Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Skin Protectant Cream is a beauty staple for celebs like Victoria Beckham, Zendaya and even Prince Harry. But, the brand’s latest launch has the potential to overtake it in terms of popularity.
While the iconic Eight Hour do-all Skin Protectant Cream has been a skincare staple for nearly a century, the new Eight Hour Cream Hydraplay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturiser may just be the next big thing to see the brand through the next 100 years.
The new moisturiser launched in the UK in March, has quickly become a must-have for skincare enthusiasts and beauty editors. Priced at £35, the formula is packed with hyaluronic acid to give your skin an instant hydration boost.
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It also contains sugarcane-derived squalane to strengthen your skin's moisture barrier. But the star of the show is the Botanical Blurring Complex, which controls excess oil and blurs visible imperfections for a matte finish.
This vegan formula is gentle enough for all skin types and is said to brighten and restore radiance, refine pores and prime the skin ready for makeup. Lightweight and soothing, you only need one to two pumps applied morning and night to see results, reports the Mirror.
I gave the Hydraplay cream a go for a week – during the hottest spell of the year so far – and it's already earned itself a top spot in my summer beauty regime.
Straight away, I was a fan of the pump dispenser, as it lets you gauge exactly how much to use. A couple of pumps are plenty to spread over the forehead, cheeks and chin from the middle, sliding outwards towards the temple for a subtle lifting effect. It can also be applied upwards on the neck, although I sometimes find I need an extra pump here.
One of the things I adore about this moisturiser is its lightweight texture – it transitions from a cream to a water-like consistency as you massage it into the skin. The product slides on smoothly and sinks in quickly, leaving no heavy or oily residue behind, with a really clean fragrance that's made for summer.
As someone who always found the Eight Hour Skin Protectant Cream a tad sticky, I'm definitely favouring this latest innovation. As soon as I applied it, my skin felt quenched and looked incredibly fresh. My complexion often tends to be quite dull, but it really gave me that uplifted, luminous look without making my skin overly shiny.
It performs brilliantly as a primer under makeup, passing the no-pill test and laying the groundwork for a flawless base. And after my week-long trial, it's safe to say I was a little bit smitten.
After a week, my skin felt baby soft and plump, seeming that little bit more alive than usual. And as someone with sensitive skin, I'm thrilled to report that it's gentle enough for even the most delicate complexions, suffering no breakouts or blemishes.
I also really enjoyed using it on areas of my body that really needed that extra boost of hydration, like my elbows, which regularly become dry in the warm weather. It really is like a drink of water for the skin.
And I'm not the only one who's loved it either. In just a few short months, the cream has racked up a 4.6 star rating based on over 1,000 reviews. One said: "Plumped my skin made my skin look so fresh and clean looking."
Another added: "This moisturiser is THE BEST I have ever used. It left my skin feeling amazing. I have really dry skin on my forehead and this stuff has worked miracles. 10/10 would recommend to everyone! ".
"This really does last eight hours," wrote a third. "The feel is not too heavy and smooths on nicely. It absorbs well, almost weightless but definitely keeps my skin well moisturized all day long. Another wonderful product from a trusted brand."
But one did say "It could have been better." They added: "it just felt heavy like there was something on my skin and the smell was a bit funny."
Elizabeth Arden's latest addition, Hydraplay, is the 12th product to join the iconic Eight Hour collection, which now boasts a facial mist, lip balm, and more.
Speaking to BeautyMatter, Susan Zuckerman, Elizabeth Arden's Vice President of Global Marketing said: "HydraPlay is one of the first times that we're really trying to bring in a new consumer and leverage our iconic Eight Hour history and our iconic Eight Hour equity. We really think that this is the next cult classic [product] that's going to take the brand through the next 100 years."
Another water-based moisturiser we can’t get enough of at is Tatcha’s Water Cream, which is £67 for 50ml. This lightweight, clarifying water cream is said to release ‘a burst of hydrating nutrients and pore-refining botanicals for healthy ageing and smooth, balanced skin’. Meanwhile, Medik8’s Advanced Day Ultimate Protect has the added benefit of SPF protection.
I think if there’s one product that can help introduce Elizabeth Arden’s products to a wider audience, it’s definitely the Eight Hour Cream Hydraplay Skin Perfecting Daily Moisturiser. It’s simple, it’s effective – the epitome of clean girl aesthetic. Delivering hydration and a subtle plumping effect, all without the heavy feel or greasy residue, it’s a summer skincare must-have that will be coming everywhere with me for the next few months.