This Viral Face Moisturizer Is Perfect For My Dry Mature Skin (2025)

I’ve adopted what might best be described as Goldilocks energy in my years-long quest for the best moisturizer. It must be seriously hydrating, but not so much so that it ever looks or feels greasy. It should fight fine lines, yet still be basic enough to layer with other products. The packaging should be pretty, but still functional.

I’m not picky, I’m just particular—and so is my skin. It’s capital-D dry and sensitive, too. Barrier repair is the rhythm of my skincare dance floor, and products with ingredients like ceramides and fatty acids work beautifully for me, helping to both lock in moisture and minimize sensitivity. So I was insanely curious about the viral Dieux Instant Angel Moisturizer, which you can find at Sephora and claims to check all of these boxes.

Aside from my generally dry baseline, I also live in Chicago. After a very long and very cold winter, the weather is finally starting to break. Sort of. We get one soul-filling 65-degree sunny day followed by snow. It’s a roller coaster that poses challenges for your wardrobe, mental status, and skin. All that’s to say my complexion has been in a bit of a state lately, making me all the more excited to test out Instant Angel Moisturizer. And while it’s only been a few days, I can already confidently say I’m a believer.

What Is The Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer?

Dieux has a cult-like following (among both millennial and Gen Z audiences—no easy feat), beloved for its eye masks, serums, and moisturizers. And Instant Angel is firmly on that list: The bestseller is the subject of countless social-media videos and online threads. Its claim to fame is for being supremely moisturizing without ever veering into greasy or heavy territory. It boasts a barrier-support complex made of a ceramide, a hexapeptide, and other emollients, plus a combo of phytosterols and fatty acids that helps to support the skin’s natural lipid layer.

There’s also meadowestolide in the mix—a unique lipid that helps further minimize water loss from the skin. As if that weren’t enough, it touts a power combo of moisturizing actives (glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and urea, to name just a few). The icing on the skincare cake? An amino acid, to minimize the appearance of wrinkles.

And yet, despite all of these moisturizing heavy-hitters, the brand still promises that this won’t ever look or feel greasy, and will simply leave your skin with a pretty glow. It can be used morning and evening (though should always be followed with sunscreen in the a.m., of course).

Shop the Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer

How I Used The Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer

Another one of Instant Angel’s purported attributes is layering beautifully under makeup, specifically without pilling. As luck would have it, the product showed up on my doorstep as I was getting ready to do a full face of makeup before a night out. I rubbed the directed quarter-size amount into my skin and audibly gasped within seconds. Was it the heavenly texture? The truly angelic glow it imparted? The fact that it immediately knocked out any and all dryness but didn’t feel greasy?

All of the above.

I found myself using more and more—not because I needed to, but because I wanted to. It was silky, luxurious, and always non-greasy. I was beyond pleased. And despite the fact that I definitely used more than directed, it still never left behind any telltale residue and worked beautifully under my makeup.

I tried it the next morning under what, for me, are much more typical conditions. I washed my face, applied a serum, then reached for this. While the brand says that Instant Angel can be used over serums, I was a little bummed to notice that, in this case, there was quite a bit of pilling. However, after a little bit of trial and error, I found that letting the serum fully soak into my skin and dry for a few minutes before applying Instant Angel alleviated the issue. Either way, the tinted sunscreen I use daily went on very nicely over the moisturizer.

I can’t speak to any wrinkle-smoothing benefits quite yet, but honestly, given the immediate effects, I’d be willing to drop that off my “moisturizer must-have” list if I had to—because the formula is just that darn good.

Shop the Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer

What I Liked About The Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer

There’s lots to appreciate about this standout, but a few of my favorites:

• It really does hydrate beautifully. Dry skin? Don’t know her. My complexion felt instantly quenched and generally looked better and dewier. And that feeling lasted all day—even in the midst of Chicago’s wild March weather. Also worth noting: I can occasionally get a little oily and breakout-prone on my forehead, so I greatly appreciated that this cream is non-comedogenic. It didn’t cause any issues for me, truly hitting that ideal balance of moisture without shine.
• It works very well for sensitive skin. Alongside all of the moisturizing and barrier-repair attributes that are already a huge win for the sensitive girlies, this is also a fragrance-free formula. While I love nice-smelling skincare as much as anyone, I always opt for fragrance-free picks, simply to minimize the likelihood of irritation. (But if scent is your thing, know that this product does not provide that kind of sensorial experience.)
• You should absolutely use it under makeup. I have made this my new daily moisturizer, but if nothing else, it would without doubt be my new pre-makeup prep step. The way it left my skin smooth and silky was almost primer-like. To that point, I felt like it even helped my makeup adhere better (although that might have just been in my head). It definitely did leave behind a beautiful glow that was only enhanced by the foundation and highlighter I used afterward.
• The packaging is cute (and practical). Aesthetically, I love the minimalism of the slim aluminum tube. Functionally, I love that it’s not a jar that I have to dip my germy fingers into, and that I can stand it up in a medicine cabinet or stash it in a drawer without its taking up too much space.

Bottom Line: Is The Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer Worth Buying?

I’ve tried plenty of products that promise similar barrier-repair benefits, but in my professional and personal experience, none have moisturized this deeply without feeling heavy or making me look overtly greasy or shiny. And since you really only need a tiny bit, one tube will last you quite a while (at least, if you don’t follow my lead and keep applying copious amounts because you like it so much). So while the jury is still out for me as as far as long-term benefits, the immediate results alone are more than enough to cement this product as a new staple in my daily routine.

Shop the Dieux Instant Angel Facial Moisturizer

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