Why Sol de Janeiro’s Bum Bum Cream Keeps Selling Out in Minutes

What if I told you a jar of cream could give you the smooth, firm, toned butt of your wildest dreams? (If, you know, this is something you care about.) Personally, as someone who consistently ekes out a trillion squats a week in an effort to get some semblance of a booty, I would absolutely drop some money on a formula that does the work for me. Which is probably why Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, which claims to tighten and smooth skin with use, keeps selling out every time it hits the web.

Details, Please

Earlier this week, Sol de Janeiro released a super-sized, 16.9-ounce version of their cult-favorite Bum Bum Cream (usually 8.1 ounces). The $75 limited-edition cream was released as part of a holiday collection and included a surfboard-shaped spatula to scrape up every last drop of cream from the jar. Despite its hefty price, the cream sold out in less than two hours, according to Daily Mail, and quickly racked up a waiting list of more than 800 people.

So what makes it so good? According to Hailey Baldwin, who has publicly raved about the cream, “It's like I'm on the beach. Plus, I'm obsessed with anything that has coconut oil.” And though it does smell like pure beach-y, coconut-y goodness, the rave reviews are not just about its smell, but for its supposed ability to smooth and tone skin, with a mix of guarana extract, a natural caffeine source, and cupuaçu butter, an ultra-moisturizing ingredient.

“Non-greasy, absorbs super quickly, and honestly I've been using it for a week now and I've noticed a change in my skin's elasticity,” reads one review on Sephora, while another reads, “It's super hydrating and softening, no more itchy dry patches, and I've never noticed such an effect on smoothing out my thighs and butt, too.” And though people clearly love the formula, I wanna know…

Does It Really Work?

“Firming creams are best at preventing sagging, or may give modest improvements in sagging skin when used alone,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital.

And although caffeine-infused products like Bum Bum Cream may seem like a gimmick, they actually can help with skin firmness. “Caffeine can help minimize the appearance of cellulite by dehydrating the fat, while actually helps your body break it down,” says Dr. Zeichner.

Of course, all of these effects are only temporary—nothing you apply topically can rival a few sweat-filled hours in the gym. But if exercise isn’t your thing, or you’re cool with your booty, but just want to get softer, smoother skin, then definitely try the original Bum Bum Cream (it’s $45 and currently in stock at Sephora) and get slathering.