When I was younger, I only used moisturizer during winter when my skin would become dry and rashy. During the past few years, I’ve required moisturizer more often, even during the warmer times of the year.
For the past month, I’ve been using the popular Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It’s a fun, lightweight moisturizer to use during the summer. Bear with me; this is going to be quite the essay.
Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb, at a Glance:
Where Can You Buy the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb?
The Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb comes in a 1.69 fl. oz. / 50 ml jar and retails for approximately $38.
For all you lucky people in the US who can get Prime delivery, you can buy the lightweight moisturizer from Belif’s official store on Amazon*.
You can also shop for the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb on StyleVana*, a trusted Asian official retailer, but don’t ask me why, at the moment, it is $98!!!
Also, here’s our editor’s guide to shopping for Korean skincare.
The Belif Brand
Suppose you haven’t read my huge Belif skincare review. In that case, it’s a Korean cosmetic brand inheriting the spirit of traditional herb processing methods and philosophy from the British medical herbalist Duncan Napiers. If you go to the UK, you can still see Napier Clinic operating throughout the country, and its products are shipped worldwide to countries including Malaysia.
In addition to utilizing the efficacy of herbs in their products, Belif is also great in the way that they carefully select only the best herbal ingredients using the best formula. There aren’t any harsh preservatives, additives, dyes, fragrances, and animal-origin ingredients here. Belief is also never advertised through TV or celebrity endorsement. Their popularity is gained through the spread of words, where performance speaks for itself.
What Is Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb?
Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb is a lightweight moisturizer that has caused quite a splash from the East to the West. Advertised as a ‘gel cream,’ it’s well-loved by many people due to its ability to hydrate and form an occlusive layer without sacrificing comfort or suffering through breakouts.
As a clean beauty brand by Sephora, belif adheres to Sephora’s standards for Clean at Sephora.
While scouring through the ingredients, I noticed many of them are herbal extracts. However, I have not studied clean beauty deeply and am unfamiliar with Sephora’s standards for clean beauty. Therefore, I will leave you to decide whether the ingredients are beneficial.
The list of ingredients can be found below.
- Bestseller on Sephora with over 9,000 reviews at the time of this post.
- It promises lightweight hydration and a healthy glow.
- Ingredients include Lady’s Mantle, ceramic 3, and glycerin.
Who Is this lightweight moisturizer For?
It is intended for those with dull, dry skin.
It’s light enough for most skin types to use, including oily, combination, and normal skin types, but at the same time, it’s also hydrating enough for mildly dry skin to use! If that is not enough, though, Belif also makes the Moisturising Bomb.
Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb Ingredients
Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb Ingredients (last checked 2024)
Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glycerin, Methyl Trimethicone, Alcohol Denat, Dimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, 1,2-Hexanediol, Malachite Extract, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethyl hexanoate, Peg/Ppg/Polybutylene Glycol-8/5/Glycerin, Alchemilla Vulgaris Leaf Extract, Equisetum Arvense Leaf Extract, Stellaria Media (Chickweed) Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Leaf Extract, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Nepeta Cataria Extract, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Leaf Extract, Baptisia Tinctoria Root Extract, Dimethiconol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Sodium Acrylate/Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Dimethylacrylamide Crosspolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 60, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Phenyl Trimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Panthenol, Squalane, Triethylhexanoin, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Peg-150, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, C14-22 Alcohols, Arachidyl Glucoside, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Peg-100 Stearate, Stearic Acid, Glyceryl Stearate, Carbomer, Tromethamine, Trisodium Edta, Fragrance, Citronellol, Limonene, Citral, Geraniol, Linalool.
Ingredients referred from the INCIDecoder.
Herbs Humectant/Moisturizer Fragrance Potential irritant
Ingredients Analysis
Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla Vulgaris Leaf Extract)
One of the main ingredients of this moisturizer is the Lady’s Mantle, often called “a woman’s hydrating herb,” which provides antioxidants and helps fight free radicals.
This herb helps soften the skin with its natural properties to remove dry, scaly, and flaky skin while controlling excess sebum, resulting in tighter pores and less oily shine. It also acts as an excellent moisturizer.
Napiers Aqua Formula
A moisture care formula that calms the skin by supplying moisture and minerals and improves elasticity.
Napiers Original Formula
These are the key ingredients for Belif that keep the skin healthy and delay the initial stage of skin aging with its antioxidizing.
The True Cream Aqua Bomb from Belif contains Comfrey Leaf with detoxifying properties for the skin. It also has calming ingredients such as the Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract and the Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, which are great for my dry, constantly irritated, and slightly red skin.
Also, many of this cream’s main ingredients, such as soybean and rose flower, also have anti-inflammatory properties.
The cream also contains Plantin and Oat Husk for extra moisture.
All these ingredients are old-fashioned remedies, which draw the connection between Belif and an Apothecary – and I find that quite cool.
