Cream
Cream is the catch-all word on this grid, which holds every in-stock product with cream in its title across all our brands. In practice that means several distinct jobs sitting together: face moisturizers like goodal's Blueberry Vita C Cream 50ml and Erseongcho Hyaluron Soothing Cream 80ml, calming creams such as GUERISSON's Midnight Blue Calming Cream 60ml, targeted eye creams including GONGSKIN's Vitamin Eye Cream 30ml and GUERLAIN's Ohuzura Eye Cream 15ml, day-specific formulas like GUERLAIN's Abeille Royale Day Cream, and multi-item sets. Size is the quickest clue to purpose: 15 to 30ml usually means eye or spot use, 50 to 80ml is a standard face jar. Choose by what the cream is meant to fix rather than by richness alone.
By Skinsli editorial Updated
Buying guide
Creams: how to tell the types apart and pick one
Cream is the last step of most routines and the widest category in skincare, so a page that gathers everything with cream in the name is going to hold products that do very different things. Face moisturizers, eye creams, calming creams, day creams and set bundles all appear here. This guide sorts them by job, explains what jar size signals, and gives a rule of thumb for how many creams a routine actually needs.
What separates a cream from a lotion or a balm
A cream is an emulsion: oil and water held together, thick enough to sit in a jar and stay put. Lotions carry more water and pour. Balms carry almost none and stay solid. That middle position is why creams suit most people as an everyday last step.
Because they contain water, creams can hydrate as well as seal, which a balm cannot really do. It is also why they need preservatives and why a jar you have dipped fingers into for a year is past its best.
Everyday face creams
The largest group here is the plain face moisturizer, typically 50 to 80ml. goodal's Blueberry Vita C Cream 50ml and Erseongcho Hyaluron Soothing Cream 80ml are representative: one leans on a vitamin C angle, the other on hydration and calming.
Pick by the concern you actually have. Buying the richest cream on the page when your skin is not dry is the most common mistake in this category.
Soothing and calming creams
Products like GUERISSON's Rich Moist Soothing Cream 20ml and Midnight Blue Calming Cream 60ml are aimed at skin that is red, reactive or recovering. The small 20ml size on the first one is a hint that it is meant for problem patches rather than the whole face.
These are worth keeping around even if your skin is normally calm, because they are what you reach for after a sunburn, a harsh exfoliation or a cold windy week.
Eye creams and why they are small
Eye creams such as GONGSKIN's Vitamin Eye Cream 30ml and GUERLAIN's Ohuzura Eye Cream 15ml come in small jars because the area needs very little product and because formulas made for it are tested to be tolerated close to the eye.
Apply with the ring finger, tapping along the orbital bone rather than right up to the lash line. Product migrates as it warms, so start further out than feels right.
Day creams, night creams and repair creams
Some listings state the time of day, like GUERLAIN's Abeille Royale Day Cream 50ml, or the intent, as with its Repair Cream. Day formulas tend to be lighter and sit better under sunscreen and makeup; repair and night versions are richer and often carry actives that are happier away from sunlight.
Running two is a genuine upgrade for dry skin and an unnecessary expense for most other people.
Cream sets and duo listings
Several entries are bundles rather than single jars, such as KOHONJIN's Nutrition Cream plus Skin Essence set of two, or listings that pair a cream with sheet masks. These are usually better value and a good way to try a brand's sequence.
Read what is in the box before ordering. A set of two is not two jars of the same cream, and the second item is often a smaller companion size.
How many creams a routine really needs
One face cream covers most people. Add an eye cream if you have a specific concern there, and a soothing cream as an occasional rescue. Anything beyond that is preference rather than need.
If you are layering three creams and still feel dry, the problem is usually hydration earlier in the routine rather than a missing fourth jar.
How much to use and when
A pea-sized amount for the face, warmed between fingertips, applied while the skin is still slightly damp from the step before. Damp skin gives the cream water to hold on to, which is why a cream applied to a bone-dry face feels less effective from the same jar.
Press it in rather than rubbing. Dragging at the skin achieves nothing that gentle pressure does not.
Jars, tubes and keeping a cream clean
Open jars are convenient and the least hygienic packaging in skincare. Use a small spatula or clean dry hands, keep the lid on, and do not store a jar in a steamy shower room.
Once opened, most creams are meant to be used within six to twelve months. A jar that has changed colour, separated or started smelling different has told you it is finished.
Switching creams with the seasons
The cream that suits you in July is rarely the one you want in January. A lighter formula for warm months and a richer one for cold ones is a more useful pair than two products aimed at the same season.
Small sizes are handy here: a 20 or 30ml jar of a richer cream will comfortably cover a cold snap without committing you to a full-size purchase.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the actual difference between a cream and a lotion?
Both are emulsions of oil and water; the ratio is what changes. A lotion holds more water, pours from a bottle and sinks in fast. A cream holds more oil, sits in a jar or a thick tube and stays on the surface longer. If your skin feels dry an hour after a lotion, a cream from this page is the straightforward upgrade.
Why are eye creams so much smaller than face creams?
Because you use a fraction as much. A 15ml jar like GUERLAIN's Ohuzura Eye Cream or a 30ml GONGSKIN Vitamin Eye Cream lasts months at the rice-grain amount the area needs. Eye formulas are also specifically tested for use close to the eye, which is the real reason not to substitute a face cream there.
When would I use a soothing cream instead of my usual moisturizer?
When skin is red, stinging or recovering. Products such as GUERISSON's Rich Moist Soothing Cream 20ml and Midnight Blue Calming Cream 60ml are made for those stretches after too much sun, an over-enthusiastic exfoliation or cold wind. The small 20ml size suits patch use; the 60ml is for when your whole face is unhappy.
Do I need separate day and night creams?
Not usually. A day cream like GUERLAIN's Abeille Royale Day Cream 50ml is built to be lighter and to sit under sunscreen and makeup, while repair and night formulas are richer and often carry actives better kept away from daylight. Two jars are worth it for dry skin and largely optional for everyone else.
What do the cream set listings contain?
They vary, so read the title carefully. KOHONJIN's Nutrition Cream plus Skin Essence set of two pairs a cream with a different product rather than giving you two of the same, and some listings bundle a cream with sheet masks. Sets are usually the cheaper way into a brand, but a set of two is not a two-jar supply.
Should I apply cream to damp or dry skin?
Slightly damp. The water still on your face after cleansing or toning gives the cream something to trap, which is why the same jar performs better this way. Warm a pea-sized amount between your fingertips and press it in rather than rubbing it around.
Is it a problem to dip fingers into a cream jar?
It is the least hygienic option, though not a disaster with clean dry hands. A small spatula is better, and keeping the jar out of a steamy bathroom matters more than most people think. Aim to finish an opened jar within six to twelve months, and stop using one that has separated, changed colour or started smelling different.
Can I layer more than one cream?
You can, but it rarely helps. One face cream plus an eye cream covers almost everyone, with a soothing cream kept aside for bad weeks. If you stack three and still feel tight, the gap is usually in the watery hydrating steps earlier in the routine, not in another layer on top.