How to Choose a Better Facial Moisturizer

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Is your face cream doing enough? Is it doing anything? Applying moisturizer used to be a feel-good experience for complexion and psyche. Now, thanks to social media hype and puffed-up brand

marketing, it’s a stress-maker causing 50-plus women to peer into their mirrors expecting dermatological miracles. ​​I’m a beauty editor with 40 years of experience testing and reporting on

moisturizers of every price and formula, from Olay to La Mer. Here are my tips to finding your next best thing.

Cream ($49, maccosmetics.com); Kiehl’s Since 1851 Ultra Facial Cream ($67, nordstrom.com); Innisfree Green Tea Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Moisturizer ($29, sephora.com) MAC; Nordstrom;

Sephora 1. Ignore the hype and grapevine gossip

Sorry, but your best friend, your sister-in-law and TikTok influencers don’t share your personal skin care history or issues. Their skin may look amazing, but that doesn’t mean their

moisturizer will have the same affect on you. Stay informed about new creams, of course, but don’t fall for them too fast or rule out high-performance oldies that target dry, mature skin.

Pay attention to your face. The way it reacts to your current moisturizer will tell you when to move on, what to avoid and what to look for next. For example, your skin may respond better to

peptides than retinol, prefer a gel cream to a super-rich one, or just react better to a fragrance-free drugstore brand better than a scented fancy one.

Too often women toss a perfectly good moisturizer due to impatience. It can take six to eight weeks to see visible results from a new face cream. However, there are very good reasons to stop

using your current moisturizer (new or old) and choose another. If you’re breaking out or your skin stings, feels itchy or shows signs of increased redness or sensitivity, move on! If your

complexion isn’t responding anymore and looks drier, duller, splotchier or bumpier than ever, don’t hesitate to make a change.

A Guide to Better Skin After 50

Have healthy looking skin at any age  

Tips, advice and resources

walgreens.com); e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance-Free ($13, target.com) Bloomingdale's; Walgreens; Target 3. Stick with proven ingredients for soft, dewy skin

It’s easy to get sidetracked by buzz and dramatic claims. No moisturizer will deliver facelift-like firming and lifting or filler-like plumping. Instead, focus on finding a cream with the

realistic goal of smoother, fresher, dewier skin via proven ingredients. Look for humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, urea and aloe vera that pull in water to plump up lines;

emollients like ceramides, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, squalane, shea and cocoa butter, and other plant oils and butters to soften, smooth and repair the skin’s barrier and seal all in; and

peptides to boost collagen renewal. Everything else is gravy. PS: You don’t need a chemistry degree to find these ingredients; they are listed in order of quantity and potency, so check

top-of-listers first.