Sheer length aside, it’s nice to see many emollients with a sprinkle of humectants at the top of the list. It’s what I would expect from a last skincare step kind of moisturizer anyway – to lock in all the previous steps’ moisture and perhaps even to add a little more moisture.
Right underneath all the moisturizing goodies, there’s a good chunk of herbal extract ingredients, which is also lovely to see. It’s always lovely to see extracts, even if there isn’t much evidence to support the benefits of their usage. It always makes me feel better than seeing a gibberish letter list.
Underneath these two sections of ingredients is when things start getting a little wonky since some ingredients’ safety relies on the purity of the ingredients. Call me naive, but I do give the bigger companies the benefit of the doubt and just believe (hope?) that they’re being ethical and ensuring that their ingredients are as pure as they should be…
However, even after this ‘wonky’ section, it gets worse with the six fragrances added to the Aqua Bomb. This drives me insane and makes me question my love for this product. Come on, Belif! Not only are some people sensitive to fragrance, but it’s also not great for the skin because they oxidize very quickly on their own to release hydroperoxides which contribute to skin irritation. Maybe I could have lived with it if there were only 1 or 2. But 6 kills me.
Packaging
The Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb comes in a jar that is made of recyclable material.
In terms of packaging, the Aqua Bomb gives me mixed feelings. Belif does this strange thing where they actually add weight to the bottom of their jars so that even if you have just the empty jar… it’s still pretty heavy. The fact that it’s a jar also doesn’t bother me too much.
The design of the lid is effective in preventing spillage or leakage. After storing the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb upside down and sideways for a few days, there weren’t any signs of leaking.
I also took the liberty of shaking the tub rigorously in various directions for 60 seconds. Upon opening it, it was obvious that the product had moved around and was unsettled. However, there weren’t any signs of leakage.
When traveling, I would still put the Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb in a protective bag. But when I’m out and about, I feel comfortable simply tossing it into my bag.
Visually, the tub’s bottom part appears wider than the top. In reality, the diameter inside is the same as that of the mouth. When you open the tub, what you see is what you get. So you’ll be able to scoop product from all parts of the tub without worrying about wasted product.
The tub does require you to dip your fingers or a brush into it, which is a cause of concern for contamination over time. Use clean hands or their pretty cute spatula it comes with, and sharing should probably be avoided.
Scent
Initially, I liked the scent! It was refreshing and light with a hint of citrus. The smell reminded me of my last vacation on the beach, the beach wind, the sand, and the salty seawater.
After repeated use, I realized that the scent resembles the smell of dish detergent. Just a hint of it, which I couldn’t put my finger on at first. I found it a little off-putting, but it isn’t noticeable throughout the day once the product is on my face.
Also, on several occasions, I wore the Belif Aqua Bomb over the Thomas Roth Peptide 21 Wrinkle Resist Serum*. The serum has a relatively robust and musky scent. I found that the Belif Aqua Bomb neutralized and made the musky scent much less noticeable.
Overall, many users like the scent, and it wouldn’t deter me from purchasing the Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb.
Texture
The consistency of this product is very gel-like. Like the Laneige sleeping mask*, it appears transparent aqua blue in the package but is transparent when you put it on.
Its texture is a very light, airy, refreshing, lightweight moisturizer. It’s incredibly soothing to apply. It’s a pleasure. It gets absorbed well as my skin instantly sucks in the cream.
It doesn’t feel heavy or sticky before or after application. After absorption, though, it does leave you with a bit of a dewy sheen for several minutes. Despite that, I do find that it helps a little with oil control while giving that quenched skin feel.
I was pleasantly surprised by how spreadable this moisturizer is and by how little product is required! A dime-sized amount is enough to cover my face and neck.
My Personal Experience with the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
I used the Belif Aqua Boms twice daily, once in the morning and once at night, for nearly a month. Because it doesn’t promise long-term results, I was more interested in how it wears throughout the day.
The Belif Aqua Bomb is cool, lightweight, and easy to apply. It felt like I was applying a thin layer of water to my face, but my skin didn’t dry once it evaporated. It took a few minutes for my skin to absorb the gel cream completely, but I love how the Belif Aqua Bomb didn’t leave a sticky feeling afterward. To top it off, they also didn’t have the greasy or oily feeling that comes with many moisturizers.
I hope you can see in the image below how the belif Aqua Bomb gives off a dewy appearance.
It feels great on the skin all day (no exaggeration). It does an excellent job of locking in moisture from all the previous steps and acts extremely well as an occlusive – as all moisturizers should. If I’ve applied this, my skin doesn’t feel dry or oily throughout the day. On the days where I only put on essences and not the Aqua Bomb, my skin feels great for the first 5-10 minutes but then starts to feel dry again.
The Aqua Bomb prevents this from happening very well and without feeling heavy like so many other moisturizers, thanks to the fantastic gel texture. The moisture meter seems to agree that it’s excellent for locking in moisture and helping to reduce oil, even after 30 minutes of application.
