The ESK blog
Moisturisers - how to choose the right one for you?
14 June 2024
Dr Ginni Mansberg
We all know what a moisturiser is, right? Not so fast. Moisturisers mean a heap of different things and they don’t actually have a scientific definition.
Having said that, broadly speaking you can divide moisturising ingredients into three groups: Emollients, Humectants and Occlusives. And they’re actually pretty different. So when choosing a moisturiser, you want to choose the ingredients (and ingredient types your skin needs most. It does get a bit complicated because some ingredients (like squalane for example) fit into different categories at once.
So what do those terms mean, what skin types are they best suited for and what are some examples of each of them?
Humectants
What they do: Attract water towards the top layers of the skin (both from the air but also from deeper layers of the skin) increasing moisture content.
Used for: Dry, rough and scaly skin
Downsides: May be tacky in feel and some can irritate.
Examples: Glycolic & Lactic Acid, Squalane, Urea, Hyaluronic acid, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Urea, Panthenol
Occlusives
What they do: Create a barrier and physically block moisture loss from the skin (also known as transepidermal water loss or TEWL)
Used for: Dry and irritated skin
Downsides: Can feel greasy
Examples: Squalane, Stearic Acid, Paraffin, Petroleum Jelly, Lanolin, Dimethicone
Emollients
What they do: Soften, soothe and improve the appearance of skin (but don’t add moisture to the skin). They can also improve the skin barrier and can have anti inflammatory properties.
Used for: Normal and Dry skin
Drawback: few
Examples: Ceramides, Jojoba, Panthenol , Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Soybean Oil, Macadamia Seed Oil and Sweet Almond Oil.
(Note: some ingredients have more than one function)
So how on earth do I work out which one I need?
There are real rules on what is the best or ‘correct’ moisturiser to use.
The “feel” of the moisturiser
Your personal preference and your lifestyle will impact your choice. Many of our parents loved a “heavy” moisturiser that didn’t absorb well, felt greasy on the skin, but felt “rick” and luxurious. Most people prefer a moisturizer that absorbs well into the skin and can sit under makeup or not leave residue on our pillow cases at night. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t choose a heavier moisturiser but it’s about preference.
The ingredients
Depending on their ingredients, moisturisers are either basically cosmetics (providing very basic skin moisturisation) or therapeutics (containing ingredients that change the skin by, for example, repairing a damaged skin barrier, or promoting collagen growth).
Most moisturisers will include a few emollient ingredients (some more suited to dry skin and others to oilier skin) – the variable is the presence (or not) of humectants and occlusives as well.
If you want a skin barrier repair ingredient, like niacinamide and ceramides, choose one with those ingredients. If you want collagen builders, look for evidence based ingredients like retinal and L-Ascorbic acid.
B Calm
B Calm is formulated to support irritable and blemish prone skin while maintaining a healthy skin barrier. Ceramides strengthen resilience, Salicylic Acid exfoliates and calms the skin, and Niacinamide helps regulate oil and reduce the appearance of blemished skin.
Featuring:
- Ingredients to support an improved skin barrier
- Helps manage excess oil production
- Supports a clearer-looking skin
The pH of your moisturiser
The pH of your skin sits just under 5. Skincare with a high pH can disrupt your skin’s barrier function and make it more sensitive to other ingredients.
With that in mind;
Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate and Jojoba (to name 3 out of possibly a hundred or so!!) are lighter emollients, so more suited to oilier skins where Lanolin, Avocado Oil and Shea Butter (again, the full list is HUGE!!) are richer and more suited to drier skin.
Seriously dry skin? Dry and cracked/hardened skin and irritated skin really needs all three moisturising types - so look for something with a rich emollient (see above) PLUS a humectant and occlusive ingredients.
Oily or combination skin? You still need a moisturiser especially in dry, windy weather or you sit in an air conditioned environment. Just avoid occlusive ingredients altogether - and go for light emollients.
Check the pH of your products
Look for a pH less than 7 in your moisturiser. Companies should disclose the pH of their products- we do on our website for every product. If they don’t, reach out and ask them. In one study, using a product with the wrong pH for just 5 weeks had more TEWL, more sensitivity and dryness.
A word of caution: A number of moisturising ingredients may contain ingredients that make some conditions like dermatitis worse!! That includes certain products which specifically claim to repair the skin barrier!!
Remember: Ingredients listed on a product label are shown in order of concentration from highest to lowest*. So if the ingredient you are looking for is towards the end of the list, there won’t be much of it in the product (which is the way it should be for some active ingredients, but generally not moisturising ingredients)
Hoping this info makes a lot of sense and helps you in choosing your next moisturiser!
*for ingredients with a concentration > 1%
References
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/9/3/61
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4885180/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5849435/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197824/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10162745/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9322723/
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1208/s12249-022-02472-w
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/clt2.12150