Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with moisturizer

Everybody's free to wear sunscreen. But what kind?

Sara C. — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:36:45 -0800

I need daily sunscreen recommendations compatible with oily skin. After four months living in Southern California, I can no longer chalk my failure to develop a daily sunscreen habit up to "getting rid of the New York pallor". I'm also far too vain about my youthful looking complexion and my beautifully inked custom-designed tattoos that I want to last forever.

There's only one thing keeping me from just running out to CVS and picking up some SPF whateverz -- my extremely oily skin. I don't use a daily facial moisturizer because I frankly don't need the moisture on my face. While I do use lotion on the rest of me, I find that combination lotion/sunscreen products I've used in the past are goopy, have a weird smell to them, and never quite feel like they absorb into my skin.

So friends, tell me what kind of sunscreen products to get. I probably need two different products -- one for my face which is compatible with oily skin, and one for the rest of me. Neither should have that goopy "day at the beach" residue going on.

In general, I have a low threshold for skincare bullshit. I'm not looking for anti-oxidants, retinol, vitamin E, anti-aging serum, or anything else. Just sun protection. I probably don't need some kind of crazy SPF 50 vampire control. In my old east coast Day Trip To Montauk life I used SPF 15.

I am willing to spend some money, but not necessarily department store beauty counter highway robbery money.

Butter me up

elizeh — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:44:32 -0800

Help me find a rich body lotion/cream to help me transcend my winter lizard skin and smell pretty like a girl. I am looking for something that sinks in without sticking to my clothes--so not Aquaphor, which I use at night--AND smells lovely and grown-up (food scents are OK, but not candy).

I used to use Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit body butter, but I've run out and apparently so has Lavanila.

I've got some Burt's Bees Milk and Honey, which is OK--the consistency is good but not crazy about the scent--and Aveeno Calming Lavender, which smells nice and grandma-y, but doesn't quite have the moisturizing power I need. I tried Bliss Spa's Vanilla and Bergamot, and thought it smelled terrible.

I'm OK with expensive as long as I can get it at a place like Sephora where I can return it if it doesn't work.

Does moisturizer even work?

abbagoochie — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:01:00 -0800

I was wondering if there is any scientific basis to the idea that using moisturizer improves the texture of skin to the point that it prevents aging. My thoughts are that if moisturizer did what it claimed to do, no one would ever need an acid peel or botox. Does spreading emollient on your face actually really do anything apart from line the pockets of cosmetics companies?

My skin has decided to start hating me

jezemars — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 09:54:04 -0800

I recently turned 40 and my skin, which has previously been happy under my tender loving care, has decided to rebel. I've always had dry skin but this winter is the first I've experienced flaky patches on my face. My usual moisturizer does nothing. HELP! I've always had dry skin. I was that annoying girl who never got acne in high school. My skin is also prone to redness. I've never been diagnosed with rosacea but have some of the symptoms: I flush easily, especially when I've had alcohol, and my skin tends to turn very red in cold weather. My skin is also extremely sensitive and I have trouble finding sunscreens and moisturizers that don't sting upon application or makes me break out. Until recently I used Neutrogena's sensitive skin moisturizer without sunscreen and while it didn't tone down my redness, it kept the dryness under control.

But then came the winter. I do not live in an extreme climate. The winters here are fairly mild, with lots of rain and very few sub-zero days. But my skin had decided that no amount of moisturizer is going to make it happy. When my regular Neutrogena moisturizer was no longer working I decided to try something new and wanting to see if a redness minimizer would work, I've recently started using La Roche-Posay's Rosaliac moisturizer. While it seems to be toning down the redness in the skin, I'm still dry and flaky. Anyone have any suggestions on something else to try?

Here's my current regime:
Wash in the morning with Cetaphil and warm (not hot) water. Pat dry with a towel. Apply Rosaliac moisturizer and Bare Minerals powder. I drink a lot of water throughout the day. I don't usually wash my face again at night. I've tried products from Aveeno, Eucerin and Oil of Olay and my skin has reacted badly to them.