I would agree with the claims on this product – it’s refreshing, it occludes very well, and yes, it is very comfortable to wear! The only claim I’d disagree with is that out-of-this-world 70% hydration boost…
Seriously, if you ask me to pick only one product out of all I have, I would definitely go for this. It is a miraculous product that can satisfy most of my needs – being a light-weighted, hydrating, non-sticky, yet moisturizing, skin-purifying, and soul-healing miraculous water bomb. I might only need a hydrating, watery toner and a cleanser to stay comfortable all day long!
My Skin Type and Concerns
I live in San Francisco. The weather here is a Mediterranean-type climate, characterized by mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. I have normal-dry skin type.
How to Use the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb?
Apply to the face and neck after toner and essence. Use morning and night.
Apply Using Hands
I usually quickly rub the gel cream between my palms and smooth it over my face and neck. Using this method, the gel cream felt cool on my skin, but the cooling sensation was not intense. At most, it only lasted for 1-2 seconds.
On other occasions, I dabbed the gel cream directly onto my face and then smooth it out with my fingers. The cooling sensation lasted longer this way, for about 5-10 seconds. This would be the way to go if you like the cooling effect.
Apply Using A Flat Brush
The brush picked up way too much product at a time. It slathered a thick layer on my face and didn’t do anything else. As such, I didn’t find it to be effective.
Due to the thick layer, I would use a brush only to apply the belif Aqua Bomb as a mask (discussed further below). As a moisturizer, I would stick to my plain ol’ fingers.
Use as A Stand-Alone Product
On a few lazy days at home, I wore the Belif Aqua Bomb alone without any other serum, makeup, or facial product. Immediately after application, my skin felt soft and silky to the touch and had a dewy appearance. Overall, my skin felt moisturized.
Refrigerate It
During the first few times of refrigerating the Belif Aqua Bomb, I rubbed the gel cream quickly between my palms for 1-2 seconds. This caused it to warm up before it even touched my face. There was a cooling sensation, but it wasn’t intense and didn’t feel much different from when the Belif Aqua Bomb was stored at room temperature.
On another occasion, I dabbed the gel cream directly onto my face and neck and rubbed it gently using my fingers. Using this method, the cooling sensation lasted a few seconds longer. Of course, the gel cream will eventually warm up as you smooth it over your face.
Other than the initial cooling sensation, the Belif Aqua Bomb didn’t perform any differently throughout the day. For me, it’s not worth refrigerating it. Instead, I prefer to store it with the rest of my skincare products for easier access and less handling.
Other Uses
For the most part, I used the product as a moisturizer. However, Belif does recommend a few additional uses, including storing it in the fridge for maximum soothing benefits, mixing it with a liquid highlighter to create a glowing base, and using it as a mask.
I am a bit confused by the intent of the mask. I suppose it would leave a cooling effect. But to achieve hydration and moisturization, wouldn’t it make more sense to let the gel cream absorb into the skin rather than apply a thick layer and then wipe off the excess?
Pros
- Light and refreshing
- Non-greasy
- Dewy complexion
- Hydration
- A little product goes a long way.
- Secure packaging equals travel-friendly
- Average shelf life (12 months from opening)
- vegan-friendly
Cons
- The tub packaging may be a concern of contamination for some
- No more moisturizing than other products
- It contains fragrance and essential oils
Verdict
The Belif True Cream Aqua Bomb is fun. I recommend it if you need a cool, lightweight moisturizer that is also hydrating.
It didn’t do anything different for me compared to other moisturizers on the market.
So if we break it down, Belif’s Aqua Bomb is one of the best moisturisers out there, there’s no doubt about it! The texture, application, and results have been amazing. The jar packaging, I know, would make some of you die a little on the inside (I’m not too fussed), but it peeves me that the jars are weighted to make it seem like it’s so much more than it is.
The only drawback I see in the Aqua Bomb is the unnecessary fragrances.
TL;DR Love, love, love the product but put off by all the fragrances, so I only use it every other day to try and finish the jar.
Will I Repurchase the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb?
I would go out of my way to re-purchase it over and over again.
Rating 4.5/5
Shop for Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb
You can get Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb for ~$38.
Lastly, I was not paid for this review or received it as a gift.
As always, you do you; be kind to your skin and yourself! Remember that every person’s skin and skin type is different, so what might work for me might not work for you, and vice versa. So, before adding a new product to your skincare routine, it pays to do a little research first.
Before adding the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb to your skincare regimen, ensure you are not allergic to it or its ingredients. You should also consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or have any medical conditions or medications that may interact with the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. Always do a patch test before applying the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb on your skin to avoid adverse reactions.
I am not a dermatologist or licensed aesthetician, but I have sufficient experience and knowledge I gained by testing multiple products and self-exploration. Unsure? Best to consult your dermatologist.
Happy shopping, and don’t forget the sunscreen! Here’s to great skin in 2024!
