by Alisa Gafur

If you're not sure it's winter, then check your skin!  Is it dry, perhaps cracking?   Although you lather and lather, you still have that crocodile look, and can't figure out what to do.  Maybe it's your moisturizer.  Here is a tip on what ingredients you should look for in a good moisturizer, if yours doesn't have them-TOSS IT!

Essentially you want your moisturizer to be easily absorbed, not greasy and suit your skin type.  

There are a few key ingredients that are found in any good moisturizers:

Humectants-These draw water to the surface of your skin to give you a wonderful dewy finish.  The result?  Healthy looking, glowing skin.  Some ingredients to look for: lactates, ureas, hyaluronic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, sorbitol, glycerin, propylene glycerol, sodium lactate. Silicone is also a humectant, but you want a cream with not too much or you will end up looking greasy.

Emollients-These fill in all those little lines and crevices on your face and aids in the shedding of your dead skin.  The result?  Soft, smooth and healthier skin. 

Ingredients: Jojoba oil, lanolin linoleate, paraffin, beeswax, cocoa, petroleum, glycerol stearates, isopropyl palmitate, propylene glycol linoleate

Moisturizers are either water based (water in oil formula) or oil based (oil in water formula).  Water based tend to be lighter and easily absorbed and are usually labelled as a day formula.  Oil based tend to be heavier and are absorbed a little slower on the skin surface.  These tend to be labelled as night formulas.

What you should avoid:

Petroleum based creams (which tend to contain mineral oils), since they clog pores and make you look greasy, however for more mature skin this is ok to use.

Creams with a lot of alcohol in them (like formaldehyde, isopropyl alcohol) since they can irritate and actual dry out your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin

Heavily scented creams which tend to have a lot of preservatives in them (examples of preservatives-propylene glycol, sodium benzoate, sulfates, etc)

Remember to consider your skin type:

Normal skin-go for a water based moisturizer that is light and non greasy.  Ingredients to look for are acetyl alcohol (lightweight oil), or cyclomethicone (silicone derived)

Dry skin-go for a heavier and oil based moisturizer.  Ingredients to look for are urea or propylene glycol

Oily skin-go for a water based product that is noncomedogenic (meaning it won't clog your pores)

Sensitive skin-go for a moisturizer that doesn't have to many fragrances or dyes, nor contains too many preservatives (which tend to be alcohol based)

Mature skin-go for an oil based moisturizer that has more petroleum in it-this will help keep your skin hydrated, also look for alpha hydroxy acids and lactic acid to help fill in those lines and keep your skin youthful

Our top picks:

For Face:

Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion (SPF 15) at $18.00 for 2.5 oz, this lotion continually beats out cremes and lotions that are hundreds of dollars more-this must say something! If you have oily skin, Clinique Acne Solutions Clearing Moisturizer ($16.00 for 1.7 oz), gets very high ratings as well.

For Body:

La Mer Body Cream ($195.00 for 10 oz), is known as the world's best, however in these tough times it's understandable not wanting to spend this much!   So try, Olay Age Transform Body Creme Serum ($9.00 for 10.1 oz), again well priced and does well in lots of consumer reports! 

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