Which one is best for YOU?
All moisturizers are not created equally. In this blog I am going to outline some of our favorite moisturizers and explain which skin type would be a perfect match. However, before we go into that, let’s talk about moisturizer and why everyone, YES even you oily skin queens, need to use a moisturizer two times a day.
Everyone should use a face moisturizer because it’s like giving your skin a daily drink of water. Regardless of your skin type (oily, dry, combination), moisturizer helps balance hydration, making your skin feel soft and look healthy. For dry skin, it locks in moisture; for oily skin, it prevents the skin from overcompensating by producing extra oil. Plus, a good moisturizer strengthens your skin’s protective barrier, which helps fight off environmental stressors like pollution and weather changes. Also, let’s not forget, hydrated skin can look smoother and more youthful, helping you to glow without the need for filters!
Daily moisturizing is vital for healthy skin. Our skin is the body’s largest organ and requires attention to stay young, blemish free and healthy. The skin on your face, ears, neck and chest are very sensitive to environmental changes. These areas of skin also shed cells more rapidly than other parts of the body and therefore need moisture to repair itself, which allows young skin cells to rise to the surface.
Now let’s look at the different types of moisturizers we offer here at Nicole Norris, MD Medical Spa.
Rebalance
This popular moisturizer will calm and soothe even the most sensitive skin. It is light weight and quick absorbing. Ingredients in Rebalance include:
Borage Seed Oil– this is a calming ingredient that is an excellent source of Omega-6 fatty acid.
Evening Primrose Seed Oil– this is also a calming ingredient and an excellent source of gamma linolenic acid.
Vitamin E– this is a powerful fat-soluble antioxidant.
Rebalance is good for oily, combination, normal or sensitive skin types. Esthetician Sierra loves this moisturizer!
Clearskin
Clearskin helps reduce redness and breakouts, balance the skins natural oil production and provide antioxidant protection. This quick-absorbing, non-oily feeling moisturizer helps reduce discolorations due to breakouts. Some key ingredients in Clearskin include:
Niacinamide– you may have heard of this popular ingredient; that’s because it is a good one! Niacinamide is a potent, yet calming antioxidant that helps reduce *transepidermal water loss and improve *barrier function. This is critical for healthy, bright skin. Additionally, it helps reduce redness, skin yellowing, and promotes an even skin tone.
Butcher’s Broom Root Extract– this is an ingredient used for its calming effect.
Borage Seed Oil– like in Rebalance this ingredient is an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids, the most important fatty acid with potent calming action.
Wheat Amino Acids– these are natural growth factors for your skin and have softening properties. This ingredient is an excellent source of plant-derived protein, which is highly moisturizing.
Bisabolol– this is one of the active compounds found in chamomile, which calms the skin all while attracting and retaining moisture.
Vitamin A- this converts to retinoic acid in the skin. Vitamin A helps to promote a clear complexion and an even skin tone.
Marigold Flower Oil and Cucumber Fruit Extract– these ingredients provide purifying, calming, and astringent benefits.
Clear skin is good for oily, combination, normal, sensitive and acne prone skin types. Our acne prone patients who are getting off Retin-A love this moisturizer. They do not have to deal with the harsh side effects of straight Retin-A but they still get the great benefits of it from the Vitamin A in this moisturizer.
Collagen Hydrator
Collagen Hydrator delivers intense hydration with rich antioxidants, shea butter, olive fruit oil, and sweet almond fruit extract. These key antioxidants infuse into the skin while firming, hydrating, soothing and smoothing the skin. Some key ingredients include:
Shea Butter– this softens and helps maintain moisture in the skin without greasiness. It is high in triglycerides, vitamins A, E, and the omega-6 fatty acid.
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein– this is an emollient and moisturizer.
Olive Fruit Oil– this is a gentle emollient and a high source of powerful antioxidant *polyphenols.
Sweet Almond Fruit Extract– this ingredient adds a smooth film to the skin that is firming and nutritive.
Collagen hydrator is a great anti-aging moisturizer for more dry skin types. Our Nurse Practitioner Ania and Front Desk Coordinator Danielle are both big fans of CH!
HydraBright
You may have heard us refer to a fairly new moisturizer as having a “whipped like” consistency. That would be the crowd pleasing Hydrabright! HydraBright is a cloudlike daily moisturizer that brightens dry, lackluster skin in just 21 days. HydraBright targets the three common causes of dull skin: dryness, rough texture and uneven skin tone. The result is smooth skin and a radiant, even skin tone for a brightened complexion. Hydrabright minimizes the appearance of uneven skin tones all while delivering deeper hydration and providing your skin with a luminous glow. Some key ingredients include:
Niacinamide- this is a multitasking brightening ingredient that smooths rough texture, reduces the appearance of pores and possesses antioxidant properties to protect against external environmental aggressors that result in dull, lackluster skin.
Bio-stable Gallic Acid- this protects the skin against internal lifestyle aggressors that lead to dull, dry, damaged skin. It helps by supporting the skin’s barrier, reducing the look of redness, irritation and dehydrated skin.
Squalane– this is a bioavailable emollient that deeply hydrates the skin while increasing moisture retention and reducing transepidermal water loss.
