Moisturizers

Lots of your products like toners and serums will contain moisturizing ingredients but the products in this step are fully dedicated to moisturizing your skin and sealing in all your other products. They range from light-weight gels to thick occlusives so that any skin type can find one to fit their needs. I’ll break down moisturizers into three types - humectants, emulsions and occlusives.

Humectants

Humectants are the thinnest type of moisturizer. They’re special because they draw moisture to the outer layer of our skin like a magnet, leaving it plump and glowing. Humectants draw moisture from the deeper layer of the skin (dermis) and bring them up to the top layer of the skin (epidermis), which moisturizes the visible layer of our skin (stratum corneum). Just like a magnet, humectants draw moisture from the other direction too - the humidity in the air. A star ingredient and humectant that you'll likely find in every hydrating toner available is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid can attract up to 1,000 times its weight in water! Basically, it grabs onto water and shoves that water into your skin before it has the chance to evaporate.

Emulsions

Emulsions are lightweight moisturizers that are typically water-based and come in gel or liquid-like forms. Because of their thinner consistencies, they absorb into the skin rather than sitting on top like thicker creams and occlusives. There are some blurred lines between serums and emulsions but true emulsions are thicker and more moisturizing than serums. Emulsions often include lipids (naturally occurring elements in our skin that fill up space between our skin cells and decrease with age) like fatty acids, cholesterol, sebum, and ceramides. So when you use an emulsion, you're replacing some of those naturally occurring lipids and strengthening your skin's barrier.  For oily skin types and those who live in hot/humid climates, an emulsion can be used as a final moisturizing step, but for dry skin types and drier climates, you'll likely need something more like a cream or occlusive. But whether used for just some extra moisture or as a final moisturizing step, emulsions can be a nice addition to your routine.

Recommendations: Stratia Liquid Gold, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Liquid, Laneige Essential Balancing Emulsion, Sulwhasoo Essential Balancing Emulsion EX, ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Emulsion

Occlusives

Occlusives are the thickest type of moisturizers. They create a film barrier on top of your skin so that the moisture provided by your other products and water can't escape. Typical occlusive ingredients are petrolatum, waxes, oils, and silicones. So if you ever laughed at your grandmother for smearing vaseline on her skin before bed, the joke's on you because she was on to something. Since occlusives are traditionally heavy products, they should be used at night as the last step in your routine. Products like sleeping packs/masks usually have occlusive ingredients high up in their ingredients list and fit into this category. Plant oils that are high in oleic acid also have occlusive properties and fit into this category as well. Warning: while occlusives work wonders for dry skin, locking in all that moisture, they also lock in things like bacteria so if you have oily or acne-prone skin, occlusives may cause closed comedones.

Recommendations: Welda Skin Food, Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Cream, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Oil Balm, Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask, Sulwhasoo Overnight Revitalizing Mask, Astral Moisturising Cream, COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask, COSRX Ultimate Nourishing Honey Overnight Mask, COSRX Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream, Vaseline (for those who can tolerate it)

Moisturizing CreaMs

Creams are what we think of as the typical "moisturizers". They can combine humectants, emulsions and occlusives, providing moisture to the skin while simultaneously locking in some water in from escaping. Creams usually contain a water and oil mixture that are heavier than emulsions but lighter than straight up occlusives. They're typically packaged in tubes or jars and are a great daytime routine final step before an SPF.

Recommendations (lighter creams): COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream, Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre, Welda Almond Soothing Facial Cream, Glossier Priming Moisturizer, belif The True Cream - Aqua Bomb, Tidal Brightening Enzyme Water Cream, Tatcha The Water Cream

Recommendations (heavier creams): COSRX Honey Ceramide Full Moisture Cream, Glossier Priming Moisturizer Rich, Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream, belif The True Cream - Moisturizing Bomb