More glass skin glow with the I Dew Care Say You Dew Vitamin C Gel + Cream

The last moisturizer I fell in love with was the Shiseido Essential Energy Moisturizing Gel Cream, and that was more than a year ago. It’s been a bunch of mediocre moisturizers since, so I’m glad to have discovered another gem from the Korean brand I Dew Care, the Say You Dew Moisturizing Vitamin C Gel + Cream.

What is it

A dual-layered formula that helps you dew you all day long, with a top gel layer of antioxidant-rich lemon extract and brightening Vitamin C, and a bottom cream layer with banana extract known to prevent moisture loss.

How I use it

As a moisturizer twice a day, followed by sunscreen in the am.

Best suited for

All skin types except super sensitive skin. More mature skin might not find this rich enough.

Ingredients

Water, Glycerin, Propanediol, Butylene Glycol, Niacinamide, Pentylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Shea Butter, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Diisostearyl Malate, Meadowfoam Seed Oil, PEG/PPG/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/3 Glycerin, Phytosteryl/Isostearyl/Cetyl/Stearyl/Behenyl Dimer Dilinoleate, Tsubaki Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Phenyl Trimethicone, Trehalose, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Polysorbate 60, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Betaine, PEG-100 Stearate, Lemon Fruit Extract, Polysorbate 20, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Hydroxyacetophenone, Caprylyl Glycol, Tromethamine, Palmitic Acid, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Synthetic Beeswax, Stearic Acid, Sodium Polyacrylate, Carnauba Wax, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Ethylhexylglycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Neem Flower Extract, Adenosine, Fragrance, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Tocopheryl Acetate, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Neem Leaf Extract, Turmeric Root Extract, Holy Basil Leaf Extract, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Sucrose, Disodium EDTA, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Banana Fruit Extract, Biotin, Cyanocobalamin, Folic Acid, Pantothenic Acid, Pyridoxine, Thiamine HCl, Tocopherol
full analysis on INCIDecoder

Irritants

Alcohol free but does contain fragrance and potential comedogenic ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter.

Packaging

A bright plastic jar that looks cute and not cheap.

Scent

A light citrus scent

Texture

True to its name, it’s a gel-cream hybrid that’s refreshing and creamy at the same time.

Finish

A glass-like, slightly sticky finish. The stickiness goes away after a while

Available For

$29/1.69 oz on Ulta, Amazon, and Memebox

Misleading ingredients?

So right off the bat that ingredient list is not the most attractive. The star ingredient, vitamin c, doesn’t even appear in the first half of the list! As a matter of fact, a lot of the beneficial ingredients are in the bottom half, and the first half is mostly emollients. But for a moisturizer, is this really a bad thing?

While it’s nice for products to include antioxidants or anti-aging/brightening actives, we need to remember the main function of a moisturizer is to hydrate and prevent further moisture loss, which means there are 3 types of ingredient we should look:

• Humectants to draw moisture in, like glycerin, hyaluronic acic, trehalose, and urea.
• Emollients that smooth the skin and strengthen the barrier, like dimethicone, shea butter, and most plant-based oils.
• Occlusives that form a film on our skin to lock in the moisture, like mineral oil, most waxes, and some of the thicker plant oils.

With that in mind, this I Dew Care moisturizer actually does contain a good mix of all 3 types of ingredients at a reasonable price, so I’ll let the stingy amount of bonus ingredients slide for now.

Usage Experience

Very important: this is a duo texture moisturizer, which means the gel and the cream must be properly mixed before applying.

Of course me in my excitement totally did not do that, and applied just the top gel layer the first few days and wondered why it wasn’t moisturizing enough. Oops.

But once I mixed it, the magic happened. The texture became a light cream that moisturized well without feeling oily or heavy on the skin. Most importantly, it gave my skin that glass skin glow that rivaled the Glossier Futuredew! The only downside to this glow is that it went away as soon as I applied sunscreen, but boy did I look dewy af right before bed!

As for long term results, this performed just as well as pricier moisturizers I’ve used. It kept my skin hydrated and I always woke up with soft bright skin the next morning. For what appears to be a gimmicky product with a meh ingredient list, it’s certainly exceeded my low expectations and proved that first impressions aren’t always correct.

Final Verdict