Smooth Criminal

One might say that I am a product junkie. My medicine cabinet rivals Patrick Bateman's—filled with creams, tonics and treatments that I either bought myself or tested for a story and kept around. A marketer's dream, I'm alway curious about some new exotic ingredient or seduced by some nice packaging. Which is why this confession is so humbling. You see, my recent go-to product for which I've forsaken all others is simple, cheap and (thankfully) comes in an retro-designed quart bottle. It's Queen Helene's Cocoa Butter and the stuff works like no other product I've ever tried. In just a few days, my skin felt noticeably smoother. My complexion's evened out. Rough patches? Razor burn? Break outs? Gone. Yes, it does smell suspiciously tropical at first slather, but by the time it absorbs into skin (without leaving a greasy film) the fragrance is gone. Which makes it easy to use on my face, hands and body. And at less than six bucks bottle, I'm happy to do so. - Jordan Taylor

• Made in Hempstead, New York for more than 75 years.