Editor’s tip: Fans of the moisturizer can spring for the jumbo-size jar. Alternatively, you can purchase refill pods for $90 a pop if you buy the 50-milliliter tub. Or, if you want to explore a lighter-weight option, try the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Water Cream, which happens to be editor-approved and one of our One to Watch recipients.
Key ingredients: peptides, vitamin E, hyaluronic acid | Fragrance-free: no | Who it’s for: people who layer moisturizer under base makeup
Best Night Cream: Caudalie Premier Cru Cream
Why it’s worth it: What makes Caudalie’s Allure Best of Beauty-winning Premier Cru The Cream so impressive is its concoction of hyaluronic acid and sugars derived from honey locusts—gasp. Dr. Green says the latter ingredient helps firm and plump the skin, targeting issues like sagging and wrinkles. This cream also contains grapeseed oil and shea butter, two lipids known for their moisturizing abilities.
Editor’s tip: If you have especially dry skin, consider Caudalie’s Premier Cru The Rich Cream, another Allure Best of Beauty winner.
Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, Viniferine | Fragrance-free: no | Who it’s for: night cream-lovers
Best Healing: La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizer
Why it’s worth it: The mother (or la mere, if you will) of luxury moisturizers, the La Mer Crème de La Mer is thick, resolutely hydrating, and feels as expensive on your face as it does your wallet. The moisture works to heal and tighten skin via two proprietary, symbiotic blends—Lime Tea, an antioxidant, and the sea kelp-forward Miracle Broth. You’ll also find ingredients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, alfalfa, and vitamin C extracts, all of which have healing properties, care for fine lines, and lift sagging skin.
Editor’s tip: Crème de la Mer entails a special application process, and we wouldn’t expect any less for such a thoughtfully formulated product. Warm the cream before your fingertips to activate the Miracle Broth, and once it’s translucent, press it (don’t massage) gently into your face and neck. Do this morning and night and watch the results roll in.
Key ingredients: sea kelp, Lime Tea, calcium, magnesium, potassium, alfalfa, vitamin C | Fragrance-free: no | Who it’s for: people with skin damage
Best for Elasticity: InnBeauty Project Extreme Cream
Why it’s worth it: The InnBeauty Extreme Cream is the firming, lifting, tightening, plumping formula you’ve been fantasizing about. It targets loss of elasticity—something pervasive (and sometimes pretty frustrating) in aging skin—with a blend of peptides, retinol, and ceramides. You can apply the luxe formula morning and night, and it doubles as a lovely, glowy, hydrating base under makeup.
