Feeling comfortable and confident in your skin influences how you present yourself to the world. Your expression begins with your face. Whether it's joy, sadness, surprise, or love, your face is perhaps the first to show the emotions. It's also an indicator of good health, including skin health.
Unfortunately, most of us might think, "It's just a face moisturizer. I can skip it!" But let us tell you, it's more than just some cream or lotion packed in a fancy bottle. A good face moisturizer can change things around for you.
Think about it. Don't you worry more about your makeup cracking when your skin is dry? Or be conscious because your skin looks dull? Or fear early signs of aging like those pesky laugh lines and crow's feet?
Regardless of your skin type – oily, dry, sensitive, or combination- the best face moisturizer will leave you with nourished, glowing skin! For this reason alone, today we will share with you the benefits of a good moisturizer and tell you how to include it in your routine effortlessly.
Let's go!
Understanding Skin Moisture
Your skin is excellent at what it does, including maintaining a natural moisture balance for itself. It does so with the help of sebum, your skin's natural oil produced by sebum glands distributed throughout your skin. Sebum provides a protective layer that helps your skin retain moisture and keep it supple.
Additionally, your skin cells have several natural components that help your skin stay soft and supple. These include ceramides, fatty acids, and proteins. However, with time, your skin's ceramide levels may drop or reduce its ability to produce collagen. Thus affecting your skin health.
Do you know that your skin has an acid mantle? Yes, you read it right. The acid mantle is a fine film on your skin that protects against bacteria and pollution. Think of it like a wall between your skin and the outside world.
But as we may know, external environmental factors can damage our skin's protective layer. For instance, cold, harsh winter winds make your skin drier. Or harsh cleansers and hot water showers that strip your skin of its natural oils, leaving it dry.
Who comes to your rescue, then? A face moisturizer, your skin's best friend. Let's see how!
Benefits of Face Moisturizers
External moisturization becomes important when your skin's protective layer is compromised. Think of it as additional support for your skin and a way to repair itself. But that's not all. There's more.
Hydration
Your skin requires adequate moisture to maintain its suppleness, elasticity, and overall health. Moisturizers play an important role in replenishing and retaining this essential hydration. The infusion of hydrating ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid, a humectant, draws water from the air into your skin. Thus making such moisturizers the best face moisturizer for dry skin.
The presence of emollients, like Shea Butter in our Deep Moisturizer, fills the gap between the skin cells to make your skin smoother and supple. Furthermore, occlusives like petrolatum and beeswax in a face moisturizer create a protective barrier on the skin's surface, sealing in moisture. As a result, they prevent excess water evaporation from your skin by a process called Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL).
Hydrated skin also functions well. Thus, a good face cream promotes cell turnover and assists in the repair of damaged skin, contributing to a healthier complexion.
Nourishment
As said before, moisturizers go beyond their fancy packaging. Many moisturizers contain essential nutrients that give you additional benefits.
For instance, many moisturizers are enriched with vitamins like Vitamin E, C, and A. Vitamin E aids in moisturizing and repairing the skin, and Vitamin C brightens and evens skin tone. At the same time, Vitamin A supports cell turnover and rejuvenation.
Another common nourishing ingredient that you will find is Niacinamide, as in our Light Moisturizer. This form of Vitamin B3 is known for its multiple benefits, including improving skin texture, reducing redness, and enhancing the skin's barrier function. As a result, face cream with Niacinamide offers overall skin rejuvenation and a healthier complexion.
You will also find various plant-based extracts in your moisturizer. For instance, green tea, chamomile, and calendula. These extracts are popular for their soothing, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. As a result, they help calm irritated skin, protect against environmental stressors, and promote a healthy complexion.
Anti-Aging Properties
Early aging results from many factors, including dehydration and dry skin. Moisturizers, particularly those containing hyaluronic acid or glycerin, attract moisture to the skin, providing a temporary plumping effect that diminishes the appearance of fine lines.
Furthermore, collagen and elastin are essential proteins that maintain skin structure and elasticity, reducing the formation of wrinkles and sagging. As you age, your skin's ability to produce collagen reduces. As in our Moisturizing Cream, moisturizers containing peptides, retinoids, or collagen-boosting ingredients like Alpine Rose Stem Cells promote collagen and elastin production.
Finally, retinoids and AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids) promote skin cell turnover and renewal. This process helps shed dead skin cells, revealing newer skin underneath and reducing the appearance of fine lines and uneven skin tone.
Barrier Functioning
Your skin's natural barrier, as mentioned, is a protective wall. Any compromises to this wall will lead to problems like excessive dryness, flaking, acne, and early signs of aging. Moisturizers aid in reinforcing the skin's natural barrier. How? They replenish the essential lipids, such as ceramides and fatty acids. As a result, they prevent moisture loss.
Furthermore, a strengthened barrier reduces the skin's sensitivity to external irritants. So, by strengthening the barrier, moisturizers help your skin fight against environmental stressors, reducing redness and irritation. Finally, it balances the skin's pH levels for optimal barrier function.
