Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream Review

Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream is a moisturizer with the creamiest, milkiest texture I’ve ever seen. Containing 63.7% green tea water (camellia sinensis leaf extract), it promises to deliver deep hydration with a featherlight finish.

(Disclosure: I was not financially compensated for this post however, I did receive a free product sample for review purposes. These opinions are completely my own based on my experience. Also note this site contains affiliate links. As a Wishtrend Affiliate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. See Terms of Use for more information.)

This Fundamental Water Gel Cream is the latest addition to Klairs’ Fundamental Line, the company’s premium line known for containing high concentrations of main active ingredients to achieve maximum results. For example, their popular Fundamental Ampule Mist contains 82% green tea leaf water. 

This latest addition to the Fundamental family contains 63.7% green tea water or camellia sinensis leaf extract. Let’s see what it does.

Benefits of camellia sinensis leaf water 

This cream’s main ingredient is green tea water or camellia sinensis leaf water. It’s been known to:

• Calm skin
• Brighten skin
• Provide effective antioxidant benefits
• And retain moisture

This product is also formulated with vitamin B5, amino acids and minerals for boosted and long-lasting hydration.

Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream ingredients

In addition to camellia sinensis leaf water, this moisturizer also contains (full ingredient list):

Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Aqua (Water), Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Panthenol, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract, Hibiscus Esculentus Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Laminaria Japonica Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Phytosphingosine, Caproyl Sphingosine, Tocopherol, Glyceryl glucoside, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Trehalose, Jojoba Esters, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Hydrolyzed Jojoba Esters, Glyceryl Acrylate/Acrylic Acid Copolymer, Cetyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Copolymer, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Ethylhexylglycerin, Cyclohexasiloxane

Anti-aging benefits

True to the premium formulation the Fundamental line of skincare products is known for, Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream also has what the company calls “hydra emulsification system”. 

Sounds high-tech? It absolutely is. 

I’m not one to get all science-y so the bottomline is: it allows this cream to hydrate deeper layers of our skin, resulting to a healthier and stronger skin moisture barrier. 

Healthy, moisturized, well-balanced skin prevents premature aging. So that’s a great thing! Don’t you just love skincare technology?

How I use this water gel cream

I used this gel cream as day and evening moisturizer. 

So at night it was the last step in my skincare routine. And in the mornings I applied it on my face before sunscreen.

There’s a small spatula provided but I found that I always ended up scooping way too much product this way. So in the end, I just gently dipped my ring finger into the tub and spread whatever product sticks on my face.

If I think I need more product, I just dip again (double dipping only allowed with clean fingers!) and apply to areas that I might have missed.

Other things to note about this product

• Smell. You know I’m a stickler for fragrance-free products and I’m happy to report that this moisturizer is fragrance-free.

• Colour. It’s a creamy white colour in the tub but applies clear.

• Texture and Consistency. Not sure if you can tell from the photos but this cream is super watery. It will spill out of the tub if you’re not careful! 

• Application. You can use the provided spatula or use your fingers like me. Then apply on your face like regular creams.

• Packaging. It comes in a 70ml tub that looks and feels high-end.

What I like about Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream 

I love Klairs products (I use Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream all the time) and there’s a lot of things to love about this product also:

• Super spreadable. This cream has amazing spreadability. A little goes a long way.

• Very hydrating. And you really only need a small amount to moisturize your face. When I was testing this product, I was using about 50% less moisturizer than I normally would with my normal brand. But my skin always felt smooth and soft after application. And all day. That’s how hydrating this product is.

• Luxurious. It’s so creamy and luxurious to apply too. It just melts into your skin. 

• Dewy finish. And it gives you a nice, healthy dewy finish after. 

• Fragrance-free. Last, but not the least for me, it’s fragrance-free.

What I don’t like about it

• Sticky. It was easy to get carried away the first few times I used this cream. So I ended up putting way too much product and my face felt sticky and heavy for hours. I started with a full scoop, then half a scoop, then a quarter of a scoop. Even that was too much. Finally, I just dipped my finger ever so gently and built up from there. This stickiness surprised me though because the product promised a lightweight finish. I suppose only if you applied the right amount of product for your skin type? (I’m combination-oily in the warmer months and semi-sensitive all year.)

• Breakouts. Speaking of skin sensitivity, I had a minor breakout a few days into using this product. The red bumps would go away when I stopped using it. And return when I did. The same thing happened when I was testing By Wishtrend Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash. And I realized that had camellia sinensis too. I suspect my skin doesn’t like green tea water.

Do I recommend Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream?

In a rating scale of 1 to 5 — 5 being awesome — this product is a 4 for me. It’s a lovely moisturizer. My skin felt smooth and plump on the days that I used it. It’s just unfortunate that my skin reacts badly to camellia sinensis for some reason. 

I will probably use this product again in the winter though; I think it will provide amazing hydration in the colder months. For now, it’s going to stay in my drawer because I want my summer to be pimple-free!

If you have no issues with its active ingredients, I say go for it. I think this will work especially well for dry skin types.

Want to see if it’s the right product for you? You can buy Klairs Fundamental Water Gel Cream at Wishtrend by clicking this link.

Use discount code JOLINA15 when shopping at Wishtrend and enjoy 15% off your purchase! Valid until December 31, 2023.

As always, 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 trying a new product, it pays to do a little bit of research first. Pay special attention to ingredients that you might have a reaction to.

And doing a patch-test is always a good idea. Unsure? Best to consult your dermatologist.

And practice good skincare habits always.

Happy skin experimenting!

Have you tried this moisturizer? Did it work for you? Will you recommend it? Would love to hear from you in the comments section below!

And let’s get social — follow me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook where we can get a little bit more personal and talk about skincare in real time.