Moisturisers – The Definitive Guide To Choosing Your Moisturiser

Bad skin? Or wrong moisturiser?

With so many different types of moisturisers on the market, new brands emerging and a hot new ingredient every month, its understandable if you feel confused.

Using the wrong moisturiser for your skin type can do you more harm than good.

Background…

Moisturisers are the most essential part of your skincare routine. If you like to strip your routine back you may only be using your moisturiser after cleansing. If I think as far back as I can, before I knew anything about skincare, before having a proper cleanser, I used a moisturiser.

When it comes to skincare in general I find that there are two different groups of people. Some people like to stick to what they know, maybe you set up a routine in your early twenties and it’s been 10 years and you are still using the same products. The problem with this is your skin will change with time, I used to have very oily skin, which became combination at one point now is more dry and dehydrated, but still have an oily t-zone. Over the years I have switched products and layered products to adapt to my changing skin.

Others want to try the latest new thing on the market, whether thats new ingredients, new trends or new brands, these people own stacks of skincare products. I usually gravitate towards the second group, however I realised that I would be buying different versions of the same or similar thing but from different brands. Many times these products would expire on my shelf and I barely got through it. The new me is minimalistic, I still want to know the latest trends, but work on understanding how they work before jumping in.

This guide covers:

• How Moisturisers Work
• Moisturiser Categories
• Key Active Ingredients
• Matching your moisturiser to your skin type
• Best Way To Use Your Moisturiser

How Moisturisers Work

Our skin is a protective barrier, once this barrier becomes impaired it leads to loss of water from the skin which is a cause for a number of skin conditions including dryness and irritation.

The function of a moisturiser is moisten the skin, to reduce fine lines, improve hydration and smoothen skin. This improves the overall appearance of the skin.

Moisturisers contain emollients, occlusives and humectants:

1. Emollients
   • Long-chain fatty acids found in coconut oil hydrate the skin, making it smooth and soft.
2. Occlusive
   • Are oil based and create a barrier on the skin to prevent water loss, the most common occlusive ingredients being liquid paraffin and petrolatum
3. Humectants
   • Attract water from the dermis to the dermis, bringing hydration to the surface of the skin (some examples are honey, hyaluronic acid and AHAs)

For more information please see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5849435/

Moisturiser Categories

Most moisturisers come in the form of emulsions mainly, creams (water-in-oil emulsions) and lotions (oil-in-water emulsions). Emulsions can also be gels, serums, sprays and ointments, which are great when using high performing ingredients such as vitamins, ceramides and retinol.

• Lotions
• Creams
• Ointments
• Gels

Classification	Lotions	Creams	Ointments	Gels
Consistency	Thin consistency, non-greasy finish.	Thicker than a lotion, the more popular option.	Thick and greasy formulation providing an occlusive layer	Non-oily, light consistency, smooth finish.
Usage	Day moisturiser for face and body. Everyday use.	Day/Night moisturiser for face and body. Everyday use.	When a thicker layer is needed to prevent water loss. Used to heal a temporary condition, excessive dry skin or when in cold climates.	Non-comedogenic, easily absorbed in the skin. Perfect for the oilier skin types. Can be used everyday.

The type of moisturiser you choose depends on your personal preference, I am quite happy to use waxy balms, thick and heavy moisturisers on my dry hands or even on occasion on my face if i’m visiting colder climates. It just gives me an extra layer of skin protection. I love oils and liquid serums as well as lighter creams, however I am not a big fan of gels on the face, for me its just the texture.

Key Active Ingredients

Many moisturisers address specific skin concerns and therefore will have active ingredients. These ingredients are high performing and often only present in small amounts in your product. Some of these are listed below:

1. Hyaluronic Acid
   • Retains water, therefore increases hydration levels in the skin, this also makes the skin flexible reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
2. Ceramides
   • Prevents the loss of water, and germs from entering the skin. Ceramides are fats/lipids, found in your skin barrier
3. Vitamins and antioxidants
   • Improve the overall health of the skin, by helping the body to work better, these include Vitamin A (Retinol), Coenzyme Q10, Vitamins C and E
4. Peptides
   • Are protein that help with cell repair, increasing the production of collagen, reducing wrinkles and overall skin rejuvenation

What’s Your Skin Type?

