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Does the cold winter have your skin looking dry and flaky? Is your skin irritated and red from overusing harsh exfoliants? Do you have sensitive or acne-prone skin? If you answered yes to these questions, ditch the actives and consider adding ceramides into your skincare routine.
I have answered yes to all these questions at least once. After a recent chemical peel, my skin felt a bit dry and sensitive. I incorporated only ceramides and soothing ingredients into my routine for one week after the peel. My skin instantly felt hydrated and nourished again. I am obsessed with the Aveeno Calm + Restore line, but I’ll talk more about that later!
Ceramides are lipids found naturally in the skin. Still, they can be depleted by overusing harsh skincare products like exfoliants, extreme temperatures, environmental pollution, UV light, and aging. Ceramides keep your skin barrier healthy and supple. They also help retain moisture, keeping your skin looking bouncy and hydrated.
There are many benefits to incorporating a topical ceramide into your skincare routine, such as strengthening your skin barrier, hydrating your skin, and reducing inflammatory conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis, and rosacea.
With all the hype around active skincare products, inactive products aren’t typically a hot topic of discussion—but they are soooo underrated, in my opinion.
When actives are used correctly on specific skin types and conditions, they can improve skin texture, acne, and uneven pigmentation. When misused, they can burn your skin and destroy your skin barrier.
One active product that will be forever stuck in my head is a TikTok viral AHA 30% + BHA 2% Exfoliating Peel Solution. If you aren’t sure what this is, it’s a red serum that almost looks like blood. If you still aren’t sure, good for you—it probably means you have a healthy skin barrier. Actives as strong as the Exfoliating Peel Solution are often too harsh on skin and may exacerbate the problem you are trying to correct.
While active ingredients have their benefits, it’s essential to do your research and not just follow viral TikTok trends. Skincare should be personalized. Just because a product cleared someone else’s acne doesn’t mean it will do the same for you.
As I get older, I tend to use more inactive products than active products on my skin. As someone who has suffered from acne, hyperpigmentation, and, most recently, melasma due to my twin pregnancy, I find that non-actives work best in keeping my skin looking healthy and glowy.
Plenty of inactive ingredients have been proven to improve skin—ceramides, green tea, aloe, oat, and plant oils such as seaberry/sea buckthorn and argan, to name a few. So, where can you find the best inactive skincare products that will work for your skin type? Check out my top picks below.
Sensitive skin? Meet your new favorite serum, Aveeno, Calm + Restore For Sensitive Skin, Triple Oat Serum, 1 fl oz (30 ml)! Formulated with a nourishing triple oat complex and calming feverfew, this serum instantly soothes skin and fortifies its moisture barrier. It can be used daily and is lightweight and fragrance-free, making it ideal for sensitive, irritated, dry skin.
Pro tip: put this serum in the fridge for an extra cooling effect! I love layering this serum with the oat gel moisturizer, which I talk about next.
Red, irritated skin? The Aveeno, Calm + Restore, Oat Gel Moisturizer, Fragrance Free, 1.7 oz (48 g) gel moisturizer will be your new bestie! With a hypoallergenic, non-greasy formula, this calming facial moisturizer instantly soothes and hydrates even the most sensitive skin.
Formulated with nourishing prebiotic oat and calming feverfew, your skin will stay moisturized for 24 hours, providing all-day comfort. Its noncomedogenic and fragrance-free formula is an added bonus and make it a no-brainer to try! I have oily/combination skin and this works fantastic for me, but I think it would work for dry skin types as well.
If you have sensitive skin or damaged your skin barrier with harsh products, it’s your lucky day because you only have to spend $10 to get that soft, smooth skin back! Aveeno, Calm + Restore, Nourishing Oat Cleanser, Fragrance Free, 7.8 fl oz (232 ml) has a gentle hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic formula containing nourishing oat and calming feverfew.
