By Wishtrend TECA 1% Barrier Cream review

After a disastrous experience with the By Wishtrend Green Tea & Enzyme Powder Wash where my skin pretty much molted, I was in need of some desperate barrier repair. The stars must’ve been aligned because I had just received this cream a few days before and this was the perfect occasion to test it out. Trust me, my skin needed a lot of help.

Me to a T. This wasn’t my first time using the By Wishtrend powder wash, and while previous times left my skin dry & tight, this particular instance just straight up burned my cheeks.

What is it

A gel that helps calm and regenerate damaged skin while preventing acne scars.

How I use it

Very generously at the end of my routine, patting it on my red peeling skin.

Best suited for

Normal to oily skin types due to its super light texture. Will still work for dry skin types, but you’ll want to keep your moisturizer in your routine.

Irritants

None, but it does contain dimethicone high on the list so keep that in mind if that breaks you out.

Packaging

A squeeze tube that gives you precise control over the amount used each time. Simple, sanitary, no complaints here.

Scent

None

Texture

Like a silky silicone-based primer, probably due to its high dimethicone content

Finish

Smooth and matte, it as if you’ve applied primer to your skin. No issues with pilling either.

Available At

Wishtrend for $27.50/30ml

Ingredient Analysis

Water, Dipropylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Cetearyl Alcohol, Dimethicone, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ethyl Hexanediol, Cyclohexasiloxane, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Tromethamine, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Glyceryl Caprylate, Allantoin, Disodium EDTA

When it comes to soothing ingredients, centella asiatica is one of my favorite to see in a product – it’s well researched and my skin reacts wonderfully to it. While the By Wishtrend TECA 1% Barrier Cream doesn’t explicitly list centella asiatica extract as an ingredient, it does list Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, and Asiatic Acid, all of which are compounds found in centella asiatica extract (sooo… centella asiatica extract extracts? ???? ) responsible for calming and repairing the skin. Together they form TECA, which this cream contains a 1% solution of.  Other notable skin-repairing ingredients include:

• Dimethicone – While it doesn’t have any healing properties, it’s a great emollient that forms a protective barrier over the skin to prevent moisture loss, a common problem when your natural skin barrier is damaged.
• Allantoin – A great skin-soothing and repairing ingredient. It’s often used to treat dry, itchy skin or any minor skin irritations (eg. rashes or burns)

The overall ingredient list is fairly simple, which is what you want when your skin is already irritated. Nothing stands out as being horrible, though nothing else stand out as being great either.

TECA 1% Barrier Cream vs Cicaplast Baume B5

Several bloggers have commented on how well this works to help heal their skin post-breakout, but since I had no breakouts I used it mainly to repair my over-exfoliated skin. Usually I’d reach for my trusty La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, but I wanted to see how the TECA 1% Barrier Cream compared.

Texture wise it wins hands down, providing a smooth silky feel on the skin couldn’t be more different from the thicker and much oilier Cicaplast Baume B5. While it didn’t irritate my raw skin when applied, my skin still looked red and felt itchy the next morning, albeit not as bad as before. It’s also not hydrating enough on its own, I definitely need to layer my usual moisturizer underneath, otherwise my skin feels dry and tight the next morning.

After a few days I was getting impatient with the slow results and reached for the Cicaplast Baume B5 and bam, the redness and itchiness were 90% gone the next day. Yes I know the is not the way you compare two products, but based on this and past experiences (I really need to work on NOT irritating my skin so frequently in 2018…), I personally find theLa Roche-Posay balm much better at actually calming and repairing damaged skin.

Shame, I really liked how this one felt on the skin

I think in mild skin irritation cases or treating acne the TECA 1% Barrier Cream would be enough. It certainly feels more comfortable and provides a much more elegant finish, whereas the Cicaplast Baume B5 can feel thick and leave a shiny white cast, so you can’t really use it during the day. Between the two I still prefer Cicaplast Baume B5 because it’s half the price and just gets the job done much quicker. But if damaged skin isn’t a major concern of yours, I do think you’ll enjoy the overall experience of the TECA 1% Barrier Cream more. (Though in that case I’m not sure why you’d even need the cream then? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Final Verdict

I feel like my not-so-positive opinions of this cream is in the minority as others seem to really enjoy it, albeit for treating acne and not for repairing large areas of damaged skin. But hopefully you still enjoyed the review and found it helpful! Lastly, I wish you all a very merry Christmas, and I’ll be back before the end of the year with another favorites post! ❤️

PS. Have you read my 2017 in review – favorite beauty discoveries post yet? There’s a surprise for you guys at the end!