TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream Review: A New Favorite

I’m sure you all anticipated this post, because I’ve been sharing TATCHA reviews for several weeks in a row now. Today marks 30 days since I started using Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream, and I’m excited to share my results with you [so excited, in fact, that I almost want to spill it all in the first paragraph].

TATCHA’s muse, modern-day geisha Kyoka-san. Photo credit: Tatcha

Let’s take a moment to admire TATCHA’s muse, modern day geisha Kyoka-san’s luminous complexion. It’s radiant, healthy and supple, and really has that mochi-hada or “baby skin” look to it. How does one achieve and maintain such perfection? TATCHA’s founder Victoria Tsai sought inspiration in a 300-year-old manuscript, featuring beauty rituals, practiced by several generations of geisha. Each product is personally formulated by Vicky herself and her chemist to ensure that it’s up to the highest industry standard: gentle, effective and free of useless and irritating chemical junk [mineral oil, synthetic colors, fragrances, sulfates, parabens, PEGs, PPGs, urea, DEA, TEA, and  Phthalates].

Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream is described as a “luxurious yet weightless feeling gel-cream of liquid silk, squalane, royal jelly + HADASEI-3 Bioactive Complex, ideal for oily and normal/combination skin.” Since my skin falls somewhere in between normal and combination, I figured this was the perfect moisturizer to try from the lineup. My skin type also tends to change with seasons, so in warm weather it would lean towards normal/combination, while on colder months it would turn into unmanageable menace – dry/sensitive/combination. That’s two different skincare routines I have to follow, because while I have an oily T-zone, the rest of my face needs a different kind of treatment, especially when it becomes that second type in Winter.

TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream

TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream – the cap holds a beautiful golden spoon

TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream – texture

The texture of this moisturizer was very accurately described above – it’s kind of like a semi-opaque white pudding that hasn’t set yet; or a nice even mix of gel and cream, if that makes sense. The cap houses a golden spatula spoon, which in my opinion is way better than using fingers to get the moisturizer out of the jar. Still, it’s jar packaging, and you know what I think about those: there’s a risk of cross-contamination, and excessive oxidation which leads to the loss of effectiveness of natural active ingredients, especially if the product is exposed to sunlight.

Here’s how I remedied the situation:
I keep empty jars of various sizes for storage purposes. Normally I would scoop some product out, and put it in a sample-sized container, while keeping the rest in the fridge. However in this case the original jar is just so gorgeous, I really wanted to proudly display it on my vanity table, so I did the opposite. I transferred all of Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream to a clean container I kept from some other moisturizer, sealed it with saran wrap, closed the lid tightly and put it in the fridge. Instead of transferring small batches into travel-sized jars, I transfer them into the original TATCHA jar, so when you open it, it looks like there’s barely any cream left, when I actually have a lot more sitting in the fridge. This preserves the effectiveness of the ingredients and protects from the sunlight and bacteria.

The effect Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream had on my skin and on my perception of moisturizers was almost life-changing. I learned that it’s possible to use a nourishing and moisturizing product without avoiding the T-zone, and it won’t look oily or greasy. I also learned that I can use the same moisturizer all year long [the weather here in Michigan changed from low 20s to mid 70s and back to 30s in the past month] and my skin will be comfortable with it. As for the SPF, I still have my Supergoop serum for everyday wear, but if TATCHA introduces a sunscreen product, it would immediately go on my wishlist.

TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream – looks like pudding, doesn’t it?

TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream – texture

Bottom line
I am a beauty sampling addict, I really enjoy travel and trial sizes and very rarely commit to full-sized products. That was actually the main reason behind my monthly Empties posts, because I needed a good reason to actually finish the products. I have purchased full-sizes for maybe 1% of all the things I sampled, and re-purchased only 0.01%… I’m giving you some perspective here with these numbers, because the next thing I am about to tell you was shocking even to me.

Thing is, Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream impressed me so much, I not only promoted it to my staple status list, I also started a little piggy bank, because I fully intend to finish the jar I’m reviewing, and purchase a new one as soon as I’m out. That means that instead of buying some things I otherwise would have bought, that money will go in the piggy bank towards this cream. So far I resisted Too Faced Melted lippie and Hourglass Ambient Powder palette [both were in my cart and I was ready to hit checkout], so I’m almost halfway there! You have no idea how much I wanted that palette, and the fact that I chose an expensive moisturizer over it should tell you just how much I loved it.

By the way, for those of you who asked: TATCHA has taken the cruelty-free pledge and are now officially registered with PETA’s Beauty Without Bunnies database. Click here for more information.

THE VERDICT
The last two paragraphs above pretty much sum up everything. TATCHA Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream is a fast-absorbing, extremely gentle and very effective daily moisturizer, with pleasant texture and light fragrance. It made my skin soft, supple, and balanced, while pushing out those fine lines. I am 30, so I know those wrinkles are coming soon whether I want it or not, but with this cream I feel like I can safely see a few more years of line-free skin. I have never met Kyoka-san, but looking at her gorgeous complexion and feeling my own after a month of using Supple Moisture Rich Silk Cream, I seriously thought that this is what her skin must feel like.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY
$150 USD for 1.7 oz. Available at Barneys, Tatcha.

Ingredients:
Water, Glyc­erin, Propane­diol, Alco­hol, Cyclopen­tasilox­ane, Squalane, Isocetyl Stearate, Squa­lene (Olive Extract), Inos­i­tol (Rice Deriv­a­tive), Caprylic/Capric Triglyc­eride, Sor­bi­tan Stearate, Behenyl Alco­hol, Stearic Acid, Phe­noxyethanol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Germ Oil, Hydro­genated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-2 Tri­isostearate, Batyl Alco­hol, Eth­yl­hexyl­glyc­erin, Argi­nine, Bis-Behenyl/Isostearyl/Phytosteryl Dimer Dili­no­leyl Dimer Dili­noleate, Car­bomer, Sericin (Silk Extract), Xanath Gum, Biosac­cha­ride Gum-1, Sodium Hyaluronate, Panax Gin­seng Root Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Thy­mus Ser­pil­lum (Thyme) Extract, Algae Extract, Camel­lia Sinen­sis Leaf Extract, Fra­grance (Natural).