The Best Natural Moisturizers for Tweens and Teens: How to Choose the Right One for Your Child

If you’re the parent of a tween or teen, you know that they are going through some big changes – physically and emotionally. One of the most important things you can do for your child during this time is to help them take care of their skin properly. This can be tricky, as not all skincare products target the specific needs of young skin or if you want to avoid harsh chemicals in their products.

In our previous blog, we talked about hydration and its importance. Today, we will focus on understanding the different types of natural moisturizers in the market and how to choose the right one for your child’s unique needs! Yes, until we launch our brand Tweengreens, there are not many options for this specific age, but we’ve compiled a list of those natural moisturizers that for now could help.

There is not a single answer to that question. It will depend on different approaches like active ingredients you want to find, skin types or conditions, the skincare routine your kids want to adopt, how natural the moisturizer should be, weather conditions, and others. Let’s take a look at each and then define which moisturizer could work according to these.

The best way to choose a moisturizer having into account the skin type is to check the ingredients list. Some ingredients are better for oily skin while others are better for sensitive skin types for example.

If you checked on our last blog, we talked about the three aspects a good moisturizer should have: humectant properties, emollience, and occlusivity. Despite being a lot of ingredients in the natural skincare market, some ingredients stand out because of their properties.

All skin types benefit from humectants. Whether you choose a rich cream or face lotion, a humectant needs to be present in the formula as it hydrates skin. Here some examples:

Aloe Vera juice or extract. This natural ingredient is known both as a humectant and as an emollient and is widely used in face moisturizers thanks to its benefits. It contains many different active compounds which include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and others, which working together are great at bringing moisture from the environment to the skin.

Usually, you can find aloe vera in your cosmetic label as «Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice», «Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract», or «Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder».

Hyaluronic Acid (HA). Is a naturally-occurring polysaccharide that is present in the skin and is synthesized by the body daily; however, when the production of HA decreases, skin loses its ability to remain hydrated.

Hyaluronic acid as a cosmetic ingredient is manufactured by a biotechnological process and it is said that can hold up to 1000 times its own weight in water, making it an excellent choice for a natural moisturizer. Although is commonly used for skin aging, young skin can benefit from this ingredient no matter the skin type.

You can find hyaluronic acid on the label as «hyaluronic acid» or «sodium hyaluronate».

Glycerin. Is one of the main humectant ingredients used in the beauty industry, especially in face moisturizers. It is highly hygroscopic, which means it can attract and hold water from its surroundings which results in a hydrating effect, prevention of water loss, and improvement of the skin barrier.

Just like glycerin, there are other popular natural humectants with very similar qualities that you can find in your cosmetic products such as:

• Propanediol
• Sodium lactate
• Sorbitol

In traditional non-natural cosmetics, these ingredients are replaced by «propylene glycol» which is not considered natural and according to different studies, is associated with allergic dermatitis and contact urticaria even when used in low concentrations.

In your cosmetic labels, you will find glycerin and the mentioned humectants by their common names, but also you will find herbal extracts which could provide also anti-inflammatory properties and are usually mixed with glycerin for increasing their ability to penetrate the skin’s barrier.

Taking this into account, here I leave a product I really recommend:

These kinds of ingredients are those which provide moisture retention to a product therefore, independently if your teenager has oily or acne-prone skin, it is important to include products that contain some amount of oils to keep their skin hydrated. The key thing in choosing moisturizers for different skin types is not focused on whether or not the product should include occlusive agents but on which amount it should include.

Vegetable oil is derived from the seeds or fruits of plants and is capable to deliver a beautiful combination of fatty acids that feed our skin and prevent it to dehydrate. Although there is no water present in an oil, it is considered a rich moisturizer because of its role in moisturizers products. (If you want to read more on how oils are great for skin, don’t forget to read our previous blog about vegetable oils)

In this category, we do not necessarily include only oils, but also butter and waxes (which are more commonly used in lip care). Here are some tips for choosing the right vegetable-derived occlusive agent in your kid’s facial moisturizer according to skin type:

• Always check the comedogenic index of the oil. Acne-prone skin should use only oils with scores of 0 o1 on the comedogenic scale, for example, argan oil or raspberry oil. Dry skin can benefit from using higher fatty oils or butter such as macadamia oil or shea butter (which soothe sensitive skin) or coconut oil (which brings antibacterial properties in moisturizers for sensitive skin or dry skin).
• Check the order on the label. If the ingredient is at the top of the label, then it has a high content of oils. If it is at the bottom, it means that it has a lower amount of oils. Higher amounts are better for dry and sensitive skin, while lower amounts are recommended if your teen is showing oily skin.
• Choose the correct skincare routine according to the skin type of your kid. Dry skin and sensitive skin benefit from an oily face cream while oily skin will benefit from a light face lotion or serum consistency instead.

