Emilia Clarke Is "Obsessed" With This Lightweight Moisturizer, and It Just Got a Major Upgrade

Few skincare products from the ‘80s remain as relevant as Clinique’s Moisture Surge Moisturizer. Originally launched in 1988, the moisturizer is a best-seller for the legacy beauty brand; InStyle readers selected it as the best moisturizer overall just two years ago. Cool, quenching, and non-irritating, it’s beloved by people of all skin types. Among them: Emilia Clarke, who tells InStyle she’s “obsessed” with the product for her “really dry and really sensitive skin.” Lately, the Game of Thrones star has been turning to a new (and arguably, improved) version of her favorite moisturizer: the Moisture Surge Broad Spectrum SPF 28 Sheer Hydrator. 

Shop now: $48; nordstrom.com

Clinique Moisture Surge Broad Spectrum SPF 28 Sheer Hydrator is a souped-up, sunscreen-spiked spinoff of the brand’s original, ultra-popular gel cream. The gussied-up formula, which just launched this month, retains its parent product’s DNA. Namely, a blend of aloe and hyaluronic acid for hydration, plus vitamins C and E — “two antioxidants [that] can work together” particularly well, Dr. Nicole Hayre, a board-certified dermatologist in McLean, Virginia, previously told InStyle. 

The key difference boils down to sunscreen — specifically, transparent, residue-free sunscreen that blends beautifully on all skin tones. Broad spectrum SPF 28 delivers peace of mind for Clarke, who says this new version has become her “go-to.” Though she often layers a dedicated SPF over her moisturizer, she says it’s perfect if “you want a little bit more SPF in your life.” Additionally, it’s ideal “if you forget” SPF or if “you don’t want to” wear a separate sunscreen formula — which, thanks to its lightweight, non-greasy feel and barely a whisper of the telltale sunscreen scent, makes it perfect for the sunscreen-averse among us. 

Shoppers love the formula, too: One reviewer wrote that the moisturizer “absorbs into the skin giving it a feeling of relief and cooling,” and is “light and refreshing.” Another added that the formula is “smoothing out my T-Zone by providing moisture and removing shine and still making it glow,” and went so far as to consider it “best daytime moisturizer.”

The actress coalesced with Clinique in 2020 and became its first brand ambassador. Clarke, who says the formulas “work really well for [her] skin,” uses Clinique’s cleansing balm and clarifying lotion. “That is God's honest truth, that's what I actually do,” she says. 

Shop the classic, ultra-hydrating Clinique Moisture Surge, now with SPF 28, at Nordstrom. The formula retains all the hydrating goodness of the original and adds sun protection.