So the founder of InnBeauty Project started this whole thing because her own acne-prone skin hated everything. That’s the energy I need.
This moisturizer doesn’t smell like a spa trying to sell you crystals. It smells like actual matcha — because they’re using upcycled green tea leaves that would’ve been thrown away.
🔬 **What’s In the Tube**
It’s $28. A lightweight gel-cream hybrid that claims to control oil without that tight, “I just washed my face with dish soap” feeling.
Oil-Control Complex
Niacinamide + zinc to actually tell your pores to calm down.
Upcycled Green Tea
Antioxidants from leaves that were destined for a landfill. Smart.
Squalane
Hydration that doesn’t clog. Shocking how rare that combo is.
📖 **Ingredients That Earned Their Spot**
The hero is that upcycled green tea — it’s packed with EGCG, which is basically a bouncer for inflammation. Then there’s willow bark, nature’s gentle exfoliant that doesn’t peel your face off.
- Upcycled Green Tea: Anti-inflammatory + antioxidant, no waste
- Niacinamide: Shrinks pores visibly in 2 weeks
- Willow Bark Extract: Salicylic acid’s calmer cousin
- Squalane: Hydrates without a single breakout
🧴 **The Texture Test**
It’s a gel that turns into water the second it hits skin. Absorbs in maybe 8 seconds — I timed it. No film, no stickiness, just a weirdly satisfying cooling sensation.
Week two hit and I noticed my T-zone wasn’t demanding blotting papers by noon. That never happens. But here’s the catch — if your skin is dry, this won’t be enough alone.
💚 **Did It Actually Work?**
Oil production dropped maybe 40% by week three. Not magic, but real. Pores looked smaller. No breakouts. But my cheeks felt slightly tight if I forgot night moisturizer.
✨ **Final Call**
It’s not a miracle. But for oily skin that’s tired of being stripped? This is the closest thing to a compromise that actually works.