Is lotion a moisturizer?
A variation of seasons and atmospheric interference can affect your efforts to achieve glowing skin. Therefore, you must be on alert. You should gird your skincare regimen with the right products.
But when two products look alike and the vendor or brand calls each a different name, it gets confusing. For instance, one tube is labeled lotion and the other is labeled moisturizer. Then, your choice of a product becomes a herculean task.
To put an end to that, here’s a detailed guide that clears the obscurity around these two seemingly different skincare products.
Is Lotion a Moisturizer?
The case of lotion and moisturizer is not a matter of difference. It is rather one that shows the different consistencies on one spectrum of skincare products. So, a lotion is a type of moisturizer but not all moisturizers are lotions.
This means that you can have a moisturizing lotion or any other moisturizing skincare product.
What Is a Moisturizer?
A moisturizer is a skincare product that works to protect your skin from dryness. It restores and retains moisture, and delivers nutrients to your skin. Also, it plays the role of and works in tandem with sebum to regulate water loss and protect your natural barrier.
“The purpose of a moisturizer is to prevent the loss of water in the outermost layer of our skin, the stratum corneum, but it also helps to prevent environmental damage to your skin as it acts as a protective barrier”, says Dr. Mara Weinstein, a board-certified dermatologist.
Moisturizers contain active ingredients that either make them occlusive or a humectant. An occlusive traps moisture while a humectant attracts water from the atmosphere to your skin.
Moreover, they can be available as a cream, lotion, ointment, bath soap, or gel. In addition, a moisturizer may contain antioxidants, emulsifiers, fragrances, or anti-aging ingredients.
The basic components of a moisturizer are water and oil which do the hydration and restoration work. Then, emollients and other ingredients may come in to thicken and fortify the product for specific uses.
So, a moisturizer penetrates deep into your skin to deliver moisture and vitamins. Also, it may only function at a surface level to smoothen and soften your skin. And there is a moisturizer for every skin type; whether dry, oily, or sensitive.
What Is Lotion?
A lotion is your everyday moisturizer that sits at the high-water content end of the spectrum. They contain oils but not as much as body creams and body butter. The higher water concentration makes a lotion a lightweight moisturizer.
“It keeps skin smooth and supple, and maintains a healthy skin barrier”, Heidi Waldorf explains. Furthermore, on the spectrum, lotions tend to contain more additives. This is because of the water content.
High water concentrations make products prone to bacteria formation. To avoid that, preservative ingredients like parabens and salicylic acid are added. Also, fragrances and penetration enhancers are added to the lotion to suit your skin.
The lotion absorbs quickly and leaves your skin feeling supple and youthful in an instant. The low oil concentration makes your skin feel less sticky and greasy.
Additionally, there is a lotion for every skin type. But oily skin, most especially, enjoys the low oil concentration and lightweight formula.
What Is Lotion Used For?
The lightweight lotions make them applicable for a lot of purposes. While it may sound better to say dry skin type needs a lotion more because of the water levels, in reality, it is more appreciated by oily and acne-prone skin types.
This is because oily skin certainly doesn’t need any more oil. Otherwise, there could be aggravated skin issues and breakouts. A lotion balances the moisture level in oily skin and helps to regulate sebum production and prevent acne.
Hydration is the main benefit your skin enjoys from using a lotion. Lotions are designed to be used immediately after a hot shower. They meet your open pores and lock in moisture, keeping your skin hydrated and protected from flaking.
Furthermore, some lotions are laced with UV protection ingredients. So, they serve as sunscreens to protect your skin from the damage of the sun’s rays. Also, they may contain tanning ingredients to help tan your skin without exposure to sun rays.
Lotions that contain anti-aging vitamins like vitamin A (retinol), B3 (niacinamide), and B5 (pantothenic acid) are good moisturizers for your anti-aging routine.
Moreover, lotions are very soothing. And this sensation is instant. On application, your skin basks in the water and vitamins, and you feel relaxed with a natural glow.
Is Lotion Moisturizer Good for Your Skin?
Ideally, you should use a moisturizer every day as part of your morning or evening routine. A body moisturizer comes after cleansing but a face moisturizer comes after a face serum. Your choice of moisturizer depends on your skin type and your concerns.
So, if you have oily skin and you cannot stand the grease of a cream moisturizer, a lotion moisturizer is what you need.
You do not always have to wait for skin breakouts before you get help. The best treatment you can get is prevention. Moisturizing your oily skin with lotion will reduce your chances of getting breakouts and dry skin.
When your skin is too oily, blemishes are bound to appear. A lotion moisturizer will balance your moisture and oil levels and consequently prevent them from happening. Moreover, it can help reduce the appearance of blemishes and scars.
Additionally, moisturizing with a lotion can aid skin repair and protect your natural barrier. The skin around areas like your face, chest, and neck replace themselves very often. So, using a lotion will help protect and restore those areas.
Most importantly, the benefits of moisturizing with a lotion can only be maximized with the right formula based on your skin type.
Can You Use Body Lotion as Face Moisturizer?
Using a body lotion as a face moisturizer does not cause any severe or permanent skin damage. However, you shouldn’t do so unless you do not have other options.
“The skin on the face is much thinner and more delicate,” says Dr. Anna Chacon, a dermatologist. While all lotions seem to perform the same moisturizing functions, a body lotion is quite different from a face lotion.
Body lotions are thicker, heavier, and formulated to address issues like skin firming and sealing moisture. They may also contain fragrances that can irritate your skin.
The peculiarity of your facial skin demands that the lotion should be lightweight and concentrated with active ingredients. The ingredients address skin issues like acne, skin discoloration, dark spots, and wrinkles.
Moreover, body lotions may not always contain UV ingredients which is a common ingredient in face moisturizers.
FAQs
Can moisturizing be bad for your skin?
Yes, it can. When moisturizing goes overboard, it can be bad for your skin. The excess creams and lotions interfere with natural hydration. Also, it stops the natural exfoliation process and allows dead skin cells to remain on your skin.
Too much moisturizer can give you a dull complexion and contribute to premature aging. Additionally, it makes your skin produce less moisture and increases oiliness, and leads to breakouts. And it can result in skin sensitivity.
Do moisturizing lotions go bad?
Yes, they do. An opened bottle or tube of moisturizing lotion can last up to one year. A sealed bottle of lotion will last up to two to three years. You can identify an expired moisturizer by the change in smell, color, and consistency.
When a moisturizer goes bad the active ingredients lose their effectiveness and can be bad for your skin.
Should you use lotion to moisturize your face?
Yes, you should. You should moisturize your face with a lotion daily, in your morning and evening facial care routine. However, you should use a lotion that is ideal for your face and not a body lotion.
Regular face moisturizing can help reduce your chances of developing skin blemishes, fine lines, and wrinkles.
Conclusion
There are so many questions about what is and what is not in the beauty world. And it is essential that you know the answer, and use your products accordingly. Sometimes, it’s easier to conclude and name one product as another.
Even worse, some products are replaced with another. Is lotion a moisturizer? This question is quite common and both products are often misplaced. A lotion is on the spectrum of moisturizers. As earlier mentioned, lotions are moisturizers but not all moisturizers are lotions.
Skincare becomes very effective when the right products are used on the right skin types. Since lotions are moisturizers, it does not suggest that you can use every lotion on every part of your body.
Treat your skin with the caution it deserves. Use facial care products for your face and body products for your body.
Thanks for reading.
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