Tatcha’s Dewy Milk Moisturizer Gives Me Glowy Skin With No Grease

Beauty is in its milky era. There are the celebrity favorite milky nails, milky toners galore, “milkshake blonde” is one of summer’s top hair trends, and now milky moisturizers have entered the chat. Just in time for summer, the lightweight-yet-hydrating formulas are here to plump and prime skin without a heavy feel.

Just as I’m excited by the return of real cow’s milk (sorry, oat is disgusting), I’m also into this milky beauty moment. And Tatcha’s new Dewy Milk Moisturizer is here right on time to pique my interest. The brand’s beloved Dewy Skin Cream now comes in a lightweight, liquidy formula that couldn’t be better for sticky summer days.

Read on for all the details on the buzzy new launch, plus my honest review.

The Inspiration

For this launch, Tatcha looked to its own iconic product lineup for inspiration, namely the brand’s Dewy line. The Dewy Skin Mist, Dewy Serum, and most of all, the Dew Skin Cream, are beloved by celebs and models alike—including Suni Lee, who the brand partnered with for the launch.

“Dewy Milk Moisturizer was created as a direct response to the wants of our Tatcha family,” the brand’s global director of artistry, Daniel Martin, tells Byrdie. “We wanted to create a product with a weightless feel—something that feels luxurious and intuitive, while delivering that signature glow.”

Given Martin’s career as a makeup artist (you may know him as the man behind Meghan Markle’s wedding makeup), he loves how the Dewy Milk Moisturizer performs under foundation. “It delivers the perfect radiant finish under makeup,” he says, adding that “it leaves the skin incredibly bouncy and glowy!”

The Formula

To Dewy Milk has all the same hydrating, glow-boosting powers of the original Dewy Cream, just in a lighter, more fluid texture. “Any skin type will benefit from using the Dewy Milk Moisturizer in their routine,” explains Martin before adding that “the Dewy Milk Moisturizer was truly designed for the oily/combination skin type whereas Dewy Skin Cream’s rich and thick texture is ideal for dry skin.” If the brand’s Water Cream is too lightweight for you and the Dewy Cream is too rich, this might be your Goldilocks solution.

The formula, which the brand claims provides two times more skin bounce instantly, is powered by antioxidant-rich Japanese purple rice—it also gives it the pretty purple color. There’s also EGCG, an antioxidant extracted from green tea that works as a prebiotic to balance the skin’s microbiome and increase glow. Finally, zinc hyaluronate—a blend of zinc and hyaluronic acid—both strengthens the skin barrier to minimize water loss and balances excess oil for skin that is glowy, not greasy.

My Review

My skin is usually super thirsty, but it gets a little slippery in the summer, so I’m always on the hunt for lightweight moisturizers that still pack a punch. So, milky name aside, the Tatcha Dewy Milk Moisturizer sounded right up my alley. After a few weeks of testing, I can confirm it’s just what I’m looking for. The texture is liquidy but has some heft to it, and is thicker that most milky toners I’ve tried—it’s more like if you mixed a serum and a cream together.

If you’re super dry you could use this as an extra hydration boost under your go-to cream but I’ve been using it as my main moisturizer under sunscreen. It really lives up to it’s name, as it delivers an instant dewy glow. My skin looks radiant and bouncy, and it stays that way all day. It’s also the perfect prep for makleup—it has enough glide and glow to make my foundation look natural, but doesn’t add slip or shine. If you decide to try it for yourself, consider this a warning: You will get compliments on your glow, so stay ready.