6 Ways to Avoid Buying the Wrong Moisturizer

How to Shop Smart and Have Younger-Looking Skin!

A Moisturizer by Any Other Name…

Most women, all over the world, want to find the perfect moisturizer. Regardless of the name on the label, whether it's called lifting cream, firming solution, hydrating gel, serum, treatment, or something else, the goal is to find the best product to fight the inevitable signs of aging.

Without question, a well-formulated moisturizer can make a big difference in helping your skin act and look younger, make healthy, vital skin cells, and increase collagen production. But how do you tell which is the best product for you? The number of options is overwhelming: There are hundreds available, and new versions are launched daily. Reading the claims on the product labels, you'd think that they all work, and so none of us should have a wrinkle, skin discoloration, or sagging skin anywhere. Obviously, that's not the case.

The best way to make a sound decision about what's right for you is with the facts. Beautypedia has thousands of science-based product reviews, analyzing what a product can and can't do for your skin. To get you started in your search for the best products, we've compiled our top tips for what to avoid when shopping for a moisturizer. Check them out, because you may be making some expensive mistakes and cheating your skin, or even worse, causing more wrinkles, making your skin look older!

6 Things Moisturizers Should NOT Have:

1. Jar packaging: Jar packaging is always a problem for any state-of-the-art moisturizer (which is the only kind you should be considering) because exposing the delicate ingredients—antioxidants, plant extracts, vitamins, and most peptides—to light and air causes them to break down and become ineffective. Jars are also unhygienic when you consider that you're dipping your fingers into them with each use. The resulting bacteria transfer (even when your hands are clean, there are bacteria present) further degrades the key ingredients and also stresses the preservative system.

2. Irritating ingredients: Irritation from harmful ingredients spells trouble for all skin types. Such ingredients—fragrant plant oils, synthetic fragrances, menthol, citrus extracts, and alcohol (which shows up in a surprising number of moisturizers)—affect your skin's healing process and its ability to produce healthy collagen. Daily application of a facial moisturizer with irritating ingredients is a step backward in your attempt to look younger. What's worse, you may not even see or feel the irritation, but it's silently doing its damage and keeping your skin from looking its beautiful best. Learn more about why irritation is your skin's worst enemy here.

3. High prices: In the world of skin care, expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. We're not saying that there aren't great, and expensive, facial moisturizers at the department store; rather, we're telling you that you don't need to spend what many lines are charging to get a brilliantly formulated moisturizer—no matter what aspect of anti-aging is your concern! How much is too much? Given the number of facial moisturizers that sell for less than €25, spending more than €50 for one doesn't make any sense. At the €50 and above price point, you're not paying for a better formula—you're paying for marketing techniques, like celebrity endorsements, beautiful packaging, and misleading advertisements. 

4. The wrong texture for your skin type: Most women use moisturizer, whether it has a toner, gel, lotion, or cream texture, and all skin types need the same kinds of ingredients—antioxidants, cell-communicating ingredients, and skin-repairing (skin-identical) ingredients—to make skin look and act younger. But the texture of your moisturizer should be based on your skin type; that is, not everyone should use the same version! For example, someone with oily or combination skin can get the beneficial ingredients from a well-formulated toner or gel version, while someone with normal to slightly dry skin should find them in a lotion, and those with dry skin should stick with a heavier lotion or cream texture.

5. Boring formulas: There are products with boring formulas available at all price points, whether you shop at the drugstore, spa, or department store, from Chanel to Lancôme. By boring formulas, we mean those that lack the range of beneficial ingredients research has shown can make a huge difference in the appearance, long-term health, and radiance of your skin. We find it especially painful to see women wasting their money on expensive products that are little better than doing nothing at all.

6. No sunscreen: Although a moisturizer without sunscreen is fine for use at night, during daylight hours it's always smart to apply a moisturizer with sunscreen rated SPF 15 or greater. We've reviewed many so-called "day creams" that lack sunscreen, which means they're unsuitable for daytime use. True, you can apply one of these day creams under a foundation with sunscreen, but most women don't apply enough foundation to get the stated level of protection. If you're willing to apply your foundation with sunscreen liberally and evenly, go for it; otherwise, make sure your daytime moisturizer includes sunscreen. And for the best anti-aging benefits, make sure one or more of the following is listed as an active ingredient: titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, avobenzone, Mexoryl SX (ecamsule), or Tinosorb.

Tip: Look up products on Beautypedia before you head out to shop for facial moisturizers. (You can access the site via your smart phone, too!). This is a great way to ensure that the moisturizers you're considering are going to give your skin exactly what it needs!

Following these six tips almost certainly guarantees you will find a moisturizer that is not only beautifully formulated, but also meets your needs, without compromising your preferences or budget. Remember: Jar packaging is a no-no, irritating ingredients are bad, expensive doesn't mean better, texture matters, boring formulas don't deserve your time or attention, and a moisturizer for daytime must contain sunscreen! Here's to smart shopping and finding the best moisturizer for your skin!