Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream Review

This is the first product I’ve tried from Jessica Alba’s behemoth beauty line, and I am impressed.

I was introduced to it when Brit beauty journalist (and all-around beauty guru) Sali Hughes included it in her Cult Beauty box a couple of years ago. In her column for The Guardian, she called it “the perfect moisturiser, softening and hydrating all skin types of all ages, and providing an ideal base for the smooth buffing of makeup.” I wouldn’t go quite that far, but I have certainly enjoyed using it, and do agree with her assessment of it suiting all skin types and all ages. My main caveat is that you wouldn’t get the most out of it all year long.

For my own fairly balanced skin during our hardly-harsh Australian winter, this cream isn’t quite enough. My skin becomes a greedy little thing at this time of year, constantly demanding more, especially of its cosseting moisturiser blanket. If the title ‘hydrogel cream’ puts you off because it sounds like it will be too light for you entirely, fear not – it is much more a light cream than it is a heavy gel. It does feel nourishing, but it’s not quite at the level of what I’m after during the colder, drier seasons. At these times, though, I do think it would be an ideal moisturiser for less dry (and therefore probably younger) skin than mine. As a day option for our very hot summers, it would likely be a bit much for me, especially under SPF, but at night when its warm, it would come into its own for anyone but the very oily.

Housed in a smart, simple plastic screw top jar, the cream itself has only the very lightest of scents – ‘eau de clean’, if you will. Where things morph from ‘this is a nice moisturiser’ a little more towards ‘hmm, science experiment time’ is in how you choose to apply it. If you put it on completely clean, dry skin, it goes on like any other moisturiser. However, if you apply it when you have anything else at all on your face, whether it’s just water from cleansing or other skincare products, it undergoes this strange textural transformation. The moisturiser becomes wet rather than creamy, and you have to rub it in more vigorously, as opposed to smoothing or patting on a product which is fluffier. It’s not a bad thing, but just be aware of it so that you avoid worrying that your product is somehow broken. My beloved, exceedingly expensive Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream does the same textural dance, but I have yet to figure out what it is in the formula/s that causes this to happen. Whichever texture of the Hydrogel Cream you end up with, skin feels comfortable after applying, and, as Sali noted, this one is a great base for makeup. (Though, of course, if you’re applying during the day, you’d also be adding SPF in between moisturiser and makeup.)

Sample/purchase info: purchased at Cult Beauty (link here).