I’m a man in my 40s. I’ve tried fancy creams in the past and they were nice but I always reverted to using Nivea soft because I could buy big pots that were cheap and last a long time. I’ve been told that cream is nice for the body but not recommended for the face. What would you recommend for a daily use, that’s not too expensive? I’m based in the UK.
Not sure how expensive it is in the UK but Cerave is my go to brand for good quality skincare at a reasonable price. Specifically, I like their daily and nightly face moisturizers and body cream.
Another commenter recommended The Ordinary and while I haven’t personally used it, I know a few people who really like them too.
If it works for you, why change it? Cream vs. lotion vs. moisturizer or whatever is probably 50% thickness and 50% marketing.
I was told the Nivea face cream doesn’t let the skin breathe which makes things worse. And my skin is not the best so looking at alternatives
Gotcha. My aesthetician (who I must explain helped me save my adult-acne-ridden skin) suggested Neutragena Sensitive Skin Moisturizer with a separate physical sunscreen on top. Reddit swears by Cerave, but she says their method just strips your skin’s natural moisture barrier and then attempts to add it back, so she was not a fan. I’m not sure if Neutragena is available in the UK, but when I was there a few years ago and my luggage was delayed, I bought something that had “simple” or “nature” (or both?) in the title and was a white and light green label, and it seemed comparable.
Thank you that’s helpful I’ll look into it!
My go to is anything with Ammonium Lactate in it. 12% minimum.
Major is the brand I use currently. A 14 ounce bottle is around 13 dollars. A lot of others jacked up price during covid.
I’ll just quote the important bit of the sales pitch: “ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: This skin smoothing lotion is specially formulated with 12% lactic acid and neutralized with ammonium hydroxide for a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. Lactic acid is an alpha hydroxy acid and a natural humectant for the skin.”
There’s good qualities to this brand and similar from my own experience with this active ingredient. And some bad.
Good:
1: I have Ichthyosis vulgaris kinda like eczema but much less severe with a shitty name. This stuff melts dander flakes and keeps more from being visible all day long until I shower or sleep. God send for me to keep up appearances.
2: The lactic acid creams are day long hydrating, but lets your skin breathe still. Not a big moisture barrier. Won’t feel uncomfortable wearing it even slathered head to toe. Can cover face.
Bad:
1: The active ingredient increases skin UV absorption. Be mindful of that, you can burn more easily without sun screen.
2: Weak acid, so there’s a burning feeling applying it. I’m used to this and don’t feel the burn anymore unless it gets in my eyes or a wound.
An alternative is another I could recommend for dry skin havers: An extreme moisture capturer Dry Patch Body Butter by Dr Ebre. Do as the name implies, little problem spots. This stuff is intense. If you cover your whole face your sweat will get stuck to you and won’t evaporate at all. Don’t do that. 21 dollars for 8 ounce yes, but it clearly works. Lasts forever since you’ll learn quickly to be conservative with its application.
That’s exactly what I don’t want to do ha ha. I just want one simple product I’ll use from time to time, can’t be bothered to have a skin routine…
You can ask about a single product there, skin routines are not mandatory
e.l.f Holy Hydration face cream. I’ve been using this since I gave up Kiehl’s face cream a few years ago (they’re owned by Nestle, and fuck Nestle). Fragrance free and you only need a thin layer to do the trick. e.l.f Holy Hydration face cream
I’m in US and rec cerave moisturizer as best from personal use.
