How to Choose the Right Moisturiser for Your Skin Type

Shopping for and finding the best face moisturizer for your skin can be confusing. Do you need just one? Or do you need several types? Should you choose something with SPF to use daily, or should you layer a sunscreen on top of a day cream? And what’s the right age to start using a night cream?

The experts know getting smooth, nourished skin is key to improved skin health over time (and reduced signs of aging), so they’ve actually anticipated those questions and needs by devising choices to fit both your skin care routine and the specific needs of your skin type.

So where to begin your moisturiser odyssey? Neutrogena^Ⓡ Brand’s moisturiser experts stress it’s important to assess your skin type and its needs as the first step: You need to know your skin type, whether it’s dry, sensitive, normal, combination, acne-prone or mature.

Conventional moisturisers can be greasy and sit on top of the skin creating a shield to prevent water loss and make it feel soft. Though they help hold in moisture and protect skin from the elements, newer moisturisers actually penetrate the skin and moisturise from the inside out, deeply hydrating to lock in glow and suppleness longer.

For combination or acne-prone types, Hydro Boost^® Water Gel provides deeply hydrating yet residue-free moisture. An all-purpose moisturiser like Hydro Boost can be used day and night, as long as you add a broad-spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30 or preferably higher over the moisturiser in the morning to start your day.

People looking for added benefits might want moisturisers with additional active ingredients, such as wrinkle-fighting and tone-correcting retinol (found in Neutrogena^® Rapid Wrinkle Repair line), which works while you sleep to reduce the appearance of fine lines and discoloration.

If you’re not quite ready to fight signs of aging, but still want to help your skin recover from the day’s damage, a night cream with antioxidants, such as Neutrogena^® Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream, can do the trick. Neutrogena^Ⓡ Brand’s experts say antioxidants can help capture the free radicals created by excessive UV exposure and pollution before they contribute to inflammation and skin ageing process.

No matter which moisturiser you choose, keep in mind two things when it comes to deciding what you’ll need. Daytime moisturiser/SPF is about protecting skin from the elements, and nighttime treatments help skin recover from the dehydration and damage that we inevitably experience in our day-to-day lives.