Countless beauty product launches take place every day, week, and month. Some fade away without much attention and some get a burst of excitement that fades away. And every once in a while, some have the power to become the impetus for a completely new skin care category that transforms regimens across the globe. "Cream skin" is exactly that, and we're doing a deep dive today.
The Cream Skin frenzy began with a new SKU from Korean beauty brand Laneige — the Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer, $33 — which hit shelves in the summer of 2019. The product was an instant success for a few different reasons. First, it's a sophisticated formula that applies like a dream. Second, it combined two different categories (toner and moisturizer), making it a minimalist's dream product. After noticing the product's success, other brands decided to follow suit and develop their own version.
There's some confusing surrounding the topic of cream skin. Mostly, it's the assumption that Cream skin is a certain texture/appearance of skin similar to the glass skin trend we saw in previous years.
"While glass skin is a term to describe a look of clear, bright, poreless, sculpted dewy, radiant, almost translucent skin, cream skin describes a type of product," explains celebrity esthetician Candace Marino. "In short, it's a hybrid toner-meets-moisturizer that's designed for normal to dry skin types for people who want a minimal routine. Now more than ever, people are gravitating towards a minimalistic skin care approach and because this is a two-in-one product, many are streamlining their routines thanks to these hydrators."
Cream skin products — sometimes referred to as a liquid cream — should be applied immediately after cleansing your skin both in the morning and evening. It essentially replaces your need for an individual toner, essence, and moisturizer. Because of its lightweight texture, cream skin will absorb quickly (like a toner would) while providing the max hydration you'd get out of a standard cream. You can follow up with your serum and/or oil, SPF, and cosmetics.
To try cream skin yourself, flip through the following slides to learn about some of the hero products in this new category.
As mentioned, beloved Korean skin care brand Laneige was the pioneer of cream skin with its Cream Skin Toner and Moisturizer, $33. It boasts a dreamy, lightweight consistency and is formulated with white tea leaf water which is rich in skin-bolstering amino acids.
