DIME Beaty may not have the household name recognition of a legacy beauty giant yet its buzz in the clean skincare niche is hard to miss. The Utah based brand has built a loyal following with ingredient conscious formulas that promise results without compromising on ethics or skin comfort. Color me intrigued
Enter TBT Cream, a night treatment whose acronym cheekily hints at “Throwback Thursday” skin. According to DIME it blends bakuchiol, orobanche rapum extract and linoleic acid to turbocharge cell turnover for smoother brighter skin, all while sidestepping the irritation that often trails traditional retinol. The brand claims it firms, softens fine lines and even tamps down excess oil, and it wears the vegan and cruelty free badges proudly.
I gave TBT Cream a dedicated two week test run, slotting it into my evening routine to see whether the promised glow up is real or just good marketing.
Disclaimer: This is not a paid or sponsored review. The product was purchased with my own money and every opinion that follows is personal and genuine. As always individual skin chemistry varies so your mileage may differ.
What Is TBT Cream?
TBT Cream is an overnight treatment, meaning it is applied as the final step in your evening routine then left to work while you sleep. Formulas in this category are designed to take advantage of the skin’s natural nighttime repair cycle when cell turnover is at its peak and external stressors like UV rays are absent. The goal is to deliver active ingredients over several hours so you wake up to a complexion that feels more balanced and refreshed.
Dime positions TBT Cream as a gentler alternative to traditional retinol products. Instead of vitamin A derivatives it relies on bakuchiol, a plant based compound often cited for offering similar smoothing and brightening benefits with a lower risk of redness or peeling. The formula pairs bakuchiol with orobanche rapum extract, which the brand says further nudges cell renewal, plus linoleic acid to support the skin barrier and help manage excess oil. Everything is packaged in a vegan and cruelty free base that also doubles as a moisturizer, so you are meant to swap it in place of any separate night cream rather than layer multiple products.
Did It Work?
I went full lab coat and benched my usual overnight treatment for three days before starting TBT Cream so any changes could be credited to this formula alone. Fourteen days felt like a decent trial window, enough time for a couple of cell turnover cycles without drifting into placebo territory.
Each night after double cleansing I pressed in a hydrating serum, waited a minute, then massaged a pea size dollop of TBT Cream over face and neck. The texture is a light lotion that spreads easily with no tugging. It sinks in within a minute leaving a velvety film that neither pills nor feels greasy, a nice surprise given the dimethicone in the lineup.
First impressions were encouraging. I woke up on day two to skin that felt comfortably moisturized with zero redness or stinging, something that cannot always be said of my flirtations with retinol. By the end of week one my cheeks looked a touch plumper and the mid afternoon shine that usually creeps across my T zone had dialed back a notch.
Week two is where I hoped for fireworks. Fine lines around my eyes did appear slightly softened in morning light, though the change was subtle enough that a friend could not spot it over coffee. One lingering hormonal blemish healed a bit faster than usual which may speak to the mild exfoliating action. What I did not see was any real shift in the tiny sun spots on my left cheek or that coveted lit from within brightness. Also worth noting: two small closed comedones popped up along my jaw toward the end of the trial, likely from richer occlusives in the formula.
So did TBT Cream live up to its promises? Partly. It kept my skin hydrated, curbed oil in the T zone and offered gentle smoothing without irritation. However the improvements sat in the modest camp and stopped shy of the transformative rhetoric on the box. I will finish the tube but it will not earn a permanent spot on my shelf unless a future sale tempts me for those no retinoid nights.
Main Ingredients Explained
The star trio is bakuchiol, orobanche rapum extract and linoleic acid, each playing a different position in the overnight offense. Bakuchiol is often touted as the plant based cousin of retinol. In studies at 0.5 % it has shown comparable wrinkle softening and pigmentation control without the dryness or flaking that vitamin A can spark. TBT Cream includes it high enough in the list to suggest a meaningful dose so credit where due. Orobanche rapum extract is less famous but intriguing; early research hints that it helps protect epidermal stem cells which can translate into faster turnover and better resilience. Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, feeds the skin barrier and has been linked to reduced sebum thickness which can explain the cutback in my midday shine.
