I probably don’t have to tell you the perks of being a beauty editor, but just in case you need a TL;DR: We get to try a lot of products, including the best SkinCeuticals products. When you’ve been a beauty editor for as long as I have—just short of two decades—your skin has seen things. (Ask me about the time a “clean” mask turned my face orange for two days!) I should note: I should note: I have filler, and I’ve been a member of the neuromodulator club for about 10 years now, getting line-relaxing injections once or twice a year. That said, I’m always looking for products that help me avoid going three or four times a year, and I’m convinced SkinCeuticals is helping me do just that.
My Top Picks
It should go without saying that the SkinCeuticals products toward which I gravitated in my late 20s are not necessarily the ones that I look to in my mid-40s. While some of my needs are the same and I’ve taken damn good care of my skin, some inevitable changes take place. Of course, some of the in-office treatments I’ve received have helped, but nonetheless I have hyperpigmentation and live in drier weather that’s taken a toll on my skin.
I know what you’re thinking: C E Ferulic is going to be on this list. All the beauty editors have been raving about C E Ferulic—far and away our favorite vitamin-C serum—for years. Rumor has it that one veteran beauty editor named her baby Ferulicia. (Kidding.) But while it does, in fact, deserve its hero status, I’d like to tell you about a few other products that my now 46-year-old skin has been loving lately.
The Peptide Serum to Rule Them All: P-Tiox
Why I love it: As mentioned, I’ve been getting neuromodulators once or twice a year for the past 10 years. It’s an investment, so I’m always looking for products to minimize my number of in-office visits, and I’m convinced P-Tiox is the one. Its combination of peptides addresses how expression lines form and deepen, making it the ultimate ally to injectables. I also appreciate the inclusion of lightly exfoliating PHA and niacinamide, which brightens and soothes skin, to boost radiance and keep things calm. Because it’s super light, it layers extremely well with everything else I may be using on any given morning or evening, and it creates a gorgeously, glassy look right off the bat.
A Sunscreen I Actually Love to Wear: Clear Daily Soothing UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 50
Why I love it: If there’s one concern of mine that hasn’t changed in 20 years, it’s sun protection. I’m the only person I know who moved from New York to Florida and got paler. What has changed, however, is my tolerance for chemical sunscreens, which I typically prefer over mineral sunscreens because they don’t leave white casts.
But Clear Daily Soothing UV Defense leaves out what I’ve found to be the biggest irritation culprit—avobenzone—and provides its broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection with a hybrid of other chemical and mineral filters: homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene, and zinc oxide among them. It’s formulated to keep skin calm, not to mention hydrated enough to skip a pre-sunscreen moisturizer if you’re not very dry. And even when I apply it very generously (the only way to apply it, if we’re being honest with ourselves), it blends in beautifully and leaves me glowy, not greasy.
My Champion for Chapped Lips: Antioxidant Lip Repair
Why I love it: I have an autoimmune disease called Sjögren’s Syndrome, and one of the common symptoms is extremely dry, peeling lips. When I tell you I’ve tried every lip balm on this planet, I’m being only slightly hyperbolic. I’ve found that lip balm alone really isn’t going to do it for my chronically flaky, damaged lip skin, so I’ve added Antioxidant Lip Repair as a game-changing, pre-balm step. This lotion deposits antioxidants like silymarin and vitamin E to defend against free radicals, and hydration-attracting urea and hyaluronic acid to ensure I’m locking in the most moisture possible when I top it off with my lip balm du jour.
Not Just Any Retinol: Retinol 1.0
Why I love it: SkinCeuticals calls its Retinol 1.0 a “retinol face cream for advanced users,” which I choose to interpret as a little compliment. But in all seriousness, I’ve been using retinol on and off for a good 15 years in my pursuit of smoother and more even skin, so I can comfortably use SkinCeuticals’ highest concentration of the gold-standard ingredient for enhancing cell turnover and boosting collagen production. The bisabolol in the formula definitely helps soothe any irritation, but if you’re just now turning to retinol as a way to address discoloration and wrinkles, I recommend starting with Retinol 0.3 or Retinol 0.5 before going full-throttle.
The Overnight Celebrity: Renew Overnight Dry
Why I love it: As I’ve inched closer to 50, the biggest change I’ve experienced in my skin is dryness. So, while I once used lightweight lotions and semi-transparent gel creams, I now find myself reaching for richness like that of Renew Overnight Dry. But it’s not just the thickness that makes this one of my top night creams; it’s the bonus of multiple alphahydroxy acids—malic, lactic, tartaric, citric, and glycolic—that gently exfoliate. Where I once dreaded seeing dull, visibly dry skin when I looked in the mirror first thing in the morning, I now see fresh, healthy-looking skin that rivals how it effortlessly looked back in the day.
How we test and review products
When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that’s included in every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.