I have what most people would call classic combination skin: shiny down the middle by lunchtime, but my cheeks still moan if I don’t give them a proper moisturiser. Anything too rich turns my T-zone into a mirror, and anything too light disappears under makeup and leaves the sides of my nose looking dry and patchy. After a lot of half-used tubs, the one cream I actually stuck with all summer was Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream. It’s the first “hydrating but not greasy” cream I’ve finished without getting bored or annoyed with it halfway through.

When I first opened the jar, it didn’t look dramatic at all, which I liked straight away. The texture sits in that middle ground between gel and cream. It isn’t watery enough to run, but it isn’t a thick, heavy blob either. On my fingers it feels smooth and bouncy, and as soon as I start spreading it over my face it just glides. There is no dragging, no weird clumps, and no sense that it is going to sit there for ages refusing to sink in.

Once it is on the skin, it settles quickly. There is no silicone-type film that makes my face feel like it is wearing a coat, and no plasticky slip that some “pore-blurring” creams have. After a minute, my skin just feels cool and comfortable. If I touch my cheeks, they feel soft and hydrated, not tacky. My forehead does not look extra shiny, my nose is not beaming under indoor lights, and my cheeks still feel cushioned enough that foundation does not cling to dry bits. It feels like a cream made for people who need moisture but cannot stand heavy textures.

The hydration itself feels very water driven. It gives that plump, refreshed feeling without adding an obvious oily layer on top. The finish is not flat matte and not full glass-skin either; it sits somewhere in the middle, like a “healthy but not dewy” skin day. If I skip it for a few days, I notice my makeup catching more around my nose and the sides of my mouth. When I am using it regularly, my skin just behaves better: fewer flaky corners, less tightness by late afternoon, and no extra slickness appearing on my T-zone to make up for missing moisture.

Because there are two packaging versions, I ended up trying both the tube and the jar. The formula feels the same in both, so it really comes down to preference. The tube is tidy and more hygienic on paper, but with this kind of soft gel-cream I kept squeezing either a bit too much or not quite enough. With the jar, I can just tap a fingertip or spatula in and take exactly the amount I want. A tiny scoop for daytime, a slightly bigger one at night, and that’s it. There is something surprisingly satisfying about using it straight from the jar as well, which sounds trivial, but when you use the same cream every morning and evening, those small details matter more than you’d think.

In my routine it has very much become a warm-weather staple. In the morning I pop it on after serum and before sunscreen. It sinks in fast enough that I am not standing around waiting for layers to dry, and it doesn’t make my SPF pill or slide. Base makeup sits nicely on top, especially around my nose where creams often start to move things around if they are too rich. By midday my T-zone still gets a bit of shine, but it is regular “combo skin” shine, not the extra greasy look I get with heavier moisturisers.

At night, if I am not in the mood for a thick night cream, I just use a slightly larger amount of the Birch Juice cream and leave it at that. My skin feels comfortable when I go to sleep and still feels soft when I wake up, but without that coated, slightly suffocated feeling that richer formulas can leave behind. On days when the heating is on full blast or the weather is especially drying, I might add a hydrating serum underneath, but I do not feel like I need to redesign my whole routine around this moisturiser. It fits in easily, which is one of the reasons I reach for it so much.

My skin can be a bit touchy, especially if I have used an acid toner or retinoid the night before, so I pay attention to whether creams sting or bring up any warmth. This one stays calm. There is no burn, no perfume cloud hanging around my face, and no “why does this suddenly feel spicy?” moment. It doesn’t behave like a full-on barrier repair cream, so I wouldn’t use it for a serious flare-up on its own, but it definitely does not make irritated skin worse. On slightly sensitive days it feels neutral and safe rather than risky.

After finishing the jar and going back for more, I’ve kind of filed Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream in my head as my “no-fuss summer cream”. It is light enough for combination and oil-prone skin, hydrating enough that my cheeks do not feel ignored, and straightforward enough that I don’t have to think about it too much. If someone with very dry skin wanted something rich and balmy, I’d probably say this would be too light on its own, but as an everyday moisturiser for mid-twenties combo skin that hates heavy creams, it makes a lot of sense.

It doesn’t come across as a miracle product, and it never tries to be overly fancy. It just gives that steady, clean hydration with no greasy after-effect, and for me that’s exactly why the jar is empty and already replaced with another one.