Great skin isn’t just about DNA – our daily habits have a big impact on what we see in the mirror. But reading online about what products we should be using can get confusing. With so many kinds of skin care products, from serums and tonics to face masks and polypeptide creams, navigating the skin care aisle at the mall, too, can be stressful.
So, we cut through the noise and present to you a list of simple but effective skin care that goes a long way in improving your skin’s health, but doesn’t take long to apply. We’ve broken it down by skin type so it’s even clearer. Get many of these products at a discounted rate thanks to Amazon’s ongoing Beauty Week promotions, and get them delivered to you as early as tomorrow with Amazon Prime. If you love any of these products, Subscribe and Save so that it comes to you every couple of months, and you never run out of stock.
1. Best Overall: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Series
This three-step facial regime kit from Neutrogena ensures you have the best shot at hydrated, fresh skin. The set includes a water gel cleanser, a water gel moisturiser and a supercharged booster that locks in hydration. Neutrogena’s cleanser is made from its patented cleansing technology combined with hyaluronic acid, which acts as a sponge for dry skin cells and absorbs up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Give your face a refreshing boost with this three-step kit, so all your skin care needs are taken care of!
2. Best Face Wash for Normal Skin: Cosrx Ac Collection Calming Foam Cleanser
Revitalise and invigorate your skin with Cosrx’s facial cleanser, which uses three ingredients that are known for their healing properties: madecassic acid, asiaticoside and asiatic acid. Great for all skin types, this daily cleanser creates a soft foam that you can use on your face regularly to remove impurities, control excess oil and maintain smooth skin. It’s gentle, and perfect for everyday freshness.
3. Best Moisturiser for Normal Skin: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream
This shine-reducing, paraben- and synthetic fragrance-free moisturiser provides 24-hour hydrating power. Maintain your skin’s moisture balance and feel fresh all day, with Kiehl’s fast absorbing moisturiser. It has a unique gel cream texture that provides a cooling effect and hydrates the skin without leaving any residue.
4. Best Face Wash for Dry Skin: Aesthetic Hydration Cosmetics Facial Cleanser for Dehydrated Skin
Embrace the secrets of K-Beauty that’s taking the world by storm, starting with this luxurious foam cleanser. It washes away impurities without stripping away all the natural barriers of your skin. The product uses an advanced blend of hyaluronic acid with different molecular weights that penetrate the skin at different levels. Enriched with French seawater, known for its mineral-rich properties, AHC’s facial cleanser provides long lasting hydration for dry or dehydrated skin.
5. Best Balm for Dry Skin: Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Ultra-Soothing Balm
To your regular skin care routine of cleansing and toning, add this ultra-soothing balm for a real difference in comfort. Bioderma’s dermatological solution helps to improve the skin barrier, targets bacteria that aggravate skin dryness, and helps reduce the sensation of itchiness and discomfort. The balm can be used on the entire body to help moisturise and protect your skin. It’s best suited to people with very dry skin, and even works well on babies.
6. Best Face Wash for Oily Skin: La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel
Eliminate impurities and excess sebum, while leaving the skin smooth, clean and fresh, with La Roche-Posay’s Purifying Foaming Gel. Formulated with zinc pidolate that’s known for its purifying properties to help remove excess oil, and thermal spring water that’s rich in the natural antioxidant selenium, this gel is ideal for people with oily, sensitive skin.
7. Best Moisturiser for Oily Skin: Aveeno Clear Complexion
Oily skin usually means acne-prone skin, too. Aveeno’s daily moisturisers uses 0.5% salicylic acid to clear up existing blemishes and help prevent future breakouts. With Total Soy Complex that visible evens out the skin tone and smooths its texture, Aveeno leaves the skin feeling soft and revitalised. The lotion is oil-free, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic (it won’t clog pores). It’s also ideal for sensitive skin!
8. Best Exfoliator for Ageing Skin: Paula’s Choice 2% BHA Liquid Salicylic Acid
Paula’s Choice is currently a cult favourite about beauty and skin enthusiasts – and the brand’s BHA (beta hydroxy acid) liquid stands up to tests and reviews over and over again. The salicylic acid unclogs pores and exfoliates dead skin, leaving your face feeling smoother and brighter. But many reviewers say it would be best to use this only a few times per week (rather than once or twice a day as indicated on the bottle), because it can lead to overly exfoliated, irritated skin.
9. Best Moisturiser for Ageing Skin: L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Laser X3 Anti-Ageing Day Cream
Make time move a little slower for your skin with L’Oreal Paris’ Revitalift, which uses powerful anti-ageing ingredients like pro-xylane and fragmented hyaluronic acid to tackle the side effects of ageing. The cream reduces wrinkles, re-densifies the skin and firms up contours. Most reviewers say the product keeps their skin feeling smooth and hydrated throughout the day.
10. Best Face Wash for Acne-Prone Skin: Blue Nectar Ayurvedic Face Wash
A mild facial cleanser, this bottle contains eight ayurvedic herbs, including Indian rose chestnut, sarsaparilla, and honey, that are known to fight against pollutants and help clear clogged pores. Free from sulphates and parabens, and synthetic fragrances, this gentle face wash works well for both men and women, by deep cleaning pores and preparing the skin for moisturisers or serums.
11. Best Moisturiser for Acne-Prone Skin: Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturiser
This lightweight hydration cream with 0.5% salicylic acid evens out your skin texture, removes redness, and helps prevents breakouts. Formulated with botanicals and prebiotic complex, it defends against five signs of skin sensitivity: a weakened skin barrier, irritation, roughness, tightness, and dryness. Reviewers use this product along with their facial cleanser and sunscreen – a perfect, simple add-on for acne-prone skin