Hydrabright is a moisturizer that truly feels like an “experience.” It is best when used with skin types that are dry, oily, normal or combination. This is Dr. Norris’s favorite moisturizer!
HydraMatte
This gel moisturizer with a powdery matte finish quickly absorbs into the skin to help promote a clear complexion and refined texture. With HydraMatte you will experience immediate and long-term hydration that reduces oil at the skin’s surface while minimizing the appearance of pores and fine lines. Your skin will look fresh, smooth, and radiant. Some key ingredients in HydraMatte include:
Pink Pepper Leaf Extract– this is a unique extract rich in polyphenols that helps reduce oil at the skin’s surface, minimize the appearance of pores, and refine skin texture.
Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract- this extract is derived from French roses that deliver immediate and long-term hydration while helping support the skin’s natural barrier function. Its unique prebiotic and probiotic effects help maintain a balanced *skin microbiome.
Hydrolyzed Rice Extract- this is a powerful extract that helps deliver immediate and long-term hydration when used twice daily. It has been shown to boost moisturization in the deep and superficial layers of the skin and improve overall barrier function with continued use.
HydraMatte is great for oily to combination skin. This moisturizer is a fan favorite for all our male patients!
Hydraluxe
This luxurious moisturizer deeply hydrates, improving moisture retention, reducing the signs of aging, and preserving the appearance of youthful skin. Hydraluxe is essential for mature, dry and sensitive skin. Just a short amount of time after using Hydraluxe your skin with feel softer, more hydrated and the moisture retention in your barrier function will have improved. Also, you’ll notice improved skin fullness and pluming in addition to noticeably reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Some key ingredients here include:
Peony Extract- this ingredient helps to plump the skin from below the surface. Peony extract preserves the youthful production of fat cells that plump skin from below the surface. It helps prevent the degradation of the adipose layer and helps rebuild facial volume that is lost with age.
Chicory Leaf Extract- this botanical strengthens the skin’s structure by encouraging the production of proteins that act as the building blocks of healthy skin.
Snow Algae- this is a unique algae species which helps reduce the signs of aging by inhibiting the enzymes that destroy collagen. It has demonstrated the ability to assist in cell longevity which prolongs the signs of aging.
IQ: Adaptive Hydration- this delicate balance of ingredients creates a layer that closely resembles the structure of the skin and adapts to varying temperatures and humidity levels. It hydrates and helps regulate the skins transepidermal water loss for maximum hydration.
Hydraluxe is far too complex for some skin types, however it is great for those seeking a powerful anti-aging moisturizer, patients with mature skin and those with sensitive skin types. Esthetician Kendra loves this moisturizer!
WIQO Moisturizing Face Cream
This next moisturizer is not a PCA product, but one that we always have on our shelves. It is a staff and patient favorite! WIQO is a rich cream with a soft texture that acts on the skin with an intense nourishing and hydrating action. This ultra-rich moisturizer provides immediate relief to dry skin. Its velvety texture nourishes very dry skin, helps soften skin with imperfections, prevents hydration loss, reduces the annoying feeling of tight skin, and restores comfort and softness all while strengthening the skin barrier and preventing hydration loss. WIQO guarantees hydration for over 24/48 hours and the feeling of hydration in less than 30 seconds. Some key ingredients include:
Shea Butter- this vegetable butter, extracted from the shea tree, is used as an emollient and has elasticizing properties for dry skin. It is also a rich source of antioxidants.
Echinacea Extract- this ingredient has strong antioxidant action, eliminates free radicals and inhibits cellular damage caused by oxidative stress. It also has a soothing and anti-inflammatory action; prolonging the life of the skin’s natural hyaluronic acid, which tends to decrease as we age.
WIQO is great for all skin types and is a personal favorite of Estheticians Kelsey and Amanda!
If you still don’t think you need to moisturize your skin two times every day, let me leave you with this visual – imagine your face is like a dry sponge. If you leave it out in the sun, without water, it cracks, gets stiff and doesn’t absorb anything properly. Now, slap some moisturizer on there, and suddenly it’s like you’ve dunked that sponge into a big, refreshing glass of water. It stays soft, plump, and ready to soak in all the good stuff! Plus, who wants to look like a raisin when you can look like a dewy, hydrated grape?
*Transepidermal water loss (TWL) refers to the process where water evaporates from the skin’s surface into the air, essentially causing your skin to lose moisture. It’s like your skin’s natural “leakage” of hydration.
*Skin barrier function is like your skin’s personal bodyguard. It is the outermost layer of your skin, primarily made up of dead skin cells and lipids (fats), that act as a protective shield against harmful environmental factors like bacteria, pollutants, and harsh weather. If that barrier gets damaged due to things like over-exfoliation, harsh products, or even stress, your skin becomes more vulnerable to irritation dryness and breakouts.
*Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds found in plants, known for their antioxidant properties. In skincare, polyphenols are prized for their anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and skin-protecting qualities.
*Skin mibrobiome refers to the community of trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms that live on the surface of your skin. These microns are mostly harmless and actually help your skin by maintaining its health and balance. Think of it like a tiny ecosystem that keeps things in check.
Kendra Pagoria, LE, LT, MUA