I Tried 2 Moisturizers Trying To Replace My Old One

I have had a wonderful relationship with Herbivore’s Pink Cloud Moisturizer for a few years now. When it first came out I tried and immediately loved it, but once my skin went haywire and I had to drop anything with oil in it from my routine, I sadly had to say goodbye. As I’ve started to add comedogenic skincare products back into my routine, I repurchased it and fell back in love completely. My skin is soft, supple, smooth and just plain hydrated when I use it, and along with being comfortable on the skin, it comes in glass packaging that is ridiculously chic. I thought I was set for life.

Until I started being unable to find it. Anywhere.

After some desperate searching (waiting in line the day my local Sephora opened to grab one that had been in there since pre-Covid) and a very desperate sounding email to Herbivore’s Customer Care team, I found out that it will be temporarily out of stock until they finish reformulating and re-releasing it next year. So like any normal skincare obsessee, I started doing panic research on other moisturizers to find a stand-in for my tried and true favorite. That’s how I landed on these two.

Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Cream

After repeatedly hearing people sing the praises of this product, I decided to test it out myself in the hopes that it would be a good replacement for my holy grail moisturizer. Although the texture is a similar thick texture, it has a smell that I can’t put my finger on other than unpleasant. It fades after application but the smell is even strong when you first open the jar. I found that this moisturizer just wasn’t hydrating enough for my skin- after using it for a week some of my dry patches began coming back on the sides of my nose and between my eyebrows, a problem I never have with Pink Cloud, as well as some bumpy skin texture coming through on my jaw line that happens when my skin is lacking hydration. Typically, my skin really enjoy Squalane oil, and I apply it every night after my serum, but this one just wasn’t doing it for me.

Tata Harper Water-Lock Moisturizer

Even though this moisturizer is marketed as the complete opposite of what I was looking for, my skin loves Tata Harper hydrating products, especially her masks, and I was hopeful that this one would work for me. The most intriguing part about this product is that it comes in two parts with a refillable component that’s easy to assemble. Once you finish the product, you purchase the refill pod and pop that into the component- a more sustainable way to repurchase your favorite products. The component comes with a pump that disperses just enough moisturizer to cover your face and neck and it feels very lightweight and smooth when applied to the skin. The moisturizer has the classic Tata Harper scent and leaves my skin feeling hydrated and comfortable. However, I had trouble applying makeup over this moisturizer, even after applying a sticky primer. When blending, the foundation started to pill off my face (along with, I’m assuming, the moisturizer) and wouldn’t settle, even when I tried a sponge or my fingers. I’ve been alternating between this and my Herbivore Pink Cloud at nights, and then applying the Herbivore product in the morning, since this one gives me such trouble under makeup.

So now what?

I’m going to continue using the Herbivore moisturizer and the Tata Harper one, but will keep looking for a replacement (and maybe buy 2 Pink Cloud’s at a time), what’s your current favorite moisturizer? Let’s get some recommendations.