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The INKEY List

Omega Water Cream.

The INKEY List Omega Water Cream
Moisturizers

About this product

A lightweight gel-cream moisturizer formulated with omega fatty acids, niacinamide, glycerin, and ceramides, designed to hydrate and support skin barrier function without a heavy or oily finish.

Full ingredients

Guru Score

75%

Yay

13 experts · Strong agreement
13Gurus
10Yay
2Mixed
1Nay

What they liked

  • Lightweight but hydrating across all skin types
  • Dewy finish that shows through makeup
  • Layers smoothly under sunscreen

What they flagged

  • Can peel up sunscreen when layered
  • Gets clumpy on damp skin

What the gurus are saying

This gel-cream absorbs fast and leaves a dewy finish without stickiness or shine, making it a standout pick for summer and combination skin. The formula packs niacinamide and glycerin at concentrations dermatologists confirm are effective, plus a ceramide complex rich in omega three, six, and nine to repair and protect the skin barrier. One expert felt other moisturizers outperform it, though most praise its affordability (around 10.99 dollars) and suitability across all skin types, from dry to oily, layering nicely under makeup and sunscreen.
Synthesized from 13 expert reviews · most recent take March 2026

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
"The Inkey List Omega Water Cream Oil-free Moisturizer, which is 14 bucks. This one's got a kind of a watery creamy texture to it. I would say this one is great for oily or dry skin. But it soaks in really nicely. This one plays really nicely under sunscreen. It's great morning or evening. This one I typically use a lot like on my neck and chest sometimes. I just find it really works there at night nicely. It's got a minimalist formula. So it doesn't have a ton of beneficial ingredients, but it's got niacinamide, panthenol, and then glycolipids, which are hydrating barrier repairing ingredients. It's really nice. No fragrance, short ingredient list. So if you have sensitive or reactive skin, that's a nice thing for some people."
Yay
"This is a moisturizer that I really like. This is from The Inkey List. This is the Omega Water Cream. You want to look for ingredients that have water first. [...] A water cream is going to be really good."
All 3 takes from Alexandra Anele
Make your makeup look like skin! *DRUGSTORE EDITION*
"For my moisturizer I used the INKEY List Omega Water Cream, which is not technically drugstore but it is an affordable moisturizer which is really nice. It's actually a pretty good dupe for Tatcha Dewy Skin. My skin is like pretty well hydrated in the areas that I want."
Makeup for acne prone skin
"This is a moisturizer that I really like. This is from The Inkey List. This is the Omega Water Cream. You want to look for ingredients that have water first. [...] A water cream is going to be really good."
How to choose the RIGHT foundation formula for your skin type
"I have tried The INKEY List, their water moisturizer, which is absolutely a dupe for this and it's unscented which is very nice. As far as formula, very similar, like extremely similar."
Yay
"And the Omega Water Cream by the Inkey List."
Yay
"One of the best has to be their Omega Water Cream and I never see anyone talking about it. This is one of the best gel cream textured moisturizers I've ever used. I have combination skin and it's perfect for the most driest parts of my skin and for the oiliest parts. There's ceramides, glycerin, and niacinamide in here so our barrier and hydration levels are cared for. It targets everything that needs to be targeted but it's just super super quenching. I would call it if you haven't tried it already give it a go, I'm pretty sure you'll love it."
All 2 takes from James Welsh
Skincare Products I Thought I’d Love💜…But Ended Up Hating! 😭 & More TikTok Skincare Videos
"One of the best has to be their Omega Water Cream and I never see anyone talking about it. This is one of the best gel cream textured moisturizers I've ever used. I have combination skin and it's perfect for the most driest parts of my skin and for the oiliest parts. There's ceramides, glycerin, and niacinamide in here so our barrier and hydration levels are cared for. It targets everything that needs to be targeted but it's just super super quenching. I would call it if you haven't tried it already give it a go, I'm pretty sure you'll love it."
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"If you're oily-skinned or combination-skinned, you'll love this - it's your stereotypical water cream with that extra bit of hydration and moisture. It has the in-between benefit of being enough for oily skin and enough for dry skin. It's a combination of omega fatty acid complex, glycerin, betaine and niacinamide working together for longer hydration. You feel that throughout the day - it feels like having a glass of water every couple of hours, staying hydrated without reapplication. You feel constantly plumped and hydrated. It's a great one for combination skin all year round. If you're oily-skinned or combination, you'll absolutely love this and your skin will feel so nice and hydrated throughout the day. If you wear makeup and want that dewy glow, it's a really nice moisturizer to end your routine on before going into makeup."
Mixed
"This is the Omega Water from the INKEY List. So you can see there are more fats in this product. It really does turn to water, it's a really good title, very light on the skin. I do like this product, it does feel quite cooling to the skin, but it might not be hydrating enough if I'm honest. If you are finding your skin getting a bit drier, you're not actually getting much more hydration, maybe 10% more hydration on the inside."
