As a beauty & skincare writer, I’m always excited to stumble upon something new in the beauty industry. And what’s got my attention lately, is the fact that there’s a new skincare category called ‘cloud creams’. As dreamy as this sounds, I set out to find out more. Read on to find out what cloud creams are exactly, what they can do for your skin and also a round-up of ones you can get your hands on.
What are Cloud Creams?
To begin with, these are moisturisers, yes. When it comes to consistency and hydration benefits, they lie somewhere between gel moisturisers and richer creams. Characterised by their airy, lightweight textures, cloud creams are super hydrating and nourishing but weightless creams. Think fluffy, but light-as-air clouds – that’s what these creams feel like and that is where they get their name from.
View this post on Instagram
Also, just like a cloud holds vapour, these cloud creams help deliver and retain moisture in the skin, leaving it feeling plump and nourished. They tend to include ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and similar hydrating ones that help plump, smooth and soften the skin.
Whether you deal with dry skin in the winters or all year through, cloud creams are hydrating and refreshing but light enough that they don’t feel as heavy as thick rich creams on the skin even in humid weather. They help repair and maintain a healthy skin barrier. These also work well for those dealing with the dehydrating effects of air conditioning in workspaces. So if you’re looking for something more nourishing than gel moisturisers but not as heavy as thick creams, cloud creams could be your best bet.
Here are six cloud cream recommendations you can pick from…
Clinique Moisture Surge SPF 25 Sheer Hydrator
View this post on Instagram
If you love your peach Clinique Moisture Surge tub, you’ll love this one more. A cloud-like cream, it delivers hydration with SPF 25 giving sheer sun protection – even for deep skin tones. While it looks opaque when applied, it blends in sheer leaving no white cast, residue, or stickiness. The product contains aloe-bio ferment and HA complex, along with provitamin D which is a powerful antioxidant that helps fortify skin’s free radical defence.
Being a lightweight product, it is quick-absorbing and also works well under makeup.
Orimii Weightless Hydration Cloud Cream
View this post on Instagram
This light gel cream, formulated with hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C powerhouse arctic cloudberry, delivers a refreshing boost of lasting hydration. It penetrates deep into the skin’s layer and hydrates from within. Its watery formula gives the skin a refreshing cooling sensation, perfect for those hot and humid days! The cream absorbs into the skin easily without leaving a sticky or tacky feeling, making it ideal for oily skin types too.
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Omega Rich Cloud Night Cream
View this post on Instagram
Packed with omega-rich botanicals, this nourishing cream is the newest addition to the brand’s iconic Midnight Recovery Concentrate Range. The lightweight moisturiser with its cloud-like texture has been specially formulated to replenish and rejuvenate the skin overnight. It effortlessly melts into the skin, so you don’t have to worry about going to bed with a tacky face.
It has an oil-in-water formula that encapsulates the oil droplets and integrates them within the skin’s surface, helping to provide long-lasting nourishing hydration, and reinforcing a replenishing effect for the lipid barrier. The cloud cream locks in moisture all night for visible plumpness and restores skin overnight for more supple, radiant skin by morning.
Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Rich Barrier Moisturizer
View this post on Instagram
Infused with concentrated 30% hyaluronic acid complex, a potent hydrator that draws in water, as well as pentavitin that helps provide up to 72 hours of hydration, even post cleansing, this cloud cream, delivers hydration max. The cream helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving a silky, hydrated and more youthful-looking complexion.
Dermafique Aqua Cloud Crème
View this post on Instagram
A dewy, could-like crème that deeply hydrates for long-lasting soft supple skin, it nourishes the skin, fortifies the skin’s barrier and prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL). It is infused with seaweed extract from the sea of Bretagne in France and is enriched with the goodness of shea butter, olive oil and Vitamin E that leaves the skin velvety soft.
PÜR 4-in-1 Cloud Cream Gel-to-Water Hydrating Essence Moisturizer
View this post on Instagram
Incredibly hydrating yet light, this 4-in-1 cloud cream offers four benefits in 1: it hydrates, soothes, smooths, and primes the skin. Its innovative gel-to-water formula magically transforms upon application. It is enriched with a proprietary blend Ceretin Complex, which contains purified retinol, lactic acid, ceramides, and other age-defying ingredients, that help smooth, firm and improve the appearance of skin giving it a healthy glow.
It is also infused with soothing green algae extract that helps protect the skin from damage caused by visible blue light, a common environmental stressor that can cause oxidative damage to the skin.