The texture owes its slip to dimethicone and its cousins. These silicones create that velvety film you feel after application and are largely non-comedogenic, meaning they have little tendency to clog pores. On the flip side cetyl ricinoleate sits midway on the comedogenic scale and could provoke closed comedones for skin already prone to congestion, as I experienced along my jaw. Comedogenic simply refers to an ingredient’s likelihood to block follicles leading to whiteheads blackheads or breakouts.
Hydration support comes from glycerin and pentylene glycol while the polyglyceryl emulsifiers keep everything stable without relying on potentially irritating PEGs. Apple extract throws in a gentle dose of natural alpha hydroxy compounds for light exfoliation and the phytosterols bolster barrier repair alongside the phospholipids.
The formula is proudly vegan and cruelty free so it sits comfortably in plant based or ethical routines. As for pregnancy, bakuchiol has not shown the same risks as retinol yet long term data is thin, and the brand does not market this cream as prenatal safe. Anyone pregnant nursing or actively trying should run the ingredient list past a healthcare provider before slathering it on nightly.
One final note: there is no added fragrance so sensitive noses and reactive skin types get a break from potential allergens. The preservative system leans on hydroxyacetophenone and 1,2-hexanediol which are generally well tolerated. All told the roster is thoughtful with a few pore-clogging caveats but no glaring red flags.
What I Liked/Didn’t Like
Here is the quick breakdown of highs and lows after two weeks of nightly use.
What Works Well:
- Light lotion texture glides on easily sinks in fast and layers happily over serums
- Delivers steady hydration while cutting midday shine so combo skin stays balanced
- No stinging peeling or redness making it a friendly option for retinol sensitive faces
- Vegan cruelty free formula with no added fragrance checks key ethical and sensitivity boxes
What to Consider:
- Results sit in the subtle camp so anyone chasing rapid dark spot fading may feel underwhelmed
- Cetyl ricinoleate and other richer emollients can nudge closed comedones on congestion prone areas
- Price lands in the premium bracket compared with similar bakuchiol offerings
My Final Thoughts
After fourteen nights in the trenches I can safely label TBT Cream a polite overachiever rather than a show-off. It ticks the hydration box, coaxes a bit of fullness into cheeks and reins in oil without picking a fight with my skin barrier. If you are retinol-shy, combo skinned or simply want a fuss-free night lotion that will not surprise you with a tomato-red complexion come morning this fits the bill. Those hunting dramatic pigment reversal or baby-smooth texture in record time might interpret its subtlety as underperformance. I land in the middle: impressed by the comfort factor yet unconvinced it should replace a good retinal when I crave stronger results. On my personal scorecard it earns a solid 7/10.
Would I hand it to a friend? Yes, but with the caveat that patience is key and bargain hunters may want to wait for a promo code. The price sits on the cusp of premium and the payoff is a slow burn. Still, for sensitive souls who have been burned by the vitamin A brigade, TBT Cream is a gentle gateway into nightly renewal.
If you like the concept but crave options, a few other jars have impressed me over the years. Nocturnal Revive Cream by Deascal is my current all-rounder crush: elegant texture, antioxidant punch and a wallet-friendly tag that makes nightly slathering feel positively virtuous. Fans of a bouncier pillow-soft finish should sample Water Sleeping Mask by LANEIGE which floods skin with moisture without smothering it. For anyone ready to flirt with retinol strength but still wants a cushion of soothing lipids, Intelligent Retinol Smoothing Night Cream by Medik8 delivers a measured step up. And if barrier support is your north star Squalane + Ectoin Overnight Rescue by Biossance wraps skin in a comforting cocoon that never clogs my pores.
Before you unscrew any of the above, remember the boring but vital housekeeping: patch test behind the ear or along the jawline, especially if your skin is reactive (sorry for sounding like an overprotective parent). Consistent use is what keeps results alive so once your complexion starts looking perkier do not retire the tube, keep the night shift going.