Best Humectant Moisturizer: Summer Fridays Review
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After trying numerous moisturisers, from rich, emollient creams to heavier occlusive balms, I found that more substantial formulas did not necessarily translate to better hydration for my oily skin. I also noticed little improvement in how smoothly my makeup applied the following morning. What made a noticeable difference for me personally was switching to a humectant-based moisturiser, such as those by Summer Fridays. These lightweight formulas attract and bind water to the skin, helping replenish hydration and create a smoother, plumper-looking complexion without the heavy feel that can make moisturising oily skin more challenging. In fact, oily skin still needs adequate moisture, and humectants can be an ingredient type particularly beneficial for oily and acne-prone skin types.
One product that particularly caught my attention was the Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturiser. In this review, I explore how this humectant-rich moisturiser performed on my oily skin, including its hydrating properties, lightweight texture and ability to control oil and leave my complexion feeling softer and looking more plump without excessive heaviness. If you’re looking for a lightweight, hydrating moisturiser for oily skin, here’s my experience with Summer Fridays Cloud Dew and whether it lives up to its reputation.
A Humectant Moisturiser Review:
Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel-Cream
One day, while searching for a good moisturiser, I stumbled across Summer Fridays Cloud Dew. Running low on my usual moisturiser and eager to try something new, I made an impulse purchase.
To my surprise, the next morning, my skin looked noticeably plumper. The fine lines on my forehead appeared softened (thought not eliminated – just less noticeable), and my skin’s hydration levels seemed renewed. The non-comedogenic formula felt lightweight and refreshing. See my full review below.
Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream is a humectant-based moisturiser. Cloud Dew’s formula features multiple forms of hyaluronic acid and glycerin to deeply bind moisture to the skin at various layers, keeping it hydrated and fresh.
The formula also includes ceramides, which help strengthen the skin barrier and lock in moisture without the need for heavy or pore-clogging ingredients. This combination makes Cloud Dew an ideal choice for lightweight, effective hydration that suits a variety of skin types.
What are Humectants?
Humectants are hydrating agents that attract and bind water from the environment and deeper skin layers to the outermost layer, or stratum corneum. In this way, they help prevent trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) and stabilise moisture content in the skin. TEWL otherwise naturally occurs as the skin loses moisture to the environment.
Through hydrogen bonding, humectants’ hydroxyl groups effectively bind to water molecules, enhancing the skin’s hydration without leaving a heavy finish.
How the Water-Based Gel-Cream Formula Feels on the Skin
The texture of Cloud Dew is a light, transparent gel-cream with an incredibly airy consistency. It feels weightless and almost like water on the skin. This took some time to adapt to, as it stands in contrast to the heavy white creams of many emollient moisturisers.
Though the product takes a little time to fully absorb, it doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. For that reason, I don’t apply it immediately before bed. Instead, I allow a few minutes for it to settle in so my skin reaps the full benefit of hydration without transferring onto the pillow.
One of the best features of Summer Fridays Cloud Dew is its simple, water-based formula. It’s especially well-suited for oily skin, as it is free from heavy oils like shea butter and jojoba oil. The water based formula avoids rich occlusive ingredients that can clog pores, especially for acne-prone skin.
Paired with good habits like drinking plenty of water and getting enough sleep, I find my skin stays hydrated and fresh without the heaviness some moisturisers leave behind.
My Oil Control Results Overnight
HOW MY SKIN FELT THE NEXT DAY
Notably, after using certain moisturisers in my nighttime skincare routine, I’ve often woken up to an overly oily face.
Though, with Summer Fridays’ humectant moisturiser, my skin remarkably feels balanced and not oily, even during the warmer summer months here in the southern hemisphere. This may be because humectants like hyaluronic acid bind moisture within the skin without the addition of any heavy oils in the product’s formulation.
Common in occlusive moisturisers, these can sometimes cause an oily surface layer, especially for those with oily or acne-prone skin. Instead, Cloud Dew focuses on water-based, lightweight hydration that leaves skin balanced.
Aside from other lifestyle factors, the moisturiser possibly prevents my skin from overproducing sebum overnight, leaving the surface of my face refreshed rather than greasy in the morning. I think it stands as a sign of true hydration, whereby moisture is retained within the skin rather than pooling on the surface.
The Role of Humectants in Moisturisers for Oily Skin
Read on to explore the scientific theory underpinning why hydration is essential for the skin. Compare humectants with emollients and occlusive moisturiser ingredients and which is best for each skin type.
Why is Hydration Essential for the Skin?
Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) prevention and hydration balance is essential not only for surface-level suppleness, but also to retain water for biochemical processes in deeper skin layers.
For skin cells, water is essential to carry out enzymatic processes, keeping the skin’s moisture barrier healthy and able to fend off external aggressors.
Moreover, without enough hydration, the skin becomes prone to issues like dryness, flaky skin, and even fine lines and appearance of wrinkles. Healthy, hydrated skin supports cellular renewal, elasticity, and the natural desquamation process, which removes dead skin cells. Humectants draw in water to the stratum corneum, enhancing cellular hydration whilst reinforcing the skin’s barrier.
How do Humectant Moisturisers Compare to Emollients and Occlusives?
The trifecta of humectants, emollients, and occlusives are types of hydrating ingredients commonly found in moisturisers and serums.
EMOLLIENTS
In contrast to hydrophilic humectants that draw moisture into the skin, emollients are lipophilic molecules that penetrate the intercellular lipid matrix within the stratum corneum.
