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How to 
moisturise your face?

Whether your skin is dry, normal, combination or oily, your face needs to be deeply hydrated each day, and sometimes several times a day! Forget what you’ve heard about it only being dry skin that needs to be moisturised.

All skin types can suffer from temporary dehydration. Just like your body needs water, it’s only natural that your face feels the same need to be hydrated. That “thirst” or lack of hydration feels like discomfort, tightness, skin that is dried out and dehydrated. Temperature changes, rain, cold, air conditioning and pollution are just some of the daily external factors that can damage the natural hydration of your skin and make your face feel dehydrated. We're all exposed to these temperature variations several times a day, at home, in the street, or out shopping! It's not extreme conditions but the effect of everyday life at the source of this discomfort.

Listen to your skin and keep it properly hydrated.

Follow the advice of our beauty experts to understand how to recognise its needs. Use moisturising products that give your face the ingredients required to keep your skin healthy. The Clarins range has a wealth of creams, oils and masks... Your skin can’t speak, but it does give unmistakeable signs! It’s up to you to recognise the symptoms and maintain the right routine to avoid dehydration and keep your skin healthy. Prevention is better than cure.

Ready for a little lesson on hydration?

01 How can I recognise dehydrated skin?

Kalanchoe leaf with water moelcules

There’s no need to be confused, dehydrated skin doesn’t necessarily mean dry skin! Whether your skin is dry, normal, combination or oily, its water needs are not being met.

It's thirsty, and it shows. This situation is not permanent but temporary, when the skin tissue is weakened and cannot retain the water it contains. It passes as soon as the skin is sufficiently hydrated.

Clarins Research is pushing back the limits of hydration with the Hyaluronic Power Complex. A double dose of hyaluronic acid for instant and lastingly plumped-up skin combined with an exclusive Leaf of Life extract, full of rich moisturising benefits, to be applied as often as you please!

02 What are the symptoms of dehydrated skin?

2 yound women drinking water and laughing

Dehydrated skin and dry skin often present the same symptoms.

The skin feels tight, there is a feeling of discomfort on the face, the complexion lacks radiance and redness may appear...

Unlike dry skin, susceptible to this discomfort, hotness and tightness throughout the day, dehydrated skin regains its suppleness once deeply hydrated with moisturising creams. Once the skin cells are nourished with the necessary hydrating ingredients, the hydrolipidic film is reinforced and forms a barrier to retain water. The temporary lack of water has been compensated, skin is soft, radiating comfort with a healthy glow.

For dehydrated combination to oily skin, the moisturising treatment must not overload the skin. The light texture must provide a dose of water, in addition to a cosmetic product designed to tackle the problems of oily skin like excess sebum and large pores.

03 How can I tell if my skin is dry or dehydrated?

A mature women applying facial cream

Dry skin is a permanent situation, a skin type, like having dry hair.

Dry skin needs to be moisturised and nourished every day, morning and night, with a lipid-rich cream or nutrient-dense oil. Lipids and water are the two ingredients required to restore softness and comfort. Dry skin is often sensitive and particularly vulnerable to external stressors. The Clarins line of facial skincare provides a wide range of anti-ageing products formulated for dry skin and adapted to its specific nutritional and moisturising needs.

Dehydrated skin is just lacking water, and it's a temporary situation. They are two different situations in terms of physiology. Dehydration can be caused by a change in the skin's hydrolipidic layer that causes the water it contains to evaporate.

Here's a little tip to help you tell when your face needs to be hydrated: your skin will show fine dehydration lines when you pinch your cheek gently between two fingers, just below the eye. Try it for yourself!

04 What are the factors that cause dehydration?

Clarins Hydration Range

There are lots of them and they're all around you!

At any age, skin is sensitive to external stressors due to the sun, cold and pollution, and is exposed to thermal fluctuations around 17 times a day, caused by temperature and humidity changes! Things that seem harmless like going outside, using public transport, entering a room that's too hot or too cold, exercising or relaxing outside at a restaurant after a day at the office are enough to make thirsty skin dehydrate, become uncomfortable and lose its fresh glow.

Tobacco and alcohol are aggravating factors, as are stress and fatigue. Some medical treatments or cleansing products with high pH levels, overly harsh cosmetics and too much make-up can also trigger these issues and occasionally leave the skin feeling uncomfortable and less supple.

Too much screen time on computers and phones can also make water evaporate. There’s no escape!

In addition to these unavoidable external factors, internal culprits add up over time, like skin ageing, genes, menopause and certain illnesses.

