Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, as with every other lavender-hued Tatcha product, has had something of a cult following ever since the Meghan Markle-approved brand arrived in the UK three years ago.
ICYMI, Tatcha was founded by New York City trader Vicky Tsai in 2009. Tsai had been subject to a course of daily steroids and antibiotics – following a relentless dermatitis battle – but experienced something of a “penny drop” moment when she visited Japan, noticing the glowing complexions of its people. Tsai's mission became clear: she wanted to harness the plentiful benefits of the nation's Japanese skincare rituals and natural ingredients through a new skincare line that looked as good as its effects to the skin were. Now? We're fifteen years down the line, and Tatcha counts Nicola Coughlan, Jennifer Aniston and Selena Gomez as fans.
I love Tatcha, and have spent the last three years testing a lot of its products. But I'd be lying if I said I gave into the Dewy Skin Cream hype when my colleagues started going wild for it. It took me while. The day I finally gave in? I was nothing short of blow-away. As the product is reduced by 15% at Space NK ahead of Black Friday 2025 (use the code FIRST15 if you're a first-time Space NK shopper), you'll want to keep reading to hear what happened.
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Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream at a glance:
| Product type: | Moisturiser. |
| Key ingredients: | Hyaluronic Acid + Red Algae + Hadasei-3, Biomimetic Squalane and Japanese Purple Rice. |
| Key benefits: | Healthy ageing, plumping and hydrating. |
| Sizes available: | Travel 15ml, Full Size 50ml, Refill Pot 50ml, Value 75ml. |
| Available at: | Space NK – reduced by 15% with the code FIRST15 as part of an early Black Friday beauty deal, Sephora and Tatcha. |
| Pros: | Lightweight, helps your complexion recover from stress and pollution, “first moisturiser that has made a dramatic, insant difference to my face.” |
| Cons: | High price point, doesn't contain SPF. |
| Tested by: | Sarah Y. Wu, Glamour contributor, and Denise Primbet, Glamour contributor. |
My experience using Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream:
There’s no shortage of material possessions that spark joy for me: sweatpants that qualify as daywear, croissants of every variety, LED face masks that double as Instagram props. Moisturisers, even the very best ones, rank somewhere near the bottom of this list. I need them in my life, but they’re just not that exciting. The most effusive I’ll ever be about a face cream is to say that it does its job without any additional bells and whistles. I leave the brightening, plumping, glow-boosting work to flashier things — like power-ingredient-packed serums or resurfacing acid peels.
I would be lying if I said I changed my mind when every beauty editor I knew began raving about the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream. Look, I love Tatcha — the brand has inspired me to set exceedingly high standards for my blotting sheets (if it’s not flecked with gold leaf, why are you even telling me about it?) and body lotions (You mean it’s not infused with indigo and won’t leave me smelling like the spa? Pass). But it was a moisturiser. How life-changing could a moisturiser possibly be? Even the knowledge that it was inspired by Mario Dedivanovic (Kim Kardashian West’s makeup artist) and would reportedly give my complexion the texture of a “freshly steamed dumpling” elicited no more than a feeble eyebrow raise at first.
Then one Sunday evening last year, I really did everything you can possibly do wrong for the general well-being of your complexion. In my defence, if you’re going to pour me a well-chilled glass of white wine and plop a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream in front of me, I’m not going to act like they’re not there. One fantastic dinner party and way too much sugar and alcohol later, I climbed into bed somewhere around 1:30 a.m., too lazy to go through my usual meticulous skincare routine. (I did still remove my makeup, though. I mean, I have some standards).
I woke the following day with a strong suspicion the night’s festivities had taken a toll on my face. Four hours of early morning German grammar drills did nothing to help that situation. By the time I got home, drastic measures clearly needed to be taken. Hobbling into my room, I suddenly spied a previously forgotten pot of the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream hanging out under my bed (this job comes with certain perks) and recalled all the fervent steamed-dumpling praise it had inspired. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to put those claims to the test.
This is the part where I admit that everyone was correct, and I now feel as though I’ve spent my entire life being lied to about the true potential of face cream. The formula is packed with purple rice bran, which does way more than lend the contents a charming lilac hue. The ingredient is rich in anthocyanin, an antioxidant that helps your complexion recover from stress and pollution. Other botanical extracts, such as algae, thyme, and marjoram, are added to intensely hydrate, reinforce your skin barrier, and retain more water. There’s also ginseng, which contains the same amino acids found in collagen.
Apparently, when you mix this up — and sprinkle in whatever magic Tatcha adds at the end — you get the first moisturiser that has ever made an instant, dramatically noticeable difference to my face. This is not one you have to use patiently for many days and nights in a row to reap the rewards, although you certainly could. And unlike some other products that are billed as “glowy,” it doesn’t contain microshimmers or light-reflecting particles to accomplish any of these results. I pat it on, my face drinks it in, and then I simply look better. Shadows recede, signs of life come flooding back, and my skin takes on a freshly watered, luminous quality.
Denise Primbet agrees. I wanted to cross-reference my findings with those of another Glamour contributor – and pleasingly, she loved it as much as I did. “My complexion soaks up the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream like a dream, resulting in the dewiest and glowiest skin that peeks through my makeup,” Denise Primbet told me. It’s truly miraculous.
The glimmering purple tub, like that of all of Tatcha’s moisturisers, comes with a miniature golden spoon tucked on top. You’re meant to use it to scoop tiny amounts of the cream, if you’re someone who prefers not to stick their bare fingers in their skincare. I have never once used a spoon for this purpose, but it now serves as an excellent reminder that I can eat a tub of late-night ice cream, chase it with wine, and still appear fresh-faced in the morning.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go root through my freezer.
What is Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream?
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream is Japanese skincare brand Tatcha's hero moisturiser, a formula which is formulated with antioxidant-full Japanese Purple Rice (this ingredient helps fight against damage caused by stress, pollutants and UV damage), as well Okinawa algae and hyaluronic acid to captures water and help maintain the skin’s natural moisture reservoir.
What is Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream used for?
According to Tatcha, The Dewy Skin Cream should be used on dry skin or dull skin to hydrate and plump. If you have combination skin, fret not – it can also be used on your skin type, particularly if you prefer a richer texture.
When should you use Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream?
You can use The Dewy Skin Cream daily, in both the morning and night. It isn't greasy and sits well under foundation. Just remember, it doesn't contain SPF, so you'll want to use a dedicated face sunscreen on top of it.
This story originally appeared on Glamour US.
