Holy crap! - I think I've found
the one in
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream! Could it be true my search for a moisturizer has finally ended? At least for now, I can't imagine going back to or trying out anything else!
Since high school, I've struggled off and on with moisturizers because of my combination dry skin. It was so difficult for me to find something that will work with my super oily t-zones and super dry cheeks. Aside from the countless various moisturizers I've tried here and there, there were only a couple I used for longer than a few months:
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Olay Complete All Day UV Moisture Lotion SPF 15: used to be my day lotion during high school. Of course, my face was always shiny and blotchy as hell. My skin was oily then, and I guess I never realized this lotion was not a good match for me. I just used whatever my mum gave me. I didn't use any moisturizer at night then, which was a really bad idea and only made my oily skin worse.
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Lancome Aquafusion Lotion & Cream: both the non-SPF and the SPF versions were my college staple. I would use the SPF one during the day and the non SPF at night (yeah, finally learned my lesson...), the lotion on my t-zones and the cream on my cheeks. It was kind of working for a while, and then suddenly my skin changed and became dry combination with my t-zones became even more oily and my cheeks got super duper dry. At that point, putting this lotion/cream on turned my face was pure agony. Even the lotion was too oily for my forehead but the cream was not moisturizing enough for my face.
And then I learned
the truth about sunscreens, which completely altered my skincare routine. My expectations of moisturizers changed too. Not only I was looking for a moisturizer that works with both my combination dry skin, I wanted one that could be used day and night since I had started wearing a separate sunscreen (layering products with SPF is a big no no!). Needless to say, that made my search even more impossible.
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Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion: I picked this up when my Lancome Aquafusion failed me. It was okay for my cheek but was too oily for my t-zones.
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Lancome Pure Focus Lotion & Gel Cream: used this to fill the space Clinique Dramatically Different Lotion couldn't. This was good for my oily t-zones but irritates the hell out of my dry cheeks and chin.
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Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre & Lait Creme Concentre Fluide (aka 24-Hour Miracle Cream): the very last cream/lotion combination I used. It was okay, not that great. Didn't break me out, but was certainly no miracle either.
But this
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream - where do I begin?
***Picture from
Amazon.com.
The Ingredients
Decently simple, probably 1/5 as long as the ingredients in the above stuff I've used, and nothing too complicated. Not that I am a chemist, I just figured I really should pay attention like I do with my sunscreens. The
Skin Deep - Cosmetic Safety Database gave this cream a rating of 4 (out of 10), meaning "moderate hazard." While that sounds kind of scary, considering the vast majority of products with higher ratings (0-3) are organic/green/natural/wholesome/what have you, a rating of 4 is not great, but it's not too shabby either! I figured I should stick with stuff rated 5 or higher.
The
Cetaphil website lists ingredients as follow:
Purified Water, Polyglycerylmethacrylate (and) Propylene Glycol, Petrolatum, Dicaprylyl Ether, PEG-5 Glyceryl Stearate, Glycerin, Dimethicone and Dimethiconol, Cetyl Alcohol, Sweet Almond Oil, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Tocopheryl Acetate, Phenoxyethanol, Benzyl Alcohol, Disodium EDTA, Sodium Hydroxide, Lactic Acid.
The Texture
Definitely creamy, but strangely light. I just can't get over how fast it absorbs into my skin. I really was expecting a bit of a fight, some grease, and at least a film of some sort, but nope, NONE. I used it in moderation, of course. I would quickly dab my fingers onto the cream and used that tiny amount for my t-zones. Then I would swipe slightly across the cream's surface and use that bit more on my cheeks. I guess if you goop it on it could get a little greasy, but anything would get greasy if gooped on. Moderation is key, folks.
The Moisturation
Oh my, I can't rave enough here. Not only it worked for both my oily t-zones AND my super duper dry cheeks, it worked as both a day and night moisturizer! I kid you not. I wore it during the day underneath my sunscreen and it was not too heavy, allowing my sunscreen to retain its mattefying properties. I wore it at night before bed and it was just right. My face felt the most comfortable it's ever been! No oily sheen at mid day, no greasy face the next morning. Just very soft and well moisturized skin. The cream is also unscented. SOLD.
The Price
Honestly, if my perfect moisturizer were to bleed me dry, I would just fork over the goddamn price. That was how desperate I was for a good moisturizer. But nope, no blood to be spilled with this
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream. It's about $10 for a giant, and I mean GIGANTIC, 16 oz. tub, and it will probably last me for more than a year, if not longer, given the little amount I use. But then I've read that this is a multi-purpose moisturizer that could be used anywhere on your body, so I'm sure I could figure something out to finish it up.
The perfect $10 moisturizer that will last for ages? Did I tell you I'm sold? I am soooooooo sold.
Now, the 1 itty bitty little complaint: the packaging. Yes, it's in a HUGE tub. But while most people have trouble with the tub, fumbling with sanitation and storage, to me it's a very minor problem that can be easily solved with a small sanitized glass jar (from a used up eye cream, face cream, etc.). Yep, I just used a sanitized scoop, scooped some into the glass jar, then stored the tub in a cool and dry place (NOT the cabinet in the bathroom) and put my little glass jar in the fridge. When I use up the glass jar, I'll sanitize it again before refilling :D Problem solved. So really, this is not a complaint at all.
Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go dance around my living room like a lunatic.
