Tatcha Water Cream Reviews. The Tatcha Water Cream has been on my review radar for as long as I’ve had oily skin.
This Japanese hydrating cream promises to refine pores while promoting balanced skin with healthy aging properties. But I couldn’t pass this moisturizer up without trying it because it’s recommended for oily to combination skin types like mine.
An oil-free moisturizer for oily to combination skin?
So the Tatcha Water Cream is an oil-free moisturizer for oily to combination skin; it’s created as part of the brand’s effort to differentiate products to target different skin types. The texture of this face cream is light but not runny. After it separates during the application, the product thins to an opaque, watery finish that absorbs easily when massaged in. While it seems like the Water Cream ticks most of the boxes of what an oily skin-fighting skincare product should be; alas, it brought out the worst of my sebum production. So what went wrong? Let’s dig deeper.
First and foremost, I don’t have genetically oily skin. No one in my family does. So I don’t necessarily have what you’d call ‘overactive sebaceous glands.’ I blame my diet and lifestyle for my enlarged pores and dehydrated skin. I’m a sugar lover; mostly from my chocolate and dessert addiction. Sugar, especially the fructose found in this common carbohydrate, increases testosterone levels in women and causes our skin’s oil glands to produce more sebum, which causes our pores to become clogged and enlarged.
Second, I have dehydrated skin. The lack of water in my skin also leads to the overproduction of sebum which makes up for the hydration it needs and as a result, it develops into oily skin on the surface. Here is a video where I illustrate how this happens if you want to delve into the mechanics.
Fermented skincare products work on their own before they work on our skin. The fermentation process creates a microbiome that breaks down ingredients and converts them into easily bioavailable molecules into acids that work to strengthen our skin barrier which is the top layer.
Tatcha Water Cream Ingredients
At the top of the Tatcha Water Cream ingredient list is what they call ‘Hadasei-3’ – it contains Uji Green Tea, Okinawa Red Algae, and Akita Rice Protein, all of which are native to Japan, where the product is made. This powerful trio is a proprietary complex that undergoes a double fermentation process to catalyze the effectiveness of its bioactive ingredients for rapid absorption, and they revitalize, soften, and plump the skin. Now, now. I think that’s where my problem lies.
An effective product for my skin type should then hydrate and gently loosen dead skin cells on the surface while also bonding my skin barrier, so that there’s no water loss, as in my case.
The Tatcha Water Cream ingredients read like the perfect cocktail of such modus operandi, but I think the double fermentation doesn’t do as well as it’s supposed to for my dehydrated skin type. I’m no expert, but I’ve read that the science behind this secondary fermentation not only increases the number of active nutrients but also increases the rate of enzymatic exfoliation and overall bioavailability.
This could be one reason why my skin is overwhelmed by the process. Even though the product says ‘oil-free’, the accelerated fermentation also creates a high concentration of ceramides, which are essentially epidermal lipids. So now that you know that my skin type tends to be deficient in moisture from the deeper layers of the skin and accumulate oil on the surface, one might think that the catalytic function of lipids is instead clogging my pores further.
Water-Based Moisturizer But Is It a Skin Dehydrator?
Tatcha The Water Cream is considered a water-based moisturizer because its first and largest ingredient is water. Then there are three main ingredients that Tatcha Water Cream features. You move down the list just after ‘Hadasei-3’ and you have Leopard Lily, or Blackberry Lily which is responsible for oil control, and Japanese Wild Rose for calming, hydrating, and smoothing the skin. The rest that goes down the line are Hawthornia Cordata Extract to reduce inflammation in acne-prone and sensitive skin and Sophora Angustifolia Root Extract to inhibit melanin, in that order.
From the scheme of things, it seems that the hydration-based, ingredients act more as moisture-retaining agents rather than boosters. To top it all off, there’s Dimethicone and Dimethicone Crosspolymer. While they work together to seal in moisture, they can repel moisture, so water can be retained, but I don’t expect the cream to be supercharged with water. Dimethicone is also not oil-soluble. This means that the sebum my skin produces is likely to stay on the surface of my skin and end up clogging my pores. So even though Tatcha Water Cream says it’s non-comedogenic, the use of dimethicone is a contributing factor. That explains why my face is all shiny after a few hours.
Tatcha Water Cream Reviews
Cons to consider
Despite my great experience with moisturizers, Tatcha Water Cream still contains ingredients like dimethicone and silicone, which can cause breakouts for users. Dr. Garshick also notes that those with sensitive skin should be careful when using this product because various botanicals and natural fragrances can cause contact dermatitis, which can manifest in the form of redness, dryness, or itching.
While Tatcha Water Cream gives my skin just the right amount of hydration when the weather is warm, it’s still considered a relatively light moisturizer and may not be hydrating enough for super-dry skin or during cold-weather months. If that sounds like you, I recommend Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream instead for maximum hydration.
Tatcha Water Cream Reviews
Verdict
As said over, I’ve been utilizing this moisturizer for around a year presently, and the comes about have been nothing brief of astonishing. I utilized heavier moisturizers to offer assistance in combat dry patches, but since that, my skin felt sleek and congested. In any case, since exchanging this Tatcha item, my clog has begun to clear up, my complexion doesn’t remain sleek all day, and my skin feels hydrated and plump.
It wouldn’t be right to do an audit and not say the bundling. I adore how lovely this moisturizer looks, and it comes with a helpful gold spoon that you can utilize to apply the item to your skin. That being said, it can be a little troublesome to travel with, so I tend to tap the item into a little tub or tube when I go on excursions.