Before we go any further, we need to work out what our skin type is:

1. Dry/Mature skin
   • Dry skin can look flakey or scaling and often feel rough and/or itchy. They can also have the appearance of fine lines or cracked skin that bleeds. Minor dry skin may just look dull in appearance Dry skin can be developed at any age and may just be temporary in extreme climate (cold weathers or excessive sun exposure), use of certain products or long exposure to water (long hot showers).
   • If after washing the skin, it feels tight or starts to look flakey your skin is likely to be dry.
   • Mature skin is thinner, making it prone to wrinkles, reduced elasticity causing skin to sag and pigmentation in sun exposed areas. Usually people over the age of 40 are considered to have mature skin.
2. Oily skin
   • Can feel greasy, shiny on t-zone areas (forehead, nose and chin), with large open pores. Oily skin is prone to breakouts, blackheads and whiteheads a common problem is that makeup rarely lasts.
   • You can test for oily skin using blotting paper on bare skin. The blotting paper needs to be applied to different areas of the face, if your skin is oily the paper will have a greasy residue, which is the sebum from the skin.
3. Combination skin
   • Can be dry and oily, the skin type can change due to various reasons such as time of year, age, external pressures (stress), or even depending on hormones.
   • This skin type is unique to each individual, so its important to understand what is normal for you.
4. Sensitive skin
   • Redness from rashes, reactive to using new products and can burn easily from sun exposure. The skin can be dry but prone to breakouts.
   • Avoid moisturisers with fragrance and do a patch test when using a product with a new ingredient. Look out for any possible allergies and reach out to your healthcare provider to determine this.

Matching Your Moisturiser To Your Skin Type

1. Dry/Mature skin
   • Rich moisturisers such as cream or ointment providing an occlusive layer on the skin
   • For mature skin look for active ingredients that help the skin to produce collagen such as vitamin C and retinol. Provide hydration such as hyaluronic acid
2. Oily skin
   • Non comedogenic, light consistency moisturisers such as lotions or gels that are oil free. Sebum on the skin keeps moisture locked in, so its not all bad. Hyaluronic acid works well for oily skin, keeping up the hydration levels another ingredient to look out for is Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) which controls the production of sebum on the skin and minimises the appearance of pores.
3. Combination skin
   • Can use a light moisturiser sparingly all over and add another layer over the more dry areas. There are also moisturisers that are dual use, for example contain acids to help remove the oil in the skin, but also contain squalene oil to soften and hydrate the skin
4. Sensitive skin
   • Use products with minimal actives, look for skin calming ingredients such as chamomile and aloe vera. For the super sensitive I would even advise selecting a fragrance free moisturiser with minimal ingredients, to prevent anything from triggering.

Best Way To Use Your Moisturiser

Apply moisturiser every time your skin is stripped of its naturally occurring oils. This normally happens after the skin has come in to contact with water, so after bathing or showering. It can also happen once you have exfoliated or shaved.

When using moisturisers within your skincare routine, start by cleansing the skin and if using serums containing actives, apply moisturisers after applying your serums. Apply your SPF at the end of the routine, to ensure adequate protection for your skin against UV damage.

Common mistakes are using a moisturiser that does not address your skin issues. If you can see that the moisturiser you are using is not working you may need to switch to another product. With so many products available on the market there we can over use products. If you are using a lot of different products for multiple concerns, your skin may not like a heavy moisturiser even if you don’t have oily skin, you may need to switch to a lighter moisturiser. When using a new moisturiser always patch test especially if you have sensitive skin or are using a moisturiser with a new active.

In Conclusion…

Moisturisers come in many different forms. The type of moisturiser you choose can make or break your skin!

Most importantly assess your skin and learn to understand what it needs. Then choose a moisture with an emulsion that complements your skin with the key active ingredients you need. Use your moisturiser regularly and layer it into your routine for soft and smooth skin.