Two things in my life that don’t mix well: being a beauty writer and having reactive, dry skin. I’ll try almost any makeup product under the sun, and easily wipe it off the moment I decide it’s not for me, but try to get me to ditch my tried-and-true moisturizers, and you might get a little push back. After spending years trying to find a cream that actually nourished my dry skin and didn’t leave me feeling tight moments later, I’m hesitant to head outside of my comfort zone (AKA: Weleda’s Skin Food Body Cream and Farmacy’s Honey Halo Moisturizer). But after hearing how much shoppers and celebrities love the California-based brand Osea, I decided to give its Advanced Protection Cream a try.

Osea is a Malibu brand in all senses of the word — yes, it's based out of the beach town, but it also takes an all-natural, sea-forward approach to skincare, incorporating nutrient-rich seaweed into its lineup of products. Each serum, moisturizer, and oil is packed with vitamins and minerals designed to nourish skin. So, I figured that even if this doesn’t moisturize quite like it promises, at least the formula won’t break me out. But to my surprise, the brand’s moisturizer transformed my skin.

Shop now: $108; nordstrom.com, oseamalibu.com, and credobeauty.com

The Advanced Protection Cream is its most nourishing moisturizer, formulated with a number of plant-based ingredients like seaweed and a biomimetic lipid complex, which is designed to soften and moisturize skin. Osea also added a vegan retinol alternative to this cream, a popular ingredient in anti-aging skincare. 

One 62-year-old shopper says people think they’re “in [their] 40s” thanks to this product, while a 58-year-old explained that this moisturizer “plumps up [their] fine lines and wrinkles,” and softens their “forehead lines as well as the lines around [their] mouth.” And another customer over 60 shared that this keeps their “mature skin…soft and supple.”

But while plumping, firming benefits are an inarguable plus, at the end of the day, what I wanted was a moisturizer that kept me hydrated throughout the day. I need only the smallest amount of this thick, luxurious cream to cover my whole face and neck — something I learned after applying what I thought was a normal amount of moisturizer and finding myself covered in a thick, ghostly white layer. Given the higher price point, this was a relieving realization, as was the fact that after applying this in the early morning, my skin still felt bouncy and soft-to-the-touch by mid-afternoon. 

The finish is dewy without being greasy or sticky, and after using this for nearly a month, I’ve found that I have far fewer flare-ups and zero dry patches — which tend to pop up on my cheeks during winter — and my redness has calmed tremendously. 

“It has transformed my skin, repaired my skin barrier, and helped get rid of rosacea,” wrote one shopper, while another customer who notes that they’ve been dealing with “dry, tight skin for years,” added that, “[their] face feels so much better for the first time” since they were a teen. 

If winter has left your skin dry and dull, or perhaps you’re looking for a non-invasive way to plump wrinkles, grab Osea’s clean, ocean-inspired moisturizer for $108.