PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA’S CHOICE WATER-INFUSING ELECTROLYTE MOISTURIZER - BEST FACE CREAM WITH ELECTROLYTES, BEST HYDRATING MOISTURIZER
PAULA’S CHOICE WATER-INFUSING ELECTROLYTE MOISTURIZER
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Part 1: Three Super Light Moisturizers (and an Eye Cream!) for Spring That I'm Super Into. You can catch the full piece here.
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As the winter weather recedes and warm spring air takes its place, my mood naturally shifts to lighter skin care. Like water-based Vitamin C serums; light, frothy cleansers; and delicious, light-whipped moisturizers with gel-like textures.
Last summer, I kicked off my second annual two-part series on lightweight face creams titled, Summer Moisturizers Part I – Some of the Best Lightweight Face Creams for Oily Skin and All Skin Types in Hot Weather. You can still catch the series here.
That piece featured some of my favorite face creams for warmer weather, including First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Oil-Control Moisturizer and the SELF/ish Oil-Free Moisturizer. I’ve explored a whole slew of really great skincare products from each brand over the course of the past year.
SUMMER MOISTURIZERS PART I – SOME OF THE BEST LIGHTWEIGHT FACE CREAMS FOR OILY SKIN AND ALL SKIN TYPES IN HOT WEATHER
So, with temps in NYC already brushing up against 70 degrees, I thought it would be cool (no pun intended!) to start the lightweight moisturizer series earlier in the year — in the middle of spring, just as things are warming up.
As in years past, I’ve split my deep dive into some of my warm weather skincare faves into two separate blog articles. Here in part one, I’m featuring three light-as-air face creams from Paula’s Choice, The Inkey List and Sobel Skin Rx.
Yes, I said “light-as-air.” I always crack up when a moisturizer is described as “light as air.” What could be any more ridiculous than that?!
Plus, once again, I’m featuring one of my favorite eye creams (IMO one of the best anti-aging eye creams!) — the SELF/ish Eye Cream. It’s super light, packed with antioxidants, peptides and all kinds of goodness for the eye area. And it’s crazy affordable, too!
Let’s take a look at one of the first super light face creams that has caught my eye this spring. And yes, it’s among the best moisturizers for oily skin — and all skin types in warmer weather.
Paula’s Choice | Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer
I’ve had this intriguing, ultra lightweight moisturizer from Paula’s Choice in my product stash for probably six months now. I could never really figure out what to do with it. The Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer seems like one part intrigue, one part gimmick.
There was a wave of electrolyte-infused skincare products last year and I guess I was waiting to see if said wave actually became anything of significance. Some trends catch on, some trends peter out.
Among the first of the breakout electrolyte products to hit the market was the Drunk Elephant F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial — a cool sleeping mask I featured in my winter empties a few weeks ago, which you can read here.
MY WINTER EMPTIES 2020: SERUMS, CLEANSERS AND TONERS FROM DRUNK ELEPHANT, PAULA'S CHOICE AND MORE!
The F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial is infused with what the brand refers to as 4-Electrolyte complex, essentially a blend of healthy minerals, antioxidants and humectants — coconut water, sodium PCA, magnesium PCA and prickly pear extract. It’s got a great texture and is quite a fun mask, I have to admit.
Around the time of Drunk’s electrolyte entry, Paula’s Choice introduced their Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer.
Again, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. It’s just so light and, as it turns out, perfect for spring and summer. For me, it just wasn’t the right time of year for it. I was looking for richer textures to keep my skin from drying out in the cold.
Similar to the Drunk Elephant’s F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial, the Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer contains a complex of electrolyte minerals — including calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Interestingly, Paula’s INCI is a mile long! Normally that would give me pause, but this is Paula and I trust everything she’s got in there is gentle, serves the purpose of promoting skin health — or prolongs formula stability.
Notably, there are numerous lightweight humectants and hydrators in the top ten that help skin to maintain its water content.
In addition to the three electrolyte minerals in the formula, Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer features high concentrations of Glycerin, Butylene Glycol and Propanediol — none of them sexy skincare superstars, but all effective at what they do: hydrate.
What Are Electrolytes and What Do Electrolytes Do for the Skin?
What are electrolytes anyway? Well, electrolytes are a class of water-binding minerals, including calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, and sodium. Electrolytes in the body help to keep the skin healthy and hydrated.
As skin loses hydration when we sweat through our pores, it loses electrolytes along with that water content. In fact, these intriguing substances may be familiar to you if you drink sports drinks like Gatorade. Sports drinks are rich in electrolytes, helping to replenish vital minerals in the bodies of athletes or sports enthusiasts who sweat a whole lot more than the rest of us.
There’s an excellent article on the benefits of electrolytes for the skin on the Healthline website titled, Brainy Beauty: Can Electrolytes Really Hydrate Your Skin? I found this most interesting:
According to Dr. Bruce Robinson, FAAD, a board certified dermatologist in New York City and clinical professor of dermatology at Lenox Hill Hospital, water also plumps skin, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
“In the skin, electrolytes help conduct electricity when mixed with water, enabling cells to regulate pH levels and keep the body’s hydration system in check,” says Robinson. “They can help your skin to retain water… and [could] eventually help your skin get better at holding onto hydration.”
