Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream Review

This is a review of the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream. It’s a luxurious silky gel cream which can be used on all skin types. It’s an amazing product where you get the intense hydration of a moisturizer but with the power of a serum!

Hada Labo is the most popular skincare brand in Japan. The name “Hada Labo” literally means “Skin Lab” (“Hada” means “skin” in Japanese and “Labo” stands for “Laboratory”). The brand has become famous due to the Hyaluronic Acid content in their products.

Hada Labo’s “Super Hyaluronic Acid” is an ingredient which runs throughout their entire range. It has gained the brand a cult following due to its ability to transform the skin by retaining skin moisture. Their most popular and famous product is their super hydrator (one is sold every two seconds).

This post is a review of the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream

Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel

Experience of the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream

I absolutely love the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel! Almost overnight my skin started looking dewy, bouncy and more hydrated!!

I can see why it’s described as being a combination of both serum and moisturiser as you certainly don’t need a serum when you are using this (although I chose to combine it with the Super Hydrator)!

The gel is extremely lightweight and has a jelly-like and bouncy texture. It glides onto the skin very smoothly like a serum, and is transparent with no scent! If you have acne prone or sensitive skin I think this product would be brilliant as it won’t clog the pores and doesn’t contain any harsh ingredients.

The only product I’ve tried which was similar to this was the Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly, which also has a gel texture and feels like a jelly. The Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel however is much lighter that the Hydraluron Moisture Jelly and gives an intense plumping effect to the skin.

When I tried out the product I used it over the top of the Hada Labo Super Hydrator. I found that the combination of the two worked really well. Both products absorbed well into my skin and didn’t leave any greasy feel.

When I put it on before going to bed I could still feel the product on my skin in the morning. It was very slightly sticky but it’s worth it for the extremely hydration and moisturise it gives to your skin!

You can also use the product under makeup and it won’t leave your skin looking shiny or oily. I’ve put a picture below of what the gel looks like.

Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream Ingredients

All of Hada Labo’s products contain a proprietary combination of 3 types of Hyaluronic acid, known as Super Hyaluronic Acid™. Hyaluronic Acid attracts and binds water. It is something that we all have naturally in our bodies. It acts as a lubricant in our eyes, skin and joints.

As we get older our bodies produce less Hyaluronic Acid and our skin therefore becomes more dehydrated as it is less able to retain moisture. Since Hada Labo’s Super Hyaluronic Acid contains three different molecule sizes of Hyaluronic Acid, it can penetrate different layers of the skin.

The high concentration of Super Hyaluronic Acid in the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream leaves the skin full of moisture and looking soft and smooth. It plumps up fine lines and wrinkles and gives the skin a natural bounce.

What are the Other Key Ingredients?

As well as Super Hyaluronic Acid the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel contains a number of other ingredients which help to retain moisture and improve the condition of the skin.

Arginine

Arginine is an amino acid which stabilises the skin’s pH value. It helps to improve the skin’s ability to retain moisture, and repairs visible skin damage.

Glycerin

Glycerin is a humectant like Hyaluronic Acid. Humectants add moisture to your skin by drawing water molecules from the air and deeper layers of the skin towards the outer layer in order to re-hydrate the skin’s surface. They increase the amount of water within the skin.

Squalene

Squalene has anti-inflammatory benefits as well as oil balancing properties. It keeps your skin well hydrated and moisturised.

Green Tea Extract

Green Tea Extract improves skin texture and appearance. It also increases the skin’s collagen production which helps to maintain the skin’s elasticity and make the skin look more supple.

Hydroxyethyl Urea

Hydroxyethyl Urea works as a strong moisturiser and humectant meaning that it helps the skin to hold onto water and therefore makes it more hydrated and elastic.

EU Ingredients Vs US Ingredients

Depending on where you live, the ingredients in the product may be slightly different due to different areas having different regulations. In Europe the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel doesn’t contain any methylisothiazolinone which is a preservative. This ingredient was banned from skincare products in the EU since there is a possibility it may cause skin irritation.

In Europe the methylisothiazolinone in the product is replaced with parabens. This small change doesn’t seem to make a different to the performance of the product, and I have tested both as well as the original Japanese product, the Gokujyun Hyaluronic Perfect Gel.

I have listed the full ingredients of both products below:

Ingredients EU:
Aqua, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Diglycerin, Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Carbomer, Dimethicone, PEG-20 Sorbitan Isostearate, Triethanolamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Behenyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Phytosteryl/Octyldodecyl Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Disodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Propylparaben (rossmann.pl)

Ingredients USA:
water, hydroxyethyl urea, butylene glycol, glycerin, pentylene glycol, PEG/PPG/polybutylene glycol-8/5/3 glycerin, squalane, triethylhexanoin, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP copolymer, agar, alpha-glucan, arginine, citric acid, dimethicone, dipropylene glycol, disodium EDTA, glucosyl ceramide, hydrolyzed collagen (marine), hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, methylisothiazolinone, sodium acetylated hyaluronate, sodium chloride, sodium citrate, sodium hyaluronate, triethyl citrate (Amazon.com )

How Do You Use the Hada Labo Skin Plumping Gel Cream?

If you want to incorporate this product into your skincare routine you can use it both in the morning and evening. Japanese beauty philosophy tends to favour less products and more natural ingredients in their skincare routines. For this reason I created a very simple routine using only the cleanser, serum and skin plumping gel cream. If you have dry skin this is a great combination.

Start with cleansing your skin with the Hado Labo cleanser, pat on the Hada Labo Super Hydrator Lotion and the massage a small amount of the Haba Labo Skin Pluming Gel into your face and neck. It may take a minute for the product to dry.

Overall Verdict

Overall I think this product is an excellent moisturiser which would be perfect for combination skin, and skin that gets very dehydrated. Since it is described as being part serum, part moisturiser you could use this on its own, or with a serum underneath.

If you have acne-prone skin this gel moisturizer would be a good one to try as it won’t clog the pores and is mineral oil-free so won’t aggravate the skin.

If you enjoy Hada Labo Tokyo Products you may be interested in my review of their full range.