peter thomas roth: the mega-rich collection

On a recent business trip to Toronto, I snagged an upgrade to the business executive floor at the Hilton, which, based on my understanding, had the following benefits: (i) access to the executive lounge on the top floor, which meant free non-alcoholic beverages in the evening and breakfast in the mornings; (ii) wi-fi in my room at no additional charge; (iii) bathrobes in the closet (which I never touch); and (iv) upgraded bath accessories, including mouthwash and this set of Peter Thomas Roth products.

I had heard of this brand before but had never tried anything from its product line. After doing a little digging on the Internet, it turns out that the Mega-Rich collection is designed in collaboration with and distributed by the Hilton hotel chain. However, a number of the products are available for purchase by the public. 

Here’s a quick run-down of the products tested:

• Massage soap: I'm not fond of these massage bars because I don’t feel any tension-relieving benefits from having used them. The shape of the bar did not work for my hands – anytime I tried to get a firmer grip on the bar, the round shape would cause it to slip right out of my hand. As a regular bar of soap, I had no complaints – it rinsed clean without that tight, dry feeling after and left a pleasant scent. I did not take a picture of the soap, but here is one off the PTR website.  

 

• Shampoo & conditioner: Both the shampoo and conditioner claim to be chock full of nutrients such as biotin, vitamins C & E, and pro vitamin B5. Typically, I’m wary of putting anything “rich” or “mega-rich” in my hair since the name implies it’ll likely weigh my super-thin hair down. This was definitely the case in Toronto – I’m not sure if it’s the water quality or the humidity (relative to Calgary, of course), but shampoos don’t seem to rinse out of my hair properly in Toronto, so even freshly-washed hair feels weighed down and a little greasy. To put this to the test, I toted the shampoo and conditioner back to Calgary and gave it another try (using conditioner before shampoo, which I often do to ensure it doesn’t get left behind). The shampoo and conditioner felt moisturizing, but still weighed down my hair a bit, as it affected the amount of volume I was able to achieve through blow-drying afterward. With prolonged use, I can see this causing some buildup issues for my hair. However, using once or twice a week just to mix up the hair washing routine may provide some benefits, though personally, I would much rather use a once-a-week hair mask for that.
• Body lotion: Pretty standard – white, creamy, and absorbed pretty quickly after application. Moisturizing benefits seemed to last overnight when used before bedtime, but when used in the morning, my skin started to feel dry mid-afternoon. 

All of the products have a light, citrus scent, which I enjoyed. While it was nice to have the opportunity to give this brand (or at least, this particular product line) a test drive, it did not “wow” me enough to want to purchase the full-sized versions. 

Verdict: better than your garden-variety hotel toiletries, but to me, not worth seeking out after the hotel checkout. ~massage soap, 100g (3 bars total), US$17; shampoo & conditioner, 8.5oz bottles, US$18 each; body lotion, 8.5oz bottle, US$18