Water creams and the must-have moisturizer that's selling out this summer
Summer weather calls for cooling skincare, and water cream is both cooling — and super-cool! With roots in Asia —because that's where all the most innovative beauty trends come from don't they?— water cream is a deeply hydrating moisturizer, usually with a gel-like texture. The best part? It feels a like cool water is splashed on your face when you apply it. It's so popular that the iteration from Japanese beauty company Tatcha is frequently sold out at Sephora.
Different creams offer different ingredients and skin care benefits — for instance, Tatcha's key ingredient is Japanese wild rose to tighten pores. Some creams give the sensation of bursting water droplets on the skin, while others melt into a cool water texture. But the common theme among these creams is of course, water and the hydration it provides. Skin looks plumper, smoother and more youthful thanks to humectant ingredients that attract moisture.
Tatcha is based on the beauty rituals of Japan's geisha, using a signature trifecta of active ingredients: green tea, rice and algae, along with other natural extracts, like The Water Cream's wild rose and Japanese leopard lily. Why is it so popular? The reviewers on sephora.com who love it most, all have oily skin or acne and gush that it moisturizes without making skin greasy.
Tatcha The Water Cream, $82, sephora.com
Bare Minerals' version provides antioxidant protection with algae and amino acids and peptides improve the look of wrinkles and fine lines.
bareMinerals TRUE OASIS™ Oil-Free Replenishing Gel Cream, $40, bareminerals.com
Lancôme's water cream melts into skin when applied. Goji berry and lemon balm promises skin that looks smoother, more energized and feels bouncier.
Lancôme Énergie de Vie The Smoothing & Plumping Water-Infused Cream, $68, lancome.ca
This blue gel sorbet cream offers 24-hour hydration and improves skin's texture with each use. Haberlea and mauve extract nourish and strengthen. The Hydra Life line is made with the environment in mind, using natural inks and sustainably produced paper for packaging.
Dior Hydra Life Fresh Hydration Sorbet Crème, $82, holtrenfrew.com
If you really want a good burst of water upon application, this is the moisturizer to try. Dr. Jart+'s formula promises droplets full of nourishing ingredients that provide instant brightening and hydration.
Dr. Jart+ Water Drop Hydrating Moisturizer, $45, sephora.com
Cloud cream just sounds nice, doesn't it? This cream contains 30 per cent hyaluronic acid, an ingredient that retains up to 1000 times its weight in water and helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream, $70.73, nordstrom.com
This water cream — at a friendly price point — forms a barrier on the skin's surface, helping to retain moisture and key ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe, and red ginseng.
Elizavecca Aqua Hyaluronic Acid Water Drop Cream 50ml, $17.80, yesstyle.com