The double-standard of moisturizers confuses a lot of skin types as to what kind and how much and which season to use them? As a rule, hydration is the key for healthy happy skin. But there is such a thing as getting too much of a good thing. You’ve probably experienced firsthand pushing goopy moisturizers around on your possibly already oily (summer heat-induced or in general) skin, only to feel greasier but not any more moisturized, per se.
Gel moisturizers are a relatively new product offering stateside but that’s thanks in large part to what Korea has been offering for a minute now. It’s the best of both worlds: deep hydration in a super-light formula. It’s as though water itself has been Cinderella’d into a magic cream.
Not all gel moisturizers are equal though, and one that tops the list is Belif’s The True Cream—Aqua Bomb. The alternative to its heavier counterpart (dubbed simply The True Cream—very mythical-sounding), the Aqua Bomb is kind of like the sequel to a blockbuster hit—more of what you already love with something you didn’t know you wanted.
The name itself implies what you can guess—it’s like being in the hydration splash zone (if we’re talking in water park metaphors here). Belif’s philosophy relies on using naturally derived ingredients, the Aqua Bomb utilizing the very elegant-sounding Lady’s Mantle herb, which softens skin as it also nixes excess sebum. Belif’s key moisturizing formula, Napier’s Original Formula, is tweaked in this one with Napier’s Aqua Formula—both of which focus on calming skin to prevent inflammation while providing antioxidants, minerals and ultimate hydration. In the end, you get that plump cherubic quality to your skin but with invisible layers of moisture. The scent, like many Korean skin care products, is a subtle kind of fresh clean smell that in all honesty, I would love to be bottled into a wearable fragrance.
Natural beauty enthusiasts can rejoice that this moisturizer is for all intents and purposes vegan, while also omitting mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, dyes or synthetic preservatives—a powerful combination of nature + science = performance. The formula is made to feel literally like a splash of water on your face when you apply it, magically taking on a watery-feel (the gel is already pretty light, but all evidence of jelly is gone upon contact) that absorbs almost instantly.
Combination/oily skin will probably make the Aqua Bomb a year-round moisturizer but for really any skin type craving moisture (looking at you, dry/normal/combo) this little jar delivers in spades. Feel free to layer it on since its water-weight texture lends itself to extra helpings sans the goop. Plus, there’s a refreshing cooling effect from the gel—not a bad way to wake yourself up in the AM!