The question is whether electrolytes applied to the skin actually sink in well enough to boost hydration.
While Robinson hasn’t seen any high-quality studies showing if electrolyte skin care works, “On paper, it makes sense,” he says.
Although he won’t recommend electrolyte creams to his patients until studies prove that they’re better than the (often significantly less expensive) moisturizers already on the market, they could be worth the splurge if they really do live up to the hype.
Electrolyte creams are ideal if you work out a lot, have dry, irritated, or sensitive skin, or if you have certain types of eczema, says Robinson.
Again, the INCI of the Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer formula is extensive. There are so many antioxidant botanical extracts I didn’t even bother to count them. There must be a dozen! Many of them are the kinds of fruit extracts you often see in an ingredient list — like Apple Fruit Extract, Kiwi Fruit Extract and Wild Cherry Fruit Extract.
But Mangosteen Peel Extract?
Now that’s just plain weird. I don’t know who made Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer, but I’d like to try whatever they’re smoking!
All joking aside, it’s actually quite an impressive nutrient-replenishing moisturizer that makes an ideal face cream for oily skin.
Paula’s Choice describes the efficacy of this rather unusual lotion this way: “The electrolytes in this quenching formula work with natural hydrators to draw the right amount of moisture into skin and hold it there. A blend of natural antioxidants, ceramides, B vitamins and prebiotic sugars work throughout skin’s uppermost layers, optimizing its ability to stay moisturized over time.”
Seriously, if you have oily skin, or simply want a lightweight product that maintains your skin’s hydration levels on a hot day, the Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer is an excellent option.
Skin will drink it right up! No Gatorade necessary.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer for $35 here.
THREE OF THE BEST PAULA'S CHOICE PRODUCTS THAT MAKE ME PURR LIKE ORPHEUS!
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW
THE YEAR’S BEST VITAMIN C SERUMS WITH PAULA'S CHOICE, SUNDAY RILEY, THE INKEY LIST AND MORE!
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice Water-Infusing Electrolyte Moisturizer:
sii|h 0 0, Dimethicone emo 0 1, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Propanediol solv|h, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2-3, Glyceryl Stearate emo|emu 0 1-2, Isohexadecane emo|solv, Potassium Pca h, Magnesium Pca h, Calcium Pca h, Ethylhexyl Olivate, Polyglyceryl-4 Olivate emu, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract 
h, Laminaria Saccharina (Brown Algae) Extract h|so, Actinidia Chinensis (Kiwi) Fruit Extract emo, Coffea Arabica (Coffee) Seed Extract, Biotin/Folic Acid/Cyanocobalamin/Niacinamide/Pantothenic Acid/Pyridoxine/Riboflavin/Thiamine/Yeast Polypeptides, Garcinia Mangostana (Mangosteen) Peel Extract, Prunus Serotina (Wild Cherry) Fruit Extract h, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Ceramide EOP sii, Ceramide AP sii, Ceramide NP sii, Pisum Sativum (Pea) Extract, Phytosphingosine sii|cci|aacne|amic, Cholesterol sii|emo 0 0, Acetyl Hexapeptide-37, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Creatine, Bisabolol so, Sorbitol h 0 0, Inositol h, Xylitol h, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Sodium Levulinate, Behenyl Behenate emo, Tribehenin emo, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate emu, Xanthan Gum vc, Sodium Acrylates Copolymer vc, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Carbomer vc 0 1, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Tetrasodium EDTA chel, Phenoxyethanol pres, Ethylhexylglycerin presThe Ingredient List of The Inkey List Symbright Moisturizer:
sii|h 0 0, Glyceryl Stearate SE emu 2 3, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Stearic Acid emo|vc 0 2-3, Phenoxyethanol pres, Benzyl Alcohol pres|perf|solv|vc, Carbomer vc 0 1, Sclareolide perf, Mica col, Kappaphycus Alvarezii Extract cci, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Dehydroacetic Acid pres, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract aox|sb, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Sea Water h|solv, Ci 77891 (Titanium Dioxide) col 0 0The Ingredient List of the SELF/ish Eye Cream:
Aqua, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Albizia Julibrissin Bark Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pantolactone, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, Dipeptide-2, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Darutoside, Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-12, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bakuchiol, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Tocopherol, Cyanocobalamin, Dunaliella Salina Extract, Sodium Lactate, Sodium Citrate, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Palmitic Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hesperidin Methyl Chalcone, Steareth 20, Sorbitan Isostearate, Polysorbate 60, Trideceth-6, Butylene Glycol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Polyacrylate, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/ Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate Copolymer, t-Butyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Stearic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Citric Acid, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Phenoxyethanol
The Ingredient List of the Sobel Skin Rx Bio Hyaluronic Moisture Cream Extreme:
Aqua/Water/Eau, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrogenated Phosphatidylcholine, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Sodium Stearoyl Glutamate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Pentylene Glycol, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Rosa Moschata Seed Oil, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Ceramide Np, Glycerin, Leontopodium Alpinum Callus Culture Extract, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Xylitylglucoside, Anhydroxylitol, Xylitol, Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate, Sorbitan Isostearate, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Amino esters-1, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Flower/Leaf Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract
