Tatcha Just Launched The Dewy Serum — & My Oily Skin Can’t Get Enough

A new beauty launch always comes with the requisite bells and whistles, but few skin-care brands generate the kind of Schmidt from New Girl excitement quite like a fresh Tatcha drop. Whether it was the award-winning makeup primer heard 'round YouTube or their game-changing gel-cream, the Japanese-inspired brand always manages to knock it out of the park. And with its latest potion, I must admit: I'm smitten.

Enter, The Dewy Serum, which is in good (nay, great) company with its cream, night concentrate, sheet mask, and face mist extended family. Launching today, the milky, lightweight serum is a welcome addition to anyone who, like me, craves healthy, radiant skin, but also doesn't want to look like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Keep reading for my initial thoughts, results, and whether or not it's worth the $88 price point.

I received an early lab sample of The Dewy Serum encased in a plain, tiny vial, and I was initially trepidatious to see that the serum was milky-white and lotion-y in appearance. My oily, acne-prone skin doesn't fare well with thick products of any kind, especially when maskne is already an uninvited guest on my chin and jawline. However, the dry, brittle air outdoors (and in my drafty bedroom) has made my face feel like it's evaporated, so I was down to try a product that claimed to hydrate and lock in moisture.

After dispensing two pumps, I was pleasantly surprised at the texture: Far lighter than I expected and void of any noticeable fragrance. I applied it after my toner and my skin drank it right up. Even after applying my moisturizer, my skin felt plump and juicy, not greasy. And much like another newly-dropped, glow-boosting serum, the result wasn't a glassy-wet finish on skin: My complexion just looked healthy and fresh-faced, like I'd just emerged from a spa facial.

Since my skin tends to dry out a bit around mid-day, I decided to get a little ~wild~ and apply The Dewy Serum on top of my sunscreen as a hydrating boost. While this may not be the best way to make the most of the potent formula — enriched with plant-based hyaluronic acid and sugarcane-derived squalane — I have to admit that it got the job done far better than any face mist.

At $88 for one ounce, it's an expensive product. That said, if you're serious about hydration (which if you made it this far into this review, you possibly are), I have to say: It's a really nice serum, and if you have misbehaving skin like mine, you know the challenge of finding a product to quench dry skin without feeling heavy or causing breakouts.

I loved the way my skin looked short-term: hydrated, bouncy, soothed. Long-term, the serum claims to minimize fine lines and improve texture, elasticity, and brightness. After using it for a month, I do feel like my hyperpigmentation has faded ever so slightly — which, if this is just the beginning, does make me impressed at this jack-of-all-trades skin juice.

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