Yay
"I would probably buy it, since it can double up as a hydrating serum on cold days but is lightweight enough to be used as a moisturizer when it is scorching."
All 3 takes from Doctor Anne
My most loved skincare 2024 - Holy grail routine | Doctor Anne
"The Inkey List Omega Water Cream is one of the products I currently use or have used repeatedly in the past, but am not in love with. I use it for the summer."
My most loved skincare 2023 - Holy grail routine | Doctor Anne
"I would probably buy it, since it can double up as a hydrating serum on cold days but is lightweight enough to be used as a moisturizer when it is scorching."
So many skincare empties - Everything I used up in 2023 | Doctor Anne
"The only one I have to show is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream, that I love a lot. It is super lightweight, not tacky at all and, depending on the season, doubles up as a hydrating serum with something heavier on top, great for combination skin types."
Yay
"This is a gel moisturizer that is very lightweight but it's so moisturizing, it's plumping, and it's perfect for all skin types including those that have dry skin. I absolutely love this cream. It sits nicely underneath sunscreen and makeup. I've never had an issue with pilling. This keeps your skin comfortable for the entire day but also gives your skin this nice glow as well. This contains five percent niacinamide, so great if you have uneven skin tone, dark spots, redness. It has five percent glycerin, which is a humectant, so this is going to plump and hydrate the skin. Three percent betaine, which is another ingredient to hydrate, and there is a ceramide complex which is rich in omega 3, 6, and 9, so this is going to prevent transepidermal water loss but also help to repair the skin barrier at the same time. Even when my skin is at its driest and I have that flakiness to it, this cream performs well."
All 2 takes from Sincerely Miss Ash
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"This is amazing during the summer because this is your true water cream. It's extremely lightweight but it's moisturizing enough to keep your skin comfortable for the entire day. Perfect for all skin types including dry skin and sensitive skin, and this is also fragrance free. The ingredients here are pretty amazing: there is a ceramide complex which is rich in Omega three, six, and nine, so this is going to prevent transepidermal water loss but it also helps to repair the skin barrier at the same time. There's five percent niacinamide which will help to reduce excessive oil, great if you have uneven skin tone and you have redness. There is five percent glycerin which is a humectant, so this is going to plump and hydrate the skin, and there is three percent betaine which is another ingredient that will hydrate the skin. This is perfect underneath your sunscreen under makeup. If you love that true dewy finish then you are going to love this. This one will shine through your foundation and your makeup and your skin will have this nice dewiness to it."
ANTI-AGING SKINCARE ROUTINES ON A $60 BUDGET | MORNING & NIGHTTIME | AFFORDABLE AND EFFECTIVE!
"This is a gel moisturizer that is very lightweight but it's so moisturizing, it's plumping, and it's perfect for all skin types including those that have dry skin. I absolutely love this cream. It sits nicely underneath sunscreen and makeup. I've never had an issue with pilling. This keeps your skin comfortable for the entire day but also gives your skin this nice glow as well. This contains five percent niacinamide, so great if you have uneven skin tone, dark spots, redness. It has five percent glycerin, which is a humectant, so this is going to plump and hydrate the skin. Three percent betaine, which is another ingredient to hydrate, and there is a ceramide complex which is rich in omega 3, 6, and 9, so this is going to prevent transepidermal water loss but also help to repair the skin barrier at the same time. Even when my skin is at its driest and I have that flakiness to it, this cream performs well."
Mixed
"The Omega Water Cream is an excellent moisturizer. I don't think it's one of the best moisturizers in the entire world, there are some other moisturizers that I do like better, but for the price it is a good one."
All 2 takes from Cassandra Bankson
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"The Omega Water Cream is an excellent moisturizer. I don't think it's one of the best moisturizers in the entire world, there are some other moisturizers that I do like better, but for the price it is a good one."
I Bought Into The Hype — This Is What Happened…
"When I looked at this I thought of drugstore products and high-end products that have omegas in them, but when I tested it on my hand I was kind of surprised. It's a very basic moisturizer. There are some oils and omegas in there but it's mainly niacinamide. It's a niacinamide moisturizer. It's not a bad product but I'm just like why did you call it an omega cream. It's lightweight and a really good addition to the Inky List lineup, especially since they have their peptide moisturizer. But when I look at the ingredients and how it feels on skin, it feels more like Neutrogena water cream than anything else. It doesn't feel omega-y or oily. It really feels wet on the skin, not hydrating, not creamy. It ends up just feeling wet and then it soaks in. It's a good product especially for the price, but it's not my favorite."
