Why moisturiser may make your skin worse

For most women, applying moisturiser twice every day is as automatic as brushing their teeth.

We’ve been brought up to believe a ritual of cleanse, tone and moisturise is essential to keep skin glowing and to keep wrinkles at bay.

And of the three steps, moisturising is seen as by far the most important

So strong is our faith that eight in ten British women use moisturiser daily. This costs us a huge £549 million a year, and adds up to 59 per cent of all skincare sales.

But could the habit of slathering creams and oils over our faces actually leave skin drier and make us look even older?

According to skincare company La Roche-Posay, 70 per cent of women say they have dry, sensitive skin. Yet, there is also an epidemic of adult acne, with 44 per cent of women reportedly suffering spots.

Some dermatologists say this is not a coincidence.

‘Moisturisers are a widespread and silent traitor and an important contributor to skin disease,’ says cosmetic dermatologist Dr Rachael Eckel.

She claims moisturisers lead to ‘the accumulation of dead surface skin cells, dryness, large pores, acne and sensitivity’ and that only 15 per cent of us actually need a moisturiser.

‘These are people who have genetically dry skin,’ she says. ‘They tend to not to have visible pores and have dry body skin, with conditions like eczema. The rest of us have normal skin, which doesn’t need a moisturiser.’

Moisturisers are usually a mix of water and emollients, such as mineral and plant oils, which stop water evaporating from the skin — plus humectants, which draw water up from the lower layers to the surface. They make skin feel moist and relieve itchiness and tightness.