The first thing that anybody thinks when they hear skincare is “moisturizer” – and for good reason too. Moisturizers are extremely helpful for several things (that we’ve already covered in this post), namely hydration, and occlusion. To recap:

• Hydration refers to how much water content is being imparted to the skin
• Moisturization refers how much water content is being occluded into the skin, through decreasing transepidermal water loss (TEWL), or in other words, evaporation

As I always say, a good moisturizer imparts both hydration and occlusion to the skin. However, I’m sure you’ve likely run into the issue that not every moisturizer delivers these benefits in the same way, due to the fact that everyone has different skin structure, tendencies, and behaviors. Therefore, we’re serving up a few moisturizer recommendations below, based on the ingredients lists, claims, and compatibility with skin behaviors (yes, we've covered this as well).

For drier-behaving skin:

Drier skin is characterized by flakiness, sensitivity, texture, tightness, and if you can see it, redness and pinkness. Remember, dry skin can be a feature of dehydrated skin, but dry skin ≠ dehydrated skin. 

Try to reach for Biossance Squalane Omega Repair Deep Hydration Moisturizer. Here are the ingredients list all the hydrators bolded and the occlusive/moisturizing agents underlined:

Water, Squalane, Glycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Isoamyl Laurate, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Sorbitan Olivate, Cetearyl Olivate, Ceramide NP, Jojoba Esters, Sodium Hyaluronate, Euterpe Oleracea Sterols, Linoleic Acid, Oleic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Ethyl Linoleate, Tocopherol, Isoamyl Cocoate, Cetyl Palmitate, Sorbitan Palmitate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Carbomer, Sodium Hydroxide, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Gluconate. 

Formulator’s Notes: Since glycerin and squalane are so high on the ingredients list, I can already tell that this is an extremely nourishing moisturizer. Paired with fatty acids, ceramides, two sebum-mimicking components, this is a pretty biomimetic moisturizer, meaning this is a God-send for your skin barrier.

For the dewy crowd: 

Oily but dehyrated:

Oilier skin is characterized by visible oil throughout the daytime, oiliness in the morning time, and visible comedones on the skin. Oily skin can also be dehydrated.

Try to reach for Stratia Liquid Gold if your skin is oily, and dehydrated. Here are the ingredients list all the hydrators bolded and the occlusive/moisturizing agents underlined:

Water (Aqua), Propylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol, Niacinamide, Polyglyceryl-3 Methylglucose Distearate, Rosa Mosqueta (Rose) Hip Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Seed Oil, Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Fruit Oil, Panthenol, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Squalane (olive-derived), Cetyl Alcohol, Vaccinium Macrocarpon (Cranberry) Seed Oil, Tocopherol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Ceramide NP, Ceramide AP, Ceramide EOP, Phytosphingosine, Cholesterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate, Carbomer, Xanthan Gum, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Disodium EDTA

Formulators notes: There are quite a bit of oils in this, so hear me out – seabuckthorn oil, rosehip oil, and cranberry seed oil are highly antioxidant, nourishing, and helpful for recovering skin that’s a little bit more heavily sensitive to the elements. Remember, the skin barrier’s job is to keep irritants out and moisture in, and skin that’s oily and dehydrated won’t do the best job of that. This moisturizer also has great biomimetic properties, and a high amount of pretty solid hydrators to be occluded. 

 

Oily skin behavior:

If your skin is just plain oily, reach for Neutrogena Hydroboost. Here are the ingredients list all the hydrators bolded and the occlusive/moisturizing agents underlined:

Water, Dimethicone, Glycerin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone 

Crosspolymer, Phenoxyethanol, Polyacrylamide, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Dimethiconol, C13-14 Isoparafin, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Chlorphenesin, Carbomer, Laureth-7, Sodium Hyaluronate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Fragrance, C12-14 Pareth-12, Sodium Hydroxide, Blue 1

Formulators Notes: The regulatory ceiling for phenoxyethanol is 1%, so that automatically tells me that the underlined emulsifiers cetearyl olivate, sorbitan olivate, and the dimethiconol aren’t super high in the formula. This means that there’s some occlusion benefit, but not occlusion that’s commonly associated with a thicker, creamier moisturizer. However, the higher amount of Dimethicone and Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone 

Crosspolymer guarantee you enough cushiony occlusion that complements your skin type better. Plus, glycerin and hyaluronic acid will keep you hydrated, but I’d recommend to reapply twice a day.

 

And if your skin is quite healthy, you could cycle between these options depending which way your skin leans at the time. In general, your best moisturizer will take some time to find, but we think we may have a great option coming. ;)