For many, it's the last step in your skincare routine; for some, they are still searching for the perfect moisturiser. Whether you've got dry, oily, or combination skin, the ideal face cream has passed through our offices, so we have rounded up some of the best with potent multi-benefits that do more than nourish your complexion. Scroll and find your perfect match, says editor Trudi Brewer.
Gliding is the latest way of applying moisturisers
Most of us use our fingertips to apply moisturiser. However, skin gliding is a new and unique way to ‘do’ skin care with brushes for a more even application. Originating in spas, where therapists have long used spatulas and fan brushes and apply lotions, masks, and serums, skin gliding can also be done daily at home. In the same way, you use a gua sha stone, a brush with densely packed bristles and a long handle that allows you to glide moisturiser over your face to promote circulation. Simply load up your dry brush with the moisturiser, then gently glide the brush across the skin using a sweeping upward motion and small circles around the contours of the face, using gentle pressure. Finally, press in the excess moisturiser with the palms of your hands; that’s all there is to it.
Environ Youth EssentiA Defence Crème, $230.
Created for a complexion showing signs of ageing, this super-lightweight yet hydrating cream contains a raft of skin-loving ingredients. The lineup of vitamins includes retinyl palmitate (A), B5, B12, C and E, green tea extract, and lutein (carotenoids) that help refill the natural lipids in your skin to rejuvenate the look of dryness while refining the skin's texture. Created by a plastic surgeon, the founder of Environ Dr Des Fernandes, who knows how to make some kick-butt skincare formulations. So for the day, I slather this cream on and then pop on an SPF over the top, and I'm good to go.
Sunday Riley C.E.O. Afterglow Brightening Vitamin C Cream, $111.
The blend of potent ingredients in a whipped custard-like formula is so moreish. First, it’s stacked with an oil-soluble form of the skincare hero vitamin C and ergothioneine (extracted from oyster mushrooms) an amino acid that further helps stabilise the vitamin C. Together, these ingredients not only brighten your complexion but also help combat free radicals from sun exposure, while boosting your collagen synthesis simultaneously. Meanwhile, the skin-loving hyaluronic acid draws water from the air into the surface layer of your skin. Finally, aloe and the potent carotenoid antioxidant lutein (already present in the skin cells), once slathered on the skin, further boost collagen and elastin production to smooth the look of fine lines. With its lightweight texture and brilliant brightening results, this divine cream is more than just a moisturiser.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream, $102.
A blend of six cold-pressed African oils, yeast and fermented green tea seed extracts, and sodium hyaluronate (a form of hyaluronic acid). Together these ingredients smooth fine lines and brighten the skin. Then those essential ceramides quickly revitalise dull-looking, dry skin. With the texture of double cream, it’s ideal for anyone battling dry skin. perfect for any skin type in need of moisture. For my dry, ageing skin, this is a does-everything formula that not only instantly plumps out those fine lines but gives skin a youthful, radiant glow right before my eyes.
Dehydrated or dry skin? Here’s the difference.
To give your skin type the nourishment it needs, it’s essential to understand the difference between 'dry' skin and 'dehydrated' skin. When your skin is dehydrated, it lacks water and is often in a temporary state. Dry skin is a condition where your skin lacks lipids, those essential oils it needs to stay moisturised. Dehydrated skin benefits from an instant hit of humectants, hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, and urea; honey extracts and some sea algae also have humectant properties. These ingredients help draw water to the skin's surface and deeper layers. These ingredients are generally found in lightweight gel-like creams and serums. While dry skin needs emollients and ceramides such as coconut, almond oil, shea butter, cocoa butter and jojoba oils. These ingredients form a seal on the skin’s barrier to keep the water content inside your cells from escaping, helping it to hold onto more of your natural oils.
Avène DermAbsolu Comforting Night Balm, $75.
One word springs to mind with this cream - comfort. I have the odd niggling, reaction to skincare, probably because I put my complexion through a lot when testing new products. So whenever it feels tangy or a little irritated, I reach for this skin balm to wear to bed. First, the soothing ingredients, including vanilla polyphenols, that has a hydrating and anti-inflammatory effect on the skin, while humectants glycoleol and hyaluronic acid hydrate and firm the skin. Sytenol, is the radiance-boosting ingredient, the first plant-derived (from the Babchi plant, used in Chinese medicine) natural alternative to retinol (vitamin A); it helps speed up cell turnover, which boosts collagen growth, and improves dullness and dark spots. It visibly reduces irritation and promotes firmer-looking, happier skin.
CLINIQUE SMART CLINICAL REPAIR WRINKLE CORRECTING CREAM, $134
Clinique’s latest rich face cream targets fine lines, showing impressive results. Not only does this wrinkle-fighting cream also helps hydrate, strengthen and nourish the skin. Made with a cleverly manufactured cocktail of synthetic peptides to feed dry skin with collagen-making proteins. Hyaluronic acid, in two different molecular weights to help this moisture magnet sink in fast and flood the skin with essential hydration. Finally, soybean seed extract boosts, and shea butter contains those essential lipids that form a barrier to your complexion to keep dryness at bay. With promising line-ironing results, it’s no wonder peptides are loved by experts.
Shiseido Essential Energy, $92.
When it comes to hyaluronic acid, (HA) size matters. So the clever science team at Shiseido have added purified and micronised HA in three different forms. Together they will flood the skin with moisture on contact and then quickly and deeply penetrate it. Panax ginseng root extract (a prized superfood in Korea) is also loaded in this cream, a natural skin circulation booster; in turn, it also helps ramp up your collagen production. Ginseng also has a coffee-like energising effect which helps brighten and revitalise a dull complexion. Finally, citrus peel, rosemary (which stops hyaluronic acid from degrading), and Ichiyakuso flower extract further help strengthen and smooth your complexion. It’s an addictive way to start and end each day.
The latest skin-changing innovation.