Curel Intensive Moisture Care: Moisture Facial Lotion I Light Review
The Curel Intensive Moisture Care skincare series is a go-to regimen among those with chronically dry skin. After all, Curel prides itself on being Japan’s first skincare brand for dry and sensitive skin as early as 1999. Thanks to their proprietary ceramide technology, Curel Intensive Moisture Care line of products maintain their popularity with particularly the Asian market.
The Japanese skincare brand has three versions of facial lotions alone – I, II and III. They developed these different formulations to target at different skin types, namely – normal, normal to dry, and dry skin. In this blog post, I’ll be reviewing their Moisture Facial Lotion I, i.e. Light.
Curel Intensive Moisture Care for Dry and Sensitive Skin
I have dehydrated skin. Hence, my skin has a dryer outermost layer, with the lack of water in the stratum corneum being the prime reason. This problem gets worse when I am in colder countries, with drier weather. My dehydrated skin exacerbated to being dry and sensitive at the same time.
So I was in China last week, and the humidity wasn’t great. My makeup started to crack, and the skin on my nose started to flake. No amount of serum and cream I slathered underneath my foundation seemed to help. When I removed my make up, certain areas of my face had developed slight redness and felt like they were ‘thinning’. The less than ideal air quality there didn’t help as well. That was when I knew my skin barrier has weaken, and the aggressors in the environment had gotten the better of it.
How I Use the Curel Intensive Moisture Care Facial Lotion 1 Light
I used a full pump each time, and patting it in directly on my face, without any cotton pads. I skipped using toner and essence altogether. Partly because it is not wise to use a toner on my already sensitive skin lest it causes more irritation. Generally, essences deliver deeper hydration, while lotions primarily penetrate only the strata corneum (outermost layer of the epidermis). However, my experience with the Curel Intensive Moisture facial lotion was unlike any other. The product infuses my skin with an instant surge of moisture before locking itself in. The hydration is remarkably long-lasting, even in extremely dry conditions.
Non-Stinging, Non-sticky Texture
The Curel Intensive Moisture Care Facial Lotion 1 Light looks and feels like water at first. It is colourless, unscented, and fluidly. It is only after you apply it on to the skin that it feels slightly thicker and adhesive. I use the word ‘adhesive’ instead of ‘sticky’ because it adheres to the skin without being sticky. Despite my skin becoming slightly sensitive, the lotion did not sting me a bit. Quite the opposite, it instantly soothed the irritation, as life returned to my parched skin.
Lotions 1, 2 & 3 with Varying Ceramide levels
I am of the opinion that the Curel Intensive Moisture facial lotion 1 in Light already has the perfect consistency for normal to dry skin. I consider my skin to be more than just mildly dehydrated at that point, and I feel my skin has found its optimal level with Lotion 1. Therefore, if Curel Moisture Facial Lotions II and III contain higher ceramide concentrations than Lotion 1, I’d imagine they’d have richer, more emollient textures, and more intense than what I’ve experienced.
Curel Intensive Moisture Care Facial Lotion 1 Light Ingredients
The Curel facial lotion contains the following active ingredients – “ceramide capsules”, eucalyptus extract, and allantoin. The carrier ingredients include water, glycerin, betaine, methyl glucoside, Butylene Glycol, peg 1540, succinic acid, arginine, etc.
Key Active Ingredients of Intensive Moisture Care
Ceramides are fatty lipids that fill the gaps in between the cells within the stratum corneum skin layer. This strengthens the skin barrier and helps keep allergens, bacteria and viruses, etc out, and helps keeps moisture in. Eucalyptus extract is anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory. It reduces inflammation, redness, infection, etc and calms the skin. Allantoin is a skin-conditioning agent that provides the skin with hydration and cellular repair. It also improves skin texture by gently exfoliating away dead skin cells.
Carrier Ingredients: Humectants vs Hydrators
The rest of the ingredients are mostly humectants and hydrators. Humectants are capable of drawing moisture from external as well as internal environments. They attract water to the skin, simultaneously, they pull water from deeper skin layers to the skin’s surface. This dual action makes humectants highly effective at hydrating the skin. On the other hand, hydrators restores moisture by replenishing moisture through the retention and sealing in of water in our skin.
Instant Fix for Dry Flaky Skin on the Face and Nose
Scaly skin was beginning to develop around my nose rims. The area above the lips and on the chin were peeling as well. My face (except the T-zone) felt taut as a whole to the extent my facial movements were restricted. Not only did it instantly soften my skin, it fixed the dry and flaky skin on my face and nose. Those flaky dry patches were all gone even without using any face moisturisers.
Quick Relief for Chapped Skin, Lip Splits
I am prone to chapped skin around the mouth and lip splits whenever I travel to cold countries. They often occur around my upper lip, causing it to become discoloured and swollen. The corners of my mouth too tend to split when my skin gets acutely dehydrated. The lips appear thicker than they actually are, and the pain can be so bad; my mouth movements become something I have to be aware of.
The Curel Intensive Moisture Care Facial Lotion 1 Light provided more lasting relief than any chapsticks, lip balms and ointments I could get my hands on at that time. Yes, I patted the lotion around my mouth area and the cracked skin around my mouth quickly absorbed it. While the Curel lotion may not have accelerated scar fading, its superb efficacy in softening rough and thickened skin provided immediate comfort and prolonged hydration.
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