Do you? Or don't you?
The debate is going on. Some dermatologists will say, boldly, no, no one needs a moisturizer. Some believe that what you need is not a moisturizer but a hydrating agent.
Before we go into a discussion, let us first define what a moisturizer is and what is a hydrating agent.
First, let us define "moisturizer". A moisturizer is a noun which means a lotion or a cream used to prevent dryness in the skin. Its synonyms are lotion, cream, balm, emollient, salve, unguent, lubricant, technical humectant. Wikipedia will give us "emollients" are cosmetic preparations used for protecting, moisturizing, and lubricating the skin. These functions are normally performed by sebum produced by the skin. Cambridge English Dictionary says moisturizers help prevent flaking and dryness and may help delay the formation of wrinkles.
Now, what are hydrators or hydrating agents? . . . . .
Firstly, many in the cosmetic industry believes that hydration and moisturization are interchangeable words describing the same thing, that both are one and the same. On a larger scale, they are really, because both serve the purpose of addressing the issue of giving the skin its smoothness, helping the skin in its dryness and dehydration.
My opinion as a skin care professional for the past 30 years, everyone would need a moisturizer and a hydrating agent. Why?
Oil and water is necessary for good skin care. They are both necessary for all skin types. Hydrating agents are water based, while moisturizers tend to be oil/cream based.
We live in an imperfect world. Imperfect environment, weather and seasons, wherever you are in the world. For people whose climate has four seasons, winter, summer, spring and fall, the skin goes through a lot of changes. Imagine your skin experiencing these changes, you would need a double dose of skin care treatments. Even in the summer months, where your skin tends to be less dry or dehydrated, the skin would need a light cream to compensate for what it went through a couple of seasons back. In the drier season, the skin would need layering of products. Layering would be applying a hydrator or hydrating agent, layered with a moisturizer on top. So, this goes to show that both a moisturizer and a hydrator is necessary to give the skin its nourishment.
For people in the tropical areas of the world, where the burst of sunshine expands itself to share its brilliance to all, where most people are more oily than dry, a moisturizer is still a necessity. The sun, whether you are directly or indirectly exposed to it, dries out the skin. In my experience in analyzing oily skin, almost all oily skin are dehydrated. One of the reasons is that people with oily skin does not use any form of moisturizer fearing they would be more oily if they use one. They tend to use drying products to balance their oiliness which in turn dehydrates their skin. A light moisturizer is needed with a good direction in how to apply it. So, still, a moisturizer is needed.
A good skin care education is needed for everyone who wants flawless, youthful, even skin. How to apply a moisturizer and a hydrating agent makes the difference why I would say, everyone needs a moisturizer. Some would need both when guided accordingly by a skin care professional.
Read ingredient labels, and if you have time and resources, give yourself a break. Do your own research.