These are great ingredients that bring emollient and occlusive properties to a product without the greasy feeling or the comedogenic risk of vegetable oils. You can find them in the label as:

• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride. Great emollient derived from coconut oil.
• Squalane oil. Helps restore the lipid barrier, preventing water evaporates from the skin.
• Isopropyl myristate. A natural-occurring fatty acid with moisturizing properties.

In general, natural skincare is always my choice although sometimes I make some products with non-natural ingredients that have been demonstrated to be safe for human skin. That is why is very surprising for me to find that one very used and recommended facial moisturizing lotion is the «Cerave» one.

It’s not my purpose to make a negative judgment regarding a product, so I just want to focus on the evidence. Check out this video where I analyze the low score that EWG is giving to this product.

In the video I analyze the ingredients list, however, these are my conclusions after reading it:

• Parabens have shown a wide range of toxicity: reproductive, allergies, endocrine disruption, cellular changes, and others. A product preserved with parabens is a definitive NO for me
• Silicones are not just bad for the environment, these have the risk of toxicity and prevent the skin from breathing well (which also happens with mineral oils by the way)
• A very large list of ingredients is not recommended especially for sensitive skin

When we refer to skin conditions we are talking about those skins that are affected by atopic dermatitis, eczema or others, which makes them more likely to have allergic reactions to skin care products. Here my tips to find the best face moisturiser for sensitive skin.

For sensitive skin, less is more. Remember that any ingredient can disrupt the skin barrier and a large list of ingredients would make it impossible for you to discover which ingredient is causing the skin sensitivity

Now, when we talk about how many products should you choose, probably the less is more rule doesn’t apply. Since water and oil are both needed to moisturize the skin, and those two can’t normally mix, both are usually combined in a single product (a face moisturizer in the form of a cream, a serum, or a lotion). This water and oil mixing is achieved with the help of an emulsifier, which can disrupt the skin barrier function of sensitive skin types.

That is why, for sensitive skin, I would recommend having separate products for hydrating skin, like an oat gel moisturizer for example, and use an occlusive agent as an additional step of the skincare routine made by an anhydrous product like a shea butter balm or a vegetable oil facial oil for example.

Fragrances are usually made with a lot of ingredients (common irritants I have to say) that mixed together give the product a pleasant aroma, which is great for the whole skin care routine experience. However, because these ingredients are usually not disclosed on the label, the less is more rule applies perfectly. How could you know that something in the fragrance is causing a skin barrier disruption?. That is why fragrance-free products are your safer choice if your tweens or teens have sensitive skin or have been diagnosed with a specific skin condition.

Now, is not easy to find fragrance-free products in the market, which is why you should look for products specifically targeting sensitive skin types which will probably be better at avoiding skin irritation.

There is nothing left to say about choosing the right moisturizer for the skin of tweens and teenagers but that there are a lot of myths about moisturizing acne-prone skin. All skin types moisturizing systems need humectant ingredients, emollient and nourishing ingredients, and occlusive moisturizing ingredients. Oily and acne-prone skin is not the exception, however, below my tips for choosing the right moisturizer:

Don’t choose products where the oily ingredients (both vegetable oils or esters) are at the bottom of the ingredients list on the label instead of the top. This means that the amount of oil was kept low.

We are used to think that using face moisturizers products with alcohol can help to reduce the amount of sebum in the face, however, this only decreases hydration. Choosing active ingredients with sebum-regulating properties should be used instead.

If your kid is presenting acne or irritated skin is best to opt for fragrance-free products as well. We don’t want to increase skin sensitivity needlessly.

Tweens and teens are often in a difficult stage where they are trying to figure out who they are. This means their skin is also going through changes, which can lead to skin conditions like acne, sensitive skin or dry skin. For this reason, parents should be involved in choosing the right moisturizer for them. By checking the product label and discovering what could be good according to their skin type or skin condition, parents can help improve their child’s appearance and self-esteem. We hope you found this blog helpful! Please share it with other moms who may want advice on finding the best skincare routine for their tweens or teens.