AOS Has Lost Its Luster - Still a Good Product, But Not the Deal It Used to Be

I've been using AOS for over 10 years now, and it's my go-to dish soap. But lately, I've been noticing a trend - the price keeps going up, and the quality and volume are consistently going down. When I first started using AOS, the bottles were 1 liter, then they reduced it to 900 ml, and now they're down to 800 ml. The bottle size remains the same, but they're just filling it up less. To be honest, I'm starting to think about switching to something else.

But this review is specifically about the AOS Balm with Chamomile and Vitamin E. I used it a few years ago, and I recently bought it again, so I thought I'd refresh my memories and share my thoughts.

AOS Balm with Chamomile and Vitamin E is a modern, high-functioning dish soap that effectively removes tough stains and grease. It's gentle on hands, with moisturizing ingredients, and produces a rich lather that's easy to rinse off. It works well in cold water and leaves dishes with a crystal-clear shine without any streaks. Vitamin E also helps to hydrate your skin.

Price: 250 rub Weight: 900 g

I'm familiar with the usual opaque bottle with the distinctive orange plastic - it's become a staple for me. AOS produces most of their products in these bottles, and while they do offer other color options, the orange one's the most popular. Packaging can vary slightly from batch to batch, but they always look similar.

I have to say, the big sticker with the daisy image and the product name in big letters makes it super easy to identify this stuff. I'm a fan of clear and concise designs like this.

The back of the packaging is pretty straightforward too: the ingredients, usage instructions, and manufacturer's contact info are all there. But, man, they're really small print. I guess it's because they want to cram all that info into a bunch of languages. I don't get it. 2-3 languages would be plenty.

To be honest, it's a real pain to read all that tiny text. I mean, I'm glad Russian is the first language or I'd be searching for it for hours in that sea of text.

The bottle has a standard screw-on cap with a dropper, but honestly, I have no idea who designed it for people with big hands. It's basically impossible to get a decent dose out of that thing.

So, I just use the squeeze bottle that came with the AOS deal a few years ago. It's way more convenient.

I just swap it from the old bottle to the new one and it's a breeze to use.

The color of the product is visible even before you buy it. They usually put a big drop of the color on the label, which is the same color as the liquid inside the bottle. In the orange bottles, AOS is usually green. Though, judging from the picture, it's supposed to be a yellow-green color here.

It turned out pretty much like that. If the aloe gel was a deep, rich green, this one has more of a greenish tint. It's not a big deal, though - the color doesn't affect the cleaning power at all. It's just a matter of personal taste.

What did catch me off guard, though, was how liquid-y the gel is. I didn't even get to count to five before it was completely absorbed into the sponge. And that's not something I'm a fan of. If the gel is too runny, it foams up poorly and runs out faster.

The scent of the gel is pleasant, light, and floral. It's not like the smell of chamomile, but it's not overpowering either - it's more like the smell of wildflowers.

5% or more, but less than 15%: anionic surfactants; less than 5%: nonionic surfactants, fragrance, EDTA salt, vitamin E extract, pH regulator, preservative, dyes.

As you can see, there's no chamomile in here. But at least there is some vitamin E. I'm not sure how much good it does in this surfactant mix, but it won't do any harm, that's for sure.

When washing dishes directly under the running water, apply 1-2 drops of the product to a damp sponge, scrub the dishes, and rinse them under the water, or dissolve 1 teaspoon of the product in 5 liters of water, wash the dishes, and rinse with water. If the water is particularly hard, increase the dose of the product.

I was pleased to see that the gel cleans well, but it doesn't last long. Its dilution is definitely noticeable. You need to add the gel more frequently. It's nowhere near as good as the same AOCS product from a couple of years ago.

I've got no complaints about how well the gel performs its job. The experience has been entirely positive. It's my go-to helper in the kitchen.

The gel excels at removing even the toughest stains. Cleaning a greasy skillet - and one that's been burnt on top of that - is no problem for it.The product is completely rinsed off the dishes with water, leaving no soap residue. You can check this by running your finger over a plate - if it scratches, that means there's no slippery residue.It performs well with greasy dishes in cold water. That's a big plus. We sometimes lose hot water in our area, but we don't stop cooking and eating, and washing dishes in cold water is much harder. AOCS handles this situation well. Of course, it foams less in cold water, but that's true for all detergents - the main thing is that they all get the job done.A bottle of the product should last you around 3 months. So, even with its increased price, the value for money is still relatively good, especially when you spread it over 3 months - it's not a lot.AOCS is widely available, so being able to buy it at any moment is another plus. After all, accessibility is important.However, the only real minus of this product is that it's noticeably thinner than it was a couple of years ago. And therefore it foams less, and you end up using more of it. This isn't a major issue in itself, but when you're used to a certain quality and it drops, you notice it.

While it does the job, this 2022 AOS from Nefis Cosmetics just doesn't live up to the high standards they set when they first released it. It's still a good product, but it's not exceptional. I've got a Biolan that cleans just as well, but it's half the price.