Review: good light Order of the Eclipse moisturizer

The ability to compromise is an integral human skill.

Instead of sleeping in, you snooze your alarm twice. The bakery down the block is out of oat milk, so you get almond. Regular, minor concessions allow us to evaluate what we really need versus just want. ("I want a creamy latte and we need to avoid a tummy ache.") It ultimately makes us realize that we’re more adaptable and flexible than we typically give ourselves credit for.

Oftentimes, this accommodation continues into our skincare routines. We use a retinol even though it makes us as light-sensitive as Dracula himself. We use an effective bacne treatment even though it smells like burnt matches and devilled eggs. The list goes on and on and, starting today, gets one item shorter. good light’s newest product and first-ever moisturizer, the Order of the Eclipse Hylauronic Cream, is a moisturizer that is free from compromise. Allow me to explain.

The old-school approach to moisturizers (think heritage brands like Nivea or Pond's) is to make a rich, opaque formulation, commonly utilizing an occlusive like petroleum or mineral oil. Great for creating a barrier atop the skin it sits on but doesn’t do much in the way of sinking in past the top-most layer. (That’s why petroleum-based ointments are used in first-aid. They create barriers between you and the outside world.)

Fun fact: A group of moths is called an “eclipse.”

More recently, gel moisturizers have risen in popularity. Many modern brands turn to this formula for their layerability and decreased likelihood of breaking down your makeup. These lighter-weight formulations are more quenching but can lack lasting hydration. Maybe you’re familiar with applying a gel lotion and just a few hours later, it feels like you applied nothing at all! What gives??

The Order of Eclipse Hylauronic Cream bridges the two into an ultra-hydrating, rich gel-cream hybrid. In my many years as a beauty editor, I’ve never encountered a facial moisturizer that is rich like a cold cream but soaks in with all the immediacy of a gel. This is accomplished in a few ways.

The incorporation of vegan squalane delivers moisture to the skin and aids in cell regeneration, making it strong and smooth without feeling heavy or greasy. High concentrations of glycerin, an anti-inflammatory humectant that draws and holds moisture to the skin. There are also three different-sized molecules of hyaluronic acid to facilitate deep, skin-penetrating moisture. (It also contributes to helping restore compromised skin.)

The Order of the Eclipse has a jelly cream texture.

Also there to replenish your tired, chapped, and weary skin is Meshima mushroom. This mushroom, found on mulberry trees, is a potent ingredient (rich in polysaccharides and beta-glucans) that has been utilized in Eastern cultures for generations for its inflammation-calming properties. In the long term, it improves collagen retention to boost skin firmness.

The lush but lightweight nature of the Order of the Eclipse means that it’s suitable for all skin types from the most sensitive and dry to the oiliest and acne-prone — including those with combination skin. I have oily skin and occasionally an eczema flare-up on my cheeks. This product balances the oily spots and nourishes the flaky ones. This product is the cherry on top of your gentle, skin-barrier-boosting routine. It locks in all previous steps in your routine and, in the morning, you’ll wake up with skin that is as robustly moisturized as the night before.

It may surprise people that it took so long for good light to create a moisturizer. I can hear you saying now, “Who launches a beanie before a moisturizer?” And to that, I say — harsh, but fair. Two years is a long time to go back and forth with dozens of formulation adjustments. I suppose good light could have rushed one, half-assed, out the door. That’s just not a compromise they were willing to make.