I love my skin and want to treat it right. Anyone have suggestions for what I could do differently?

Return to girliness is harder than I thought.

Currer Belfry — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 07:42:18 -0800

Need a good, reasonably priced primer/moisturizer to put on before makeup. Help? I had a professional redo my makeup recently for a more polished day look and it came out fantastic. I bought most of the color products but didn't really go for the skin prep products - the color was expensive enough!

However, getting the products home and applied correctly has proved challenging. So I'm looking for a good primer or moisturizer to put on before I apply foundation or eyeshadow. Basically I'm trying to prime my face for painting!

I'm in the habit of using just a Coppertone sunscreen, which adds much too much shine which I then have to tone down with matte powder. I also have a Cerave nighttime moisturizer but it really does not add enough moisture to ease makeup application.

The eye area is a particular problem. I tried putting a bit of eye cream on this morning before I did anything else, but trying to apply cream liner with a brush was still like trying to paint the Gobi desert. I'm in my 40's so the skin of my eyelid is not as taut as it used to be, in addition to the dryness.

I have Laura Mercier's eye primer but it really doesn't help; perhaps it would in combination with another product. However, I also have to watch out for too much slip because my eye makeup tends to come off pretty easily and hang out under my eyes.

If there's a drugstore product that will do the trick, great. I don't want to spend more than $50. I'd prefer a product I could use all over my face but I'll look at a separate eye cream if it is a killer product.

Boy, is my face red! And blotchy!

Frowner — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:55:31 -0800

What is a good facial moisturizer for rosacea? I have mild/early stage rosacea with some chronic redness in my cheeks/broken veins but no acne/bumps/pervasive redness for which I should soon be starting an antibiotic. The rosacea flares up in the dry air of winter - but outdoor exercise and changes in body temperature also seem to make it flare up. Of course, I bike commute year round and live in a cold old Victorian, so I'm always in and out of cold temperatures.

I also need a new facial moisturizer (recommendations for body moisturizers would be fine too, just in case you have some). Recently I've just been using SPF 50 sunscreen, but the incredibly dry air is totally defeating that and my face feels dry all the time.

Other than the rosacea, I have pretty standard white person of Scandinavian descent skin - not super dry, not super oily, not prone to random acne, but prone to irritation and pinkness.

What moisturizer do you recommend? Should it be used in conjunction with sunscreen? If so, how? Price is no object since I use very few beauty products and am comfortable splashing out for something like this.

Apricot moisturizers?

pakora1 — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 19:01:19 -0800

Where can I find natural apricot moisturizer and/or soap? I am looking to buy skin moisturizer/lotion/cream that is natural (100%) with apricot.

I love the fragrance of apricot, however this seems to be a difficult task as most apricot products out there seem to be scrubs instead of moisturizers and almost none are 100% natural products (tons of chemicals in it). I thought St.Ives used to have an apricot hand lotion once upon a time but not anymore (?). Any links/tips to this would be great, thank you.

Soy-free moisturizer for acne-prone sensitive skin?

lemoncakeisalie — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:41:52 -0800

Can someone recommend a moisturizer for acne-prone sensitive skin that doesn't include any of these things? My skin is acne prone and extremely picky. I'd like a good daily/nightly moisturizer, and I'm sensitive to many things - any inflammation tends to break me out (I'm even trying to eat better so I have fewer insulin spikes and less inflammation from that).

I need a moisturizer that is free of oil (or specifically labeled non-acnegenic, not just non-comedogenic), free of the sunscreen oxybenzone, soy-free, lanolin-free, tea-tree-oil-free, and (if it's a day time moisturizer) Vitamin-A-free. In general, fewer botanicals would be good because I don't know everything I'm sensitive to.

I also don't want any glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide - this needs to be a moisturizer I use twice daily (or a day cream / night cream pair), so I want control over which chemicals I use and when.

SPF is fine if it's oxybenzone free, but I'd prefer not to put SPF on my face at night if possible.

