Looking specifically for men but I’m open to all opinions. I’ve been doing some experimenting over the last 2 and a bit years, trying to find what works best for me. I’d love to get some opinions on what has worked for others.
stuff I’ve tried:
- L’Oréal Men Expert (no complaints)
- Bull Dog (not the biggest fan)
- Neutrogena (no complaints either)
- SkinCeuticals (borrowed from my partner who got some as a gift)
I’m in Europe if it helps
I struggled with adult acne for a long time. Currently I use:
Toner my aunt makes (it’s basic, she owns a soap business, so it’s not sketchy ha); Some sort of eye cream because I’m getting crows feet, but I haven’t found one yet that I feel does anything at all (taking recs, but I don’t like spending a lot on this stuff; maybe that’s why it’s all been useless so far!); Neutrogena sensitive skin moisturizer; Australian Gold tinted sunscreen.
My skin has changed a lot over time. It got a lot better (less oily) post-kids, but I don’t know if it was baby hormones or age, or if by then I had just gotten the routine down and was no longer super drying it out, which lead to lots of oil.
Dove unscented bar soap and whatever unscented shampoo I find at target or Walmart. My wife got alaffia Shea lotion that I like but she didn’t, it goes on without feeling greasy and I use working hands on cold days when my knuckles crack
Paula’s Choice ships to Europe and it’s amazing. I’ve been using it for over 20 years
PC men’s skincare: https://www.paulaschoice.com/skin-care-products/mens
Cetaphil face wash. Bioré AQUA Rich Watery Essence sunscreen from Japan. you can’t even tell you’re wearing sunscreen
Second on the biore sunscreen. I can never go back to regular sunscreen.
Do you have to special order the sunscreen from somewhere?
I just Google it and hit the shopping tab to find the best price at that time. a lot of people carry it, but none of them reliably or at of reliable price. sometimes Amazon has the best price, sometimes walmart, sometimes someplace I’ve never heard of. the last time, I found a bunch of extra large bottles which was amazing
Fellow guy here.I use CeraVe foaming face wash followed with Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing gel for oily skin.
I also use CeraVe moisturizer in the big tub for my hands and skin when they’re dry. I dare not use that stuff of my face, as it’s too greasy and makes me break out.
I’ve also got some CORSX AHA 7 Liquid for exfoliating with some cotton swabs.
And finally just some proraso for shaving.
But yeah, you really gotta figure out what kinda skin type you’ve got so you can better match up what products you really need, or see a dermatologist to get a regimen figured out, of you even need one. Like if you’ve got dry skin, oily skin, or combination, etc.
Anything Burts Bees, I use deep cleansing pore scrub with peach and willow bark. Use it everyday for face wash
I use differin gel for individual breakouts
That looks quite interesting! Unfortunately they only have a limited selection in the UK - I didn’t find an EU store on my phone.
Ursa Major
That looks brilliant, thank you! Any particular product that you recommend?
I use all their products and love them all. They actually work, and make my skin look, feel, and smell great. The branding is sharp too. First time I’ve felt this way about a skincare line. They have different uses so it’ll be hard for me to recommend just one. See if you can find some samples at Sephora or something. You won’t regret your purchase.
I usually recommend the cerave / cetaphil stuff, especially if your skin is harder to take care of.
Otherwise I refer to the CDA list to double check if it’s recommended. It covers the following
- Fragrance-free or unscented
- Gentle on skin to avoid skin irritation
- Do not contain common allergens
- Do not clog pores
I got cerave as a face lotion, my husband uses it maybe more than I do.
Vouching for Cerave too, got a liter of their moisturizer here, does no leave my skin oily and feels great.
I also use La Roche-Posay exfoliant and anti-sebum cream to combat my forever acne (actually seems like one of the only things that work for me).
I work construction and live in an area with high winds pretty regularly (always getting blasted by dirt). I use the CeraVe face wash and moisturizer. It’s great and really helped my face.
Cerave’s great for eczema!
Gentle exfoliation with a foaming cleanser that won’t dry your skin out and a soft wash rag. A retinoid (adapaline) nightly or every other night, and a moisturizer 2x a day. Use sunscreen and re-apply every 2 hours to reduce sun damage.
This can all be cheap and have good data behind them.
Sunscreen
I did kinda take that song to heart.
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Paula’s Choice for liquid or gel exfoliant and sunscreen moisturiser - personally I prefer the ultra sheer SPF 15 as the mineral based one feels rough on my skin. I’ll then top up with a higher SPF face sunscreen if necessary, as it usually is in Australia.
I also use Clinique’s All About Eyes cream, All About Clean 2-in-1 Cleansing + Exfoliating Jelly as my daily scrub, and Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ if I want a moisturiser without sunscreen.
If you try Paula’s Choice, give the routine finder a go to find the right fit for your skin type.
Another vote for CeraVe here. I have oily skin and still at the age of 40 get some acne and their blemish control cleanser and the SA moisturiser keep it under control. My skin has never been better.
What’s your skin like OP? Is it dry or oily? Do you work outside? I can better recommend some products if I know what you need.
I work inside all day at the moment (I work fully remote). If I don’t use a moisturiser my skin will get very dry and flakey. During summer I cycle quite a bit so the perspiration can cause some breakouts.
Definitely have a go of the CeraVe SA smoothing cream. A little goes a long way and it will work miracles for dry skin. You can use it all over your body too. I’ve got a big pot of the stuff and it lasts ages. They also have moisturisers with SPF which you can use together with the SA cream. The foaming oil cleanser or the hydrating cleanser would be great for you.
Skin care products are required to get no government cetification on their claims. Hence its mostly marketing and giving/taking advantage of people with self image issues. Its the next step in consumerism to take advantage of mens wallets in the same way the beuty industry has been doing to women for years.
Soap and water will clean practically anything and if ya need it maybe some dirt cheap moisturiser for literally any part of your body will do the trick. Hell u can probably find something in ur kitchen that will do just as good of a job as any bullshit product.
Dont buy into the marketing mens beuty marketing is perfectly correllated with self image issues its all designed to make u a good little consumer.
Honestly the best thing u can do for your skin is go swimming in the ocean once a day.
Even soap and water (or hot water) is bad if you do it too often, doing every day is bad for the body, as it removes the natural protection your skin produces and NEEDS, and you don’t need the skin care products unless it is for some issues you have on your skin (medical reason). Those products often creates more issues with your skin. We should always visit an expert on skin care with studies and stop following random people.
Most of the marketing about skin protection is bs.
And sunscreen is also probably better for said protection than some special bs shite.
And yeah medical reasons is a whole different thing entirely.
But we are talking about skincare in general, right? Sunscreen is good to protect your skin from sun and very recommendable, but the OP isn’t asking sunscreen, he is asking for general products and what I have seen on internet, there is a lot of abuse of those products and misinformation, that’s why I would go to an expert to know the best for your skin, as every skin is different.
Seeing that you’re in the UK I recommend Facetheory. Good products and there’s always an offer code for 20% off. https://www.facetheory.com/
- Some organic face soap
- some organic shaving soap (lasts forever, mix with water or use these fancy brushes)
- organic basic cream (afterwards)
- sometimes peeling containing clay
