Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Yay takes Nay takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored

✓Yay

"Even if you have oily skin, you should moisturize. It does not have to be a thick, rich, heavy cream, but having a layer of moisture on your skin is going to give your makeup something to adhere to, and it's going to make your makeup look a lot smoother and more cohesive. Over the past few years, I have been really lucky to work with a lot of celebrity makeup artists, and so many carry the Tatcha Water Cream in their kit. For years, it has been one of my go-to recommendations if someone with oily skin wants a moisturizer because it feels luxurious and kind of rich on the skin, yet dries down in such a weightless, hydrating way. It's perfect and it does so well under makeup."

No BS Beauty

89k subs

✓Yay

"I like their water cream still. It's still a really nice moisturizer with a light fragrance and really nice."

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"Both products are lovely I've used them both extensively"

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"I like their water cream still. It's still a really nice moisturizer with a light fragrance and really nice."

Dr. Aleksandra Brown

142k subs

✓Yay

"I have to mention the Tatcha Water Cream because I'm borderline obsessed with this. I do find that it's ideal for the warmer months thanks to its really lightweight oil-free formula or if you're somebody who has like combination oily skin. This Tatcha Water Cream is just pure perfection. It delivers that boost of hydration without clogging pores. It's really good for oily, combination, even acne prone skin. It helps balance the skin and helps control excess oil, but also hydrates at the same time. You don't end up with like that tight, flaky skin. It absorbs super quick, leaves your skin fresh, dewy, not greasy. I put it on top of my vitamin C, let it dry, and then SPF goes on top. So, if you find that maybe you're using SPF on top of moisturizer, your SPF's rolling off, maybe you don't have the right moisturizer, this one's like perfect underneath your SPF or makeup spring, summer, or even like all year if you have oily skin. The key ingredients here are the Japanese wild rice and Hideaci 3."

All 2 takes from Dr. Aleksandra Brown

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"I love this. I love it. Love it. This one has the Galactomyces ferment filtrate base. It's really lightweight. It feels like you feel like a million bucks when you put it on. It's really ideal for those warmer months because it's lightweight. It's completely oil-free if you're somebody who's acne prone or you're worried about that. It hydrates without clogging your pores. So it's perfect for that combination oily skin or even acne prone skin. Helps balance the skin and control oil while also maintaining that optimal hydration so you don't end up with oily but flaky skin. It absorbs really quick. Leaves you really fresh, kind of dewy a little bit, but not greasy at all. I really like it under makeup. I don't wear a ton of makeup, so I apply this underneath my sunscreen in the morning if my skin is more on the dry side, but a lot of times I'm going to apply this at night time on top of my serums and my actives."

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"I have to mention the Tatcha Water Cream because I'm borderline obsessed with this. I do find that it's ideal for the warmer months thanks to its really lightweight oil-free formula or if you're somebody who has like combination oily skin. This Tatcha Water Cream is just pure perfection. It delivers that boost of hydration without clogging pores. It's really good for oily, combination, even acne prone skin. It helps balance the skin and helps control excess oil, but also hydrates at the same time. You don't end up with like that tight, flaky skin. It absorbs super quick, leaves your skin fresh, dewy, not greasy. I put it on top of my vitamin C, let it dry, and then SPF goes on top. So, if you find that maybe you're using SPF on top of moisturizer, your SPF's rolling off, maybe you don't have the right moisturizer, this one's like perfect underneath your SPF or makeup spring, summer, or even like all year if you have oily skin. The key ingredients here are the Japanese wild rice and Hideaci 3."

CYoung

94k subs

✓Yay

"This takes a little longer to sink in than usual Korean products, but the cooling effect lasts forever. Even oily and combo skin pros are obsessed with it. Price be damned, if your skin gets hot easily this is your new holy grail. I'm picking this deep cooling cream because it's unique."

Nipun Kapur

409k subs

✓Yay

"I always felt like water creams were a bit of a celebrity thing, but when I did use the Tatcha Water Cream I absolutely fell in love with it. It is a gorgeous formula and yes it has a beautiful fragrance, strong, but it sinks into your skin. It gives you that glass-like finish on your skin but it's not sticky. It's just beautiful, water cream is perfection. But perfection almost $70, $80. Maybe it's not worth it."

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All 4 takes from Nipun Kapur

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"The tatcha water cream it's literally like water is fabulous this is my recommended number two recommendation"

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"This is a really really beautiful formula which intently seeps into your skin"

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"This just leaves your skin feeling absolutely smooth and glowy. The only downside about this product is that the fragrance is strong. All Tatcha products have a fragrance-y fragrance, it's just a bit strong. But the payoff is so beautiful that I don't mind it. This is one product that I highly highly recommend, and honestly, even though the product is pricey, this is going to last you a really really long time."

