If you’re not super tuned in to the world of skincare products, you probably don’t know the difference between moisturizers and hydrators. They sound like the same thing, don’t they? Both kinds of products are marketed with similar words, and both are supposed to help keep your skin plump and healthy-looking.
But contrary to popular belief, moisturizers and hydrators are not the same. While hydrators help your body produce its own moisture and have long-term skin health benefits, many moisturizers can cause long-term harm to your skin.
Today we will break down the differences between moisturizers and hydrators and explain what each type of product does to your skin.
What Moisturizers and Hydrators Really Do
@beautyboostmedspa If it’s not a hydrator, we 👏 don’t 👏 want 👏 it 👏 #skincare #didyouknow #moisterizer #FindYourEdge #LetsPlay ♬ About Damn Time – Lizzo
Moisturizers may make your skin feel better in the short term, but in the long run, they could be harming your skin. Most conventional moisturizers create a high level of moisture on the skin surface, giving your body a false sense of hydration so that your skin stops producing natural hydration from within.
Over time, your body’s balance of water, lipids, and proteins will shift. The moisturizer starts to replace your skin’s natural moisture.
It’s easy to become dependent on moisturizers. Since your skin stops producing as much of its own hydration, it becomes dry and flaky again after a while. You end up applying more moisturizer to compensate, and the cycle continues.
Conventional moisturizers can also compromise the skin barrier, leading to more sensitive skin. They may interfere with your skin’s natural exfoliation process. Many moisturizer users end up needing more skincare treatments and products to restore their compromised skin barrier.
Why We Recommend Hydrators
At Beauty Boost, we recommend using a hydrator instead of a moisturizer. A hydrator provides ingredients that help your body produce its own moisture. It helps your cells ramp up their hydration production instead of telling them to slow down.
A hydrator can also help repair the barrier of your skin, which allows your body to better pull in the moisture you produce.
Hydrators generally contain hyaluronic acid and barrier repair agents like lipids, ceramides, and cholesterol. While some moisturizer products have these ingredients as well, they are far more likely to have ingredients we recommend staying away from, like emollients or squalene.
Our Favorite Hydrator
Our favorite hydrator is the skinbetter Trio Rebalancing Moisture Treatment. This is the product that made us decide to bring the skinbetter line on at Beauty Boost!
The skinbetter hydrator provides heavy hydration. It can bring balance back to dry and aging skin without causing excess oil. Like any medical-grade product, it’s fragrance-free.
The ingredients can get your skin cells moving along and make your skin absolutely beautiful. You may experience a visible reduction in fine lines and wrinkles as well as skin dryness.
FAQs About Moisturizers and Hydrators
Can you recommend any cheaper products?
We recommend medical-grade products because they are FDA approved and effective. If you have to look for something over the counter, we’d go with The Ordinary hyaluronic acid, but a medical-grade product is worth the splurge if you can afford it.
Would you recommend hydrators for rosacea, slow cell turnover, dry skin, or oily skin?
Hydrators are great for just about every skin type, including rosacea, slow cell turnover, and dry and oily skin types. A hydrator will not cause excess oil like moisturizers sometimes can.
My moisturizer has hyaluronic acid/lipids/ceramides/cholesterol/peptides in it. Does that mean it’s a hydrator and not a moisturizer?
A lot of moisturizer and hydrator products will have overlapping ingredients, and some are better than others. We just recommend staying away from the more common moisturizer ingredients, like emollients and squalene.
Looking For Professional Help With Moisturizers and Hydrators?
Beauty Boost Med Spa gives patients customized skincare regimens to boost overall skin health. We can also help you enhance the effects of the products you already use.
Contact us to get a customized recommendation for your skin and learn more about where to find high-quality skincare products.
