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I’ll be using this £11 lightweight moisturiser all summer – and so should you

The formula feels instantly hydrating

Olivia Perl
Freelance beauty writer
Friday 28 June 2024 05:03 EDT
I gave this a go on one of the hottest days of the year to see how it fared under my make-up during a normal day
I gave this a go on one of the hottest days of the year to see how it fared under my make-up during a normal day (The Independent )

Warmer weather means it’s time to pack away your heavy creams and turn towards lighter-weight skincare products. The first place to start? Switching up your moisturiser.

Thicker, richer formulas are best for your skin when the wind is harsh and the temperatures are low to replenish the moisture that your skin loses thanks to a spikier climate, but in the summer the needs of your skin are different. Instead, we’re looking for thinner formulas, that rehydrate without clogging up pores or sitting too heavily on the skin as opposed to drying out, our skin is more likely to be sweating thanks to the humidity rising.

Moisturisers don’t always need to be creams – they can come as gels or even in more liquid formulas. The Inkey List’s omega water cream moisturiser is a mix of the two and is a cream that becomes a thin, spreadable liquid, encompassing the benefits of both.

One of the brand’s newer products, its aim is to lock in moisture while rebuilding (and protecting) your skin barrier without the product feeling heavy on the skin. I wanted to put it to the test to see if it lived up to expectations.

How I tested The Inkey List omega water cream moisturiser

(Olivia Pearl)

As someone with combination but dehydrated (and slightly sensitive) skin, there are certain things I look out for in my moisturisers: whether my skin feels instantly hydrated, how long that hydration lasts, how my skin looks after applying and how the product feels on my skin. To try out the omega water, I gave this a go on one of the hottest days of the year to see how it fared under my make-up during a normal day.

The Inkey List omega water cream moisturizer

The Inkey List Omega water cream.jpg
  • Why we love it
    • Lightweight
    • Hydrating
    • Affordable

Although it looked like a cream, as soon as I pushed a pea-sized amount (as the packaging instructed was enough) onto my hand I noticed that it didn’t really feel like a cream. It had a watery base before I’d even started rubbing it in, but after dotting the small amount of product around my face and then massaging it into my face, I noticed it cool and started to feel like water.

The interesting part about this texture change is it feels as though you’re spreading hydration around your face as you’re working the product in. I found it really refreshing, especially as I was applying this in the morning before my SPF and make-up in warm weather.

Containing niacinamide to brighten, glycerin and betaine to hydrate and omega fatty acids to protect the skin barrier and retain moisture, I wasn’t surprised that my skin felt fresher, smoother, softer and also appeared healthier and brighter than it had before I’d applied the product.

It dried down fairly quickly, without feeling greasy, allowing me to carry on with the rest of my morning routine. Throughout the day, I didn’t notice my skin feeling dry and I was impressed by how unobtrusive it was on my skin.

The omega water cream is also really reasonably priced at slightly more than £10 and because so little goes such a long way it really does last and last and last, meaning you’re really getting your money’s worth.

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The verdict: The Inkey List omega water cream moisturizer

Lightweight and hydrating, this moisturiser from The Inkey List more than hits the mark when it comes to a weightless option for the hotter weather. With long-lasting hydration and a satisfying cream-to-water transition, it sits nicely under SPF and make-up.

Really affordable and long-lasting thanks to only needing a pea-sized amount for the whole face, this is definitely going to be my go-to lightweight moisturiser for the summer.

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