It's thick like a balm but not oily, so your skin doesn't feel suffocated. I put this over my retinoids and it works well in hydrating my skin at night night. My skin is oily, dehydrated, sensitive, and acne prone and this doesn't irritate it at all. The balm kind of reminds me of the Cetaphil moisturizer that comes in the tub except not as thick, if anything, it feels more gel-like. The jar is quite small compared to the cream, but you don't need much since it spreads easily.