Choosing the best skincare brands is a different process for everyone. Some people are interested in addressing a specific problem, and others want to establish an effective routine for their skin type. Finding a skincare brand and product that works for you is important since as your skin starts to feel plumper and be vibrant and clear, you also start to feel like you are glowing on the inside.
What is a Good Skincare Routine?
A good skincare routine varies from one individual to another because we all have different skin types, and there, we need different treatments. However, the bare minimum skin routine should have a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen. In addition, it can remember that most people usually benefit from additional steps, whether adding a glow-boosting serum, moisture-infused oil, dark circle-defying eye cream, or a pH balancing toner to their routine.
There are plenty of skincare products and brands in the market, and it can be easy to waste money and time trying to find the best.
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Best Skincare Brands
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Best Skincare Brands - Reviews
1. Cerave
Cerave is a drugstore staple and one of the best skincare brands developed by dermatologists, and it quickly became popular in the US thanks to its high-tech and clever formulas. The brand is special because all the brand's products are packed with beneficial ingredients, the main one being ceramides. Even though our skin cells naturally produce ceramides, they protect the skin barrier, resulting in healthier skin when they are boosted. In addition, the brand is popular for moisturizers, and its patented ceramide technology helps restore the skin's moisture barrier.
Cerave formulas usually cover the essential bases to cleanse, moisturize, exfoliate, and an SPF to shield, ceramides and hyaluronic acid to hydrate, and salicylic acid clear any large pores. Their product lines also cater to different types of skin, including dry, normal, combination, oily, and sensitive skin types.
CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion is formulated with humectants, emollients, and ceramides, and it also features a Multivesicular Emulsion (MVE) delivery technology to guarantee lasting hydration. The emollients and humectants are necessary since they help rehydrate your skin and help to retain its moisture. In addition, the ceramides enhance and restore your skin's protective function because they are a naturally occurring component of your skin.
On the other hand, the Multivesicular Emulsion (MVE) delivery technology will help restore and maintain your skin's protective barrier as the technology traps the lotion's active ingredients and releases them slowly throughout the day to nourish your skin. It is a great moisturizer for normal to slightly dry, sensitive, acne-prone, and oily skin, and it also comes highly recommended by dermatologists for acne treatment programs.
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2. The Ordinary
Skincare maintenance and shopping were associated with a hefty price tag until the Ordinary brand came up during the heydays. The brand was developed to ensure products focused on the pioneering ingredients but at a pocket-friendly price. To do this, the Ordinary brand name all their products after a key ingredient to guarantee full transparency, and since its start, the company has released several sell-out serums and gained a loyal fan base.
The Ordinary brand produces products free of sulfates, mineral oils, and parabens, and it features a wide collection of cleansers, oils, and serums. As a result, Ordinary is one of the most accessible brands in the beauty industry and is a favorite among several beauty editors for its affordable price point and transparency.
Ordinary product is one of their best and popular products as it contains hyaluronic acid, which is mostly associated with moisture and keeping your skin hydrated. The water-based serum comes in a stick and dense texture, and since it is a humectant, it helps reduce moisture loss, but it works better, followed up with a moisturizer or an oil.
Ordinary Hyaluronic skincare product is meant to give a plump yet smooth appearance while it hydrates your skin. Hyaluronic acid is a beneficial ingredient that can hold up to over 1000 times its weight in water. Therefore, it gives your face maximum hydration, smoothening the texture and minimizing anti-aging signs for a firmer appearance.
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3. Drunk Elephant
The fancy-named brand offers legit skincare products, and it features a fancy name, and the packaging is very attractive to the eye. It is adorned by the most popular beauty editor in the beauty industry for all its serums and masks. The brand only uses soothing ingredients that directly benefit your skin's health. All their products are free of what the company calls "Suspicious 6" and include essential oils, fragrances, and silicones.
The brand will be popular for their kit and is a perfect choice for anyone looking for a new skincare routine as they have a kit with some best-selling products. This kit comes with a jelly cleanser, polypeptide cream, an SPF lotion, luxury facial oil, three serums, multivitamin eye cream, and a cute travel pouch.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is made with a nine signal peptide complex, fully packed with peptides. They are the building blocks of proteins and help stimulate collagen production for a healthy glow. Besides combating anti-aging signs, the product helps with deep hydration, strengthening the skin barrier, smoothing, and repairing any previous skin issues or damage.
Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream is a lightweight formula with a gel-cream consistency but takes some time to absorb. The product also contains some extracts of the pygmy waterlily stem cells that stimulate the renewal of skin cells. They are an excellent antioxidants source, making them a perfect cream for environmental protection.
