Emollient facial moisturizer

Meaning soother or softener, an emollient softens dry, rough, flakey skin, making it look and feel better. This causes skin to crack and flake off, leaving open spaces between the cells in your skin. Emollients fill those spaces with fatty substances, called lipids, which make your skin smoother and softer. Emollients that contain a lot of oil are also occlusive agents. This means they coat your skin with a thin oily film that seals the water in your skin. Occlusive agents keep your skin hydrated longer.

Back to Health A to Z. Emollients are moisturising treatments applied directly to the skin to soothe and hydrate it. They cover the skin with a protective film to trap in moisture. Emollients are often used to help manage dry, itchy or scaly skin conditions such as eczema , psoriasis and ichthyosis. They can be bought from a pharmacy without a prescription.

Every product is independently selected by obsessive editors. Dry skin types often need more attention in the moisturizing department to avoid flaking and painfully tight, sandpapery skin. But not every moisturizer will work for severely dehydrated skin, especially in colder months. Noelani Gonzalez , the director of cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai West, says people with dry skin, especially eczema sufferers , have to be very mindful of the moisturizers they use. This can also depend on the seasons, though, in which case experts — like dermatologists Rita Linkner , of Spring Street Dermatology, and Marnie Nussbaum , a clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Cornell Medical School — mention that you can transition to a lighter lotion, gel-based moisturizer, or serum in summer.

I love Sephora as much as the next woman. And those pink Glossier bags? I reuse them, too. But as high-end and brand-forward as these two outposts are, there's something to be said for the pleasures of perfecting a skincare routine at the drugstore. Sure, it's not lit to illuminate products like jewels, and there are no free samples, but some products—like drugstore moisturizers—can often outperform their more expensive competitors.