Don’t Overthink (or Overpay!) For Face Moisturizer
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By Cheryl Wischhover
The beauty industry, and the discourse around it, has become completely exhausting. Between the viral pronouncements of TikTok-famous dermatologists and a small yet growing faction that wants to see the whole structure toppled and to go back to — I don’t know, using dirt for exfoliation?— are people who just want their skin to look and feel a little nicer.
So let’s keep it extremely simple here and talk about moisturizers. In a dozen years spent talking to dermatologists, I’ve found that moisturizer is the one product they universally recommend.
Dry (or drier) skin is inevitable for those of us whose skin is aging and who live in places that get cold in the winter. According to the AAD, skin starts losing sebum, which is what makes your face look plump and dewy and glowy, after the age of 40. Add wind, low temperatures, and dry heat from radiators and you have a flaky, uncomfortable, sallow face.
A moisturizer will perk that right up. But since there are approximately 107,389,907 of them on the market, here are five I can recommend, all under $65:
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream, (16 oz tub, $18.39): CeraVe is enjoying a lot of popularity thanks to teens on TikTok and its drugstore price point. The brand lives up to the hype. I got the tub (richer than CeraVe’s pump moisturizers) for my son who is taking Accutane, which notoriously causes a lot of skin flakiness. I have been using it for several weeks also. It has a thick, pudding-like texture with no discernible fragrance. It applies smoothly and never feels like it’s caked on. To make the experience a little more luxe, and because I like bougie things, I sometimes mix in a drop or two of Vintner’s Daughter face oil (I love the scent so much). Because there is so much in the tub and it’s cheap, I don’t feel guilty for scooping it out to use on my hands and weirdly-dry elbows, too.
FirstAid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream (6 oz, $38): This one was a fan fave when I polled my beauty friends. It’s thick and rich, with an herbal/medicinal scent that is not unpleasant. I’d recommend using it as a night moisturizer, because it can make products and makeup pill a bit. But it takes down redness and dryness shockingly fast. And it comes in a nicely-sized tub that makes it conducive to using all over the body.
Belif The True Cream Moisturizing Bomb (1.68 oz, $38): This one is part of the the OG wave of K-beauty products that hit the US in the early 2010s. I always have a jar of it floating around in my medicine cabinet. It is a perfect daily cream. I also love the Aqua Bomb formulation, which is a lighter gel cream texture that’s great when I don’t need a heavier moisturizer and my skin just needs a bit of perking up.
Biossance Squalane + Omega Repair Deep Hydration Moisturizer (1.69 oz, $60): I have been a big fan of this brand since it launched a few years ago, and it has only gotten better as Sephora has worked with the owners to improve the offerings. This beautiful-feeling cream is better than many of the over-$100 moisturizers I’ve tried during my career. It has a mild scent that I can only describe as “face cream.” (There’s a travel/trial size for $18.)
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, 1.7 oz ($65): If you insist that your skincare also be aesthetic, this is a fluffy dream cream, complete with a little golden spoon and ridiculously luxe packaging. Bonus: the cream is lavender-colored. I usually splurge on one in deepest winter when I need something cheery.