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The founder of the brand, Dr. Augustinus Bader, is a German doctor responsible for coming up with a moisturizer that launched every beauty editor and Hollywood celebrities like Victoria Beckham into a skincare frenzy. In addition, he came up with a patented TFC-8 complex, a combination of 40 ingredients that may help heal and regenerate your skin.
Even though the brand comes with a high price tag, it's worth it because of its high performance, and even though the collection started small, it now offers everything from cleansing balms to creams and facial oils. In addition, they are loaded with innovative technology and have an exclusive amino acid and vitamin complex.
The Rich Cream is a hydrating and nourishing cream with a TFC8, a compound of vitamins, amino acids, and synthesizes molecules with over 30 years of research to back their claim. The TFC8 helps to minimize aging signs by reducing water loss, bloating and promoting an elastic skin barrier by hydrating. In addition, the amino acids help to stimulate the natural production of collagen over time to improve your complexion.
Augustinus Rich Cream is suitable for combination or oily skin and also the go-to for people who stay in humid climates with a lightweight formula that refreshes, hydrates, and soothes tired skin. The effects last for long on your skin, and it has an immediate effect on your skin even though it comes at a very expensive price.
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5. Dr. Barbara Sturm
If you are a fan of watching celebrity skincare videos, then with no doubt you have heard of Barbara Sturm's products. These products are simple, but luxury skincare and creams, cleansers, and serums are purposed to soothe and strengthen a user's skin and deliver exceptional results.
Dr. Barbara Sturm is the best luxury skincare brand since Dr. Barbara Sturm is the go-to expert in the skincare world for anyone working in front of a camera, and every beauty editor agrees. Her medi-luxe brand handles aging signs and reduces inflammation where damaging and toxic ingredients have been removed from the equation to ensure skin can heal from any breakouts or fine lines.
Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser is a two-in-one cleaning solution that gently cleanses and exfoliates your skin deeply as it contains potent enzymes that help get rid of any dry, dead skin, makeup, pollutants, or any other impurities from your pores. In addition, it contains Vitamin C, which has an antioxidant effect on your skin, and it refreshes and hydrates your skin while visibly firming it up, which leaves your skin feeling rejuvenated and smooth.
Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser should be your go-to if you have oily or combination types of skin, and when it's mixed with water, the fine powder changes into a soft foam. The cleanser is recommended to be used twice or thrice every week, and you should apply it lightly to your face, then add water to lather and rinse with water.
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What is the Order Should you Use for Your Skincare Routine?
If you are interested in a thorough and consistent skincare routine for healthy and glowing skin, you should follow this order in applying the products.
a). Cleanser
Remove any makeup from your face using a gentle makeup remover and cleanse it off impurities using a gentle cleansing balm, oil, wash, gel, or exfoliant. For a full face of makeup, you should double cleanse.
b). Toner
Spritz your face and apply a few drops of your choice of toner to a cotton pad, then swipe the pad over your skin.
c). Serum
Apply the recommended amount of serum on your face, and if you are working with multiple serums, start with the thinnest and build up to the thickest formulas. While building up the layers, allow about 60 seconds for each layer to be absorbed into the skin.
d). Eye Cream
Apply an eye cream using your ring fingers gently and gently tap a small amount to your undereye area
e). Moisturiser
Apply your night cream or daily moisturizer
f). Face Oil
Warm some drops of your favorite oil by rubbing it between your hands, then gently press the oil into your skin
g). SPF
Applying the SPF is the final step of your daytime skin care routine, and you should always use sunscreen or an SPF-rated cream. Apply a little amount of SPF to your face and also neck, then reapply every two hours.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing the Best Skincare Brands
1. Skin Types
The first step in choosing any skin care product is to find out your skin type, and this helps you know what your skin type needs the most to flourish. If you are unsure of your skin type, you should visit a dermatologist, which will help you select products with more precision. There are three types of skin, and they include:
a). Oily Skin
Oily skin is used to describe a skin type with excess sebum production. The best skincare products for this skin type should have alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA), Benzoyl Peroxide, and alpha hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is beneficial for hydrating one's skin. Together with Vitamin C and skincare products that will work for this skin type, it should contain sunscreen, a non-comedogenic formula, and be lightweight.
On the other hand, AHA products help in shrinking enlarged pores and smooth out wrinkles and lines but ensure you always wear sunscreen when using this product. In addition, these products help to restore any firmness and minimize wrinkles in any damaged areas.
b). Dry skin
Dry skin is usually sensitive as it needs specific products to prevent any bad reaction, and most dermatologists recommend skincare tools containing shea butter or lactic acid. Lactic acid is a type of AHA product, and therefore, it moisturizes your skin while exfoliating it. Moisturizing is super important for dry skin types, and products containing lactic acid may restore your skin while giving it a plump yet healthy look.
