This fluid gel cream from a just-launched J beauty brand pulls a cool trick: it proves undetectable just seconds after application, yet leaves skin with a dewy (but not slick) finish. The formula's star ingredient? Plant-derived, biomimetic ceramides — moisturizing ingredients which "act as the cement between the cell 'bricks' of our upper layers of the skin," says Dr. Palm. "Ceramides form a protective barrier for the skin, and when they are depleted, dry skin conditions such as eczema worsen."
"The microbiome in normal skin is composed of several strains of 'healthy' bacteria that prevent the growth and infection of harmful bacteria/yeasts/viruses, an important function of the skin barrier-preventing infection," says Dr. S. Manjula Jegasothy, a Miami-based dermatologist. "Including prebiotics in skin care serves to help the skin barrier with this task." This whipped gel-to-cream formula taps probiotics to help boost the microbiome and skin barrier function, along with lactic acid to exfoliate.
"Antioxidants help calm skin to speed recovery," notes Palm — and his weightless cream-gel formula, which instantly sinks into skin, is chock full of them: vitamins A and C and anti-inflammatory niacinamide, along with microbiome-boosting peptides.
In the jar, this tansy-blue gel cream looks more like a fun science experiment than skin care: take a swipe of the pudding-like gel onto your finger and watch the remaining contents of the jar magically meld back together. But what's more important is how it affects skin: though light in texture, the cream boasts 20 percent humectants to hydrate like crazy, along with a proprietary blend of ingredients to help protect skin from blue light.
This vegan gel not only strengthens the skin barrier with prebiotics, it also contains cica, a calming ingredient that neutralizes redness and is kind to sensitive skin. The fluid formula (75 percent of which is made of aloe and cucumber extract) is also our new go-to for sticky summer months: it smells like fresh celery juice and delivers a cooling sensation, which leaves skin feeling stimulated and awake, but not tingly.
