Finding the perfect moisturizer can be tricky, but I’ve put together some tips to help you make the right choice. In addition to the ingredients, the packaging is also very important. At the end of this blog, I’ll share some products that I’ve personally checked and recommend.
What to put in your moisturizer and what not to put in it
An important point when choosing a moisturizer is to make sure it is free of perfume. Fragrances can irritate the skin and in combination with the sun can even cause spots. In addition, there are other ingredients that I prefer to avoid in skin care.
So what should your cream contain? Hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid are ideal. Even better is if your cream also contains active ingredients that do that little bit extra, such as calming the skin or reducing pigment spots. My favorites are niacinamide, vitamin C, vitamin E and licorice root extract.
Which packaging is best?
It is also important to look at the packaging of your moisturizer. Although jars look nice in your bathroom, they are not very hygienic because you keep going in with your fingers or a spatula. Oxygen also gets into the cream, which can be especially harmful to active ingredients such as vitamin C, which can lose their effect. Therefore, choose an airless pump packaging, which keeps your product clean and protects it from oxygen.
Tubes are another alternative. They do keep your cream fresh, but oxygen remains a problem if the product contains active ingredients. An airless pump packaging remains the best option if your skincare contains active ingredients.
Should your moisturizer have SPF?
Many moisturizers contain an SPF (Sun Protection Factor), but I recommend separating your sunscreen and moisturizer. Most people don’t use enough moisturizer to achieve the SPF stated on the packaging. In addition, the added UV filters take up space that could otherwise be filled with active ingredients. So it’s better to opt for a separate sunscreen and use a moisturizer without SPF, so that the active ingredients can work optimally.
Recommended moisturizers
These moisturizers are best suited for drier skin types:
Dr. Jetske Ultee – Moisturizer for normal to dry skin
- Fragrance free
- With vitamin C, niacinamide and vitamin E
- With hyaluronic acid and glycerin
- Vegan
A mild, nourishing cream with high concentrations of active ingredients such as vitamin C (5%), niacinamide (4%), vitamin E (1%), hyaluronic acid, beta-glucan and ergothioneine. These substances hydrate and protect the skin. They also help reduce fine lines and pigment spots. This moisturizer is also suitable for sensitive skin.
Dr. Jetske Ultee – Repair Cream
- Fragrance free
- With oatmeal extract, panthenol and shea butter
- Unique combination of skin's own lipids
- Vegan
This rich Repair Cream contains a unique combination of substances that naturally occur in the lipid layer of the skin barrier, such as ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. Thanks to the right composition, the substances can actually be absorbed by the skin. Oatmeal extract, panthenol and squalane offer protection and softening for dry or chapped skin. This cream is very suitable as a moisturizer if you have dry skin, but you can also apply it only to the dry areas of your face.
Eucerin – UltraRedness Soothing Cream
- Fragrance free
- With soothing ingredients
- Vegan
This is a nice cream for people who have very sensitive skin with a lot of redness. According to research, using the product would reduce the symptoms of sensitive skin, such as redness and burning. This is due to the combination of liquorice root extract and 4-t-butylcyclohexanol. The cream also contains few ingredients, which makes the chance of a hypersensitivity reaction small.
La Roche-Posay – Toleriane Sensitive Riche
- Fragrance free
- Vegan
A decent base cream with moisturizing and softening ingredients, but nothing special. It contains a low concentration of niacinamide. At this percentage, niacinamide will not do much more than calm the skin. The cream is fine for dry skin or skin that needs some 'recovery', for example after a cosmetic irritation (perioral dermatitis). The advice is to use nothing at all for a while, but sometimes the skin can be so dry that you really want to apply something. The entire Toleriane line from La Roche-Posay is suitable for this.
Biodermal – Sensitive Balance Cream
- Fragrance free
- With panthenol and allantoin
- Vegan
A mild and hydrating moisturizer with soothing ingredients such as panthenol and allantoin. The cream is also suitable for sensitive skin.
CeraVe – Facial Moisturizing Lotion No SPF
- Fragrance free
- With niacinamide
- Vegan
A nice somewhat lighter cream for normal to dry skin. Nice that niacinamide has been added, among other things. This ingredient is quite high on the ingredients list: big chance that it can really do something for your skin. But I don't know for sure, because the exact percentage is not mentioned.
Neutral – Day Cream
- Fragrance free
Another hydrating base cream without active ingredients. A good choice if you have sensitive skin that can't take much.
These moisturizers are best suited for oilier skin types:
Dr. Jetske Ultee – Moisturizer normal to oily skin
- Fragrance free
- With vitamin C, niacinamide and vitamin E
- Licorice root and Evodia
- With hyaluronic acid and glycerin
- Vegan
This cream also contains the active combination of vitamin C, niacinamide and vitamin E and is slightly lighter in texture than the moisturizer for normal to dry skin. Extra soothing ingredients have been added to this moisturizer, including evodia and liquorice root. This makes this cream ideal for combination and oily skin types, which can also sometimes suffer from impurities. This moisturizer is also suitable for sensitive skin.
Eucerin – DermoPure HYDRA additional soothing cream
- Fragrance free
- With panthenol and liquorice root extract
- Vegan
This is an interesting cream for people with a somewhat sensitive and oily skin. According to research, using the product would reduce the symptoms of sensitive skin, such as redness and burning. This is due to the combination of licorice root extract and 4-t-butylcyclohexanol. The cream contains few ingredients, which means that the chance of a hypersensitivity reaction is small. The cream contains a little tapioca starch for a matte finish.
Louis Widmer – Pigmacare Skin Tone
- Fragrance free
- With niacinamide and vitamin E
- Vegan
Actually a serum, but can certainly also be used as a moisturizer for oily skin. Contains 5% niacinamide and 1% vitamin E. The concentrations of vitamin C, resveratrol and hexyresorcinol are negligible in my opinion. In the studies that demonstrate the effect of these ingredients, concentrations of 1% or higher are always used. This cream contains a reasonable amount of silica, which helps to mattify oily skin. Pay attention when purchasing, because there is also a variant for sale with perfume. So make sure you go for the unscented variant.
Paula's Choice – Skin Balancing Night Cream
- Fragrance free
- With niacinamide and oatmeal extract
- Vegan
Actually a night cream, but also very suitable for daytime. With a fine gel texture, ideal if you have really oily skin. This gel contains nice ingredients such as niacinamide, licorice root extract, green tea extract and oatmeal extract. These substances can probably do nice things for your skin, because they are quite high on the ingredients list, but without exact percentages I dare not say that with certainty.