If there’s one thing that everybody says we should do as we get older, it’s to keep our skin moisturized, because the oil glands in our skin just don’t work as they used to. This makes moisturizing a really important, basic thing to do.
So, if you’re on a limited budget, or you don’t want to spend a lot on moisturizer products, I’ve chosen several that I’m going to share with you along with my thoughts on them. I’ll also explain what the manufacturer says makes their product different.
To help you find these products easily, I’ve included links below. These are affiliate links, but I will only ever promote products that I truly believe in.
Dry skin can be incredibly frustrating, and although it is more prevalent in winter, many women have to put up with it all year long. It can be problematic to find the right product to combat this condition, as the cause is different from one person to the next.
I moisturize my skin all the time because I think our environment is a little dry. Obviously, drinking lots of water and taking good care of your diet is important, but so is using products that are well made and still very affordable.
All of the products I’m showing you today are under $15. I started using some of them in the past and continue using them today.
Here is the list of products I used for this video and article.
The first one I’d like to share is Eucerin’s Advanced Repair Cream, a product many women in the community use. The cream comes in a huge, 16-ounce tub, all under $15.
This particular product is for advanced repair use and can be applied to the body and face. Eucerin claims that it’s a very good solution for cracked feet and cracked skin, in general. So, if you have super dry skin, Eucerin might be the product to consider.
It’s recommended by dermatologists which gives it a little bit of credibility. The online description says it’s good for winter skin, so if you live in the northern hemisphere, this could be a go-to product. It’s all purpose and fragrance-free. It’s a basic moisturizer that many of you love and recommend.
As a side note, Meghan Markell, who is a very beautiful woman, uses the Eucerin Aquaphor Skin Repairing Balm, which her makeup assistant said she can’t live without. So, Eucerin is a brand that is very well-known, respected, and affordable.
The next product I want to share is by CeraVe. It also comes in a 16-ounce container for under $15, and it’s designed for face and body. This is a very thin moisturizer, but I liked it, and it doesn’t have a scent that I can detect.
The ingredients list includes a couple of things you may not be familiar with: ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Let’s take a pause and explain each of these.
Ceramide is a fat that is naturally found in high concentrations in the uppermost part of your skin. It actually makes up 50% of your skin composition. So, the additional ceramides in your moisturizer nourish your skin with its own wonderful ingredients.
Hyaluronic acid is also really important. It’s like a sponge which absorbs moisture that comes into contact with your skin and keeps it in your skin. That’s why a lot of these skincare products have it as an ingredient.
CeraVe, as an affordable moisturizer, recognizes that and uses it. The product description says, “Moisturizes, restores, and maintains a protective skin barrier.” Obviously, CeraVe is a product we should all consider.
My third choice brings me back to my childhood. When I was a little girl, I used to sneak into my mother’s bedroom. I’d find her Pond’s cream, which came in a teeny-weeny jar with a gold top, and I’d put it on my face.
Then I would hide it because it was gold dust, and my mom didn’t have a lot of money to spend on cosmetics, so it was valuable to her.
What I have here is Pond’s Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream. This is a 14-ounce jar of moisturizer that is designed for your face, but I use it all over my body as well. I used to use it to wash my face.
It has a lush and creamy consistency, which I think hasn’t changed over the years. This is a great product for under $15, and I think the line is very reputable. It’s been around for 50-plus years.
This specific moisturizer has an anti-wrinkle effect and is formulated with alpha-hydroxy acids, or AHAs, and collagen. It’s supposed to smooth the appearance of wrinkles on your skin, but I haven’t used this particular product for long enough to say that the claims are true. I do know, however, what Pond’s has done to my skin over the years, so I can say they have been my friend.
Now, let’s look more closely into those alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) and collagen, and why it’s good to have them in a skin product.
AHAs are an exfoliation element that, they say, produces fresher and refined skin. Exfoliation is the process that takes off that dead skin layer that we produce all the time, so it can be washed away.
Over time, AHAs give your skin more hydration and make it smoother. That’s what creates the anti-wrinkle effect, and you just have to take that for what it’s worth. The AHAs have also got glycolic acid in them which is the gold standard for hydroxy acids.
Moving on, collagen is an amino acid that our body produces in a large quantity when we’re younger. As we get older, though, our body produces less of it.
