Favorite Moisturizers This Year (so far)
The title says it all! Moisturizers I’ve tried thanks to Picky so far in 2024.
MeaningInMakeup
Dry/Sensitive
1
Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
One of my favorites that I’ve tried so far! I love the ceramide beads, super fun to apply. Fragrance free.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and ILLIYOON in exchange for my honest review. This is a super fascinating product that I’m super thankful to try! It’s got a great hydrating formula. Those little dots you see in the pictures of the formula, are ceramide beads that break down as you rub it into your skin. They are encapsulated in fatty acids that are plant derived, as this is a vegan formula. I saw some people with dry skin say it didn’t work for them, and some people with oily skin say it does work for them. As I always say: everyone’s experience with products is so unique and personal. It’s interesting to see that this works for both skin types, it just depends on the person. I was very pleased by how hydrated this left my skin feeling, and I have a dry and sensitive skin type. Not only does this feature the unique ceramide beads but it also features glycerin to help keep your skin hydrated. This is meant to deliver one hundred hours of hydration, but as always, I apply moisturizer daily because I wash my face daily. So I never test that claim out. I also love the fact that this is a fragrance free option. Sometimes fragrances can cause an eczema flare of my skin. I love a good fragrance free option to keep in my routine. Now what does the Ato in the name stand for? From my research it’s short for atopic dermatitis, indicating that it is meant to be an ‘eczema safe’ formula. As someone who can get eczema patches on my face, I’m honest about my experience, and this moisturizer kept the patches at bay when used with other hydrating products without actives (no retinols for example). I woke up with no flakiness the morning after I used this moisturizer. If you have dry skin, sometimes you just need a little extra moisturizer. Even when it’s a thick formula like this one. I didn’t find this to feel greasy at all, even though it is a thicker cream. So it didn’t feel too oily, and still managed to feel breathable.
ILLIYOON
Ceramide Ato Concentrate Cream
4.6
(861)
772
2
Water-Bag Barrier Cream
My other favorite of the year. Not too thick, and not too thin. Super hydrating. Fragrance free, gluten free.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and PLODICA in exchange for my honest review. If you have never tried the brand before, this brand is vegan, free of parabens, artificial colorants, fragrances, and gluten free. If you have sensitive skin (like a damaged barrier: either with dry skin or acne, I deal with both) and prefer unscented skincare, I highly recommend this brand! I was lucky enough to try this cream before from their Welcome to Water Village kit and really fell in love with the texture then. It is a Goldilocks formula: not too thick and not too thin. Just right for me! I love how easily it blended into my skin, and it didn’t feel tacky at all. It is a lovely breathable moisturizer that still managed to keep my skin hydrated through the night and into the next day. I’m someone with dry leaning skin that is overly sensitive (I can get eczema on my face). One of the reasons I fell in love with this brand is the fact that their products are so gentle for my skin, that I can use these as ‘reset’ products to get my skin back to normal after a reaction to something else in my routine. You can see I included a “before” and “after picture. My skin ended up inflamed due to a strongly scented foundation. My cheeks were red like that even after I washed off the irritating product. I used some Plodica products that night (their rewake toner treatment, a serum, and this barrier cream), and look at how much better my cheeks looked in ‘after’ part of the picture. More importantly than my skin looking good, it felt way better the next day as well. The Amazon listing for this product (and all products from Plodica) features a picture that describes what each ingredient is doing in the formulation if you are unsure. I was happy to find another brand that offers this. I’m glad to see more and more brands doing this since not all of us know what each ingredient does in a formulation. As an example: it has some alcohols in the formula, but they are all stabilizing ingredients. Not all alcohols are drying. Some are for stabilization of other ingredients.
Plodica
Water-Bag Barrier Cream
4.7
(212)
42
3
Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream
This one is great if you deal with acne. Super breathable option while still being moisturizing to help your skin’s barrier.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and DR. G in exchange for my honest review. I love that is has braille on the packaging. I’m always talking about accessibility with products. It’s nice knowing such a popular brand/product uses braille, although it was a small amount so I’m pretty sure it was just the brand or product name. Hopefully this brand does it with their other products as well. I also love the unique shape of the spatula! It has a curve to it for your finger to cradle it, and it is a solid color. Do you know how many times I’ve misplaced clear spatulas from other brands because of my poor vision? This was super easy to find if I put it down and it was super comfortable to hold. The seal was also fairly easy to open. I appreciated the unique cut to it, so I had no issues with it not coming off in one piece which was impressive. As for the actual product, I was very impressed by it! This is a nice lightweight gel based moisturizer, which makes it breathable for people who deal with acne like I do. It didn’t leave my skin feeling sticky, and it glides across your skin with ease as you’re applying it. It features panthenol and glycerin to help your skin retain moisture, and niacinamide to help with post acne hyperpigmentation, as well as a unique cica (also known as centella asiatica) complex to help with active pimples. Even as someone who deals with dry leaning skin with their acne, I still found this product to be moisturizing enough for my dry patches.
