There are moisturizers you experiment with for a few weeks, finish the tub and promptly forget about. And then there are those rare products that quietly become a permanent part of your skincare routine.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream has been sitting on my skincare shelf for more than a year now. I’m currently on my third tub, so I have had plenty of time to figure out what I like about it, what it actually does for my skin, and whether a moisturizer at this price is really worth buying repeatedly.
Texture & My Experience
I mostly use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream as part of my nighttime skincare routine. The cream feels extremely nourishing on my skin without giving me the heavy, suffocating feeling that I sometimes associate with richer moisturizers. After application, my skin feels soft, supple and properly moisturized.
By the next morning, my skin has that healthy, well-hydrated appearance that I really like. With regular use, I feel my skin looks plumper and has a subtle natural glow. One of my biggest concerns with nourishing creams is breakouts. A cream can make all the promises it wants, but if I wake up with clogged pores or pimples, the relationship is over. Thankfully, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream has never caused breakouts for me, even with regular use.
What’s Actually Inside Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream?
This is where the formula becomes interesting because it isn’t simply a thick cream designed to sit on top of the skin.
Squalane is one of the star ingredients in this moisturizer. It is a lightweight emollient that helps replenish lipids in the skin barrier and reduces moisture loss. Kiehl’s uses plant-derived squalane sourced from sugar cane. This probably explains part of what I enjoy so much about the cream: it manages to feel nourishing and make my skin supple without feeling excessively greasy.
Glacial Glycoprotein is one of the more unusual ingredients associated with the Ultra Facial range. Kiehl’s says its Glacial Glycoprotein was originally sourced from Antarctic sea glaciers and is used in the formula to help maintain the skin’s moisture balance and hydration. Don’t worry nobody is currently chiselling pieces off an Antarctic glacier for my night cream. The ingredient is now produced as a renewable raw material.
Ceramides are lipids naturally present in our skin and are an important part of a healthy skin barrier. Kiehl’s includes pro-ceramides in this formula to help reinforce the skin barrier, which in turn helps the skin hold onto moisture more effectively.
This combination of squalane, glycoprotein and barrier-supporting lipids makes much more sense to me after using the cream long term. It doesn’t just give my skin a temporarily creamy feeling, my skin genuinely feels comfortable and well moisturized.
Does it work on Fine Lines and Wrinkles?
I also feel that my skin looks smoother and fine lines appear less obvious when I use this cream consistently. But I want to be realistic here. This isn’t an anti-ageing treatment in the same category as retinoids or other targeted wrinkle treatments. Well-hydrated skin naturally looks plumper, and dehydration lines can consequently appear softer and less noticeable. So I wouldn’t buy Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream specifically as a wrinkle treatment. I would buy it for hydration, nourishment and maintaining a healthy skin barrier and consider the smoother, plumper appearance a welcome bonus.
Does It Cause Breakouts?
It hasn’t caused breakouts on my skin despite being quite nourishing. The formula is also fragrance-free and labelled non-comedogenic, which is another plus for anyone who doesn’t particularly want perfume in their facial moisturizer. Of course, everyone’s skin reacts differently, so my experience doesn’t guarantee that it won’t cause breakouts for someone else.
Price : And now we arrive at the slightly painful part. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream isn’t cheap. At the time of writing, the 50 ml tub has an MRP of around Rs.3,400 in India, although it is frequently available at a discount during sales. For a moisturizer, that is definitely an investment. But this is also my third tub.
What I Like?
• Extremely nourishing and moisturizing
• Makes my skin feel soft and supple
• Gives my skin a healthy, hydrated glow
• Doesn’t cause breakouts on my skin
• Fragrance-free
• Contains squalane and barrier-supporting ingredients
• A little goes a long way
What Could Be Better ?
• It is expensive for a basic moisturizer
• If you’re looking specifically for pigmentation, acne or serious anti-ageing benefits, you’ll still need targeted actives in your routine
Will I Repurchase Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream?
Considering I’m currently using my third tub, I think we already know how this story ends. Yes, I would.
There are cheaper moisturizers available, and this certainly isn’t an essential product everyone needs to spend ₹3,400 on. But after using it for more than a year, I keep coming back to it because of how consistently comfortable, supple and healthy my skin feels when I use it. For me, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream isn’t the most exciting product in my skincare routine. It’s the dependable one. And sometimes that’s exactly what you want from a moisturizer.