05 What can I do to fight skin dehydration?

Hydra-Essentiel [HA²] range - visuel 1

Protect and replenish your face.

Since it unfortunately has to deal with stressors every day, it needs to be carefully hydrated with an oil or cream that has moisturising properties.

Clarins Laboratories has found a way to boost the natural hydration process and compensate for the lack of water and skin dryness. The moisturising Hydra Essentiel [HA²] range is the perfect ally for dehydrated skin.

Enriched with organic leaf of life extract and a powerful duo of hyaluronic acids, these facial skincare products activate natural hydration and boost the production of hyaluronic acid, to help the skin to retain water. And because the skin has different needs depending on the time of day, Clarins has developed expertise in skin chronobiology to offer targeted skincare.

Hydra Essentiel [HA²] range offer formulas adapted to the skin's rhythm. In the morning, hydrate and lastingly replump the skin exposed to daily aggressions with the day care products. At night, the Night Cream intensely replenish thirsty skin, while reducing dehydration lines for a smooth, plump and radiant skin in the morning.

06 How do I choose a Hydra Essentiel [HA²] moisturising product?

Hydra-Essentiel [HA²] range - visuel 2

Depending on your skin type, whether it's dry, very dry, normal or combination, there are plenty of options in the Hydra Essentiel [HA²] range!

Finding the thirst-quenching product that responds to the needs of your skin is a real pleasure. The skin has its thirst quenched by fresh and sensual textures that create a sense of skin well-being upon application, as well as satisfying a deep desire for hydration.

Normal to dry skin can enjoy the freshness of the fine and sumptuous Silky Cream. Very dry skin is enveloped in the light and creamy balm of Rich Cream. Your skin is immediately flooded with a comforting feeling of well-being. Normal to combination skin will love Hydra-Essentiel [HA2] Light Cream or Hydra-Essentiel [HA2] Silky Cream SPF15 which also protects it from the sun's harmful effects.

Thanks to the Clarins Anti-Pollution Complex*, the Hydra Essentiel [HA²] products help to protect the skin from pollution particles, which are responsible for the premature ageing of skin cells. All skin types regain radiance, softness and freshness thanks to the regenerative effect of leaf of life, a powerful hydration activator, combined with callicarpa, known for its effect on the complexion. Reinforcing the skin barrier and the capacity to retain water allows the skin to remain beautiful and intensely hydrated throughout the day. That's pure happiness!

*not present in Hydra-Essentiel Bi-Phase Serum

07 Which routine is best for dehydrated skin?

3 young women laughing

To regenerate the skin, gently remove impurities and eliminate dead cells, exfoliate once or twice a week with gentle Comfort Scrub Cream.

In an emergency, you can compensate for the lack of hydration with a SOS Hydra Refreshing Hydration Mask. This express treatment plunges the face into a pool of freshness and intense hydration. You just need a few minutes, morning or night, to deeply hydrate your skin and make it beautifully supple and radiant again.
A beauty tip for maximising the results of your mask and making it work better: add 1 or 2 drops of natural, rebalancing Blue Orchid Oil with 100% pure plant extracts and essential oils.

Make a spritz of Hydrating Multi-Protection Mist a part of your daily routine to refresh, hydrate and prepare your skin properly before applying moisturiser.

Boost hydration with a few drops of a thirst-quenching emulsion, then hydrate intensely with a suitable moisturiser - that's the Clarins experts’ beauty secret to pampering a dehydrated face! In the evening, complete your routine with the night cream, for plumped and glowing skin in the morning.

Take the time to hydrate and rest your eyes with an Eye Mask. In just 10 minutes, your eye contour regains a fresh, relaxed look. The skin is smoother, dark circles appear reduced thanks to horse chestnut aescin, and signs of tiredness fade away. Apply in the evening and leave to work overnight, if you like.

To finish off this extreme hydration programme, Hydra-Essentiel Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm with blue lotus wax repairs and moisturises the lips with a nourishing film, and gives your smile a pretty pink colour.

A little touch of Clarins make-up and your face is radiant all over!

One last piece of advice, in both summer and winter you should drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day! Don't wait until you feel thirsty to hydrate your body. Inside and out, properly hydrated skin shows all the signs of well-being, health and beauty. On your marks, get set, hydrate!

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Questions in the same category

I have dehydrated skin. What are my options?

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How to get glowing skin?

Depending on the season, your skin is exposed to harsh environmental influences like sun, cold, wind, pollution, heating, air-conditioning, or sudden temperature swings—aggressors that can leave it looking dry, dull and weathered…old before its time.

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