Moisturisers

weeneldo

Hey, I'm currently in my fourth and final year of studying to be a pharmacist and I've also worked in a pharmacy for the last 4 years. One of the biggest bits of money saving advice I've learned through my course and experience (other than buying generic medications, the Minor Ailments Scheme and prescription pre-payment certificates) is regarding moisturisers.

All of the "anti-aging" creams and expensive lotions you see on TV for £30 per 50g are no better than E45. For any anti-aging compund to work, it has to be at a strength that burns your skin which, of course, is not allowed.

For a moisturiser just as effective but at a fraction of the price, go into your local pharmacy and ask for Aqueous Cream. You can get a half-kilo tub for under £4 and its as effective as moisturisers get. Usually they'll keep it behind the counter in the big tub but just ask an assistant. Also, it might be a wee bit more pricey to buy Boots own brand but if you ask for a generic or go to another store (or even get it online), its really good value!

jenniewb

I disagree.

I can see in E45 there is an ingredient called paraffin. I use this on my skin it clogs my skin. Result? I get spots. Sorry to disagree on your first post but 4 yr student of skin or not you have not experienced my skin and I can tell you as a result of years of experiementing, I know this to be the case. If you wanted to pay me (alot! ) you could try and test my skin to prove this if you wanted a case study?

Facial skin is different to the skin on your body- as you will know (as you have a PHD?) the pores are differnt, the skin is thinner, it is far more liable to clog as a result. If Aqueous cream works for you, fine, then continue but you have to understand that facial skin care exists for a reason and its not because those of us buyting it have been sucked into a marketing ploy, most of us have tried and tested other options and found them not to work for us.

For me (and countless others) E45 will at best not do my facial skin any favors, and at wost cause spots (which are red and painful and can scar) and make my skin tone feel oily and look dull. Been there tried that, sorry!

Bronnie

Hi Weeneldo and welcome to MSE!

Modern anti-ageing creams also offer skin-firming benefits which have tangible results.

As far as moisturising benefits are concerned, there are many posters here who prefer to use natural vegetable/nut oil based products than mineral-oil derived products.

Have a search amongst the many skincare/cleansing/moisturiser threads on this Board, also the oil-cleansing thread, if you're interested in the subject. There is some interesting reading there!

weeneldo

Aqueous Cream and E45 are just as good for moisturising but as you've said, it doesn't help if it clogs you up. There are, however, still cheaper alternatives. Hydromol Cream is a wee bit more expensive, about £15 for a half kilo tub, but its lighter than aqueous cream, paraffin free and is just as good at moisturising. There are also face creams such as the Simple range and Nivea at £2-3 a bottle which do exactly the same thing as the £40 creams and are specifically advertised for facial skincare.

Really though my point was that the really expensive creams, with all their fancy named ingredients, are no better than the cheap ones. While the basic ingredients between the cheaper creams might suit different people's skins slightly differently, there's a £3 cream out there which will do the job for you just as well as a £40 cream. As I mentioned above, all the fancy stuff you see in the adverts has to be diluted down so much that it doesn't work anymore which just leaves a really expensive version of Nivea/Dermol/Hydromol.

chika

I agree with Bronnie - aqueous cream only creates a barrier on the skin and seals in existing moisture. This makes it perfect as a barrier cream for someone who doesn't want to expose their skin to chemicals etc, but don't expect any great benefits. It doesn't get absorbed but creates an oily smooth feeling film on the skin, misleadingly making people think they are infact being moisturised. If you care about your skin, spend a few more pounds and get a decent product.

flippin36

Welcome Weeneldo!

I've had great results with E45 in the past, it really sorted my face out when it went through a rough time. But I know on here I have read many times that it doesn't agree with everyone.

They used to make an E45 that was specifically designed for the face that came in a small tube. It was a lot lighter than the E45 in a tub. I can't find it anywhere now.

Coconut oil and Shea butter for me now. I agree with OP that you don't need to spend an awful lot to find good results - its certainly worth trying a few basic creams with an open mind.

(Nivea had good results on my problematic skin too)

Amanita_2

I am sure I read somewhere recently that aqueous cream is a wash product and its use as a moisturiser is not recommended?

I use Astral myself as a basic moisturiser. They don't come much cheaper than that!

flippin36

I would love to treat myself to a pricey face cream. But over the past few years I have discovered they BURN my skin. The more expensive the more I get horrible red blotches on my face. Does anyone else get this? The more expensive the worse the stinging/burning? I used to be able to use anything. The worst culprits for me is L'Occitane - who are suppose to be specialists in gentle skincare.

weeneldo

flippin36: It sounds like you could be sensitive to one of the ingredients in the more expensive skin creams. Try having a look at the ingredients in the expensive ones that burn you and see if there's a common ingredient between them not found in the ones that don't burn you.

spugzbunny

Hello!

Personally I am very fair and I look for a moisturiser with a good spf in it. Avon do are doing a moisturiser with SPF 20 reduced to £4.50. For night, I use Nivea in the blue tub or astral (depending on what's in the £ shop!). SPF (as far as I know) is the most effective way to prevent aging!

Bronnie

Are you all too young not to be looking for skin-firming from your anti-ageing creams? .......Lucky you lot!!.........tbh the oil I use moisturises my skin beautifully and have no problems with dryness etc, but I cannot forsake skin-firming benefits I get from my middle-of-the-road pricewise (i think) anti-aging cream. This is the main reason I use them, not for moisturising only.

I accidentally left them behind when I went on hols earlier in the month :eek: and didn't use them for a week, so it was interesting to see the immediate benefit and improvement when I went back to using them. This is something Nivea in the blue tub, E45 etc doesn't offer!!