Are drugstore moisturizers as good as professional formulas?

Everyone needs to moisturize their skin regardless of skin type, but choosing the right formula is crucial. Some people gravitate towards cheap drugstore moisturizers, but do they really cut it? Keep reading to learn why all skin types need to moisturize and the difference between a drugstore moisturizer and a professional formula.

Why do you need to moisturize?

The number one reason you need to moisturize your skin is to prevent dehydration. When skin is dehydrated, it's lacking needed water. This can be caused by a poor diet, poor water intake, medications, smoking, UV exposure, or just daily life. If you have dehydrated skin, you may see premature age lines, redness, and a thin texture.

All skin types can become dehydrated – even oily skin and acne-prone skin! In fact, a lack of moisture can actually trigger your skin to produce too much oil if you have oily skin. Skin with acne and pimples will also always need hydration. It's essential to keep skin balanced, so it will not overproduce pore-clogging oil.

Regardless of skin type, if you let your dehydration get out of control it disrupts your hydro-lipidic barrier and your skin will become dry, tight, and flaky. It may have a whitish film, and redness or irritation may be visible.

Hydration is also essential to strengthen skin's barrier layer, so it can defend against irritants and stay calm.

So it's crucial to find the right moisturizer and skin care routine that will infuse skin with H2O to keep it younger-looking, comfortable and healthy.

Drugstore moisturizers: Good or bad?

The problem with some drugstore moisturizers is that they are often cheap for a reason. Even the best drugstore moisturizer contains less active ingredients, whereas professional, clinical formulas contain high concentrations of active ingredients that provide a direct benefit to your skin. Bioelements professional moisturizers are created with the pro esthetician in mind – with no hype, no gimmicks, and no false claims.

Many inexpensive, mass produced skin care products are just watered down formulas stuffed with fillers. Some drugstore formulas include ingredients that actually have potential to irritate and damage your skin, like parabens, artificial fragrances and dyes.

Always check the ingredients label on ANY skin care product before purchasing. The order in which the ingredients are listed on your skin care labels matters. Skin care companies must list the ingredients in order of volume or weight, the largest first and the smallest last. Which means the higher up on the list the ingredient is on your skin care label, the more of it there is in that specific product.

If the product contains synthetic fragrances, 'parfum', artificial dyes, parabens, phthalates or DEA, it's not a high quality product that can truly help your skin – especially if they are high up on the list.

When you choose quantity over quality, you sacrifice the strength and efficacy of your products. This means you are much less likely to see the results you want from your moisturizer and your skin care routine in general.

While dirt cheap prices may be tempting, when a product seems too good to be true, it often is. Conversely, there's no need to spend an entire paycheck on a hyped up formula that makes too many promises. It's important to evaluate each product before you purchase – Are the ingredients proven to benefit your skin? Do estheticians and other skin care professionals use these products? Don't play into hype and gimmicks – do your research and your skin will thank you.

Professional moisturizers: The formula you need

While all skin types need to moisturize, they each need their own unique formulas to help tackle individualized concerns. See the best formula for you:

DRY SKIN

Relieve dryness on a daily basis with an emollient moisturizer that will penetrate quickly to alleviate the cause of flaky skin. Crucial Moisture's lubricating hydrators moisturize fast, leaving no oily residue; Really Rich Moisture is designed for the driest skin types to correct that uncomfortable, "pulled" feeling flaky skin can have, and saturate it with rich emollient oils.