, I was curious. And a bit suspicious, because vanilla body care is everywhere right now and alot of it smells sweet and flat. Saltair says this one is different. I’ve been using the body butter and oil together with the mist on top, mostly as a base under my perfume, and I’ve got opinions.
At a glance
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla is a creamy vanilla with sea salt and sandalwood. It leans gourmand but it is not sugary. In the UK the range is sold at Space NK, which carries the Salt Water Vanilla body butter rather than the body lotion. In the US, Ulta stocks the body wash, body butter, body oil and body mist. My favorite is the body butter, and the scent lasts longest when you layer it: start with the body wash in the shower, follow with the body butter and oil on damp skin, finish with the mist, then add perfume on top. My top perfume pairing is Victoria’s Secret Bare Sueded Vanilla.
Table of Contents
What does Saltair Salt Water Vanilla smell like?
Saltair lists the key notes as vanilla, sea salt and creamy sandalwood. Space NK breaks it down a bit further, with vanilla flower on top, creamy sandalwood in the heart and sea salt at the base.
On me it’s a softer, grown-up vanilla with a salty, slightly airy edge that stops it getting heavy. There’s warmth and sweetness, but also something clean and almost beachy underneath. It definitely leans gourmand, but the salt and sandalwood give it more depth than your average vanilla body cream.
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla Body Wash
The body wash is the easy add if you already like Salt Water Vanilla. I love starting my routine with it in the shower, because the vanilla’s there from the very first step.
It lathers really nicely and leaves my skin feeling clean without that horrible stripped, tight feeling I get from some fragranced shower products. My skin feels soft afterwards and the scent lingers lightly, though I wouldn’t expect a body wash to last as long as the matching body butter or mist.
It comes in a 500ml bottle, and Space NK say it uses gentle, biodegradable cleansing agents with an algae complex to boost hydration.
For me the real reason to buy it is layering. It’s step one of the routine further down and everything else goes on over it. Honestly, I’d buy it for the smell alone, so it being nice on my skin is a bonus.
My verdict: a lovely everyday body wash if you like vanilla, and the obvious first step if you’re building the full Salt Water Vanilla routine.
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla Body Butter
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla is exactly the kind of vanilla I reach for when I want to smell sweet without smelling like I’ve been attacked by a bottle of cupcake frosting. 😂
I really like the texture too. It moisturizes without being one of those thick creams that takes forever to sink in. My skin feels soft afterwards, not coated, and that matters to me because I absolutely hate feeling sticky after body care.
My verdict: one of my favorite vanilla body creams, and the one everything else in this post sits on top of.
What’s in the Saltair Salt Water Vanilla Body Butter?
I went through the ingredient list on Space NK’s UK page, so this is what UK buyers get.
Five ceramides. NP, AS, NS, EOP and AP. Ceramides are fats your skin already makes. Think of them as the mortar between bricks. They help hold water in and keep irritants out, so a cream with ceramides helps your skin barrier instead of just sitting on top.
Phytosterols, phospholipids and linoleic acid. More fats that look a lot like your skin’s own. They work alongside the ceramides to support that barrier, and Space NK name all of them as part of the formula.
Glycerin. It pulls water into the top layer of your skin. It’s a basic, dependable hydrator and it sits high on the list.
Coconut oil. It’s second on the list, right after water, so it does a lot of the softening.
Jojoba, grape seed and sea buckthorn seed oils. Plant oils that soften skin. Jojoba is famous for being close to the oil your skin makes naturally.
Vitamin E and vitamin C. Antioxidants. Vitamin E also helps stop the oils in the tube going off. Both sit near the end of the list, so there isn’t much of either.
Dimethicone. A silicone that gives creams that silky, slip-on feel. It might be part of why it sinks in without a sticky film.
A few things I noticed. Space NK’s description mentions shea butter, but I couldn’t find shea anywhere on their own ingredient list. And coconut oil plus caprylic/capric triglyceride both sit high up, so if you watch for malassezia triggers on your body, run the list through my skin ingredient checker before you slather it everywhere. The fragrance allergens at the end (linalool and friends) are normal for a scented product, but sensitive skin should know they’re there.
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla Body Oil
Space NK say the oil is a blend of fermented saururus, kukui, cacay and squalane oils, and it comes in a 118ml bottle. You warm a few pumps in your palms before you smooth it on.
For me it’s step two. It goes on straight after the body butter, and it’s a big part of why the scent hangs around as long as it does. Same note as above for anyone malassezia-prone: caprylic/capric triglyceride is third on Space NK’s list.
