Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream is a K-Beauty classic, without a doubt. I mean, look at it! The color! The texture! It is a beauty to behold. The first time I tried it was around three years ago when I first started using retinol. I decided to finally purchase it again last month after not having used it in years! There’s a catch though: as I get close to 30, my skin has changed significantly. Is this cream still well-suited to my skin after all this time? Read on to find out!
Ingredients
Water, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Centella Asiatica Extract, Sorbitan Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Glyceryl Stearate, Stearic Acid, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract, Ceramide NP, Polysorbate 60, Candelilla Cera, Chlorphenesin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Xanthan Gum, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Morus Alba Root Extract, Tromethamine, Brassica Oleracea Italica (Broccoli) Extract, Guaiazulene, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Lecithin, Acetyl Glutamine, sh-Oligopeptide-1, sh-Oligopeptide-2, sh-Polypeptide-1, sh-Polypeptide-9, sh-Polypeptide-11, Bacillus/Folic Acid/Soybean Ferment Extract, Caprylyl Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol
I was shocked when I noticed sodium hyaluronate quite high on the ingredients list, as I previously hadn’t realized that it was there. (But also, I hadn’t been on the lookout for it several years ago) I’ve been trying lately to avoid products with hyaluronic acid and sodium hyaluronate. (It’s almost impossible to do because they’re EVERYWHERE.) Both of these ingredients temporarily give the skin a plumped look but will leave it dehydrated later. They do this by pulling water out of your skin, which is the opposite of what you want happening. I highly recommend checking out this YouTube video by Dr. Shereene Idriss to learn more about hyaluronic acid and why it’s not all it’s cracked up to be!
The Blue Calming Cream does contain glycerin, which is a much better option for moisturizing! Centella asiatica extract, argania spinosa kernel oil, and portulaca oleracea extract are all skin-soothing antioxidants.
There are a variety of peptides in the formula, which stimulate cell production and, therefore, assist in healing. They can be helpful in reducing the appearance of wrinkles as well.
The star ingredient is guaiazulene, which is an extract derived from chamomile oil. It gives the Blue Calming Cream its beautiful, distinctive blue shade! Guaiazulene is known for its calming capabilities, hence the name of the cream.
Usage
After having encountered some heavily fragranced facial products in recent times past, I’ve grown more appreciative of fragrance-free products. I’m sensitive to smells, and having something strong-smelling on my face can be incredibly distracting. As it follows, I enjoy that there is no fragrance to this cream! It smells refreshingly like nothing!
It’s a light cream and not greasy at all. The application is smooth and easy, and I don’t find the finish to be sticky either. I like to use a fairly generous amount, a little over pea-sized.
Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream Results: Then and Now
The past couple of years my skin has progressively been getting less oily. In the winter it almost verges on being more of a dry skin type.
The first time I used this cream several years ago, my skin was much oiler. I didn’t need to use any other moisturizer with it, and my skin felt fairly normal after having it on for a while.
When using the Blue Calming Cream this time around, I found that I had to use a bit more to get the same effect. I’ve layered another heavier cream or sunscreen over top of it too to make sure I’m getting sufficient moisture. I was concerned about possible dehydration due to the sodium hyaluronate, and I do feel like there is an amount of it that happens when I use this cream. At night I find myself reapplying another layer of something heavier before bed because my skin just doesn’t look or feel as moisturized as I want.
During the day, if I put on a richer sunscreen, I feel like my skin is ok throughout the day. However, if I use lighter sunscreen, my skin starts to feel dry by midday. I can always tell because the fine lines around my eyes and on my forehead will start to show up, and those areas will begin to look dull too.
Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Midnight Blue Calming Cream simply isn’t sufficient for my skin’s needs anymore. It does still provide a nice calming effect and helps keep redness at bay, which is one of my main skincare goals. Its inability to keep my skin moisturized as I like though renders it a non-option for future purchases.
It’s somewhat disappointing since I enjoyed it so much before, but there are so many other moistuizers out there to try that it’s impossible to be too sad about it! Have you tried Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream? What are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments!
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It’s so interesting to see how our skin changes as we get older!
I haven’t tried this cream yet but it’s been on my wish list for ages. From your experience, I’m not sure it’ll be hydrating enough for my skin since it’s been feeling a bit dry recently too. The colour is gorgeous though, such a shame it isn’t a little more moisturising!
It really is! I kind of want to write a post on it to sort of document the experience for myself!😆
Yes, it was a little disappointing to find it to be as light as it is this time around. I feel like there must be other creams out there with similar key ingredients though, so I’m going to keep an eye out!😃