At a glance
Facial moisturizers differ from body lotions in that they often contain added ingredients with anti-aging, sun protective or skin type-specific properties—such as alpha-hydroxy acid for oily skin or vitamin E for dry skin. Choosing the right moisturizer depends on the individual’s skin type as well as factors like age and environment.

Some of the most common claims made by facial moisturizers these days have to do with anti-aging. Ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, which naturally occurs in the body and is a major component of skin and cartilage, are finding their way out of the medi-spa and into topical formulations. Antioxidants, including vitamins C and E, are also often seen in facial moisturizers.

Ingredients to look for
Hyaluronic acid
Antioxidants
Vitamins C and E

Spotlight on Sibu Beauty
Peter McMullin, vice president of sales and marketing for Midvale, Utah-based Sibu Beauty, gives NFM the skinny on why sea buckthorn is an effective beauty ingredient in both topical and ingested forms.

Spotlight on Jurlique

Since 1985, Jurlique has used biodynamic farming methods to grow the ingredients for its personal care line. Jurlique defines biodynamic farming as a combination of biological practices, such as organic methods of soil enrichment and regeneration, with dynamic practices intended to attune the farm with the rhythms of nature and the cycles of the land. Today, the company operates 153 acres of South Australian farmland, where it grows 30 varieties of plants and flowers including lavender, rose, marshmallow and licorice. Tended and harvested by hand, these ingredients are treated using Jurlique’s Bio-intrinsic Process: separation, purification and reunification.

“[This] painstaking and manual proprietary process enables us to unite herbs in highly potent blends that contribute specific energy to correct sources of skin problems and enhance the healthy look of the skin,” says Jurlique Executive Director of Global Education Amanda Dawson. Dawson says this method helps capture the highest level of “living energy” present in herbs and plants, and results in “a wholly new substance with a higher potency than the original material.”

In addition, Dawson points out: “Biodynamically farmed ingredients are grown in the absence of pesticides and chemicals and in the healthiest, most nutrient-rich soil possible.”

What does Jurlique say to critics who question biodynamic farming methods? “Biodynamic farming is evidence-based. The end result of biodynamic farming is a plant that is healthier, stronger and more potent than a plant that's been grown in a different way,” Dawson says. “The biodynamic farming process brings more living energy into the plants, and it's that energy that then makes the elements of the plants that we use in our products much more concentrated and potent and, eventually, effective.”

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Editors’ picks

Jurlique Moisture Replenishing Day Cream: Created using Jurlique’s trademarked Bio-intrinsic Process, this luxurious day cream utilizes the living energy of calendula and chamomile along with rosehip and avocado plant oils to refresh and replenish dry skin.
 



Garden of Eve Wow! Face Crème: Combining certified organic coconut oil with clary sage, rose geranium, jasmine, calendula, sea buckthorn and rosehip seed, this smooth concoction feels and smells great.

Juice Beauty Organic Facial Moisture Concentrate: It sounds like a beautifully rich garden plot—cranberry, carrot, sunflower—but the powerful oils, essential fatty acids and botanicals in this bottle pack a juicy, moisturizing punch. And it’s certified organic by a U. S. Department of Agriculture-approved agency.



Annemarie Borlind Naturesome Moisturizer: With hyaluronic acid, white tea extract, ceramides and vitamins C and E, this moisturizer aims to stimulate circulation and repair free radical damage.

Reviva Labs Skin Lightener for Day Face Cream with Kojic Acid: With mulberry and lime, this face cream lightens unevenness in skin tone and contains SPF 15 sun protection.