To know Tatcha Water Cream is to love Tatcha Water Cream. The Tiffany-blue pot, the dainty golden spoon, the literal 23-karat gold folded into the formula like vanilla bean in meringue — this is peak luxury. So, too, is the $68 price tag, which leaves many of us merely lusting after a pot of our own. There's hope for us yet: The best alternatives to Tatcha's Water Cream behave similarly to the best-selling, prohibitively expensive original. These gel-cream hybrids are deeply hydrating, absorb quickly, and leave behind zero greasy or sticky residue, while plant-based ingredients work to balance, calm, and soften skin. In short, that means they work on virtually every skin type, including oily, dry, reactive, and acne-prone.
But to know a good alternative to the Tatcha Water Cream is to know what’s in the real Tatcha Water Cream. First, the water base (plus hyaluronic acid) gives this cream its signature weightless feel and refreshing effect. Then there’s a raft of antioxidants, courtesy of red algae, green tea, and rice for brightening, purifying, and aiding water retention. Layer in more naturally derived ingredients, like soothing camellia leaf, Japanese wild rose to curb excess oil, and radiance-boosting gold, and there’s your miracle worker.
The Tatcha Water Cream alternatives listed ahead are similarly formulated to soothe and replenish your skin. Some even share Tatcha’s “water-burst” technology, which is exactly what it sounds like. What they don't do is cost nearly as much as the original, or contain gold (sorry). But I promise they’re equally lovable.