Yay
"One that I've recently fallen in love with that has a great price point is the Inkey List Omega Water Cream. I have used this in dry climates and I've used this in oily climates and I feel like it's a really good moisturizer that performs well regardless if you have oily skin or dry skin. It's a simple but powerful ingredient list in a consistency that's very lightweight but still hydrating and nourishing to the skin, and it can be used as both your daytime moisturizer and your nighttime moisturizer. It's so good that when I was trying to keep this routine at fifty dollars exactly, sacrificing the moisturizer was just not worth it to me."
All 3 takes from Hyram
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"One that I've recently fallen in love with that has a great price point is the Inkey List Omega Water Cream. I have used this in dry climates and I've used this in oily climates and I feel like it's a really good moisturizer that performs well regardless if you have oily skin or dry skin. It's a simple but powerful ingredient list in a consistency that's very lightweight but still hydrating and nourishing to the skin, and it can be used as both your daytime moisturizer and your nighttime moisturizer. It's so good that when I was trying to keep this routine at fifty dollars exactly, sacrificing the moisturizer was just not worth it to me."
Reacting to My OLD Sephora Purchases
"I am truly impressed by this product. I wasn't sure what the experience was going to be with the INKEY List because I love so many of their other treatment products, but they don't have as many moisturizers. I personally really love this one. It's not a water cream I'd recommend for people with really oily skin, it's a little more nourishing, but it's very similar to the Rovectin water cream, just a bit thicker. It's a great consistency, it feels like it has the moisturizing agents to seal the skin without making me feel extra oily. I think it's good, and for ten dollars that's a steal."
let's go on a date
"I follow up with a water cream, and I'm going to go for the Inkey List Omega Water Cream. I recently started using this one and I really like it. It's a nice formula, it's lightweight, it's a little bit hydrating, but I think that's a good thing because Colorado is so dry all the time."
Yay
"The INKEY List Omega Water Cream is super affordable and it's full of rich omega fatty acids."
Nay
"I've tried out the Inky List Omega Water Cream and I don't know, it's a pass for me. It's $9.99 and I don't think that's that inexpensive."
All 3 takes from Dr Dray
NEW SKIN CARE AT SEPHORA 🛍 DERMATOLOGIST @DrDrayzday
"I've tried out the Inky List Omega Water Cream and I don't know, it's a pass for me. It's $9.99 and I don't think that's that inexpensive."
Vlog: LOREAL CAFFEINE EYE SERUM & TESTING NEW SKIN CARE 😍 @DrDrayzday
"This is the Omega Water Cream from The Inkey List. The consistency is pretty emollient, and in my experience using it, it doesn't layer underneath sunscreen particularly well, the sunscreens I've tried over it tend to peel up. It's a little shiny, and if you put moisturizer on while your skin is still a little damp, because this is so emollient, I find that it gets clumpy. It's good within six months of opening. I use it on my face and it works really well, it's not greasy in my experience, though you may find it greasy if you have oilier skin because it's a little thicker. Long story short, it's not bad, but I would say there's just better moisturizers out there for me that I like better because of their consistency and the way they lay on the skin. I rate this three and a half out of five. It's not bad, it's just not something that I would go out of my way to purchase."
Vlog: TRYING OUT INKEY LIST OMEGA WATER CREAM 😮 CHICKPEA BLONDIES🍪 POOL TIME 👙 @DrDrayzday
"I just tried the INKEY List Omega Water Cream tonight. I had a little bit of difficulty spreading it on the skin, so I ended up putting it on over vaseline because it just slugged my arms and legs. I only put it on today so I can't really give you a full review of it, but it may be a good option for the winter months, it's pretty heavy, my face looks pretty shiny. I don't think this would be a good moisturizer to use first thing in the morning and then put sunscreen on over, I think you'd look super shiny, and the consistency of this makes me question if sunscreen would pill or go on over this at all. It's got niacinamide and 0.2 percent ceramide complex, and that percentage stuff, brands need to calm down with that, it's not really useful information. It does have five percent niacinamide though, which is on the upper limit of what's been studied to show benefit for hyperpigmentation and redness, so if your skin isn't easily irritated by niacinamide you might enjoy that. It's vegan. First impression, seems okay, seems pretty good."
Yay
"Product number four is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream. This is definitely another great one for combination skin, dehydrated skin, that is incredibly light, oil-free, and packed with wonderful barrier support ingredients without a heavy finish. Texture-wise, I would say it's very similar to Neutrogena, but just another option I want to offer you guys. I really love that it feels really smooth and also helps to instantly plump your skin. What I love about this product is that it contains 5% niacinamide, so for those that are seeking a little bit of sebum control, or even helping with discoloration, or if you're acne prone and struggling with post acne marks, this moisturizer with that 5% niacinamide, which is a great concentration, kind of helps to indirectly improve those concerns as well. It also has a ceramide complex and betaine, which helps to reinforce the skin moisture barrier. So [...] suitable for combination skin, dry combination skin, oily skin, or acne prone skin struggling with post acne marks."
