The facts and fictions of moisturizing

There are so many products in the market it can be tricky knowing what to choose. Beauty blogger Beauty King and Chemist look at some common misconceptions.

By Beauty King and Chemist (based on the paper, "Modern moisturizer myths, misconceptions and truths" by Zoe Diana Draelos)

Translated by Shanghai Star

Editor's note: Beauty King and Chemist（美容大王和化学家）, literally translated, is a skincare and beauty blog run by two Chinese both living in United States: a "beauty-obsessed girl" whose overseas lifestyle allows her to try as many skincare products as possible at a rather low cost compared with many of her peers back at home, and "an uncle" (an intimate name given to him by his fans) with an academic background of chemistry and biology who gives a more than rational analysis on the ingredients used in every skincare product. The account currently boasts up to 90,000 followers on sina weibo, and has its own website http://www.beautyallyouknow.com/ and a public wechat account, Beauty Scanner.

Myth: Cream is better than lotion for moisturizing.

Fact: Cream is an emulsion system featuring more viscosity than lotion, but that doesn't necessarily mean there are more effective ingredients for moisturizing than in cream, or that cream is better at preventing water loss. What matters is the effective ingredients of moisturizing, instead of the viscous texture. Today's technology is capable of making a light but effective moisturizing lotion.