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"I always felt like water creams were a bit of a celebrity thing, but when I did use the Tatcha Water Cream I absolutely fell in love with it. It is a gorgeous formula and yes it has a beautiful fragrance, strong, but it sinks into your skin. It gives you that glass-like finish on your skin but it's not sticky. It's just beautiful, water cream is perfection. But perfection almost $70, $80. Maybe it's not worth it."

The Style and Beauty Doctor

221k subs

✓Yay

"This feels very hydrating. Petrolatum is not going to break you out if you have acne either, unless you put something on that's going to break you out and then you put petrolatum on top, because when you put petrolatum on top things are under occlusion. When things are under occlusion sometimes they get a little bit more intense and that could break you out, but the petrolatum itself won't break you out unless for some strange reason you're allergic to petrolatum."

All 4 takes from The Style and Beauty Doctor

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"Tatcha is an indulgent skincare brand, like it's almost like the perfect kind of skincare brand and gift because the packaging is really nice and the products feel so luxurious."

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"The water cream, it's kind of similar to the Dewy Skin Cream except it's a lighter weight. It's more of a gel cream moisturizer, equally as luxurious but it's more lightweight and better suited for oilier skin."

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"This feels very hydrating. Petrolatum is not going to break you out if you have acne either, unless you put something on that's going to break you out and then you put petrolatum on top, because when you put petrolatum on top things are under occlusion. When things are under occlusion sometimes they get a little bit more intense and that could break you out, but the petrolatum itself won't break you out unless for some strange reason you're allergic to petrolatum."

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"The Tatcha Water Cream is a very light gel cream moisturizer. It's very hydrating but it's super lightweight. It says it's best for oily, combo, or maybe normal skin. There are certain products that have to be used either by a certain person profile or during a certain time of the year by said person and said profile. For me I typically wouldn't use something like that in the winter. I'm probably going to only use something like that in the warmer months when I want the hydration but I don't want that heavy feel. In the colder months though I'm probably going to want something that's even more hydrating."

Alexandra Anele

1.44M subs

✓Nay

"I prepped my face with my Tatcha Water Cream and kind of regret that just so you know. I feel like it made my skin a little too dewy."

All 9 takes from Alexandra Anele

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"I'm going to moisturize my face using the Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer."

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"I went in with my Tatcha Water Cream as my moisturizer"

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"I prepped my face this morning by rinsing it with some water going in with my aen mist and then applying my Tatcha Water Cream moisturizer and I usually let that absorb for a while and then I'll go in with my sunscreen. That is the only skin prep that I need, I don't need any kind of primer."

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"I've gone back to this recently. I just really like the way this makes my skin look."

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"I prepped my face with my Tatcha Water Cream and kind of regret that just so you know. I feel like it made my skin a little too dewy."

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"My favorite base are the tatcha water cream"

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"I use the water cream as my moisturizer like my regular face moisturizer. They create the most beautiful base. I just love it so much."

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"One of the first ones is one of my favorite ways to moisturize and prepare my skin for makeup, it's the Tatcha Water Cream. This is obviously very expensive, Tatcha is very expensive, but I really do like it for prepping my skin."

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"For my base all I did was rinse with a little bit of water, mist with my aesop mist and then I went in with the tatcha Water Cream, then once that's set I applied my beauty of joseon."

James Welsh

1.58M subs

✓Nay

"In my personal experience, I have found that I dry out a lot quicker with the Tatcha Water Cream. It just seems to disappear too quick on the skin, especially on my dry parts. I find gold in skincare tacky, to be honest with you. Tatcha does feel a bit more geared towards those seeking pore refinement and oil control and anti-aging benefits with a touch of luxury. But what that says to me is that people don't want what Tatcha are often claiming their product does, if that makes sense. What they want is a nice lightweight watery cream, a deeply hydrating watery cream."

All 4 takes from James Welsh

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"In my personal experience, I have found that I dry out a lot quicker with the Tatcha Water Cream. It just seems to disappear too quick on the skin, especially on my dry parts. I find gold in skincare tacky, to be honest with you. Tatcha does feel a bit more geared towards those seeking pore refinement and oil control and anti-aging benefits with a touch of luxury. But what that says to me is that people don't want what Tatcha are often claiming their product does, if that makes sense. What they want is a nice lightweight watery cream, a deeply hydrating watery cream."

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"Their water cream is like an iconic product."