I'm currently using Neutrogena Oil-Free Sensitive Skin Lotion, which breaks me out less than some lotions but is causing breakouts because it has soy in it.

Whew! I know that's a lot of requirements, but that's why I'm having such trouble. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Skincare for Dummies

vanitas — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 11:32:01 -0800

I want to start taking good care of my skin now, but I don't know where to start with all these serums and toners and moisturizers and creams...what are the basic products I need to establish a good routine? I am a woman in my early 20s and was one of those lucky kids who had no acne as a teenager, so I've never put much effort into skincare. My skin looks pretty fine I think, I don't have pimples or blemishes, I'm white and pale-skinned and do take care with sun protection. I don't have much routine otherwise though - I wear Neutrogena moisturizer with SPF 15 under my makeup every day and just wash my face with plain water and a cloth every night. My skin gets pretty dry sometimes (never oily) and then I just slap on whatever cheap no-name brand skin cream I use on the rest of my body...nothing fancy and definitely not what I'm supposed to be doing.

I want to establish a good skincare routine to moisturize, keep my skin looking nice and glowy, and to prevent wrinkles when I age. I seem to have missed the boat on learning about skincare since my friends are using a hundred different expensive products...toner, face wash, exfoliants, moisturizer, eye cream, serum, etc. I have NO idea where to start or what these products even DO. What basic items should I start with? I don't have a ton of cash so I would prefer drugstore products over, like, $120 Sephora creams.

SPFwhatnow?

guessthis — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 03:35:10 -0800

Help me figure out how to take proper care of my skin. I'm mid-twenties, of South Asian descent, with caramel coloured skin. I didn't start using sun protection until just a few years ago - growing up, my mum would always laugh and say that "sunscreen is for white people" and I believed her - she and my grandmother both have great skin with few wrinkles. Of course, I eventually figured out she's wrong, but I'm still not sure how to do it right…

My skin is on the oily side. I hardly ever get zits, but I have some clogged pores on my nose. I use the gentlest possible cleanser because anything harsher dries me out. I have yet to find a moisturizer that doesn't feel too greasy for daily use, so I don't moisturize. I hardly ever wear makeup.

My boyfriend is very pale and slathers on the SPF50 during the summer. I use his sunscreen to save us money, but it feels so heavy and stifling that I tend to avoid it unless it's really hot and I'm out a lot. Would I still get enough protection for my darker skin if I switched down to SPF30, or, ideally, SPF15? Or does anyone know of an SPF50 product that is lightweight enough on the face that we both could use it regularly in summer?

We're going on vacation soon to a hot, sunny destination. I like the idea of using a moisturizer with added SPF as an alternative to sunscreen on my face during the trip. Do such moisturizers work as effectively as standard sunscreen? Would something like this be enough for both me and my very pale boyfriend?

My soap-and-cold-cream-only mum has always been wary of anti-wrinkle creams, and I share some of her misgivings. Most moisturizers with a higher added SPF that I've found are 'age defense' type products which seem unnecessary at my age. Is that a reasonable assumption? Does anyone know a product with enough SPF which still has minimal or mostly natural ingredients, and no anti-wrinkle factor?

Thanks in advance!

So why see the world when you got a beach?

sestaaak — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 11:52:08 -0800

I'd like to acquire a very serious daily SPF regimen. What products should I use? After many years of being fairly cavalier about daily sun protection (although I always heavily apply and reapply on outdoorsy days), I've started seeing a few darker spots on my face in my early 30s and would like to stem the Unstoppable Tide. I also am seeing plenty of ladies who have beautiful well-protected unlined faces but terrifying necks.

Aging is inevitable; I embrace it! Laugh lines are signs of a life well-lived! Neckskin will be neckskin! I accept that. But I would also like to do as much as I can to incorporate effective protection into my morning habits on a day-to-day basis to protect my skin. I have darker Asian skin and rarely burn - instead I spot and freckle. I live in the city and have a very office-y job, so I'm not sitting in daily traffic on a sunny highway or tramping through fields or anything.

