Tatcha Water Cream Review
If you have combo/oily skin, this might be the perfect oil-free daytime moisturizer for you! Keep on reading for the full Tatcha Water Cream review!
*Dec 2023 update: This water cream is currently on SALE in a set on Sephora!! It's such a good deal with the set being under $70 with a full size water cream!! (So basically the cleanser and toner are free).
To start, this is a very lovely water-like textured gel/cream that is super refreshing and lightweight to apply. I've never had a cream with this texture before and it's SO nice. It's perfect for mornings and provides just the right amount of hydration for combo-oily skin. If you're looking for something a bit richer, for combo/normal/dry skin, I'd recommend the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream instead (review here).
Quick facts:
Makeup Alley Rating: 3.5/5 out of 30 reviews
Formulation: Cruelty-free, formulated without mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, sulfate detergents, or parabens
Potential irritants: The Water Cream contains alcohol and Tatcha's signature fragrance (not suitable for sensitive skin)
Application: The most watery consistency of all Tatcha products, this gel-like watery cream is very lightweight and absorbs into the skin quickly without a greasy finish
Price: $70
Where to buy: Sephora (currently has a boxing week sale on for this set) or Tatcha.com
Scent: Natural light rose, green tea scent
Packaging: The water cream comes in a beautiful light green/blue pot with a substantial weight to it (very similar packaging to the Tatcha dewy cream I also reviewed). It also comes with a golden spatula to help apply the product to the skin.
Main pros: Perfect for oily or combo skin due to its watery, lightweight texture (very unique). It provides oil-free hydration without leaving the skin greasy or heavy feeling. Somehow, magically, the hydration lasts throughout the day. Also, the packaging is SOO nice TT_TT.
Main cons: The product contains fragrance, which could be irritating to some. I also haven't seen any pore-refining results with it so far.
About the Tatcha Water Cream
The Tatcha website notes that this lightweight, clarifying water cream releases a burst of hydrating nutrients and pore-refining botanicals without leaving skin feeling greasy. Japanese Wild Rose and Japanese Leopard Lily work to refine and clarify the skin, tighten pores, while also controlling excess oil.
While the hydration claims for this product seemed pretty standard for a moisturizer, it was intriguing to see that after 4 weeks of daily use, "85% agreed the clarity of their skin looks improved and pores appear smaller".
*I personally haven't noticed a difference in my pore size/oil control throughout the day with the use of this cream, but my skin does appear brighter and supple when using this!
Tatcha Water Skin Cream ingredients
We will be breaking down some of the key points below, but you can also read our in-depth guide on how to read skincare ingredient labels to see if the formulation would be right for you.
Water, Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Leaf/Cladosiphon Okamuranus/Rice Ferment Filtrate*, Dimethicone, Propanediol, Glycerin, Diglycerin, Diphenylsiloxy Phenyl Trimethicone, Gold, Belamcanda Chinensis Root Extract, Rosa Multiflora Fruit Extract, Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lecithin, Pistacia Lentiscus (Mastic) Gum, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Mica, Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Dimethicone/Peg-10/15 Crosspolymer, Dimethicone/Phenyl Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Disodium Edta, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Parfum/Fragrance, Alcohol, Phenoxyethanol. *Hadasei-3. TATCHA.com
The key ingredient is second on the list (same as the Dewy Skin Cream), is the "Saccharomyces/Camellia Sinensis Leaf/Cladosiphon Okamuranus/Rice Ferment Filtrate".
This ingredient is trade named Hadasei- 3, or Tatcha's "superfluid of Japan’s three essential nutrients of Green Tea, Rice, and Algae ". Green tea is well known anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredient, rice for nourishment, and algae is claimed to help with hydration. The trio's fermentation process helps to break down the complex bio-molecules in the plants and helps to isolate the beneficial components for the skin.
According to INCIDecoder, most of the formulation is very low on the irritancy and comedogenicity scores. The only concerns that may be irritating to very sensitive skin is the fragrance and alcohol.
How to use
- Cleanse, as usual in your routine
- Apply a pearl-sized amount of cream with the provided spatula
- Massage onto face, neck, and décolletage in upward strokes
- Apply sunscreen (if it's daytime)
Is Tatcha water cream for day or night?
The Tatcha website suggests this cream for day and night, but I personally need a bit more hydration for nighttime. If you also try this in your morning routine, I'd recommend letting this sink into the skin for 5 minutes prior to makeup application since this is water-based.
Is Tatcha water cream good for acne?
This cream contains alcohol, fragrance so I wouldn't recommend this for sensitive acne-prone skin. However, this product contains ingredients that control excess oil and is supposed to help with refining pores - so may be a good option if you're just looking for a good oil-free moisturizer.
How long does the Tatcha water cream last?
I use more than a "pearl" sized amount every application, every morning. I'd say for the full-sized cream, it should last around 3 months with regular use.
Wrapping up this Tatcha water cream review
- The Water Cream has the most unique refreshing yet hydrating texture (watery-gel like), very lightweight
- Will suit oily/combo skin the best
- Leaves the skin hydrated the whole day
- There is a bit of a shine, not a matte finish
- I haven't noticed a difference in pore size but I didn't expect it to shrink pores
Also, the packaging is SO beautiful and I always have a luxe experience using it (maybe it's also the gold in the ingredients too).
Hope you found this review helpful. If you decide to try it, comment below and let me know what you think!
Cheers,
T
*This post contains affiliate links, but as always opinions are my own and I purchased all products myself.