January 2008
 Who needs to use moisturizing cream? How can I tell if I need it? 

Moisturizer is a ubiquitous, antiquated term that leaves a consumer completely confused. It is like trying to explain how a computer works by describing a computer. Moisturizer is mostly associated with creams or lotions and is related to dry skin, and by default wrinkles, despite the face that dry skin has nothing to do with wrinkles. Though someone with normal to oily or blemish prone skin, should never use lotions and creams as the ingredients that create the cream and lotion texture are a problem for those skin types.

What all skin types need are state of the art ingredients that help skin function normally (think “younger”) and reduce environmental damage. Those ingredients are antioxidants, cell communicating ingredients, and ingredients that mimic the structure of skin and during the day active sunscreen agents. The vehicle those ingredients come in (lotions, creams, serums, liquids—i.e. toners, emulsions) is dependent on you skin type. Someone with dry skin is going to want to find those ingredients in a lotion or cream, someone with normal to slightly dry skin or slightly oily skin may like a serum, and for oily skin types a toner would work great.