DR.G
Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream
4.8
(4505)
587
4
Skin Barrier Calming Lotion
A super lightweight option that also makes for a fantastic body moisturizer as well.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and ONGREDIENTS in exchange for my honest review. This product can be used multiple ways: applied immediately after a toner if you have no desire to use with a targeted treatment serum step (especially if you’re oily leaning), or you can apply this as the final step in your skincare routine after a toner and serums. I preferred the later. I have dry leaning and overly sensitive skin. I also didn’t see fragrances on the ingredients list, and when I smelled this lotion, I didn’t smell anything either. The texture is nice and lightweight, so much so that it absorbs into the skin with ease. It didn’t leave a thick or heavy residue behind, even on days when I put on a little extra product. Keep in mind, my overly dry leaning and sensitive skin enjoys the vast majority of moisturizers that I have gotten to try (unless the smell, texture, or bad reaction turn me off them). I was lucky that it also loved this one from Ongredients! Keep in mind, my overly dry leaning and sensitive skin enjoys the vast majority of moisturizers that I have gotten to try (unless the smell, texture, or bad reaction turn me off them). I was lucky that it also loved this one from Ongredients! I loved it for both my face and my body. It left my arms and elbows feeling amazing when I added the excess to them, and my legs enjoyed the formula too! This lotion features a specially blend of 9 peptides. Other key ingredients are centella asiatica (also known as cica), glycerin to help your skin retain moisture, and carrot root extract that can help with a more even skin tone along with moisture retention. So many amazing ingredients that my overly sensitive skin enjoyed. I was also impressed at how glowy this left my skin looking after application. It was an instant boost of hydratiom for my tired and dull looking skin.
Ongredients
Skin Barrier Calming Lotion
4.7
(292)
69
5
The True Cream Aqua Bomb
Another lightweight option, this one is the most heavily fragranced on my list. So if you can’t handle strongly scented skincare (like me) you might want to skip this one.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and BELIF in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely can see why this product is so popular! It’s an incredibly lightweight texture that feels nice and hydrating. In fact it features many hydrating ingredients like glycerin, hyaluronic acid, squalane, and ceramide. This makes it an ideal product for people who suffer from dry leaning skin, myself included. I really loved the texture. It wasn’t sticky or tacky, and felt like it absorbed into my skin with ease. Application went smoothly as well, and this cream didn’t feel like it was tugging at my skin like some others that I have tried over the years. It also didn’t leave my skin feeling greasy like some other moisturizers that I’ve tried, so I think this can still work for oily skin types because they also need hydration. Bonus tip: I also love that this product can be used as an emergency mask! Apply liberally and let it sit on your skin for five minutes, then wipe off any excess after that time and your skin will thank you!
belif
The True Cream Aqua Bomb
4.5
(744)
208
6
SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream
Super lightweight and breathable option. Great for summer months or warm climates. Fragrance free.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and ETUDE in exchange for my honest review. If you’re looking for a lightweight gel based moisturizer that is fragrance free, this is a fantastic option. If you need something thicker, Etude also offers another option that is thicker and a more traditional texture for people with extra dry skin. I also love that you can buy different sizes of this product or refills on the brand’s Amazon. I was impressed that a little goes a long way with this product. It is a gel based moisturizer, so it’s a lightweight and breathable option that absorbs into the skin with ease. Because of its low PH, it is also ideal for those dealing with a damaged skin barrier (so those with dry, sensitive, or acne prone skin). One thing that impressed me about this product is very little product goes a long way. Usually because of my dry leaning skin, I need to use more moisturizer, and that was not the case with this product. Part of that may be thanks to the panthensoside, which is an ingredient unique to this line. It is a combination of panthenol and madecassoside which are both hydrating ingredients.
ETUDE
SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream
4.8
(265)
682
7
Real Hyaluronic Cream 100
Another favorite, this one is one of the thickest and great for people with dry leaning skin. Really traps in the moisture overnight thanks to the beeswax (this ingredient means it is not a vegan option, but there are other vegan products on the list). Highly suggest this one for people who deal with extra dry skin. I loved this in the winter time because it was so rich.
MeaningInMakeup
I received this product for free from Picky and Wellage in exchange for my honest review. I make it no secret that I deal with dry skin, and have had eczema patches on my face over the years. Hyaluronic acid has been a magic ingredient for me. So I absolutely adored both of the products from the Real Hyaluronic line from Wellage. If you’re like me and looking for a moisturizer for the winter months that will help your skin really retain moisture, I highly recommend this moisturizer. The 100 in the name is because it is meant to give you hydration for 100 hours. A lot of Korean creams I’ve noticed are a gel like texture, and this one isn’t. It is more of a traditional cream texture compared to the ones I grew up with in America. So it’s a little bit thicker. I would say it’s a medium texture: not too thick and not too thin. But that’s perfect for my dry leaning skin. Now I’m not saying it’s overly thick, just that it’s thicker compared to the gel moisturizers on the market. Now it is not a vegan option because it does feature bees wax, however this is an antibacterial ingredient that is great at helping heal damaged skin. This was perfect as the last step in my skincare routine to really seal in the moisture of the ampoule overnight, so that my skin was still hydrated when I woke up in the morning. If you’re comfortable with bees wax as an ingredient, I definitely suggest this option.
Wellage
Real Hyaluronic Cream 100
4.7
(850)
118
7
5
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