Sponsored
All 3 takes from Dr. Jenny Liu
Derm Approved Top Lightweight Moisturizers for Hot, Humid Weather | Dr. Jenny Liu
"Product number four is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream. This is definitely another great one for combination skin, dehydrated skin, that is incredibly light, oil-free, and packed with wonderful barrier support ingredients without a heavy finish. Texture-wise, I would say it's very similar to Neutrogena, but just another option I want to offer you guys. I really love that it feels really smooth and also helps to instantly plump your skin. What I love about this product is that it contains 5% niacinamide, so for those that are seeking a little bit of sebum control, or even helping with discoloration, or if you're acne prone and struggling with post acne marks, this moisturizer with that 5% niacinamide, which is a great concentration, kind of helps to indirectly improve those concerns as well. It also has a ceramide complex and betaine, which helps to reinforce the skin moisture barrier. So [...] suitable for combination skin, dry combination skin, oily skin, or acne prone skin struggling with post acne marks."
Drugstore moisturizers for winter $35 or less | Dr. Jenny Liu
"A more affordable gel cream option is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream, which retails for eleven bucks. It contains a blend of ceramide complex and glycerin, along with, again, five percent niacinamide. It's a gel cream texture that's very fast absorbing and lightweight, and it helps to smooth the skin and improve complexion. So just another option to give you guys that's more affordable, under twenty dollars."
Dermatologist Reviews The INKEY List Skincare | DR. JENNY LIU
"The Omega Water Cream retails for 10.99 and is an excellent choice especially if you have combination to oily skin, especially as we head into the warmer months. This is a lovely moisturizer. [...] It's great for all skin types, especially if you have acne and combination skin. It's an oil-free gel cream that absorbs really quickly, does not impart any stickiness, heaviness, or shininess on the skin, and it layers nicely under sunscreen. It contains their Omega complex that derives from Omega three, six, and nine, so lipids are really important in supporting our skin barrier and also helps to reduce transepidermal water loss. It also contains humectants like five percent glycerin as well as five percent niacinamide, which is a nice concentration that is within [...] the appropriate range that's not going to cause irritation and is the effective concentration that has shown in studies to be helpful. Niacinamide helps to support skin barrier, if you're more oily skin that niacinamide can help potentially in reducing sebum production, and if you have uneven skin tone niacinamide can be really helpful and have brightening properties."
Yay
"I would personally pair that with their Omega Water Cream. It's a very lightweight and hydrating moisturizer."
Sponsored
All 4 takes from The Budget Dermatologist
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"The Omega Water Cream is only 10.99 and it does have niacinamide in it, ceramides, glycerin. It's oil free so it's super lightweight. I love this one especially for summer skincare routines because it is so lightweight but still very hydrating."
Budget Sunscreen Pick! Under $15 | The Budget Dermatologist
"The Omega Water Cream by The Inkey List is like a kind of a hybrid gel cream. You can see as soon as you blend it in it blends in more like a gel and it is so lightweight and it is so hydrating. This one is also extremely affordable for a moisturizer, I think it's like right around ten dollars."
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"I would personally pair that with their Omega Water Cream. It's a very lightweight and hydrating moisturizer."
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"This is so lightweight. It comes out looking like a moisturizer, but as soon as you rub it in it immediately turns transparent, so very much like a gel serum consistency and it is just so lightweight. It is amazing to use in the morning time."

What the evidence says.

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

Niacinamide

Niacinamide has evidence behind it for redness, uneven tone and supporting the skin barrier, and it is usually well tolerated even by skin that reacts to most things.

Source: DermNet

Frequently asked.

What is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream?

A lightweight gel-cream moisturizer formulated with omega fatty acids, niacinamide, glycerin, and ceramides, designed to hydrate and support skin barrier function without a heavy or oily finish.

Is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream worth it?

Mostly yes. 10 of the 13 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 75%.

What is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream's Guru Score?

The INKEY List Omega Water Cream holds a Guru Score of 75%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 13 expert reviewers we have collected.

Who is The INKEY List Omega Water Cream best for?

The INKEY List Omega Water Cream is generally suited to oily skin, combination skin and sensitive skin.

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