Sure, there are plenty of face serums, red light therapy devices, and wrinkle creams to keep your skin glowing all fall and winter, but one not-so-glamorous beauty essential everyone needs this season is a high-quality moisturizer. Face creams and lotions relieve dryness, maintain hydration, and support your skin barrier, which matters most as the weather cools and the air holds less moisture. My combination skin becomes irritated and develops flaky patches around this time of year, and it only gets worse in winter.
To prepare, I beefed up my skincare routine to focus on hydration and barrier protection, so I turned to the best overall moisturizer in our buying guide: Avène’s Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream. I added the cream into my daily routine, and after a month of testing, this is my honest review. Over the past month, I’ve used Avène’s cream in the morning and night.
I incorporated it into my skincare routine, applying it after cleansing and toning and before sunscreen in the morning. I also tested it with makeup, using the cream as a face primer, and on other areas like my hands, cuticles, and minor burns. The Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream has a rich, occlusive texture, forming a protective seal on the skin’s surface to trap moisture.
Keep in mind that this product may feel thicker than your typical moisturizer, but my dehydrated skin loves the instantly quenched feel after applying. The cream leaves a bouncy, dewy finish, and despite having an oily T-zone, I haven’t noticed excessive shine by the end of the day. To keep my acne in check, my dermatologist prescribed me tretinoin, which I love using in tandem with Avène’s cream.
Whenever you increase your tretinoin concentration or frequency of use, it’s normal for your skin to go through a period of dryness or irritation, and this thick moisturizer is my skin’s best friend during that time. Sometimes, I use the sandwich method where I apply a layer of the cream before my tret, and then another layer afterward, to calm my skin during the adjustment period. I recently had a dry, red patch flare up next to my nose, and this cream relieved the flakiness nearly overnight.
Better yet, it never pills and layers well with my other skincare products like serums, essences, and toners. The same goes for makeup—the moisturizer blends seamlessly with my foundation and concealer and acts as a radiant primer. Avène’s formula contains soothing thermal water, hydrating beeswax, and C+ Restore, a patented postbiotic ingredient that boosts moisture.
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