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla Body Mist
The mist has the same notes as the rest of the range. Its first ingredient is alcohol denat., which is normal for a body mist and is what makes it dry so fast.
I use it as the last Saltair step, a light misting over the butter and oil. Layered like that, the vanilla gets so much more noticeable.
How to layer Saltair Salt Water Vanilla
I start with the body wash in the shower. The body butter goes on while my skin is still slightly damp, then the oil, then the mist. Perfume goes on last. Spraying perfume over moisturized, already-scented skin makes it hang around so much longer than spraying it on bare dry skin, and Space NK even suggest layering the body butter with the mist for a longer-lasting scent.
What perfume to layer with Saltair Salt Water Vanilla
This is honestly my favorite part. Salt Water Vanilla is lovely on its own, but I mostly use it as a base under perfume. These are the ones I wear on top.
Bare Sueded Vanilla is my favorite combo
Victoria’s Secret lists the notes as wild saffron, creamy sandalwood and vanilla milk. That sandalwood is the same thread running through Saltair, so the two melt into each other.
I do the full Saltair layering routine first, then Bare Sueded Vanilla goes on top. The Saltair gives you the salty creamy base and Bare Sueded Vanilla adds soft suede warmth. If you only try one pairing from this list, make it this one.
Mon Guerlain
Salt Water Vanilla underneath Mon Guerlain gives that lavender and vanilla a creamy, slightly salty skin quality. It softens the whole thing and makes it feel more relaxed.
Dolce & Gabbana Devotion Intense
D&G built the Intense around hazelnut, orange blossom and vanilla, so it’s a rich, nutty gourmand. Salt Water Vanilla is lighter and airier, with that sea salt and sandalwood running through it.
Layered, I get salty, airy vanilla and creamy roasted hazelnut with a bit of soft orange blossom, then the richer vanilla from Devotion Intense and a little sandalwood sitting underneath it all. The Saltair stops Devotion Intense getting too dense, and in return the Intense warms that light beachy vanilla up enough for autumn.
I don’t go crazy with it though. Two to four sprays over the Saltair is plenty, because Devotion Intense is already a strong perfume that lasts (and the Saltair base gives it a head start anyway). I’d pick the Intense over regular Devotion for this pairing every time. It made my list of autumn perfumes this year too.
A few more that work over it
Burberry Goddess and the new Goddess Amber Vanilla both lean on lavender and vanilla, so they sit nicely over the Saltair the same way Mon Guerlain does. Phlur Vanilla Skin has sandalwood in its base, like Saltair, and Kayali Vanilla 28 is the one to grab when you want brown sugar sweetness on top.
Where to buy Saltair Salt Water Vanilla
Buying it in the UK: Space NK is the UK home for Saltair, and that’s where I bought mine.
Buying it in the US: Ulta has the body wash, the body butter, the body oil and the body mist. Target stocks the range too.
I don’t have a Saltair discount code, so it’s just the shop links for now. If you’re browsing Space NK anyway, my Space NK advent calendar post has the full line-up, and there’s a 50ml Salt Water Vanilla body oil behind one of the doors this year.
Saltair Salt Water Vanilla FAQs
What does Saltair Salt Water Vanilla smell like?
A creamy vanilla with sea salt and sandalwood. It’s sweet and warm, but the salt gives it a clean, almost beachy edge, so it never smells like straight dessert.
Is Saltair Salt Water Vanilla too sweet?
Not on me. It leans gourmand, but it’s a softer, grown-up vanilla rather than a cupcake one. The salt and sandalwood keep it from going sugary.
Can you buy Saltair in the UK?
Yes. Space NK carries Saltair in the UK, and that’s where I bought mine. Their Salt Water Vanilla range has the body butter rather than the body lotion.
Is the Saltair Salt Water Vanilla body butter fungal acne safe?
I can’t give you a straight yes or no, because it depends on what you react to. Coconut oil is second on the list and caprylic/capric triglyceride is in there too, so check it in my skin ingredient checker first.
What perfume goes with Saltair Salt Water Vanilla?
My favorite is Victoria’s Secret Bare Sueded Vanilla, because they share that creamy sandalwood. Mon Guerlain and Dolce & Gabbana Devotion Intense are gorgeous over it too.
Which Saltair Salt Water Vanilla product should I buy first?
The body butter. It’s my favorite of the lot and it moisturizes without feeling sticky. Everything else layers on top of it.
I bought these myself. The links are affiliate links, so I earn commission if you buy through them.
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