What collagen does is, it makes the skin all over your body puffy and full of water, and it fills in the wrinkles in your skin. This is something that Pond’s thinks is important, and I agree.
The next product is by Neutrogena, and it’s a Hydro Boost Gel Cream for extra dry skin. I do know that a lot of women in our age group and younger have problems with dry skin, so this might be a product to try.
It’s interesting that this cream is almost translucent, though it looks blueish in the jar. It’s super smooth, so it’s more like a gel than a cream, and it goes completely invisible.
This is another product with hyaluronic acid for extra dry skin, and it says it boosts the skin’s natural barrier against moisture loss. A lot of people like the texture too. It’s oil-free, dye-free, and fragrance-free, and it’s from a dermatologist-recommended brand.
Let me add that hyaluronic acid also has the capacity to absorb up to a thousand times its weight in moisture. So, apparently, these little acids are quite active and powerful.
The fifth product on my list is by Aveeno, another classic line that’s been around for a long time. This one is advertised as a positively radiant daily moisturizer with sunscreen. It’s got SPF-15, so it’s not super protective, but many moisturizers don’t have any SPF, so this is a nice plus.
What’s really unique about this product is that it’s made from soy complex – which is something to be aware of if you don’t like soy products.
It’s an affordable product that you can experiment with. It’s also a rich source of protein and lipids, carbohydrates, and vitamins because of the soy complex. A lot of skin care products now use plant and natural botanical ingredients.
The moisturizer has got a nice floral scent to it, so if you’re looking for a fragrance-free product, Aveeno will not classify. But I do quite like it, and it’s also got a very good rating on Amazon.
The next one is by TruSkin, and this is a company that’s new to me. The product I’m showing you is a daily facial moisturizer with Vitamin C and Vitamin B5. It’s actually been voted on Amazon the best Vitamin C moisturizer cream for the face.
Vitamin C has been shown to have all kinds of wonderful anti-aging effects, and that’s important for toning and firming. This TruSkin moisturizer is supercharged with 15% of Vitamin C, and it’s also got green tea and jojoba oil. So, they use a combination of tea and plant extracts as well, which makes this product really cool.
I saved my favorite product for last because I think it’s really unique. I’ve used it a couple of times and I love it. It’s L’Oréal’s Age Perfect Cell Renewal. One reason why I like L’Oréal as a brand is their effort to create in their product and marketing strategy a line that deals with older women’s skincare issues and concerns.
Helen Mirren is a spokesperson for L’Oréal. She’s a naturally beautiful woman who’s also an advocate for us women over 60.
So, this is a thick moisturizing cream with cell renewal technology. It’s got an ingredient called lipo hydroxy acid (LHA) which L’Oréal uses in a lot of its products to help with skin flaws like acne and age spots.
They say using this product “makes the skin appear visibly younger,” which is always something I question because I’ve never seen this happen in reality. If healthy skin is what’s making you look great, then I agree.
This moisturizer is also supposed to make your skin healthier. The description says that as the skin matures, it loses its ability to renew the dead skin cells on the surface. This cream helps boost cell renewal, so that’s really useful.
What I find really unique about this moisturizer is the color. It’s pink, and it does give a light pink, glowing quality to the skin. The special ingredient there comes from a Chinese peony plant that has been historically known for its antioxidant and exfoliant powers.
I don’t want to say that L’Oréal is my favorite, although they do a lot of interesting research. I’ll probably keep using their moisturizer because it’s really nice.
Let’s take a look at a few other affordable moisturizers that are worth mentioning in this category. I’ve researched a few more face creams for mature skin that are still quite affordable; a little over $15 but under $20.
This moisturizer from Olay has an added touch of sheer color to smooth out blemishes and give your skin a soft glow while moisturizing.
Another L’Oréal moisturizer that is worth the mention is the Revitalift face cream with pro-retinol, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C to firm and brighten the skin.
This RoC daily moisturizer is great if you need the extra protection of SPF 30 while providing moisture.
All the products I showed you are great for different reasons, and they’re all affordable – most are under $15, and none is over $20. Try them, see which ones you like, and if you’re using any of them already, please leave a comment below.
What kind of moisturizer do you use? How would you like to try any new ones? What do you look for in a moisturizer? Please tell us in the comments below.