Face: Is moisturizer with SPF enough? Right now I use a Clinique 25 SPF moisturizer under my makeup every morning. A colleague says she puts on another layer of sunblock on top of it. Sometimes I do this with a Clarins 30 SPF. Is this necessary? Is this effective? Understood that the SPFs aren't cumulative - I guess this is more of having "backup" when your moisturizer or sunblock wears / sweats off. Please tell me if this is paranoid or sensible.

Eye area: I wear sunglasses all the time, but some of my dark spots are near my eyes (just underneath). In researching, I'm going down the rabbit hole and seeing eye area skincare products (like a Clarins SPF 60 eye cream). Is this necessary or overkill?

Neck: Do you sunblock your neck / decolletage every day? Do you use the facial stuff for this or the body stuff? My facial stuff is... not cheap. I have read this Ask which answers my daily body sunblock needs, I think - I have the same execrable Eucerin body moisturizer that I'm going to replace with an Alba or Neutrogena product that some of you suggested.

I guess I could always do the older-Chinese-woman thing my mom does and wear a horribly gigantic floppy hat-visor abomination and a white windbreaker everywhere including formal weddings, and these light sleeves that cover her hands and knuckles while driving, but my vanity is not ready for these accessories yet. Also she will say "I told you so, Moms are always right" and my stubborn daughterness is not ready for that yet, so I'd like to start with lotions and such.

Thank you for your product and application suggestions!

Differin help

Anonymous — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 21:15:48 -0800

Acne-filter: I finally went to a dermatologist, who prescribed Differin for my adult acne. A few questions inside. I've been using the Differin for one week now. (I'm on the 0.1% gel.) I know it's not supposed to work right away. I may be getting a slight initial breakout, but nothing too bad so far. I am only using a very small amount - less than a pea size for my entire face, once a day at night.

I am starting to get very dry skin. My face is starting to peel a bit, even with moisturizer. For those of you who have used Differin, I have a few questions:

- Was it successful for you? If so, how long did it take to work?

- Does the dry skin improve over time? I normally have oily skin. Does your skin get used to the medication so that it is less drying?

- Any tips for dealing with the dry skin? So far I'm just using my Clinique moisturizer, which helps a bit but not totally. Do you normally use a separate sunscreen, or a moisturizer & sunscreen combo? Any particular brands you would recommend?

[Relevant info about me: 34 year old woman, not on birth control (and not planning on it - I took bcp for about a decade, and no matter which brand I was on it never helped my acne). I have had acne since my teens, but it has gotten worse over the years. Usually just small pimples, but occasionally I get a cystic one that lasts forever and leaves a scar.]

Avocado oil

pakora1 — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:45:34 -0800

100% pure avocado oil Hi,

I am looking to buy 100% pure Avocado oil online. Can anyone recommend good pure sources/shop online for this? (This is not for cooking, more as a moisturizer. Trying to keep away from chemicals within other moisturizers as such)

Thank you

My skin is thirsty

litnerd — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 11:09:15 -0800

What drugstore moisturizers should I try, to match up to what I like in Philosophy's Hope in a Jar, hopefully with a better (or no) smell, and a better price tag? Following up on my quest for a great drugstore facial cleanser (I ended up loving the Neutrogena Deep Clean Invigorating Foaming Scrub), I'm looking for a new moisturizer.

Of course, as before, I fell in love (kind of) with a Philosophy product. I tried a sample of Hope in a Jar, and aside from the awful smell, I think it's fantastic. What I love about it: a little bit goes a long way, it's very light, my skin "drinks" it in and I don't feel like I have a layer of grease on my face after I've applied it. Actually, I don't feel like I have anything on my face--my face just feels refreshed and a bit dewy. Up until now, I've been using the Neutrogena SPF 15 moisturizer, and I don't care for the greasy feeling.

What drugstore moisturizers should I try, to match up to what I like in Hope in a Jar, hopefully with a better (or no) smell, and a better price tag? Or is there another non-drugstore moisturizer I should try that's similar but without the awful smell? I have easy access to Sephora, so anything I can sample from there would be great. I'm mid-20s, and have normal, issue-less skin.

