You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a moisturizer for it to give you the results you’re after. (Read that again.) Your local drugstore is a treasure-trove of complexion-improving formulas.
The proof: When asked, “What makes a good moisturizer?” Joshua Zeichner, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, concluded that it isn’t the money that you spend on it. Instead, it’s finding the right formula for your skin type.
He explains that moisturizers typically have three different ingredients: occlusives, which form a protective film on skin and lock in moisture, emollients (which he says “softens the outer layer and fill in cracks between rough skin cells”), and humectants (moisture-retainers).
So finding a moisturizer with the right concentration of each of these ingredients for your skin type is totally possible at the drugstore. Ahead, our picks for the best drugstore moisturizers out there.
It’s Zeichner’s pick for dry skin. “It is rich in emollient and occlusive ingredients like petrolatum and fatty alcohols to soften and protect the skin,” he says. “Glycerin gives a plumping effect and can help minimize skin irritation.”
