Hi friends!
OK, so I’m sneaking in one last skincare review before the month is out but I’m breaking my own rules a bit – I hope you won’t mind. If you read the intro post to this series, you may remember that I referred to indie skincare reviews. But since Tatcha was recently acquired by Unilever they can hardly count as an indie brand. Oh well, I’m talking about them anyway! So in today’s post, I’ll give you my thoughts on the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream which is marketed as thick, luxurious cream specifically formulated for normal-to-dry skin types. Sounds like music to my ears! But did I end up loving it?? Let’s find out.
Just a note: I picked up a mini (10 mL) of this cream so what you see in this post is not the full size (50 mL), nor does it represent the regular packaging.
But before we get into it, make sure you catch up on the rest of this series. I reviewed an awesome skincare-makeup hybrid foundation – the Ilia Super Serum Skin Tint – an amazing moisturizer – the PTR Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream – and a so-so cleanser – the Wander Beauty Drift Away Cleanser.
WHAT IS THE TATCHA DEWY SKIN CREAM?
A rich cream that feeds skin with plumping hydration and antioxidant-packed Japanese purple rice for a dewy, healthy glow. This cream intensely hydrates and seals in moisture, helping to replenish ceramides for a healthy bounce and instant luminosity. A fermentation of Japanese anti-aging superfoods—green tea, rice, and algae—helps skin to look its most beautiful at any age.
Cruelty-Free. Gluten-Free. Recyclable Packaging. CLEAN AT SEPHORA SEAL.
KEY INGREDIENTS
Japanese Purple Rice: Packed with nutrients and known for its ability to survive any harsh environment, it has long been used to celebrate longevity and vitality; rich in anthocyanin, a strong antioxidant, it helps skin recover from and protect against stress, pollution, and UV damage for healthier-looking skin.
Okinawa Algae Blend and Hyaluronic Acid: Captures water to help replenish skin’s natural moisture reservoir, immediately leaving skin soft, comforted, and deeply nourished; helps to replenish ceramides to ensure optimum skin barrier function, aiding in the reduction of future moisture loss, for skin that is visibly smooth and plump with hydration.
Botanical Extracts: From ginseng, wild thyme, and sweet marjoram; nourishes skin, enhancing its natural ability to retain and release moisture as needed, and imparts a dewy glow.
A NOTE ON SKIN TYPE AND USE
My skin type is dry, dry, dry. I can’t emphasize this enough. I’m prone to a lot of flakiness, itchiness, and tightness if I don’t moisturize properly every day. I also will occasionally get small eczema flare-up’s, but by no means is it severe.
I used the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream in my P.M. routine – after I apply my serum (currently I’m using this one from Clinique), and before I apply my oil (currently I’m using this one from The Ordinary). A little goes a long way with this cream so I dab little blobs on my forehead, nose, chin and cheeks before massaging in with my hands.
MY THOUGHTS ON PACKAGING
Considering I did not get the regular size with the more luxurious packaging, I will not rate the mini packaging here. I feel it just wouldn’t make sense. You don’t get a mini for the packaging; you get a mini to sample something. For what it’s worth, the mini is just a small, lightweight plastic tub – absolutely nothing special. But the color is a beautiful periwinkle, which I love.
From what I can see online, the packaging for the regular size includes a thin, little spoon or spatula that you can use to scoop out the product. Seems a little unnecessary to me, but I guess for $68.00 you want a little frill…?
Read this: Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum – my experience
MY THOUGHTS ON CONSISTENCY / APPLICATION
This is indeed a very thick, luxurious-feeling cream moisturizer that has a lovely fresh scent. I absolutely love the texture because as a dry-skinned person I’m constantly on the search for products that will give me loads of hydration. I can see why this is marketed to normal-to-dry people; it would simply be too heavy for those with combo-to-oily skin.
The consistency is very pleasing to apply and blend on the skin. If you have dry skin, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about! Applying a thick moisturizer just feels so comforting and nourishing, especially if you have tightness or any rawness on your face. There’s no weird pilling or bunching with this cream, and it layered very well with my other skincare.
RATING: 5 / 5 ⭐️
MY THOUGHTS ON ABSORPTION / FINISH
I’d say this takes a few minutes to completely absorb into the skin, and it leaves behind a beautifully hydrated, plump feeling. It isn’t called Dewy Skin Cream for nothing either; you’ll be very dewy for a good few minutes after applying this cream to your face.
RATING: 5 / 5 ⭐️
MY ISSUES
So here’s the real scoop. I used this cream for about a week to 10 days before I started noticing some little red bumps on my forehead, and around my chin. Actually it was a full-on break-out situation on my chin, which I’m still healing from as I write this post. I’m not very prone to break-outs so this was a big deal for me! So although I really liked using it, I discontinued using the cream right away. I had a similar experience when I used the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream a few years ago, which was also quite a luscious cream.
Keep in mind that this was the only new product I was using in my nightly routine at the time; everything else I was either using for quite a while or are holy grail favorites of mine. Also, I don’t believe it was any of the makeup I was using either. The break-out was the worst right underneath my mouth and I rarely, if ever, apply makeup in that area. So I have a pretty strong hunch that the culprit was the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream.
Read this: Supergoop Unseen Sunscreen – A truly modern SPF
MY THOUGHTS ON PRICE
The mini size (10 mL) at Sephora retails for $20.00, while the larger size (50 mL) retails for $68.00. If you want to sample the Dewy Skin Cream, I don’t think $20 for the mini is bad at all. But considering my reaction to the cream, it turned out to be a total waste for me since I can’t finish the tub nor experience its full effects. It goes without saying I would never purchase the full size.