(Since it's almost always recommended on AskMe, I'll mention that I've tried Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, and it's not what I'm looking for at all.)

Fat-free foundation.

Kitty Stardust — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:58:55 -0800

Is there a decent multi-purpose tinted moisturizer for someone who hates the feeling of moisturizer? Mid-30s, light olive/yellow complexion, still get occasional acne, use prescription Retin-A (when I remember, probably 3-4x/week), getting laser hair removal which requires me to keep the area protected from sun. Any blemishes I get tend to leave a long-lasting dark mark on my skin.

My skin is super oily. I never wear moisturizer unless it's very cold and dry (not often where I live), but I would like a way to lightly even out my skintone and get some sun protection in the same product. I've been using Smashbox Sheer Focus in Light but it feels heavier than I'd like, leaves me skin with a visible oily sheen and is too orange for my skin. I would really like something that provides greater than 15 SPF, doesn't feel greasy at all, has enough opacity to cover little healed acne spots and provides a bit of mattifying if possible.

I'm willing to spend on this, but I have no idea where to start. I wouldn't use Smashbox again. I've seen a lot of these new BB (Beauty Balm) creams coming on the market but I'm afraid they may be too heavy for me. I'm also looking for something that has olive/yellow tones but isn't too dark. Most foundation products tend to be too dark or have too much red/orange tints to match my skin.

I've been negligent about my skin for the last 10 years.

thereemix — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:27:11 -0800

What should I be doing for facial skincare as I approach age 30 (gulp)? I have been really lax about taking care of my skin properly since I left my acne-ridden high school years behind and now I am growing concerned that if I don't change up my regimen I am going to look like a haggard old lady well before my time. Help! I turn 27 in 13 days (argh! where are my 20s going?) and these days when I look at myself in the mirror sans makeup I notice some heretofore unseen unevenness in skin tone, dark circles under eyes getting darker (sigh), slightly more visible pores on my nose and upper cheeks, and the ever-so-slight beginnings of tiny crow's feet. The uneven skin tone and visible pores in particular is starting to look quite unfortunate, and I am now reluctant to leave the house without at least putting on concealer, even on the weekends when I'm schlubbing around running stupid errands and not trying to impress anyone.

It occurs to me that I have been grossly negligent in taking care of my skin during my 20s (and even before that). I had quite a bit of acne in high school but by halfway through freshman year of college it had basically cleared up through a combination of hormonal BC, diet changes (I'm one of the rare few who started eating less junk during college), and vigilant use of drugstore acne facial cleansers and astringents. I have had nary a blemish since. I have terribly oily skin, though, so I have always been reluctant to put any type of moisturizer on my face.

Well, let me clarify: my current makeup regimen includes a tinted moisturizer rather than foundation, since the latter makes my skin feel really heavy and gross. I also do concealer, mascara, occasionally eyeliner/shadow, blush, lipstick, and lately some powder to keep the tinted moisturizer from making things too shiny. But I don't use any additional moisturizer at night when I take my makeup off. Also...I rarely remember to take my makeup off. By which I mean...I never take it off. I go to bed still all mascara'ed and blushed, wake up looking all raccoon eyed, and then scrub it all off during my morning shower, only to put it all back on 15 minutes later after getting dressed.

I also never put on sunscreen. Yes, I know this is bad.

My question is, in light of the probably age-related skin changes I am noticing as well as the fact that I am definitively closer to being 30 than I am to being 20, what should I be doing to take care of my skin before it's too late? Obviously I should start being better about taking the damn makeup off at night before going to sleep, but is there something else I should be doing? Should I be moisturizing, given my oily skin and my daily tinted moisturizing routine? Should I be looking for moisturizers with additional stuff in them to counteract the beginnings of aging skin? What stuff would that be (clearly I have no idea, as I'm referring to it as "stuff")? Should I be using a different type of cleanser? (Right now I use Aveeno skin brightening something-or-other.)

