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You shouldn’t confuse the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed and the innisfree Green Tea Seed Hyaluronic Acid Cream as despite very the similar name, one is made for dry skins and the other is apparently much more lightweight.
I have however only tried the Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed, the one made with dry skin in mind. After years of being oily and shiny, my skin has finally caught up with my age and went with a very short stop at „normal“ to quite dry and dehydrated in winter, meaning it wasn’t that bad of a fit.
So how did it work for me?
What the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed claims
A lightweight hydrating moisturizer with jeju green tea that helps replenish skin with moisture and protect it from environmental stressors.
Facts about the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed
Prize and size
One pot contains 50 ml and is available for 29 € on the website here. It is the green one with the lid in a darker shade of green (the other one is white) – if you are like me, you can never remember the exact name of the product you went out to buy once you are in the store and they all sound so similar…
Texture and smell
The scent, a fruity tea smell, is quite strong in the cream and lingers on the skin, which might be bothersome if you don’t enjoy it. If you aren’t familiar with Jeju Green Tea, it is a tea grown on Koreas Jeju Island that is well known for its sweet almond taste (and presumed health benefits). I haven’t (knowingly) tasted it, but after reading up on its description can imagine that this is where the scent comes from.
White in color the cream has a slightly gelish texture, something between a lotion and a gel, and feels lightweight on the skin. I had expected a richer texture after reading up on the differences between the two green tea seed creams, but enjoyed it a lot.
How to use the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed
I admit that after reading up on the differences between the two creams, I had expected something richer. My skin is combination, leaning a little toward dry during winter with age, but even for me it was more of a day time product once it got colder. When it fits best in your routine depends on your skin type and the climate you live in, the cream itself will work for both morning and night.
While it is quite glowy after initial application, it dries down to a quite natural finish over the first few minutes. While there is some slip due to the added silicones, it never caused any issues with pilling for me.
Ingredients of the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Cream with Green Tea Seed
sii|h 0 0, Methyl Trimethicone solv, Stearyl Dimethicone emo, Butylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate emo, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate emo|vc, Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil h, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate vc, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Octadecene solv|vc, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate emu, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1–2, Hydrogenated Lecithin 
emo|emu, Cholesterol sii|emo 0 0, Carbomer vc 0 1, Fragrance/Parfum 
perf, Tromethamine buff, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Xanthan Gum vc, Glyceryl Caprylate pres, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate emu|surf, Disodium EDTA chel, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Sorbitan Isostearate emu 0 1–2, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract aox|so, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Dextrin vc|h, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Extract, Tocopherol aox 0–3 0–3Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.
The main humectant in the formula is Glycerin, with Hyaluronic Acid only making an apppearance quite low down the ingredient list in the form of Sodium Hyaluronate (More info: The benefits of Hyaluronic Acid in skincare explained).
Green Tea Seed Oil appears shortly after, named Camellia Sinensis Seed Oil, accompanied by Green Tea Extract or Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract further down the ingredient list. (More info: The benefits of Green Tea Extract in skincare explained) As it follows INCI classification, you have no means to tell if the Green Tea used to produce Seed Oil or Extract is actually from Jeju. he scent is enhanced by added fragrance.
Then there are silicones, cholesterol and fatty acids as emollients as well as Tocopherol and Cocoa Extract as added antioxidants and some Panthenol for soothing the skin. (More info: The benefits of Panthenol in skincare explained)
More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare products
Does it live up to its claims?
Yes.
At least as far as I can tell – the „protect from environmental stressors“ isn’t one you can easily judge. But as they have added antioxidants that is probably what they refer to.
How does it compare to…
innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed
Yes, I am well aware that I am comparing apples with oranges (in this case serums with moisturizers here), but I really adore the serum from the line, much more than the cream reviewed today, and I wanted to explain why. Pretty similar in ingredients the serum is my go to one for travels on which I don’t want to bring my Vitamin C, yet still need an antioxidant fix for the mornings underneath my sunscreen. The serum is perfect for that (and I am a huge fan of the scent), so why do I love it so much more than the cream? I think it is simply the packaging, I want what they offer in a serum form rather than in the form of a lightweight moisturizer, not that one is objectively better or worse.
You can read my full review of the innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed here.
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