By filling in spaces between corneocytes (dead skin cells), they soften and smooth the skin’s texture, enhancing flexibility and resilience.
OCCLUSIVES
Meanwhile, occlusives typically present as an oily or waxy substance. They form a protective barrier on the skin’s surface, trapping moisture within and preventing water evaporation. Notably, occlusive ingredients are fantastic within the formulations of lip balms to lock in moisture. However, they can feel heavy or even clogging for certain skin types in a face moisturizer, particularly those prone to breakouts.
Together, humectants, emollients, and occlusives provide a structured approach to hydration. Humectants attract moisture, emollients support the skin matrix, and occlusives lock in hydration for balanced, lasting moisture.
Are Humectants Ideal for All Skin Types?
Humectants for oily, acne-prone and normal skin types
Humectant moisturisers are ideal for nearly all skin types.
However, particularly for oily and sensitive skin types, humectants provide moisture without triggering excessive oil production or pore-clogging reactions. They strengthen the skin barrier against external factors like cold weather and pollution.
Triple Lipid Restore 2:1:4
Anti-Aging Lipid Replenishment Treatment
Meanwhile, those with with dry or mature skin may require a more hydrating moisturiser, particularly during winter months to prevent moisture loss. Comparatively, oily skin often has a robust lipid layer, whilst dry skin naturally lacks sufficient lipids in its outer layers. These are essential for maintaining a strong skin barrier. Without enough lipids, such as cholesterol and fatty acids, the skin struggles to retain moisture and protect against environmental stressors, leading to increased moisture loss.
Therefore, dry skin types can benefit from a lipid-rich cream like SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2. The formula includes a specific 2:4:2 ratio of ceramides, natural fatty acids, and cholesterol to closely emulate the skin’s own lipid makeup for effective moisture retention and barrier support.
What Types of Hydrating Ingredients are in the Summer Fridays’ Cloud Dew Gel Cream?
Summer Fridays Cloud Dew has an excellent balance of quality humectants outlined below.
Hyaluronic Acid (HA)
HA is a staple in humectant moisturisers and serums. A potent humectant, HA holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water that would otherwise be lost due to environmental exposure.
It binds to water molecules, delivering a “plumping” effect that visibly smooths fine lines and hydrates the outermost layer of the skin. This results in a soft, supple texture and an immediate feeling of hydration that leaves the skin looking refreshed.
Multiple-weight HA in the Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream
The Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream contains three weights of hyaluronic acid. Each HA type penetrates to different layers of the skin. Specifically, the high-weight molecules deliver moisture to the skin’s surface for immediate plumping and barrier support. Meanwhile, the lower weights penetrate deeper layers of the skin to boost hydration from within.
To this end, this blend addresses both surface dryness and deeper hydration needs, often resulting in a plumper, more resilient skin barrier.
How Hyaluronic Acid Plumps the Skin
As we age, skin cell activity naturally slows, including that of fibroblasts in our epidermis and keratinocytes in our dermis. Fibroblasts maintain skin structure and produce collagen. Therefore, aging leads to reduced structural support and hydration at deeper skin layers. As a result, the skin’s diminishing natural levels of hyaluronic acid affects hydration, firmness, and overall resilience.
When applied topically, HA forms viscoelastic gels in water, thereby filling spaces between skin cells on the epidermal surface and creating a moisturszing and firming effect (Bauman L., 2018).
Ceramides
Ceramides complement hyaluronic acid’s hydrating action, except they work quite differently. Unlike hyaluronic acid, ceramides work as lipid molecules that fill in the gaps between skin cells. They do this by integrating into the lipid matrix within the stratum corneum, the outermost layer of the epidermis, creating a “cement-like” structure between corneocytes (skin cells). This matrix acts as a semi-permeable barrier, locking in moisture.
In this way, ceramides help prevent trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), which is crucial for maintaining long-lasting hydration and resilience.
Why Aren’t Ceramides Prone to Clogging Pores Despite Being Lipids?
Biologically, ceramides do not penetrate deeply into hair follicles, where sebaceous (oil) glands are located. This limits their interaction with lipophilic substances within pores.
Therefore, ceramides are less likely to contribute to comedone formation (clogged pores), even as they reinforce skin barrier function. By focusing on barrier integrity, ceramides provide essential hydration support without contributing to pore congestion, unlike some heavier, oil-based occlusives that can aggravate acne-prone skin.
Ultimately, this combination of HA and ceramides has hydrated my skin without clogging my pores or creating excess oil. So far, this formula has been a real relief for my oily, acne-prone skin.
Final Thoughts on the Summer Fridays Cloud Dew
After years of experimenting with different types of moisturisers, I’ve found the Summer Fridays Cloud Dew is a great choice for my skin. I enjoy the way in which it delivers long-lasting plumpness without a heavy or greasy feel.
Plus, its skin-friendly ingredients help me maintain a more radiant complexion that works well with my personal care products and overall skincare routine.
For anyone looking to enhance their skin’s hydration levels without a heavy formula, consider a humectant moisturizer. With the right balance of humectants, this type of moisturiser can support water retention in the skin barrier, and keep the skin’s surface soft and supple.
Whether you’re dealing with fine lines, dry patches, or an oily substance on your skin, I recommend water-based moisturisers in general as an effective source of lightweight hydration for all skin types, especially oily, acne-prone skin.
Try out the full size or travel size Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream Moisturiser here.
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