**TO:** You
**SUBJECT:** They touched the Obagi. Again.
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Derms worshipped the old Obagi Hydrate. I did too. Then they swapped out the good stuff.
The original had this silky, melt-into-skin feeling. New formula? Feels like they tried to make it “clean” and forgot the part where it actually hydrates. The old one used dimethicone crosspolymer — that’s the magic dust that made it sit pretty under makeup. Gone.
It’s a moisturizer. $68 for 1.7 oz. Claims “intense hydration without greasiness.” I call bull — but let’s go.
New texture
Thinner. Almost watery. Sinks in fast but leaves this weird tacky film.
Old texture
Rich, velvety, vanished in 10 seconds. No residue. Miss it.
Makeup test
Foundation pilled on day one. Day two. Day three — I gave up.
Photo: Alexandra Tran / Unsplash
They swapped the silicone-heavy base for glycerin and squalane. Sounds clean. Feels cheap. The hero here is still shea butter — but it’s way down the list now. It’s basically a fancy drugstore formula in a medical-grade bottle.
- Glycerin: Drinks water from air — fine, but not enough
- Squalane: Lightweight oil, does the heavy lifting now
- Shea Butter: Was star player, now benchwarmer
- Caprylyl Glycol: Preservative. Boring but fine
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
Squeezed out a pea-sized blob. It’s runny — almost slippery. Spreads easy but dries down to a sticky hand-feel. Like you touched a glue stick. Not cute.
Week two: My skin didn’t hate it. But it didn’t love it either. No breakouts, but no glow. What surprised me? It works fine as a daytime moisturizer if you live in humidity. Dry climate? Forget it. You’ll feel tight by noon.
Photo: Rosa Rafael / Unsplash
My skin stayed hydrated. No flaking. But it lost that “I just had a facial” plumpness. The old formula made you look expensive. This one makes you look… fine.
Photo: yunona uritsky / Unsplash
It’s not bad. It’s just not the cult classic anymore. If you loved the original, mourn it. If you’re new? There’s better for half the price.