TL;dr: While I'm not old I'm certainly not getting any younger and the skin on my face is starting to show it. How should I change my (non-existent) skin care regimen to appropriately deal with this?

Thanks in advance, folks.

Pimp My Moisturizer

catesbie — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:26:43 -0800

Are there moisturizers similar to Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion, but with sunscreen? I love this and have never used anything else on my face, but I realize I probably need to suck it up and use something with sunscreen every day. Caveat: I am seriously squicked out by any kind of scented product, even often by the scent of 'unscented' products - and also by the texture of sunscreen (the generic white, creamy stuff).

I really have no idea why this product doesn't already include sunscreen - but is there anything similar in texture/unscentedness/moisturizing power that does? (Alternatively - is there a *truly* invisible-feeling daily sunscreen WITHOUT moisturizer that I could use under/over my beloved Clinique?)

Can you recommend a protective cream that's good for my skin type?

smilingtiger — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:41:15 -0800

It's been colder than usual here lately (below freezing) and my face is quite red, probably from exposure. I'd like to find a cream I can put on before I go out to protect my face. I have very pale, somewhat sensitive skin that breaks out easily, and is not normally dry. I usually wash my face with Dr. Bronner's once a day and I don't wear makeup. Can you recommend a protective cream that's good for my skin type?

Night cream recommendations for sensitive eyes?

Jess the Mess — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 18:18:17 -0800

Need recommendations for a night cream that won't make my eyes itch. For some reason I can't seem to find a night cream that doesn't irritate my eyes overnight. Despite the fact that I never apply it anywhere near my eyes. I've tried a few different brands including Aveeno and one from DHC and they all have the same effect, so they must have some ingredient in common that gives me allergies. Strangely, I've never had this problem with daytime moisturizer. I use Cetaphil for that but sadly they don't make a night cream.

Has anyone else ever had this problem? Did you ever find a night cream that works for you? I'm open to all recommendations but I'd definitely prefer something I could get at the drugstore.

Finally, is there some reason you can't just use regular moisturizer as night cream? I am not enough of a beauty nerd to know these things.

no more smelly gunk

you're a kitty! — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:26:16 -0800

Looking for the perfect simple, rich, unscented night moisturizer. I've found the perfect hand moisturizer and the perfect eyeliner, but I can't find a good night moisturizer. I like Pond's Dry Skin Cream except it smells terrible.

My skin isn't especially sensitive, and though it's oily I don't really care if it's shiny at night. I want something that's very rich, especially for the eye area, but I don't want to use one of the separate eye treatment that come in those tiny little tubes and require me to carry one more thing with me when I travel.

I hate perfumed things, so the smell should be nonexistent or at least really light. I do tend to like the smell of Aveda's products, but they're very much the exception.

And finally, this may be the weirdest/pickiest requirement: I want simple, preferably elegant packaging, and no extra crap - no wrinkle fighting, no antioxidants, no firming effect. Just a simple, rich, non-smelly moisturizer to put on my face at night.

Thanks!

Choosing a sunscreen: SPF and "hazardous" chemicals?

enlarged to show texture — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 10:44:52 -0800

Two questions about choosing an everyday SPF face moisturizer: 1) What SPF do I really need? 2) How much credence to give the Environmental Working Group's sunscreen ratings? I'm in my late 20s and I have very pale, freckly, dry skin -- so I make it a priority to put an SPF moisturizer on my face every morning. For the past couple of years I've been using Neutrogena Healthy Defense SPF 45. I like that it has a relatively high SPF and it doesn't make my skin go crazy (most products do). My current bottle is running low and I'm considering switching to something else, possibly tinted (my face has been breaking out much more frequently lately and I'd love to have an all-in-one product that would even out my skin tone a little bit). The current frontrunner is Boots No. 7 Soft and Sheer SPF 15, but I'm concerned about the drop in SPF.