Choosing the Right Moisturizer
Choosing the best face moisturizer for yourself is simple, given you know the following two things:
- Your skin type
- Ingredients to look for
Let's look at both of them a bit more closely.
Skin Type
Each skin type has different characteristics and needs. Broadly, there are four types of skin:
Oily Skin
Oily skin produces excess sebum (natural oil), creating a shiny complexion. Furthermore, it may have enlarged pores and be more prone to acne and blemishes.
Individuals with oily skin must opt for oil-free or non-comedogenic moisturizers. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid or lightweight, gel-based formulas can provide hydration without adding excess oil to their skin.
Dry Skin
Due to insufficient sebum production, dry skin often feels tight, flaky, or rough. As a result, there is a lack of moisture retention. Such a skin type requires richer, creamy moisturizers to hydrate and nourish dry skin deeply. For instance, face creams contain hyaluronic acid, glycerin, ceramides, or shea butter.
Combination Skin
The combination skin type has oily and dry areas, typically an oily T-zone (forehead, nose, and chin) and drier cheeks. Using lightweight, non-greasy formulas or different moisturizers for specific areas is wise. For instance, gel-based or oil-free moisturizers suit oily zones, while richer creams can hydrate drier areas.
Sensitive Skin
Sensitive skin is prone to redness, itching, or irritation due to its heightened reactivity to particular products or environmental factors. Individuals with sensitive skin need a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic face moisturizer with gentle, soothing ingredients to calm and hydrate without triggering sensitivity. For instance, aloe vera or chamomile extract.
Ingredients to Look For
Face moisturizers contain a variety of ingredients. However, some of them are better than others at what they do. Here's a quick rundown of the ingredients you should watch out for in your face moisturizer:
Oily Skin
- Salicylic acid: Exfoliates and unclogs pores and helps to reduce acne breakouts.
- Niacinamide: Found in our Light Moisturizer, it regulates oil production, minimizes pores, and improves skin texture.
- Lightweight hydration (e.g., hyaluronic acid): Hydrates without adding excess oil.
Dry Skin
- Hyaluronic acid: Retains moisture and plumps the skin.
- Glycerin: Draws moisture to the skin.
- Ceramides: Strengthens the skin's barrier, locks in moisture, and improves texture.
- Shea butter: Nourishes and deeply moisturizes dry skin and strengthens your protective barrier, like our Deep Moisturizer.
Combination Skin
- Green Tea Extract: Help control excess oil while soothing and calming the skin in dry and oily areas.
- Squalane: Found in our Moisturizing Cream, it hydrates dry areas without leaving a greasy residue and helps regulate oil production.
- Lactic Acid: Gently exfoliates and helps to refine skin texture without irritating the skin.
Sensitive Skin
- Ceramides: Strengthens the skin's barrier, reduces sensitivity, and prevents moisture loss.
- Allantoin: Calms and protects sensitive skin, reduces irritation, and promotes skin healing.
- Licorice Extract: Possesses anti-inflammatory properties and soothes redness and irritation.
SPF Inclusion
While searching for the best face moisturizer, ensure it offers sun protection. SPF inclusion in moisturizers provides added protection against harmful UV rays. This safeguards the skin from premature aging, sunspots, and skin damage caused by prolonged sun exposure.
Daily Moisturizing Routine
There is a specific moisturizer for every skin type and a way to include it in your skincare routine. How? Here's how!
Morning Skincare Routine
In your morning skincare routine, apply your moisturizer after applying your serum or toner and before your makeup. This preps the skin for makeup application, creating a smooth canvas for foundation and enhancing makeup longevity.
Nighttime Skincare Routine
A moisturizer in your nighttime skincare routine does a lot more than moisturization. It aids skin repair and replenishment by using ingredients like retinol, peptides, or antioxidants while you sleep to promote skin renewal and hydration.
For instance, our Rejuvenating Night Gel with Bulgarian Damask Rose Stem Cells and Japanese Plum Extract is super soft for your skin and a reliable partner for your nighttime skincare. It provides overnight nourishment to distribute moisture throughout the skin's layer and improve skin elasticity.
Seasonal Adjustments
As seasons change, your environment changes. As a result, your skin changes too. For instance, your skin tends to get drier in winter or produce more oil. Consequently, it would help if you adapted your moisturizers to suit the season. Here's how!
- Winter Adaptation: Opt for richer, more emollient moisturizers to combat dryness caused by harsh weather conditions.
- Summer Adaptation: Switch to lighter, oil-free formulations during warmer seasons to prevent excess oiliness while ensuring adequate hydration.
Face Moisturizers: Give Your Face the Moisture It Deserves
A face moisturizer is your skin's best friend, no matter the season or time of the day. It hydrates your skin, nourishes it with essential nutrients, fights against aging, and strengthens your skin's protective barrier.
And what is the best way to choose the best face moisturizer? By making sure that your face cream matches your skin type and contains the right ingredients. Furthermore, don't forget to check out SPF inclusion in your face moisturizer and to adapt it as per season.
Remember, a good moisturizer can turn your skin from 'blah' to 'ahh!'