However, even if I didn’t have a reaction, I still wouldn’t pay almost $70 for this cream. I’d likely stick with my new fave, the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Cloud Cream, which is several dollars cheaper and just as luxuriously hydrating.
RATING: 2 / 5 ⭐️
FINAL THOUGHTS
It’s such a shame that my skin didn’t like the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream because I really liked the texture, the application and the level of hydration it gave me. If you have normal-to-dry skin you very well may love this, but tread carefully! If you’ve never tried anything from Tatcha, I’d recommend getting the mini first to see how your skin reacts.
Have you tried this moisturizer before? What did you think? I’d love to know!
xo, Erica
PIN IT!
Hey Erica, shame about the break out, but like you said at least you know from the mini instead of the larger size.
I normally stick to Nivea as so many others make my skin red and itchy xxx
I know! Can you imagine if I spent $68 for the full size?? However, I did return that Magic Cream from Charlotte Tilbury to Sephora after I reacted to it and they took it back no questions asked and gave me a full refund. Unfortunately I can’t attempt to do that now with all the stores closed 😔.
I love Nivea products. Which one do you use on your face? I’ve only used their body and hand creams.
$68 is insane! For that I’d want that to he the only skincare product I wear lol!
It’s good that they refunded you no questions asked, but in the same breath, maybe it’s something they’re used to with that product?
I just use the big classic blue tub of Nivea Creme. I think it’s around £4 for 200ml. It soaks in well and leaves your face soft and hydrated 🙂 x
It is way too pricey, for sure! Not sure, Sephora’s got so money I guess they’re good for it 😄. I love drugstore beauty and there’s so many good creams at affordable prices – I must add the Nivea to my list then!
Yes definkty Nivea is a great buy, and also Vaseline cocoa moisturiser, for all day every day 🙂 x
The drugstore has some great choices for moisturizer, don’t they? We have CeraVe here, which is one of my ultimate faves from the drugstore. I think you guys have it now over in the UK, but correct me if I’m wrong.
Oh yes I’ve seen this but havent tried it yet. I did recieve a mini in a glossybox a few months back but passed it on to a friend. I’ll keep an eye out for in next time my Nivea runs though, thank you 🙂
If you ever get to try it, I hope you have better luck than me! It was such a beautiful cream, I was sad I had to stop using it. But oh well, what can you do!
At least you got the mini and not the full size! How odd that it broke you out. I hope it heals completely soon!
It’s definitely almost gone, but on my skin it takes quite a while for a break-out to subside sadly. Oh well, that’s why I got the mini! Just in case I didn’t like it or reacted to it. That’s why I love mini’s so much cause it makes sampling so much easier!
Oh no, sorry to hear this caused you to break out! Otherwise the cream sounds lovely 🙂 do you think if you used it once or twice a week it would still cause you to break out?
I know, I’m so bummed! Hmm, not sure. I never thought of doing that to be honest. Usually when I have a skincare routine, I just use everything I have every time I do it. But I know not everyone is like that. Maybe I’ll give it a go, but I’m a little scared to be honest! 😄
Fair enough, don’t blame you for being scared to try the cream again. I guess it would only be the rest of a 10ml sample that is discarded so it’s not a lot of product that is put to waste.
True, I’m so happy that I got the mini just in case!
It’s too bad this broke you out, that’s the worst!!! I just started using my mini of this and so far so good. It smells amazing and I love the texture. Fingers crossed that it works a little better for me. Great review!
I don’t break out from too many products so this was unfortunate. Yes, fingers crossed it works for you! It’s such a shame because I loved using it, and think the texture is so beautiful. Thanks so much!
I actually broke out a few days after trying it, but my skin has been weird for a number of reasons. So hopefully it’s not this cream haha
Oh no! Breakouts are the worst and it can take so long to rebalance your skin afterwards. When I looked up reviews on Sephora, I saw a few that said this cream broke them out so maybe there’s something to it…
They take forever!! My skin is still recovering. I wonder if it’s a specific ingredient that causes people to react 🙁
Who knows? It took a good week and a half for my skin to finally clear up. The spots left behind little “shadows” as I call them that are still there unfortunately 😒.
Oh no!! I hope those go away asap!
Thankfully they did!
At least you didn’t splurge for the full size, such a shame it didn’t work, it looked great
I know, thank goodness! I’m bummed about it. It’s such a nice cream.
It’s so small and cute! I love it!
As for the full size, yes, beautiful packaging. I actually love that it comes with a spoon. I know some people don’t like dipping their fingers in pots like this because they feel it’s a little unsanitary.
I would love to try this cream but I’m normal to oily, perhaps I can get away with using it in the winter. Idk.
I’m really sorry you had a breakout while using this cream. That really sucks. I’d be disappointed too if a high end product didn’t work out for me.
The price is* very steep which is insane to me first of all, however, I got the opportunity to get some face masks through boxycharm and really liked them. I bet some of their products work well for all skin types but due to the price, that would be hard to figure out.
Great review.
I love the color of the packaging! I think the cream they do for more oily skin is The Water Cream, but don’t quote me. It’s such a shame my skin didn’t like it cause I really enjoyed using it for the time I had, so I’m really grateful I just got the mini. I think it’s awesome when brands offer mini’s, especially when the original price is so steep. I’ve sampled a few different creams this way recently, and that’s how I discovered the Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench, which I now love!
Yeah the color is stunning! Sounds like it may not work for me either, but I would have to get it myself to see. I will be sure to add it to my list lol.
Let me know if you do!
Oh no! Sorry this made you break out. 😭 That’s the worst part about trying new skincare!
Tell me about it!