Moisturizing Cream Guide
How to Choose at Olive Young and Ingredients by Skin Type

What a moisturizing cream does and why

When your face feels tight soon after washing, water is escaping from the outer layer of your skin. That layer normally holds water with its own water-binding compounds (natural moisturizing factor) and the oils packed between its cells. When either runs low, water leaves quickly and skin turns rough (Rawlings and Harding, 2004).

A moisturizing cream fills that gap from the outside. It does two jobs.

• Holding water: ingredients such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid draw in water and hold it at the surface. Most of the instant dewy feel comes from them.
• Sealing it in: oils such as ceramides, squalane and shea butter form a thin film that keeps that water from evaporating. Whether your skin still feels comfortable in the afternoon depends on this side.

So a jar can say "hydrating" in big letters and still leave you tight an hour later if it is light on sealing ingredients. For more on how moisturizers work, see The Three Moisturizing Principles.

Ingredients that make a moisturizing cream work

If you see these names on the list, the cream takes hydration seriously. Each is used at a different level, so each is read a little differently.

• Glycerin: the most basic water binder, usually the largest ingredient after water, so nearly every moisturizing cream has it. Of the 2,426 full ingredient lists we have collected, we pulled out 75 creams that advertise hydration in the name, and nearly 9 in 10 contain glycerin.
• Hyaluronic acid and panthenol: more water binders. Hyaluronic acid works in small amounts, so finding it near the end of the list is normal.
• Ceramides: the same family as the oils between your skin cells. They are also used in small amounts, so check whether they are there rather than where they sit. Of our 75 moisturizing creams, about 4 in 10 include ceramides.
• Squalane and shea butter: sealing oils. The drier your skin, the longer a cream with these lasts.
• Centella: known more for calming than for hydration. A welcome name if your skin reddens easily.

Ingredients by skin type: oily, dry and sensitive

The same moisturizing cream can suit one skin and not another.

• Oily and combination: if your skin is oily but tight underneath, a light gel cream built on water binders is easiest. Look for glycerin, hyaluronic acid and panthenol with little oil.
• Dry: if the tightness comes back by afternoon, you need sealing ingredients. A cream with ceramides, squalane or shea butter keeps water in longer.
• Sensitive: start with fragrance-free products. About 1 in 4 of the moisturizing creams we collected contain fragrance. Calming ingredients such as panthenol or centella are a bonus.

How to choose at Olive Young

In front of the shelf, everything looks alike. Skip the name and the marketing copy and check three things.

• The ingredient list on the back: make sure it has both water binders (glycerin, hyaluronic acid) and sealers (ceramides, squalane, shea butter), with plenty of the side your skin needs.
• Fragrance: look for "fragrance" on the list. In Korea, fragrance allergens above a certain level must be listed by name, such as limonene or linalool, so seeing those names also means the cream is scented.
• Texture and size: spread a tester on the back of your hand and see if it stays sticky. For a product you have never used, a small size is safer than a big value set.

Moisturizing creams to try by skin type

From our collection, we picked creams whose ingredients fit each skin type. None of them list fragrance.

Oily and combination: light creams that add water

• Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream focuses on adding water with glycerin, hyaluronic acid and panthenol. It suits daily use if heavy oils feel like too much.
• Torriden DIVE-IN Low Molecular Hyaluronic Acid Soothing Cream is also built on hyaluronic acid and panthenol and goes on light.
• Wellage Real Hyaluronic Soothing Cream uses several forms of hyaluronic acid plus panthenol. It leans toward adding water, so oily skin can wear it lightly.
• Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Aqua Gel Cream adds squalane and centella to hyaluronic acid. It stays light but seals a little more.

Dry: creams that also seal water in

• Aestura Atobarrier365 Hydro Soothing Cream pairs ceramides with squalane to keep water in.
• Dr.G The Moisture Barrier D Intense Cream combines ceramides, squalane and panthenol. Look here first if your skin gets especially tight in winter.
• TONYMOLY Wonder Ceramide Mochi Water Cream leads with ceramides, as the name says, with hyaluronic acid and centella alongside.
• Dr.Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream adds shea butter to ceramides for a richer cream that suits very dry skin or night use.

Sensitive: creams with calming ingredients

• Dr.G Red Blemish Clear Soothing Cream EX combines centella and panthenol with ceramides. A good first look if your skin reddens often.
• SKIN1004 Madagascar Centella Soothing Cream centers on centella and adds ceramides and hyaluronic acid.
• ETUDE SoonJung Hydro Barrier Cream keeps a short list with panthenol and centella.
• esNature Aqua Squalane Moisturizing Cream combines squalane, hyaluronic acid and panthenol for skin that is both sensitive and dry.

For a product not listed here, enter its name and we will analyze the ingredients. You can check the cream you use now the same way.

How to apply a moisturizing cream and what to watch

• Apply on damp skin: after cleansing and toner, apply while your skin is still damp. Sealing in more water starts with having water there.
• Keep it thin: a thin layer plus a second pass on tight spots looks less shiny than one thick layer.
• Before sunscreen in the morning: give the cream a moment to sink in before sunscreen to reduce pilling.
• Patch test new products: try it behind the ear or along the jaw and watch for a day. Stop if it stings or reddens.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a hydrating cream and a moisturizing cream?

There is no fixed line. Hydrating creams usually lean on water-binding ingredients and feel light, while richer moisturizers add more oils that seal water in. Check the list for both kinds of ingredients instead of trusting the name.

Does oily skin need a moisturizing cream?

Yes. Skin can be oily on the surface and still feel tight underneath. A light gel cream in a thin layer keeps shine to a minimum.

Should I switch creams in winter?

Not necessarily. If your cream stops lasting, switch to one with sealing ingredients such as ceramides or shea butter, or add a second thin layer of the one you have.

When do I apply sunscreen after a moisturizing cream?

In the morning, apply the cream, give it a moment to sink in, then apply sunscreen. Layering sunscreen over cream that has not settled makes it pill more easily.