Dry skin is better at handling ointment or creams, and it's less irritating and for the best results, choose creams with shea butter, jojoba oil, or lactic acid. The best dry skin products, especially for a moisturizer, will have three ingredients.
c). Sensitive Skin
For sensitive skin or acne-prone skin, products with fewer ingredients are better off, and it's best to moisturize with products that keep the skin hydrated without causing any irritation. Some of the best ingredients for the sensitive types are chamomile, shea butter, green tea, and aloe vera. Aloe vera is especially important since the nutrients and vitamins nourish the skin, an important part of sensitive skin care.
2. Your Needs
Different users seek out skincare products for different needs, and different products may work for different needs. Therefore, before you decide on making a purchase, ensure you have thought about your needs, and they can range from diminishing fine lines you may have, getting rid of persistent acne, dead skin, dark circles, minimizing the appearance of large pores, or just wanting to establish a consistent skincare routine. Your choice of skincare products should effectively address your skin concerns and needs before anything else.
3. Complexion/ Skin Tone
The complexion doesn't make a difference for many products. Still, it's important to keep it in mind, especially when purchasing tinted products that range for fair, light, medium, or dark skin. Also, try to consider the degree of sun protection you need your products to provide.
For fair skin tone, it means that you may burn easily, and therefore, you should opt for a skin care brand with an SPF of 30 and above. For light to medium complexion, choose products with some protection with a 15-30 SPF range and for dark skin that will rarely burn, choose a brand line with minimal to no sun protection.
4. Check Active Ingredients
Before deciding on a skincare brand, it's important to check the active ingredients in any product and know how it will improve your skin. All ingredients are usually listed in descending order of their concentration and as a rule of thumb, observe the top five elements as they contribute to 80% of the mixture. Ensure the main ingredients you are looking for are among the top five elements before you choose the brand and if there's a potentially irritating ingredient in the first five, then steer clear of the product.
The most active ingredients are Vitamins A, B, C, and E, and they will likely take different names on product labels.
- Vitamin A is great for moisturizing rosacea, acne, and dermatitis, and therefore, you should look for retinol, retinyl-propionate, or retinoic acid.
- Vitamin B&B5 helps moisturize eczema, itchiness, sunburn, acne, and therefore, you should look for nicotinamide, panthenol, niacin, pantothenic acid.
- Vitamin C enhances the skin texture and decreases sun damage and wrinkles, and you should look for L-ascorbic acid.
- Lastly, Vitamin E moisturizes and helps to prevent wrinkles. Therefore you should look for DI-alpha-tocopherol and avoid products with tocopherol acetate since this Vitamin E form is susceptible to degradation from sunlight. It can cause damage to your skin.
5. Budget
Besides knowing what your skin needs for an effective skin-care routine, you should also have a budget, as the prices can vary from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. To avoid making a purchase that will not be beneficial to you, figure out your minimum and maximum expenditures, and they should be useful for limiting your skincare options.
Facial moisturizers may range anywhere from below ten dollars to over 100 dollars. The general rule is that product lines in boutiques, spas, and high-end boutiques may cost more than when you buy from your discount retailer or local pharmacy.
6. Organic or Synthetic Products
Organic products usually use all-natural ingredients that don't have a genetic modification, have not been grown with chemical fertilizers or pesticides, or are synthetically produced. While there is no proof that these organic products are more effective than other skin care products, some people may prefer organic lines because they lack toxic chemical ingredients and observe environmental and ethical production standards than synthetic chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Best Skincare Brands
1. Do you need different products for morning and evening?
Yes, you do. Most of the time, you can apply the same cleanser for the morning and evening with a difference during the evening of adding an oil or balm cleanser into your mix first and then follow up with the regular cleanser when doing your double-cleansing routine.
2. What is the best brand for any skin texture, tone, and type?
Paula's Choice is the best skincare brand for all skin tones and types, and the brand, aside from selling you their products they educate you about skincare. Their website is full of skincare advice and active ingredients. In addition, they produce products that cater to specific conditions such as acne-prone, dull skin, rough texture, uneven skin tone, and anti-aging.
3. What should every woman use instead of moisturizer?
Body Oil can be used instead of a moisturizer, and you can go all-natural by choosing an organic body oil with natural ingredients. Some oils that make great options in place of heavy creams include coconut, argan, and sweet almonds. However, remember that oils can be messy, and they may need to be applied after showering, and you should allow them to get absorbed before dressing up.
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