Moisturizer vs Cream: Difference and Comparison

The beauty industry’s growth rate has reached new heights in recent decades. There isn’t a single person on the planet who isn’t infatuated with beauty or who isn’t interested in all of the glitzy products on the market.

Moisturizers and creams are the most fundamental elements required to maintain one’s “natural beauty.”

Finally, it is up to the person to select among them. First and foremost, the skin’s requirements must be met. These goods are used for a variety of objectives, including beauty and cosmetics, as well as commercial and medicinal applications.

Key Takeaways

1. Moisturizers are products that are used to hydrate and sthe skin.
2. Creams, conversely, are thicker and heavier than moisturizers and are used for more intense hydration.
3. Moisturizers are for daily use, while creams are for extra dry or damaged skin.

Moisturizer vs Cream

Moisturizers are cosmetic products designed to hydrate and protect the skin by preventing water loss and have a lighter texture that is quickly absorbed by the skin. Creams are thicker and contain more oil, making them ideal for dry or mature skin that needs extra hydration and protection.

Moisturizers, on the whole, have a thinner consistency than creams. Moisturizers are highly suggested for those with dry skin who want to keep their skin moisturised. In comparison to creams, moisturisers have a lower oil content.

The daytime is the greatest and most appropriate time to apply moisturiser. Moisturizers have only one job: to hydrate the skin. Moisturizing creams keep the skin moisturised by retaining moisture.

Creams have a more substantial consistency than moisturisers. People with normal, oily, or mixed skin only use cream and skip moisturisers. Creams have a larger oil content than lotions.

The best time to apply the lotion is at night. Creams are useful for a variety of things, including melasma therapy, de-tanning, hyperpigmentation, and so on. Creams keep moisture in the body.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Moisturizer	Cream
Definition	Applied on the skin to let skin retain moisture and stay hydrated.	People apply the cream before applying moisturizer to their skin.
Consistency	Thinner than the regular creams.	Thicker than the moisturizers.
Skin type recommendation	People with dry skin are highly recommended.	People with normal, oily or combination type skins are recommended.
Oil content	Contain a comparatively lesser amount of oil than the cream.	Contain higher content of oil in them.
Sole work	To hydrate the skin.	It can be used for uneven skin tone treatment, melasma treatment, de-tanning, hyperpigmentation, etc.
Most suitable time	Day-time	Night-time
Basic work	Retains moisture.	Locks the moisture within.

What is Moisturizer?

Moisturizer is frequently applied to the skin to keep it hydrated and retain moisture. Moisturizers are thinner in consistency than ordinary creams.

Moisturizers are widely suggested for those with dry skin since they help the skin maintain moisture. Moisturizers have a lower percentage of oil in them than creams.

The finest and most appropriate time to use moisturiser is during the day. Moisturizers exist merely to hydrate the skin and serve no other purpose.

Moisturizers keep the skin moisturised by retaining moisture. Moisturizers do not clog the open pores of the skin. Hence, they are used abundantly when the sun sets high.

As they are consistently thin, they get absorbed into the skin quickly, helping in hydrating the skin for hours together. Various kinds of moisturisers are available in the market.

Some moisturizers are specially designed for people having dry skin. It is very important to pick a perfect moisturizer according to the skin type.

What is Cream?

Many, and the majority of people, apply the cream to their skin before applying moisturizer to their face. However, creams are comparatively thicker in consistency than the moisturizers available in the market.

People who have normal to oily and combination-type skin ignore moisturizers and apply only cream. Moreover, creams contain a higher amount of oil.

Nighttime is the most suitable time to wear cream on the face after following proper cleaning procedures. Creams can be used vividly for various purposes, such as skin whitening melasma treatment, sunburns, de-tanning, pigmentation, hyper-pigmentation, breakouts, acne, etc.

Creams are known to lock the moisture within the skin it is applied.

Some creams are non-medicated, whereas some creams are medicated. They possess a thicker or gel-like consistency. Due to the presence of a high concentration of oil, these creams are preferred at night.

As the atmosphere or the outer environment is full of suspended dust and dirt particles, which get into the skin pores and clog them, resulting in acne and pimples.

Main Differences Between Moisturizer and Cream

1. Moisturizer is applied to the skin to let the skin retain moisture and stay hydrated. On the other hand, many people apply the cream before applying moisturizer to their skin.
2. Generally, moisturizers are thinner in consistency than regular creams. On the other hand, creams are comparatively thicker in consistency than moisturizers.
3. People with dry skin are highly recommended to use moisturizers for retaining moisture in the skin. On the other hand, people with normal, oily or combination-type skin go on applying only cream, ignoring moisturizers.
4. Moisturizers contain a comparatively lesser amount of oil than the cream. On the other hand, creams contain a higher content of oil.
5. The most suitable time to wear moisturizer in the daytime. On the other hand, the most suitable time to apply cream is nighttime.
6. The work of the moisturizers is solely to hydrate the skin, and it does not have any other role to play. On the other hand, creams can be used for various purposes, for example, for melasma treatment, de-tanning, hyperpigmentation, etc.
7. Moisturizers retain moisture, keeping it hydrated. On the other hand, creams lock the moisture within.

References

1. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04128.x
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197824/