This Skin-Softening Bath Oil Makes Me Feel Like I Live in Gwyneth Paltrow's Basement Spa

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We're close here, so I feel like I can be honest: The most Pisces thing about me is that I freakin' love water, especially baths. Throughout quarantine, beelining for a nightly soak became one of my favorite hobbies. And as a beauty editor, I'm lucky to be able to try all the goodies that make an already great pastime even better. One of my favorite recent finds? A bath oil that makes me feel like I live in Gwyneth Paltrow's basement.

If you haven't seen the tour Paltrow recently gave Architectural Digest of her Montecito home, the lower level of her dwelling is a tranquil oasis of sunlit baths, showers, and a sauna to boot. I would gladly live there like a troll in her dungeon, but alas, the opportunity will never arise. But if I close my eyes while in my regular old, needs-to-be-cleaned tub, Ren's luxurious Moroccan Rose Otto Bath Oil puts me there in an instant.

I'm normally a bubble bath kind of person — Honest's $11 formula is my favorite — but when Ren offered to send me a bottle of its bath oil, I couldn't say no. Shoppers on the brand's website unanimously raved about the scent, and I can confirm: It smells like a bouquet of fresh roses but better, thanks to the addition of palmarosa and geranium oil.

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Shop now: $48; renskincare.com, dermstore.com, and sephora.com

A two-second drizzle of the bath oil leaves the water feeling silky, which comes down to the golden liquid's skin-friendly elements. Sesame seed oil, aloe leaf extract, vitamin E, and caprylic triglyceride, a hybrid of coconut oil and glycerin, counter the drying effects of my preferred piping hot water, ensuring my skin feels unbelievably soft after toweling off. It's something other reviewers also noticed, even those who've seen their skin turn drier with age.

"After using two capfuls, the water turns a milky color, softens, and smells like a bed of fresh roses," wrote a user on Sephora's website. "Not only that, but I find my skin quite moisturized and my mind rejuvenated, if I'm stressed. [The] best part: no greasy film on top of the water." More people agreed that it's "happiness in a bottle" and leaves their skin silky but not greasy, with a smoothness that lasts for at least two days.

And unlike some other bath products, the oil doesn't leave residual scum to clean up. All those pros might be why one Sephora reviewer chose to use it during their water birth, and if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is. "I've repurchased like five or six times, since I can't find a dupe anywhere near how beautiful this is," added the enthusiast.

The last thing I'll say is that I really, truly appreciate the clean formula. I got into the bath on Valentine's Day with a margarita, the extent of my romantic plans, and immediately knocked it into the oil-infused water. I took a sip, just to see whether it was still good. It wasn't, but I didn't die — and between that, the scent, and the skin-softening aspect, I'm definitely going to treat myself to a restock of the oil when my birthday rolls around later this month.

Ready to experience what I envision as the luxury of Paltrow's bathroom? Try it for $48 via Ren's website, Sephora, or Dermstore.