Facial Moisturizer Review

Evaluating reviews of moisturizers

We found good reviews on the best skin-care products in Paula Begoun's excellent online database, Beautypedia.com. Begoun includes medical journals, cosmetic industry reports and the Food and Drug Administration among her research sources, and she provides comprehensive information on the common ingredients found in moisturizers and other skin-care products. Her website, CosmeticsCop.com, is also a useful source of information and reviews. The two of them are easily the most expert sources we found on moisturizers. Consumer Reports' test on wrinkle creams gives useful information about which products come closest to living up to their claims and which are simply overpriced moisturizers. We found other reviews at Good Housekeeping, Shape, Natural Health, Allure and elsewhere that are somewhat less informative, but still useful. These reviews make recommendations, but don't disclose a lot of data to back them up.

The basic function of a facial moisturizer is to soothe and keep water in the skin, and reviews indicate most products do that pretty well. However, critics say most manufacturers claim that their product will eliminate wrinkles or penetrate several layers of skin. These claims are exaggerated, false or deceptive. One popular misconception involves the relationship between dry skin and wrinkles. Scientists say a moisturizer will smooth skin to temporarily make wrinkles less apparent, but unfortunately, moisturizing your skin will not have any long-term effect on wrinkles.

Sunscreen is the one ingredient in moisturizers that lends credibility to anti-aging claims. Skin-care experts say sun damage is the foremost cause of early aging. Professionals advise that if your moisturizer doesn't have sunscreen included in its formula, you should apply a separate sunscreen every day. Research has shown that retinol and retinyl palmitate (both vitamin A derivatives) may increase epidermal thickness, making skin look fuller and younger, but experts say product packaging significantly influences how effective these ingredients are. Retinol in particular is unstable when exposed to light and air, and its efficacy can be greatly decreased in a see-through container or after multiple openings.

Some dermatologists and other physicians have started their own skin-care lines for profit, but it's wise to assume these products are no better than the moisturizers at your local drugstore. Paula Begoun, in her very revealing book "Don't Go to the Cosmetics Counter without Me," cites one such physician who was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "Promise them an unlined face, and you can sell them anything." The American Medical Association has issued guidelines advising physicians not to sell health-related products for profit, recognizing the conflict of interest this creates. Begoun also points out that the phrases "dermatologist tested" and "dermatologist approved" are meaningless since there's no standard for what these mean -- they often only indicate that one or two dermatologists tried a product at the manufacturer's request and liked how it felt. It should be noted that after 25 years of reviewing and criticizing other companies' products, Begoun is now selling her own line, although her website does point out that her products are free of irritating ingredients and fragrances and don't make false promises. She also continues to recommend many products besides her own.

This report focuses mainly on the mass-market facial moisturizers commonly found in supermarkets and drugstores. While there are dozens of high-end brands, experts say many low-cost brands are just as effective. Moreover, many cosmetic firms are owned by the same parent company, so the exclusive label that makes high-end brands may be affiliated with the maker of more downscale products. For example, L'Oreal owns Maybelline, Lancome and Biotherm; Estee Lauder owns Clinique, Prescriptives and Origins; Almay is owned by Revlon. Experts say there's little need to spend three or four times more for a department-store moisturizer unless you particularly like its feel or scent.