We'll jump straight to the answer—no, gel moisturizer isn't better than cream. As with any skin care product, it all comes down to your skin type, preferences, and the concern you're looking to tackle. Technically, cream and hydrating gel are the same thing, as they're both moisturizers—just different types.
However, because creams are usually about a fifty-fifty blend of oil and water, they are thicker than a moisturizing lotion (and more powerful). Due to being a more powerful moisturizer, you can use a cream once a day instead of twice a day like you would a lotion.
The bottom line
All the same, body lotion isn't meant for facial skin, so it could make some skin concerns worse. Sticking to products specifically formulated for your face will generally do more to benefit your skin in the long run.
The main difference between cream and moisturizer is that cream is a thick liquid that helps to cleanse, moisturize, soften or heal the skin while moisturizer is any skincare product that helps to retain moisture in the skin. There are many types of creams in the market.
As a general rule, face nourishers like serums, moisturisers and oils should be applied starting with the lightest formulas. Serums are thin and full of active ingredients you want to drive deep into your pores, so start with them before you move on to fuller-bodied creams.
"Most moisturizers can function as both a day cream and a night cream," says Dr. Muneeb Shah, North Carolina-based dermatologist and skincare influencer. However, there are a few key differences between the two. For instance, a day cream is typically lightweight, making it easy to wear under makeup.
Zein Obagi, a Beverly Hills-based dermatologist and founder of ZO Skin Health, says that using moisturizer could actually be detrimental to skin. “When you use moisturizer every day, you run the risk of making your skin older, not younger,” he said to Refinery29.
You could develop more wrinkles.
That's right: Leaving moisturizer out of your routine today could lead to deeper wrinkles later on. "When the skin barrier is compromised, which is what we see when it becomes dry, there's actually a low-grade chronic inflammation that occurs in the skin," warns dermatologist Dr.
The rest of the product then sits atop your face and forms a thin layer of oil, bacteria, and other ingredients. This layer will then clog the pores and whenever cores get clogged, pimples and zits form. So, yes, moisturizer can cause acne but it only typically happens whenever you over-moisturize your skin.
The most important times to use moisturizer are after a bath, shave or exfoliation. For some, this might be twice a day. Moisturizing after a shower is very important because hot water strips all the moisture and oils out of your skin, leaving it parched and dry.
If you don't, you should. Both men and women can find many benefits to using high quality facial moisturizer each day. Moisturizing your face will help you to look and feel younger, you will have softer, more elastic skin, and it will keep your skin hydrated.
Moisturizer creates a barrier between your skin and the climate, including cold, dry air that can further dry out skin. Moisturizing also helps to rehydrate and enhance the capacity of the skin to hold water.
If your skin tends to be dry, look for a cream - they tend to have a higher oil content. Moisturizing can reduce the appearance of other blemishes. Freshly moisturized skin has a healthy sheen, which can even out any existing blemishes. Some moisturizers have some tint or self-tanner that can work with any skin tone.
Clogged pores are the most immediate sign of over moisturising. Too much moisturiser or heavy formulations can clog your pores, because of which you end up with blackheads and whiteheads.
Your skin needs moisture to heal and improve its appearance. The top layer of skin alone – the stratum corneum – can absorb three times its weight in water. If you suffer from acne scarring on your body (shoulders and back for example) moisturize with Vaseline® Intensive Care Deep Restore Lotion.
Your skin wants a layer of moisture, and if it doesn't have it the normal protective barriers and correct pH levels of the skin can be disrupted. This protective layer disruption can come along with dryness, redness, and an overall low level of inflammation in your skin.
Just as you should cleanse your skin twice a day, your face is calling out for moisture at least two times a day—in the morning and at night. You want to moisturize after every time you cleanse. This way, you can lock in moisture and keep skin from drying out.
Night is an essential time to renew your mind—and your skin. Adding a lotion before bed creates softer, more hydrated, and better-looking skin the next day. It also helps seal in moisture and repairs the skin barrier that's compromised by dry air and harsh cleansers.
They make skin feel moist and relieve itchiness and tightness. But, says Dr Eckel, in reality, moisturisers make the skin 'lazy', so it becomes less able to hydrate itself. This means we need more moisturiser to relieve dryness, creating an expensive, demoralising cycle.
Not really. If you have dry skin, moisturiser does help by supplying water to the skin and trapping it there. Most moisturisers contain a greasy substance that holds the water in.
In short, yes. "A daily moisturizer is necessary to maintain your skin's moisture barrier and to prevent environmental damage to your skin," Weinstein explains.
Night cream is usually richer and helps the skin's natural regeneration process. In contrast to day creams, night creams do not contain a sun protection factor. This is why you shouldn't use a day cream at night as a sun protection factor is superfluous at night.
Aesthetic dermatologists have observed that habitual, daily moisturising over a prolonged period can actually age the skin. This induced ageing occurs because the same fibroblast cells which produce GAGs (the skin's moisturiser) also produce collagen and elastin, which help maintain the skin's elasticity.
Moisturiser cannot by itself make your skin dark or fair . Moisturisers are only meant to give the hydration a skin needs. In very humid climates, it is better to avoid moisturiser as a whole.