Finding a good moisturizer seems like a simple task until you’re staring down 20 options in the grocery store. While there are loads of high-end creams, there are also plenty of affordable drugstore moisturizers that actually deliver on their promises of firmer, bouncier, and more hydrated skin.
“Body lotions are formulated with humectants and emollients to hydrate, moisturize, soothe, and soften the skin,” says Valerie Aparovich, biochemist and certified cosmetologist-aesthetician at OnSkin. “Humectants like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and amino acids attract water from the surrounding environment (such as air humidity) and deeper layers of the skin, drawing it into the outermost layer, the epidermis,” she explains. “Emollients like shea butter, squalane, and ceramides help restore the protective functions of the epidermal barrier”, but they also “nourish, soften, and soothe the skin.”
