Lacura H2O Advance Aqua Gel

In early April of 2024, I started seeing rumors that Aldi might be discontinuing its Lacura line of private label personal care products, or at least discontinuing the face creams in its Lacura line. I couldn’t find the Lacura face creams in my local stores, which was disappointing because I regularly used the night cream Aldi had sold for years.

I did some research, including reaching out to Aldi directly. I learned that Aldi was not getting rid of its face care products but was instead reformulating them. Aldi told me its face creams would be back in May of 2024 with a “new look.”

As promised, I began seeing face creams back on Aldi shelves sometime in May of 2024. These products seem to be rolling out slowly to Aldi stores across the United States. I’ve heard from readers in various parts of the country who say they have yet to see the new face creams. If they aren’t back in your local stores yet, I’m guessing they’ll eventually show up, but exactly when that might be I don’t know.

There are three types of Aldi face creams: a day cream, a night cream, and an aqua gel. They have been slightly tweaked, as the day and night creams are now fragrance free. All three products also are now sold in all-plastic containers instead of glass jars with plastic lids. I’m a bit disappointed by the move to plastic containers and hope that Aldi someday transitions back to more sustainable packaging for these.

In this post, I’m taking a closer look at the reformulated aqua gel at Aldi. While I have previously purchased the old versions of the day and night creams, the aqua gel is something I don’t have prior experience with. However, I’ve heard good things about it and decided to give it a try.

Lacura H2O Advance Aqua Gel with Hyaluronic Acid is a Regular Buy, which means that once the new product rolls out to all Aldi stores, it should be available year round.

This cost $3.79 for a 1.7-ounce container at the time of writing. That’s about $2.22 per ounce. That’s also the same price as the day and night creams at Aldi.

Similar to the Lacura day and night cream, this is a product of Germany.

I am not certain what the ingredients were before Aldi pulled this from the shelves, so I’m not sure how much the formula may have changed. The reformulated version does contain fragrance in the ingredients list. So, while the revamped day cream and night cream at Aldi had fragrance removed this year, the aqua gel does contain fragrance. That is something to be aware of if you have sensitive skin and are trying to avoid added scents. The container does state, though, that this is “for all skin types.”

The box also states this “delivers intense hydration up to 24 hours and helps your skin feel soft and supple.” It says it’s “a moisturizer made with hyaluronic acid, provitamin B5, and other valuable ingredients that provide intensive hydration for your skin for up to 24 hours.”

The box lists the following benefits:

• Hyaluronic acid — “a component found naturally in the skin that functions as water storage, it provides balanced hydration.”
• Provitamin B5 — “gently pampers your skin.”
• Glycerin — “instantly moisturizes, leaving your skin feeling softened and soothed.”

The packaging also states that this gel is lightweight and absorbs quickly but offers long-lasting moisture similar to a cream. It can be used daily. It is dermatologically tested and was not tested on animals.

The directions say to apply this gel to a cleansed face, neck, and décolleté and massage in gently. Use daily for best results. Avoid direct contact with eyes, and rinse well with water in eye contact occurs. Discontinue use if skin or eye irritation develops.

As I mentioned earlier, I didn’t have experience with the Aldi aqua gel prior to it disappearing and reappearing in stores. I have come to really like this aqua gel. It has a light, mild fragrance that smells fresh and clean, and it has a very pale blue color. It has a medium thickness or consistency and it rubs in and absorbs well without leaving a greasy feeling. It also seems to do a good job at adding moisture to skin. While it’s intended for use on your face and neck, it also feels nice as a hand moisturizer. I would definitely buy this one again.

The Verdict:

Lacura H2O Advance Aqua Gel is one of the Aldi face creams that disappeared from stores in early 2024 and then came back in May of 2024. We’re not sure whether the formula in this aqua gel changed, but it did get a new look in an all-plastic container instead of its old glass jar with plastic lid. This aqua gel features hyaluronic acid and glycerin for moisturizing and provitamin B5, and it does well at hydrating skin. It also has a clean, mild fragrance. We like this one.