Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream With SPF 30 Is an Instant Daily Must-Have

In our column, New to Me, writer and editor Stephen Rubino puts the newest and buzziest beauty products to the test, offering up his honest thoughts on how they perform and if they’re really worth adding to your shopping cart. 

My greatest skincare sin is not having a “routine.” Some people are great at this: Before bed, they’ve got a multi-step process of cleaning, toning and moisturizing. Me, on the other hand? I’m all over the place. If my face is feeling oily, I’ll do a deeper clean. If it’s dry, I’ll moisturize. If it’s sunny out, I’ll put on some SPF. You get the point — and as you might imagine, it leads to inconsistent results! 

That’s why I was so glad to be able to test out Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30, which was gifted to me by the brand. I wanted a product I could wear every day without having to worry about whether or not it was the “right” time to use for my skin. Having tried (and loved) their special-use moisturizers during extra-dry winter weather like the Advanced Repair Barrier Cream, I knew Kiehl’s was a brand I could rely on for daily use.

When it comes to moisturizers, I’m a sucker for a tub, as opposed to pump-bottles that I feel produce a more gooey texture. Instead, the Kiehl’s Ultra Cream is richer, and a little dab goes a long way. I also appreciated the size of their 50 ml option: Rather than a huge container of daily cream, I had a more portable tub that I could easily toss in a toiletries bag or backpack side pocket. This meant that I got a lot more use out of it: Half the time when I set out to try a product and it’s cumbersome to carry around, it falls out of regular use quickly. I’m basically hacking my laziness when it comes to skincare.