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2 Key Moisturizer Ingredients
What skin care product makes your skin look fresher and younger almost instantly, can cost under $10 a pop, and takes just 2 minutes to use?
It's your basic moisturizer. But Dr. Amy Wechsler, RealAge's skin care expert, says these two ingredients do most of the work: emollients and humectants. Here's how to find them:
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Emollients -- Their job is to fill in the tiny crevices between surface cells that are almost ready to be shed, so skin stays smooth, soft, and pliable.
Trade names: On the ingredients list, look for one or more of these words: lanolin, jojoba oil, isopropyl palmitate, propylene glycol linoleate, squalene, and glycerol stearates. -
Humectants -- Their job is to draw water to the outermost layer of your skin, which gives it a healthy, dewy glow.
Trade names: On the ingredients list, look for one or more of these words: hyaluronic acid, alpha-hydroxy acids, sorbitol, glycerin, propylene glycerol, urea, and sodium lactate.
One other must-have on the label: a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30, says Dr. Amy. If your favorite moisturizer doesn't come in an SPF 30 version, slather on sunscreen separately every day -- and enjoy watching your skin stay young.
Get more face-saving tips and tricks from Dr. Wechsler in her new book, The Mind-Beauty Connection.
RealAge Benefit:
Doing routine self-examinations for skin cancer can make your RealAge as much as 1.7 years younger.
