The lightweight formula makes my skin feel quenched, not greasy.
I’m partial to emollient, rich, skincare. My boyfriend, on the other hand, shudders at anything that feels slicker than a water cream. Recently, I acquired three moisturizers from Laneige; specifically, its Water Bank collection — one of which brand ambassador Sydney Sweeney uses “every single day.” The collection features a rich cream, a medium-wight cream, and a lightweight gel cream. Initially, I’d stashed the lattermost formula in my boyfriend’s medicine cabinet, and kept the richer formulas for myself. It wasn’t until he cracked the jar open recently that I discovered how hydrating a lightweight moisturizer can, in fact, be — and I’ve since reclaimed the gel for myself.
I suppose I should have expected to like it; to try any Laneige product is to instantly fall in love. The brand’s lip mask, for instance, is beloved by thousands of shoppers, and has even become a staple for Zoe Saldaña. IMO, its gel cream is equally worthy of any A-listers’ repertoire, and a fast-track to red carpet-ready radiance.
Buy on Amazon $40
The Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer is a lightweight, skin-plumping, daily facial moisturizer that’s perfect for balmy months, and anyone who, like my boyfriend, prizes weightlessness in their skincare. The formula contains moisturizing superheroes, which adequately hydrate the skin without assistance from heavy oils or emollients.
Laneige formulated this moisturizer for oily and combination skin types. That said, I’d argue the cream is equally ideal for those of us on the drier side, too, particularly in the sweaty months of spring and summer. The gel-like formula is packed with tiny, moisture-filled bubbles, which burst on contact. Immediately quenching, it’s cooling, too; the skincare equivalent of dipping into a stream after a long, shadeless hike.
The refreshing, dew-inducing cream contains three top-tier ingredients. Naturally, hyaluronic acid — a molecule that acts as a humectant to attract moisture from the surrounding air — is present, and responsible for much of the formula’s plumping powers.
The gel also contains squalane, which softens skin. Squalane also happens to play particularly well with hyaluronic acid: Whereas hyaluronic acid attracts moisture, squalane locks it into the skin, consequently extending the hydrating effects. I’d be remiss to skip over ceramides, which strengthen the all-important skin barrier — and, in turn, maintain healthy hydration levels by preventing excess moisture loss.
For quenched, dewy skin, sans a slick, heavy feel, shop the Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer. The celebrity-worthy cream might just become an essential component of your spring-time skincare routine, as it has for me.
Shop more Laneige favorites at Amazon:
Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Eye Cream
Buy on Amazon $43
Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Intensive Moisturizer
Buy on Amazon $40 $34