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Face moisturizer protects your skin and fortifies its natural moisture barrier, making it a critical part of your daily skin care regimen. Niche luxury beauty products, which can cost as much as $100 or more, make big, tempting promises about anti-aging, brightening or ultra-plumping properties, but are they any better than what you can find in a drug or big-box store – for far less? Skin care experts say that, in most cases, probably not.
On first glance, the ingredients of three top-selling Sephora moisturizers – Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Moisturizer (1.6 oz., $56), Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (1.69 oz., $69) and Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream (1.7 oz., $39) are remarkably similar to drugstore staple Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer (3 oz., $13) – with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, water, cetearyl alcohol and ceramides.
“The base ingredients in drugstore and luxury brand facial moisturizers are the same. The differences are additives and packaging,” says Michele Green, a cosmetic dermatologist in New York who spent five years as an industry consultant. Even so, she adds, “luxury brands do tend to be formulated with more potent, unique skin care ingredients.” But while the quality and amounts of the active ingredients may differ, it’s not enough to make a difference for most people. The exceptions, she says, are people who have a skin condition such as rosacea or eczema.
“Fundamentally, this is all about hydrating your face and locking in moisture,” says Michelle Henry, a dermatologist in New York. “All those peptides, oxidants, essential oils or exotic ingredients, which are harder to source and more expensive, are fine if you want to spend more, but unnecessary for great results in general.”
Even if you can decipher the label, there’s no way to determine concentration or proportion for most of the ingredients, Henry says. “Ingredients that constitute one percent or more, typically only water and sometimes glycerin, are listed in order of concentration. Everything else can be listed randomly.”
Mary Alice Mina, a dermatologist in Atlanta and the host of “The Skin Real” podcast, favors drugstore brands for personal use. “The fancier products have many botanicals and fragrances, which can be irritating to the skin,” she says. Major companies that make brands sold at supermarkets and drugstores have massive budgets for research and development, Mina adds. That’s how L’Oreal or Procter & Gamble, for example, are able to make great products at an affordable price, Henry says.
When shopping, it helps to understand a few basics. First, know the terminology. There are three broad types of moisturizers. Creams, which are thicker than lotion and contain more oils, are best for dry skin. Lotions contain more water and are good for normal to oily skin. Gels have an even lighter consistency than lotions and work well on oily skin.
It also helps to understand what’s in a product. Facial moisturizers typically contain humectants, emollients and/or occlusives. “Humectants pull moisture from the environment to hydrate the skin. Emollients soften and smooth the skin. Occlusives create a barrier on the skin to trap moisture and prevent water loss,” Green says.
Read the ingredient list on the label to learn more. You’ll typically find:
-Hyaluronic acid. This humectant that holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water helps retain moisture and hydrate skin.
-Ceramides. These are lipids naturally found in the skin. Synthetic emollient ceramides help moisturize and maintain the skin’s barrier.
-Glycerin. Another humectant, glycerin absorbs water from the surrounding environment.
-Petrolatum. Better known as petroleum jelly, this occlusive locks in moisture.
-Niacinamide. This anti-inflammatory helps soothe skin and calm redness.
-Cetearyl alcohol. This emollient is a hydrating alcohol that softens and smooths skin, as well as prevents creams and lotions from separating into oil and liquid.
It’s also important to match your moisturizer to your skin type. For instance, choose one that has intense hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid if you have dry skin, or one that is non-comedogenic or oil-free if you have oily skin.
“Avoid moisturizers with parabens, fragrances, dyes, alcohol, or phthalates, as these ingredients are known skin irritants,” Green says. And ignore words or phrases such as “medical-grade,” “natural” or “clean.” Those are unregulated marketing terms and have nothing to do with a product’s efficacy. And to avoid wasting money on the wrong product, Henry suggests asking your dermatologist for recommendations and samples.
To help you sort through the options, we asked experts for some of their favorites. These moisturizers all cost about $25 or less.
-Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer. Excellent for individuals with sensitive and dry skin or skin conditions such as rosacea or eczema, this lightweight formula contains a prebiotic oat complex to soothe and nourish the skin, and glycerin for maximum hydration.
-CeraVe Ultra-Light Moisturizing Gel. This oil-free gel is lightweight on the skin, but it’s a heavyweight in replenishing moisture. Plus, it’s non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores.
-Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 35. This moisturizer’s oil-free formula is good for all skin types. It also includes a broad-spectrum SPF 35 sunscreen.
-La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5. This skin protectant is often recommended for chapped, cracked and extra-dry skin. An abundance of dimethicone creates a light silky feel when applied.
-La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Moisturizer. With perlite and silica, two powders that absorb oil, this gel is ideal for oily or acne-prone skin. And it includes glycerin, ceramide-3 and niacinamide to attract and trap water for maximum hydration.
-Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Face Moisturizer. People with normal to dry skin will find this lightweight water-like gel cream with hyaluronic acid is non-greasy and absorbs well. It also comes in a cream for extra-dry skin.
-Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer. This go-to rich, but lightweight, lotion provides extra hydration for sensitive skin.
