Oil-free gel creams. Oil-free. That’s what attracts me to a large number of products. Since my skin can vary from being normal to mainly combination oily/dry, gel products tend to work best for me. I wrote a post about the KIEHL’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream before, but I haven’t used it long enough to come to a conclusion on how I felt about it at that time. I finished that tub, and now I’m on a much bigger tub.. the 125mL size! Honestly though, skincare products are so hard to test because they require so much time to try out the product, and then having to make sure that what is happening to your skin is actually due to that specific product. whew. Anyways.
Disclaimer: I do not consider myself as a beauty guru/expert, and all sorts that fall under that category. This product was purchased with my own money and I am not being paid to write this. My review, photos, impressions and thoughts are all my own, unless stated otherwise. While this product may or may not have worked for my skin, it may or may not work for yours – remember, your mileage may vary (YMMV)!
Links: Affiliate links will be marked with an **. I currently only have an affiliate link with Wishtrend.
Evaluation
PACKAGING
|
INGREDIENTS
|
APPLICATION
|
TEXTURE
|
EFFECTIVENESS
|
PRICE
|
| 5 | 2.5 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 2 |
Total out of 5: 3.9/5
Price
50mL – $36.00/ 125mL – $62.00
Prices from Hudson’s Bay
Quickie
The Good
- Oil-free, works well for those with combo-oily skin
- Light-weight, can be used daily and during humid environments/hot summers
- Absorbs quickly
The Bad
- Strong alcohol scent
- Hydrates skin, but doesn’t really feel like my moisture is being ‘retained’
- Pills with certain sunscreens
- Mid price range
- Doesn’t provide a variety of benefits
- Not sure if this is the best for extremely cold temperatures and dry weather
Will I buy this again
There’s a low chance that I will be buying this again. I’ve tried the 50mL and now I’m on the 125mL tub. It’s a bit on the pricier side for a product that doesn’t have many benefits to it besides hydration.
Claims/Description
- An oil-free, quickly-absorbed hydrator that leaves skin balanced
- Visibly reduces excess oil on skin’s surface
- Re-balances skin barrier for a smoother appearance
- Paraben-free, Fragrance-free, Colorant-free
From Hudson’s Bay
Packaging
The packaging of the gel cream is your average tub, nothing special. It’s made out of plastic, which kind of makes you feel a bit meh about it, since the price point isn’t super low but you get a really plain and simple packaging with it. They’ve got a French side and an English side.
It makes you hope that they put more effort into the product? Or that’s what some people say. But KIEHL’s is known for their simple packaging, so.. can’t really do much about that!
Ingredients
Aqua/Water/Eau, Glycerin, Alcohol Denat., Propanediol, Glycereth-26, Isononyl Isononanoate, Ammonium Polyacryldimethyltauramide/Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Propylene Glycol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Citric Acid, Caprylyl Glycol, Carbomer, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Panthenol, Cucumis Sativus Juice/Cucumber Fruit Extract, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer
Source: Nordstrom
I checked it with the ingredients list on my product, and they are the same. Here’s the breakdown on CosDNA. There’s no fragrance, no parabens and no silicones. Make sure that you patch test before using this, or check and make sure that your skin is not sensitive to any of these ingredients. The one thing that I don’t like is how there’s a high amount of denatured alcohol in this product, which is what gives this product the ‘effect’ of getting rid of the oil on the skin, but.. it’s not the greatest ingredient out there and can potentially irritate your skin instead..
Texture & Viscosity
Gel, gel and gel texture! The viscosity/consistency of the product does have some thickness to it, it’s not like the LANEIGE Water Bank Essence_Ex where its texture turns watery.
If you’ve tried the MIZON Multi Function Formula Snail Recovery Gel Cream before, the texture is similar in a sense except the KIEHL’s is not as sticky and feels cooler on the skin. The finish for the MIZON is also slightly stickier.
Application
Easy, and absorbs extremely quick on my face. It doesn’t appear that way on my hand, but I could feel my skin “drink” it in. The finish is light and not sticky at all.
The only issue I have with the application is that it has a really strong alcohol scent. Since this absorbs quickly on my skin, it makes me go through the tub quite quickly.
Effectiveness
This definitely hydrates, there’s no doubt. My skin is happy when I apply this, but it doesn’t feel incredibly long-lasting to me. After immediately applying this, there’s a shiny finish, but if you pat it in or wait a bit it eventually turns into a matte finish.
Reducing Excess Oil on Skin Surface
It does help control or “reduce” the excess oil, and I think this has to do with alcohol being one of its main ingredients since it’s so high up on the ingredients list. The gel cream makes my skin feel more refreshed (probably the alcohol though..). Unfortunately, as the day goes on, my skin, especially my T-zone, gets oily, and this doesn’t really do a great job at controlling my oil throughout the day.
Smoother Appearance
This is a bit hard for me to show on pictures, but my skin does feel smoother after applying the gel cream. It is a short-lived effect however. Our skin gets in contact with so many things during the day when we’re out and about, and not every cream or gel cream can maintain that appearance. The CLINIQUE one does a pretty good job, but since the KIEHL’s is much more lightweight and thinner in texture, it doesn’t last as long.
In Summary
It is a good product for those who want a cream that helps control the oil/sebum production to a certain extent. My skin still gets oily throughout the day, and to control that would probably require me bringing out a mist or something of that sort. For what it claims, I don’t feel like this product is worth it’s price because it doesn’t have much to offer (if you know what I mean). You’re really paying for the brand. However, to be fair, it is a good lightweight product for the summer, especially for those with oily skin simply because it feels good on the skin. Sigh.. time to get back into the market for a more affordable gel moisturizer! Let me know if you’ve got any recommendations :)
REJUJUNATE 