Moisturiser · Barrier repair · Peptide cream · Night cream · Gel cream · Obagi · Medik8 · Jan Marini · Dr LEVY · Cardiff
MOISTURISERS
moisturiser has one job that matters more than any other: holding water in the skin and keeping the barrier intact. Everything else a cream claims to do sits on top of that, and none of it works if the barrier is compromised.
What separates a medical-grade moisturiser from a high-street one is not the marketing. It is the concentration of active ingredients, the delivery system carrying them into the skin rather than sitting on it, and the clinical testing behind the formulation. That is also why they cost more.
Everything here is stocked by our Cardiff clinic and sourced through official UK distributors. If you are unsure which one suits your skin, the finder below narrows it down in three questions, or you can book a skin consultation and we will tell you honestly what you need and what you do not.
How to choose a moisturiser for your skin
Start with how your skin behaves rather than what you would like it to be.
If it feels tight, flaky or rough, you need barrier repair before anything else — look for ceramides, glycerin and niacinamide in a richer texture.
If it gets shiny by midday or you break out, you need a lightweight gel or gel-cream that hydrates without occluding. Oily skin is very often dehydrated skin, and skipping moisturiser makes it worse.
If it stings, flushes or reacts to most things, you need a short, fragrance-free ingredient list and nothing acidic in the same layer.
If your concern is lines and firmness rather than comfort, peptides and retinoid-compatible formulations are where to look — but they still need to hydrate properly or the rest is wasted.
And if you are using a retinoid, your moisturiser is doing a second job: keeping you comfortable enough to stay consistent with it. That usually means richer than you would otherwise pick.
Day cream or night cream?
A day cream is built to sit under SPF and make-up: lighter, faster-absorbing, often with antioxidants to handle daytime exposure. A night cream is built for repair, when skin loses more water and cell turnover is at its highest — richer textures, and the place retinoids and heavier occlusives belong.
You do not strictly need both. Plenty of people use one cream morning and night and do well. But if your skin is dry, mature, or on a retinoid, splitting them is the single easiest upgrade to a routine.
The brands we stock, and who each one suits
Obagi Medical — the most clinical of the four, and the one with the longest record. Hydrate and Hydrate Light are the everyday creams; Hydrate Luxe is the overnight one; Rebalance is the barrier repair cream for skin that has been pushed too hard. ELASTIderm is the firming end of the range.
Medik8 — built around the CSA principle of vitamin C and sunscreen in the morning, vitamin A at night, so the moisturisers are designed to work alongside a retinal rather than compete with it. Total Moisture for dry skin, Balance for oily and combination, Calmwise for redness, Advanced Pro-Collagen+ for firmness.
Jan Marini — the corrective range. Bioglycolic and Age Intervention are treatment creams as much as moisturisers, and they suit skin that wants active work rather than comfort.
Dr LEVY Switzerland — the luxury end. The Booster Cream range is stem-cell based, and the Overnight and Enriched versions are for skin that wants intensive repair. Priced accordingly.
What goes with your moisturiser
A moisturiser on its own will not change your skin. It protects the work everything else is doing.
Cleanser first, because a stripping cleanser undoes a good cream. Serum underneath, where the actives go. SPF over the top every morning without exception. Retinol or retinal at night once your barrier can take it.
If you would rather not assemble it yourself, build your routine in two minutes or complete an online skin consultationand we will put one together for you.
Not sure your skin needs a new cream?
Sometimes the answer is not another product. If your skin is dehydrated at dermal level rather than on the surface, no cream reaches it, and skin boosters or polynucleotides will do more than anything you can apply. If your concern is texture or pigment, a peel or medical microneedling is the faster route.
We will tell you which applies to you, including when the honest answer is that what you already own is fine.
FAQs
Moisturiser questions
What is a medical-grade moisturiser?
A moisturiser sold through clinics rather than high-street retail, with higher concentrations of active ingredients, a delivery system designed to carry them into the skin rather than sit on it, and clinical testing behind the formulation. It is a meaningful distinction rather than a marketing one, and it is why they cost more.
Do I need a moisturiser if my skin is oily?
Yes. Oily skin is very often dehydrated skin, and skipping moisturiser makes the oil worse rather than better, because the skin compensates. What changes is the texture: a lightweight gel or gel-cream rather than a rich one.
Should I use a different cream at night?
You do not have to, and plenty of people use one cream morning and night perfectly well. But if your skin is dry, mature, or on a retinoid, a richer night cream is the single easiest improvement you can make to a routine.
Can I use a moisturiser with a retinoid?
Yes, and you should. A good moisturiser is what keeps you comfortable enough to stay consistent with a retinoid, which is where the results actually come from. Apply the retinoid first and the moisturiser over it, or buffer with moisturiser underneath if you are still building tolerance.
How much should I use?
About a fingertip for the whole face. Apply it within a minute of washing, while the skin is still slightly damp, which traps considerably more water than applying to fully dry skin.
Which moisturiser is right for my skin?
Use the finder above, which narrows it down in three questions. If you would rather have a person do it, our online skin consultation is free and reviewed by our prescribers, or you can book a skin consultation in clinic.
Do you deliver?
Yes, across the UK. Standard delivery is £4.99, free over £99, and express is £9.99.