Review: Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Nourishing Moisturizer with SPF 30.
I read about this, and wanted to try it. I have acne-prone, sensitive, combination skin that is more dry in the winter and more oily in the summer. I always have an oily T-zone regardless of the season. My current HG moisturizers are the Boscia Oil-Free Daily Hydration SPF 15 and Origins Have A Nice Day Supercharged Moisture Cream SPF 15. Both are excellent, but the Origins one is in a jar and I really don't like dipping my fingers in it every day. It's very unsanitary. Both are also kind of pricey (the Boscia one used to be $26, but since they upped the standard size they also upped the price...haven't bought it since then because this is my late spring/summer/early fall moisturizer and the Origins one is $36). I wanted to find something that 1) was less expensive and 2) that I could use year-round. This moisturizer appealed to me because it claims it is for "stressed skin", it's in a pump container, has SPF 30, and the price (~$18 at CVS, I saw it at Ulta for ~$14 for a 2.5fl oz/75mL product).
What it claims:
In a clinical study, 100% of women showed an improvement in the look of stressed skin. It keeps the good in:
* Lightweight formula enriched with antioxidants and vitamins A, C & E is clinical proven to replenish stressed skin and keep in essential moisture.
* Softens and smooths skin with conditioning emollients.
And the bad out:
* Designed to strengthen the skin's barrier with an exclusive formula combining our latest ACTIVE NATURALS technology and sunscreen protection.
* Helps protect skin from environmental stressors, including sun's harmful UVA/UVB rays.
The ingredients list:
Active Ingredients: Avobenzone (3%), Homosalate (12%), Octisalate (5%), Octocrylene (1.7%), Oxybenzone (3%). Inactive Ingredients: Water, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Candelilla/Jojoba/Rice Bran Polyglyceryl-3 Esters, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Phenoxyethanol, Silica, Glyceryl Stearate, Hydrolyzed Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Fragrance, Chlorphenesin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cellulose Gum, Sodium PCA, Urea, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Cetearyl Alcohol, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Artemisia Abrotanum Flower/Leaf/Stem Extract, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caesalpinia Spinosa Gum, Polyquaternium-51, Trehalose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid.
It is oil-free, hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic.
The ACTIVE NATURALS ingredient is Southernwood, which apparently is good for inflammed, stressed-out skin. Because I suffer from "stressed-out skin," this appealed to me.
The packaging I think is cute. I'm a sucker for cute packaging. It's very springy. You get a lot of product for the price. It has SPF 30 with UVA/UVB protection which I really like. It has a pump, which is very hygienic and that is a huge plus for me. The consistency isn't too thick, but it isn't thin, either - kind of in-between. It doesn't feel greasy when applied (my Origins moisturizer feels kind of greasy in the beginning). It does however, have a strong scent! It's floral, but the best way for me to describe it is that the scent reminds me a drugstore shampoo (like Pantene or something). It's pleasant and doesn't bother me but I know it might bother some. The scent does last a bit when applied to the face but it does go away after awhile. The moisturizer itself does a great job at moisturizing and I could definitely use this year-round instead of having to buy two different moisturizers. It doesn't break me out (which was my biggest worry!) and I still break out, but my skin does look more radiant!
Give it a try. You can always return it lol
I have also been using their Anti-Fatigue Eye Treatment. I can't say too much about it at the moment because I just started using it, but it claims to help combat dark circles and hydrate/brighten the eye area. It has the same scent as the moisturizer but not quite as strong. it is definitely hydrating and it gives a very nice cooling sensation when applied.