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"I don't like Tatcha's moisturizers. I like a fair few of their other products, their lip products are amazing, but the Water Cream I just don't like that much. It broke me out, it's not as deeply hydrating as you'd want from a product with the word water in the name, and it's just very very expensive."

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"I don't love this brand but I do see why people like their products, I especially understand why their water cream is so popular, it is so deeply hydrating, smells nice if that's your thing, and contains an ingredient that is incredibly soothing, especially if you have rosacea or break out easily, probably one of their best products."

Dr. Jenny Liu

322k subs

✓Yay

"The water cream is one of the OG best sellers from Tatcha. It is a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates. It feels so lush on your skin but at the same time it's not heavy. It has their fermented hadashi 3, which is a blend of green tea, rice, and algae extract that helps to plump your skin, helps to hydrate your skin, and brighten your skin as well as wild roast extract that serves as an antioxidant and helps to brighten your skin. Highly recommend checking that one out. Great for the majority of skin types but especially if you are more oily prone or combination skin."

All 2 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu

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"This one is great, it's lightweight, fast absorbing, great for individuals that have combination or oily skin or anyone that gets easily dehydrated but wanting a moisturizer that won't add heaviness, greasiness, or shine. This one absorbs really quickly, is great at hydrating the skin at the same time, helping to control sebum and over time improving the appearance of pore size. Ingredient wise it contains Tatcha's proprietary Hadasei-3 blend which is basically fermented ingredients from green tea, brown algae and rice along with other plant-derived ingredients that is just really soothing and calming. So a lovely moisturizer, however certainly $72 is really expensive."

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"The water cream is one of the OG best sellers from Tatcha. It is a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates. It feels so lush on your skin but at the same time it's not heavy. It has their fermented hadashi 3, which is a blend of green tea, rice, and algae extract that helps to plump your skin, helps to hydrate your skin, and brighten your skin as well as wild roast extract that serves as an antioxidant and helps to brighten your skin. Highly recommend checking that one out. Great for the majority of skin types but especially if you are more oily prone or combination skin."

Beyond50Skin

32k subs

✓Yay

"The water cream is probably better for normal to oily skin types."

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"She is falling in love with the water cream and I am an all-time fave of"

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"The water cream is probably better for normal to oily skin types."

Tea with MD

113k subs

✓Yay

"Another great moisturizer for summertime is the Tatcha Water Cream. This has been a holy grail of mine for a really long time. It really helps to hydrate without feeling heavy or sticky at all. It is formulated with Japanese rose and also Japanese lily, so one helps to tighten pores and smooth the skin texture and one helps to kind of clamp down on excess oil. And it also comes with this proprietary blend called the Hadassei 3 Complex which consists of green tea, rice, and algae. I know this one is a little bit pricier than a typical drugstore option, but that's why I like to offer a range of pricing in all these products I recommend so that you can test them and pick one that fits your preferences and your budget."

Doctorly

3.58M subs

✓Yay

"Tatcha Water Cream is a high-quality moisturizer, though more expensive than alternatives like Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel."

Dr Dray

2.69M subs

✓Nay

"The Tatcha Water Cream, that's a pass. I did try it and was not impressed."

Cassandra Bankson

2.46M subs

✓Mixed

"If I am going through a phase where my skin's very, very hydrated I will use this during the day underneath my makeup and it works beautifully underneath makeup. This also works surprisingly well on the body. The dry down is like not oily but it just gives this dewiness to the skin that is like no other. It is stunning. But I am not notoriously the biggest fan of the Tatcha Water Cream. It's expensive so I cringe at giving them my money. Out of all of the creams out there it is a halfway decent one. It is hydrating, but is it going to be anytime soon, absolutely not. But if you are like Tati and you want that experience, it's not a bad one."

What the evidence says.

Independent of what the gurus think, this is what the published research supports about the main active ingredients here.

Sunscreen filters

Sun protection is the best evidenced way to slow visible ageing, and the filters are what does the work. Mineral and chemical filters both protect when a product is applied thickly enough and often enough, which is where most people fall short rather than on the choice of filter.

Source: DermNet

Humectants and emollients

Ingredients like these draw water into the surface layers and slow how fast it leaves. The evidence is for comfort, softness and hydration rather than for changing the structure of the skin.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer?

A lightweight gel-cream moisturizer formulated with fermented botanicals and hyaluronic acid, designed to hydrate without heaviness or grease.

Is Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer worth it?

Mostly yes. 10 of the 14 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 78%.

What is Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer's Guru Score?

Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer holds a Guru Score of 78%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 14 expert reviewers we have collected. At least one expert has named it a Top Pick in its category.