For the longest time I thought I had dry skin. Somewhere along the way it quietly turned into combination‑to‑oily, acne‑prone skin and ever since skincare feels like trial and error.
Here's a quick rundown of everything I've tried so far, in no particular order:
1. Plum rice water niacinamide moisturiser
Beautifully fluid, almost weightless, and instantly calming when I apply it. But the hydration feels surface‑level, never really lasting. After a while I started noticing closed comedones, so I began to suspect niacinamide isn't for me.
Overall – 2/5
2. Simple Ultra Light Liquid Moisturiser
This one truly lives up to the 'ultra light' tag. It feels like I'm putting nothing on my face. Even water moisturises better than this. It left my skin looking dull and I ended up abandoning it in a drawer until it expired. Used less than 15%.
Overall – 0/5
3. Cetaphil DAM
I used this a while back, so the memory is a bit fuzzy, but I recall it made my skin look noticeably dull and about two shades darker. It also gave me closed comedones. I gave it to my mom and she felt a slight burning sensation.
Overall – 1.5/5
4. Formularx Barrier Relief
The texture is spot‑on and genuinely hydrating. For a moment I thought this was the one. But again, niacinamide showed up as a dealbreaker with recurring closed comedones and dullness. The packaging is a bit disappointing.
Overall – 3/5
5. Ipca Acne OC
A quiet, no‑nonsense formula that does exactly what it promises. Lightweight, controls oil well, and leaves a clean matte finish that lasts all day. The silicone feel isn't my favorite, but for me it works.
Overall – 3.5/5 ☺
6. Bioderma Sebium Hydra
A solid barrier‑repair moisturiser, especially for night time. It's a little too rich for daytime, but it's deeply hydrating and never clogs my pores. The only downside is my skin looked a bit less radiant over time. Not bad, just not perfect.
Overall – 4/5
7. Acmist Moisturising Gel Cream
This feels like a moment. The texture starts as a soft cream and then settles into a gel‑like finish. Light, breathable, yet genuinely hydrating. It layers well, sits beautifully under makeup, and just feels right. I've only used it a couple of days, but I'm optimistic. Trying not to get too attached too soon, but it's hard not to.
Thanks to all the girlies on Reddit who put me on this.
Overall – 5/5
I've also tried a bunch of others like Bioderma Atoderm, The Face Shop rice water and ceramides, Neutrogena Hydro Boost, Minimalist B12, CeraVe (the blue one) and, across all of them, the pattern is the same – either too heavy, too fragranced, slightly pore‑clogging, or just leaving my skin looking flat.
For now, Acmist feels like it understands the balance. Let's see if it holds up.
(https://i.ibb.co/1twwkM9B/oef7gc6khyvg1.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/3mjRsBrs/tesck66khyvg1.jpg)
Nice review, well done!
Oil control rating?
I've been using Acmist for almost 8 months now. Before this I tried Dot & Key, Derma Co, Deconstruct and other popular brands, but they all ended up giving me closed comedones.
This one, though ✨, works really well for me. It sits comfortably on my skin and gives a good level of moisturisation. I don't plan on switching to any other brand.
Have you tried Pond's moisturiser?
Please keep us updated on how Acmist works... I'm thinking of buying it.
I get closed comedones whenever I use any niacinamide‑based skincare. The only exceptions I've noticed are BOJ Sunscreen OG and BOJ eye cream, and I only use those around the eye area. Maybe the niacinamide concentration is lower in those.
Hi, great review. I have oily skin but it gets super dehydrated in dry weather. Which product would you say is the most hydrating? And does it act as a good sealant to prevent TEWL?
Which one would you recommend as a good night‑time moisturiser?
I have oily, acne‑prone skin. Can I use it? I'm planning to start prescription tretinoin – is this a good moisturiser to pair with tretinoin gel? Remember, my skin is oily.