Cleansers, moisturizers, serums and sunscreen, from drugstore standbys the dermatologists keep recommending to a few independent lines we like. If you’re not sure what your skin needs, Ryan is happy to look at what you’re using and tell you what to skip.
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser, 8 oz, ten ingredients and no fragrance. Use it with water or, when there’s no sink in sight, wipe it off with a soft cloth.
Blue Lizard® Sensitive 24% SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen Spray, 5 oz
Blue Lizard Sensitive mineral sunscreen spray SPF 50, 5 oz: zinc oxide 24% you can shake and spray on squirming shoulders, then hand-apply to the face. Vegan.
Blue Lizard® Sensitive 10% – 8% SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen, 3 oz
Blue Lizard Sensitive mineral sunscreen SPF 50, the all-purpose 3 oz lotion: zinc and titanium, no fragrance, no parabens, water resistant for 80 minutes.
Blue Lizard® Baby 10% – 8% SPF 50 Mineral Sunscreen, 3 oz
Blue Lizard Baby mineral sunscreen SPF 50, 3 oz, fragrance-free with calendula. Water resistant 80 minutes, and the label admits it may stain the good outfit.
La Roche-Posay® Mela B3 Dark Spot Corrector Serum, 1 oz
La Roche-Posay Mela B3 serum with Melasyl and 10% niacinamide, 1 oz: three or four drops before moisturizer, morning and night, sunscreen after. Scented.
On damp skin right after a shower, with extra for elbows, knees, and heels. Ursa Major Golden Hour Body Butter, shea and vegan squalane, 6.7 fl oz glass jar.
Rich in the jar, thin on the skin, and the cream the Golden Hour line is named for. Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream face moisturizer, 1.57 fl oz.
Two stable forms of vitamin C that won’t oxidize and turn orange in the bottle. Ursa Major Brighten Up vitamin C serum, 1 fl oz glass pump, vegan, Vermont.
For people who like suds, in the travel bottle. Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash Traveler, a sulfate-free foaming gel cleanser, 1 fl oz, spearmint-cedar-lime.
No sheet, no twenty-minute wait: five minutes, then a damp washcloth. Ursa Major Vital Spring hydration face mask, hyaluronate and flaxseed, 1.69 fl oz.
Finishes dry to the touch, though give it a minute before you get dressed. Ursa Major Golden Hour Dry Oil for body and hair, rose-sandalwood scent, 5 fl oz.
Lighter than the Body Butter, heavier than the Dry Oil, layers under either. Ursa Major Golden Hour Body Serum, meadowsweet and sea buckthorn, 5 fl oz.
Goes on under moisturizer, or mix a pump straight into it. Ursa Major Forest Water hyaluronic acid serum with lupine peptides and tremella mushroom, 1 fl oz.
Nothing complicated: damp or dry skin, morning or night, or whenever. Ursa Major Botanic Buzz everyday body lotion, Herbal Citrus scent, 7.4 fl oz glass pump.
A wake-up-and-go shower: eucalyptus, peppermint, and citrus, matching deodorant a few feet away. Ursa Major Hoppin’ Fresh sulfate-free body wash, 10 fl oz.
Three minutes on, then rinse; Ursa Major says overnight is fine too. Bright & Easy fruit enzyme face mask, pomegranate, hibiscus, willow bark, 1.57 fl oz.
For anyone who’d rather not feel their moisturizer. Ursa Major Fortifying Gel Moisturizer, water-based with willow bark and aloe, herbal scent, 1.7 fl oz.
La Roche-Posay® Effaclar 2% Medicated Gel Cleanser, 6.76 oz
La Roche-Posay Effaclar salicylic acid 2% gel face wash, 6.76 oz: a dime-sized amount, twice a day, with a little menthol in it. Fragrance-free, oil-free.
La Roche-Posay® Anthelios Face Ultra Light SPF 60 Fluid Sunscreen, 1.7 oz
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Fluid SPF 60, 1.7 oz: the matte face sunscreen that goes on last, alone or under makeup. Oil-free, fragrance-free.
La Roche-Posay® Cicaplast Baume B5 Fragrance-Free Cream, 1.35 oz
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ fragrance-free balm, 1.35 oz, for face, body, hands, and lips, from one-week-old babies to adults. 5% panthenol, shea butter.
La Roche-Posay® Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser, 13.52 oz
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Cleanser, 13.52 oz pump: the cream face wash for dry skin the brand says to skip if you’re oily. Fragrance-free.
La Roche-Posay® Lipikar Daily Repair Moisturizing Lotion, 13.52 oz
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Daily Repair body lotion, 13.52 oz pump, for everyone in the house from six months up, face included. Shea, niacinamide, fragrance-free.
La Roche-Posay® Lipikar AP Gentle Foaming Moisturizing Wash, 13.52 oz
La Roche-Posay Lipikar Wash AP+ foaming body wash, the 13.52 oz pump that covers the whole family from two weeks old up. Shea, niacinamide, fragrance-free.
Hibiclens Acne 4% chlorhexidine gluconate antiseptic skin cleanser, 8 oz. Minimum amount, rinse well, and ask our pharmacist before it meets your face.