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
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