I have personally gone through multiple bottles of this and love its milky gel cream texture. It easily lifts away dirt and impurities, leaving skin looking healthy and hydrated. This cleanser paired with the oat gel moisturizer and triple oat serum is the best skin-nourishing trio I have tried!
Looking for a lightweight moisturizer under $20? Try this one! Alba Botanica, Hawaiian Oil Free Moisturizer, Refining Aloe & Green Tea, 3 oz (85 g) is formulated with refining humectants, keeping skin soft and smooth without a greasy feel. 100% vegetarian ingredients like aloe, green tea, gotu kola, and cucumber extracts keep skin infused with oil-free hydration!
Although marketed as a facial product, this multi-purpose oil can also be used on the body and hair. DERMA E, SunKiss Alba, Radiant Glow Face Oil, Jojoba Argan & Seabuckthorn Oils , 2 fl oz (60 ml) is formulated with jojoba, argan, and sea buckthorn oils, deeply hydrating, moisturizing, and renewing without feeling greasy. It has a luminous finish, leaving skin looking plump and smooth. With 100% vegan and cruelty-free ingredients, this oil enhances skin’s natural glow.
If you aren’t using a cleansing oil in your routine, you should be! Cleansing oils are a first cleanse to help remove makeup, sunscreen, and impurities for a clean canvas.
Bioderma, Atoderm, Ultra-Nourishing Anti-Irritation Cleansing Oil, 6.7 fl oz (200 ml) is formulated with 33% lipid restoring and moisturizing agents to intensely nourish the skin and relieve any tightness or dryness. In addition, The Patent Skin Barrier Therapy™ complex targets the adhesion of bacteria that aggravates skin dryness, making this an excellent option for irritated and sensitive skin types.
Does your winter skin need an instant boost of moisture? Try this versatile face mist! Cosrx, Comfort Ceramide Cream Mist, 4.05 fl oz (120 ml) is infused with six kinds of ceramides. The cream and essence formula effectively forms a double-layered moisture barrier on top of the skin for extra hydration. In addition to ceramides, panthenol soothes skin and restores its balance. The fine mist formula is great to use under or over makeup for long-lasting, radiant skin.
Damaged skin barrier? Ceramides are your best friend for a healthier-looking complexion. ACURE, Ultra Hydrating Ceramide Day Serum, 1 fl oz (30 ml) is formulated with plant ceramides, squalane, and centella asiatica to support your skin’s moisture barrier and replenish skin with intense hydration. This serum will give you deep moisture with a lightweight, daytime feel. What’s not to love?!
To my sensitive skin friends, this one's for you! Idealove, So Soothe Me, Intensive Green Tea Toner, 5.07 fl oz (150 ml) is formulated with four forms of green tea. This toner contains potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to help relax and calm skin. It also helps reduce redness, strengthen skin’s microbiome, prevent moisture loss, and is gentle enough for acne-prone skin types. This might just be your new favorite K-Beauty product!
My dad is an avid sun-lover in his mid-sixties but has some of the best skin I have ever seen. Any guesses on what he uses? Aloe. Just aloe. No other products and the man is always glowing. So I saved the best for last—Aromatica, Soothing Aloe Aqua Cream, 5.2 oz (150 g)!
Aloe Vera’s naturally calming properties help soothe tired skin caused by external stimuli, so it is excellent for adding extra moisture to your winter skin. This cream is formulated with Aloe, Ceramide NP, and Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans (GAG). It provides a fresh feeling to the skin while improving skin texture by delivering intense moisture. I have seen firsthand how amazing aloe works, so don’t sleep on this cream!
Your skin’s barrier protects your skin against harsh active products and environmental assaults—so maintaining a supple, healthy barrier is essential to radiant, hydrated skin. Inactive products like ceramide help maintain your skin’s health, keeping it hydrated, balanced, and glowing. I’ve rounded up the best inactive skincare products so you can easily choose those that are right for your skin type and needs.
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By Nicole Papanikos
