moisturizer

An important step in skin care as we get older — especially once we reach our 40s — is hydration. The right moisturizer can not only soften and hydrate but can also calm irritated skin, improve skin tone and minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

The first step in finding the right moisturizer is identifying your skin type and using a product that is targeted for your concerns. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, an overly rich cream may exacerbate your issues. Fortunately, there is a plethora of quality moisturizers to choose from that range from light to heavy-duty and that contain ingredients such as growth factors, squalene, peptides, plant stem cells and vitamin C to offer multiple anti-aging benefits. Here are some of our favorite moisturizers to suit your specific skin types and issues.

Day Creams

Sensitive Skin

Eslor Herbal Soothing Gel ($42) is a moisturizing oil-free gel made from natural aloe vera and botanical extracts that help to balance and hydrate the skin. It calms and conditions irritated, dry and chapped skin while also reducing deep wrinkles caused by dryness and UV damage.

Skinfinite The Balm ($45) is a multi-purpose skin balm that soothes dry, sensitive, and stressed skin and promotes healing. It's formulated with RejuvenOx to help increase oxygen and moisture levels in the skin, Antarcticine to help skin retain water and fight wrinkles and Arginine (L) and tamanu oil to reduce inflammation.

Prana Reishi Mushroom Shield ($42 in the shop) is a lightweight day moisturizer with SPF 45 derived from organic plant stem cell mushrooms and micronized zinc. These ingredients are designed to block UVA/UVB rays while reducing redness and inflammation.

Dry Skin

La Vie Celeste Extra Rich Face Cream ($75 in the shop) contains r-lipoic acid, chronoline and apple stem cell to create a hydrating and firming moisturizer that helps sagging skin and minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. This face cream is designed to moisturize and hydrate without feeling heavy or pore congesting.

Eslor Rejuvenating Day Cream ($78 in the shop) fights against skin dehydration by hydrating and nourishing the skin while improving firmness and preventing fine lines. Squalene, sweet almond oil and peptides smooth the skin for a glowing complexion.

suki nourishing day cream ($60.95) is a deeply hydrating day cream with potent anti-aging ingredients including time-released vitamin C, rice germ, collagen extract from yeast, green tea and rose hip. It helps reduce lines, wrinkles and sagging while it diminishes redness and fades dark spots.

Oily Skin

Snowberry Bright Defence Day Cream No. 1: Oily Skin ($59) is a lightweight cream especially designed for oily skin. It's packed with antioxidants, herbal emollients and natural brightening ingredients, and hydrates skin while minimizing the appearance of pores.

Blissoma Smooth A+ Perfecting Serum ($25.99) is a completely natural and botanical moisturizing treatment for troubled skin. It contains 4% niacinamide, anti-inflammatory herbs and vitamin A to treat and prevent acne breakouts, cleanse and calm pores, soothe rosacea and reduce hyperpigmentation on damaged or irritated skin.

Your Best Face Advanced CE Concentrate ($50 in the shop) is a lightweight, non-irritating facial lotion with high concentrations of vitamins C and E. There are three forms of stable and potent vitamin C with a concentration of 8.7%.

Combination Skin

Sevani Rapid Renewal Resurfacing Creme ($68 in the shop) uses natural fruit acids, antioxidants, hyaluronic acid and anti-inflammatory botanicals, such as gotu kola, licorice root and sacred lotus, to brighten skin and close pores. It helps to even out skin tone, reduce wrinkles, fade age spots and reduce blemishes while it moisturizes.

Blissoma Tone Adaptive Energy Tonique ($25.99) is a refreshing, botanical toning mist with nourishing organics, such as cantaloupe, red clover, basil and calendula. It helps heal blemishes, synthesize collagen, soothe irritation and protect against environmental pollutants without disturbing skin's pH balance.

Amarte Aqua Veil Hydrator ($65) is a lightweight, fast-absorbing gel-serum that combines glycerin with sodium hyaluronate to deeply hydrate and optimze your skin's ability to absorb and retain moisture. Infused with cucumber and flower extracts, it smoothes and softens and has a fresh, clean scent.

Night Creams

Remember that your skin repairs itself as you sleep, so a separate nourishing night cream is an essential skin care step.

Sensitive Skin

Tilvee Argan & Sea Buckthorn Age Defying Creme ($35) is a healing moisturizer with an anti-aging boost, helping to enhance elasticity, calm redness, neutralize free radicals and diminish facial lines. This luscious cream promotes youthful, supple skin with an antioxidant-rich blend of argan oil, avocado butter, cocoa butter and sea buckthorn berry.

Blissoma Peace Evening Calming Creme ($25.99) features a mix of nourishing herbs to soothe and repair irritated or stressed skin. Organic seaweed offers trace nutrients for optimal skin health, ginko supports efficient circulation, comfrey speeds cell turnover and pumpkin seed oil provides deep hydration.

Snowberry Cellular Regeneration Night Cream ($104) repairs skin naturally with a hydrating formula designed to neutralize free radicals. Marine glycoproteins encourage natural collagen production while naturally occurring phytic acid enhances the cells’ ability to retain water.

Dry Skin

La Vie Celeste Extra Rich Day & Night Restorative Face Cream ($75 in the shop) is an intensely hydrating moisturizer that uses R-lipoic acid, ChroNoline and apple stem cells to lift sagging skin and minimize the appearance of wrinkles. While rich and creamy, it does not feel heavy on the skin and won’t clog pores.

Moana Moisturiser ($78 in the shop) brings dry, dull skin back to life with the help of the brand’s signature New Zealand red algae, plus harakeke to smooth and hydrate and mamaku to prevent skin’s dehydration. This nourishing moisturizer leaves skin feeling soft, smooth and healthy.

BRAD Biophotonic Ultra Elastin Sculpting Firming Cream Complex ($195 in the shop) hydrates, brightens, and firms skin, improving skin tone and texture with peptides, glycolic and lactic acids, coenzyme Q10 and botanical oils.

Oily Skin

The Organic Pharmacy Manuka Face Cream ($76) minimizes blemishes and normalizes oil production while moisturizing dry, flaky patches. This lightweight cream also contains cedarwood and lavender and is ideal for those with oily or acne-prone skin.

Snowberry Cellular Regeneration Night Cream ($104 in the shop) is an anti-aging night cream designed to naturally repair skin by neutralizing free radicals.

Royal Nectar Moisturizing Face Lift ($55 in the shop) is a daily moisturizer that includes manuka honey, bee venom and a soothing blend of antioxidant oils. It is light, but very hydrating to help the skin feel nourished and supple.

Combination Skin

Snowberry Bright Defence Night Cream ($67) brightens and deeply hydrates the skin while you sleep. This soothing formula calms the skin, while gently reducing the causes of skin discoloration and loss of radiance. Ideal for all skin types, this night cream won't over-dry or irritate the skin.

Amarte Hydrolift Cream ($70) smoothes fine lines and wrinkles while a silky formula of retinol, adenosine, caviar extract and acacia collagen even out skin's texture and tone. Skin is left feeling plump, hydrated and brighter.

suki facial lift ultimate firming cream ($164.95) is an anti-aging heavy hitter that goes well beyond softening skin. With a formula that features time-released vitamin C glucoside, resveratrol and hyaluronic acid, it helps rebuild collagen and firm jowl lines while it evens out skin tone.

Note: This article was last updated on February 19, 2015.