On a normal day I'll spend between 20 minutes and an hour walking outside (if I know I'm going to be spending substantially more time outside than that, I'll usually put on a more heavy-duty (SPF 60+) sunscreen). On top of the time fully exposed to the sun, I spend maybe 40 minutes a day driving, and a negligible amount of time sitting near windows at home and at work. What SPF do I actually need in a daily moisturizer? At what point are there diminishing returns? Is it significantly worse for my skin to use SPF 15 instead of SPF 45? There are so many conflicting opinions out there and much of it is framed as dramatically as possible that I have no idea how to figure this out.

I'm also not sure how worried I should be about the "potentially hazardous" chemicals that the Environmental Working Group seems to say are in all but the most expensive sunscreens. I definitely can't afford to spend $40 on a moisturizer, but I don't know how much credence to put into the claims that some sunscreens do more damage to your skin than the UV rays they protect you from. The EWG rates my current moisturizer as a 7, which falls within the "avoid" range. Should I actually be avoiding the chemicals that the EWG is vilifying?

I'd love some links to meta-analyses of sunscreen effectiveness, or at least science-based analysis that isn't grounded in fear-mongering. The Metafilter community is often good at cutting through all the pseudo-scientific hand-wringing and dealing with these types of things pragmatically.

Need a non-greasy moisturizer/sunscreen option

orrnyereg — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 11:15:09 -0800

Help me find a moisturizer + sunscreen that won't make my face greasy! Is there a combined moisturizer/sunscreen with a decent SPF that won't leave my face awash in grease? I have normal/oily, sensitive skin and want to be a faithful sunscreen user. Has anyone found a brand that won't make my oily skin even worse? I haven't had much luck with the drugstore brands; the Anthelios works best but still leaves me extra-shiny. Please inundate me with recommendations!

Turning 30 next week. Is it too late to start taking care of my skin?

misanthropicsarah — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:53:46 -0800

Turning 30 next week. Is it too late to start taking care of my skin? As a kid I was outside all the time with questionable use of sunblock. As a teen I had normal teenage acne and used normal teenage skin stuff like Oxy and Stridex and Noxema, etc. As a college student I was on crazy prescription stuff for cystic acne--I don't even remember what. In my 20s I've been all over the place as far as facial skin care: Avon, Mary Kay, Neutrogena, prescription crap, who knows.

My current skin care is thus: wash my face in the shower in the am with Cetaphil. If I'm leaving the apartment put on some concealer and some powder. At night use I Thayers astringent.

That's it. I don't moisturize because if I do it during the day I feel greasy and gross all day. I don't wear sunscreen because (a) I'm never outside and (b) it's greasy and smelly and even if I let it dry, once I go outside in the summer in Philadelphia after I walk three feet it's dripping down my face.

But I am in envy of the 80 year old women who look 50 and whose answer is cold cream. I have wicked ice pick scars that will never go away, but there must be something I can do about the sebaceous hyperplasias and the lentigenes and the impending wrinkles and "old". I know I need to take care of my face better than I have been, and I'm hoping it's not too late!

What should my 30+ facial beauty regimen be?

Daytime moisturizer

page123 — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 17:23:45 -0800

The best under-makeup daytime moisturizer with all the ingredients for a normal skin

Creme de la Mer... without the price tag?

unlucky.lisp — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:35:29 -0800

Creme de la Mer... without the price tag? Give me your miracle moisturizer. Added difficulty: splotchy, ornery, VERY sensitive skin. Before you ask, I've tried the cold cream -- too heavy. Cetaphil cream -- too heavy, regular cetaphil moisturizer, not enough. Vitamin E oil... nothing. I drink tons of water, take my vitamins, eat a healthy diet, and even take fish oil.

and yet. my skin HATES me. well, the skin on my face.

i have lingering scars, both from chicken pox 15 years ago, and from acne, which often leaves brown spots, even after the bump is healed. i have giant nose pores. my skin is very unevenly toned, especially around my mouth (it's not rosacea, already checked that out).

it's just ORNERY.

so. your most recommended moisturizer/skin evening/pore minimizing products, please?