Moisturisers Treat Dry Skin - But Which One Is Best For You?

Winter and dry skin; twin inconveniences that for many people go hand in hand. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is dry skin that proves to be the most intractable problem of the two.

The main question for these people is: "What is the best moisturisers to choose to ease the condition of dry skin?"

To ask this question is vital since different types and brands of moisturisers differ greatly.

Moisturisers differ a great deal from brand to brand, and for sound reasons. It is impossible to manufacture a moisturising product that is equally beneficial for all situations and all skin types. There is no "one size fits all" solution when it comes to skin care.

Society is not a homogeneous unit, though. What may be appropriate for one person will certainly not be the most appropriate for someone else with a different background or genetic makeup.

Thankfully, the human race is a conglomerate of unique individuals, each with their own set of unique circumstances.

Employment conditions and situations will vary from person to person. Someone employed in an industrial complex with dusty, hot air will have very different skin moisturising needs to someone else who spends most of their working day out of doors tending to plants.

Even the changing weather conditions that naturally ebb and flow as the year progresses from spring to summer and then from autumn to winter will effect the efficacy of different moisturising products. Some products will perform better in warm, dry summer conditions whilst other protect best when face with the wet and cold of winter.

When looking to buy a moisturising product you should realise that they are basically divided into 3 groupings. Namely, creams, lotions and the newer innovation of the mousse based products. So what are the characteristics of these three main groupings?

Creams are usually petroleum jelly based.

The origins of petroleum jelly, or Vaseline as it is also known, is in fact the oil industry. The origins literally spring from an unwanted waste product, rod wax, that tends to congeal around the top of the pump rods in traditionally built oil wells. This rod wax is the basis of a barrier cream that was originally patented by chemist Robert Chesebrough in 1872. The trade name that Chesebrough choose for his new formulation was Vaseline. A somewhat perfunctory name since the copious amounts of rod wax that Robert Chesebrough stored were held in everyday household vases. Hence "vase - line" - "elaion" being the Greek word for oil.

It is this petroleum jelly that results in the vast majority of moisturising creams being heavy, sticky and greasy. Whilst providing a thick coating for your skin, creams may be unsuitable, especially on the hands, as they can leave your skin slippery. Heavy moisturising creams also have the tendency to clog the pores or your skin. These characteristics also make the use of heavy moisturising creams inadvisable on any area of skin that displays symptoms of acne. Sticky cream products can also cause other problems. For instances when used on the hands for tasks that involve wearing gloves for an extended time. In these circumstances, the glove material can rub the cream residue into clumps around your finger joints.

Thick and greasy moisturising creams are often thought to be more suited to winter use when dry skin can be a major concern.

In contrast, lotions use very little petroleum jelly, or none at all, in their formulation. For this reason they are generally not so heavy as creams and tend to spread more easier and are therefore easier to apply. Apart from water, their main ingredient will usually be an oil such as Sunflower or Olive oil. Indeed, the use of Olive oil by civilised societies dates back at least 5,000 years. It was widely used by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans for a variety of purposes.

Perhaps the main drawback of using a lotion is that, after applying, a feeling of stickiness often endures. The high oil ingredient also leaves some people with a "less than clean" feeling. Further, people with naturally oily skin may find that they do not want to add yet even more oil to their epidermis.

Hence, moisturising lotions are generally regarded as more suited to use in the warmer months of the year.

Mousse formulations are a relatively new development in the area of skin moisturisers. Many believe that mousse products will eventually supercede traditional creams and lotions. Certainly, a mousse product will be naturally very light and easy to apply. Consequently, a mousse based product smooths more evenly across the epidermis. For this reason, much less is needed per application. This will allow your epidermis to breathe and perspire normally. People with dry skin, or skin that is sore or chapped may also find that a mousse is less painful to apply as it does not need vigorous rubbing in.

However, most mousses will be aerosol based which has traditionally been linked to ozone destroying CFC chemicals - although this is no longer the case. Further, aerosols usually employ Butane as a delivery agent and this has been connected to the issue of teenage substance abuse.

Mousse moisturising formulations have been found to be suitable for all year use.

Whatever your choice of moisturiser, remember to apply it regularly and consistently. Your skin will love you for it.


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Peter Friswell takes the issue of skin care seriously.  He has devoted more than 20 years of his professional life to its study.  Of particular interest to Peter is dry skin and its treatment.  Derma Shield is a skin moisturiser that has been laboratory tested.  It is totally non-toxic and supersedes the traditional barrier cream and moisturisers.