5 Best Skin Care Products for This Summer

Nailing down a definition of the best skin care products really depends on whom you ask and what their particular interest in the matter is. A dermatologist and a beautician are likely to have quite divergent views.

The opinion of somebody from the Cancer Council can be expected to be different to both. And of course retailers have their own motivations, so they’ll give you advice that probably runs contrary to all the others.

So selecting the five best products is actually quite a difficult task since the concept of what is “best” means such radically different things to different groups of people. Then there’s the tricky issue of the fact that some products claim to be formulated especially for men’s skin or for women’s skin.

Finally there’s the matter of whether skin care is primarily to be considered a matter of the face or of the whole body, since the vast majority of products indicate they are created primarily for facial application.

But what about your views as a consumer? What do you care about? Do you want something that keeps your skin clean and free of blemishes? Do you want something that rejuvenates and nourishes? Do you want something that protects your skin from the ravages of the Sun?

Ultimately it seems the only way to effectively cover this topic is to discover the best product in each category, ensuring that only gender-neutral products are considered.

• Best General Application Anti-Ageing Product
  This accolade goes to Advanced Dermatology Anti-Wrinkle Firming Night Treatment. It is part of a range of Advanced Dermatology products that, when used together, should give excellent results.

  It’s not available in shops, and you can only buy it online. A one month supply of the whole contingent of products is officially valued at €200, but is now currently being offered for €59.95 plus €19.95 for shipping and handling. The power of this product range comes from a potent mix of plant stem cells, peptides, antioxidants and other ingredients.

• Best Targeted Anti-Ageing Product
  Targeting refers to the concept of you applying the product directly to a particular area of skin that you want to rejuvenate, rather than generally applying it to a broad area.
  The winner in this category was SkinCeuticals Retinol 1.0, which is available in shops and costs about €65 for a 30ml tube.

• Best Acne Treatment Product
  Surprisingly enough, the best product in this category isn’t even marketed as a skin care product at all. It’s just plain old humble Baking Soda, which you mix with water to form a paste and apply to your skin.
  The bacteria responsible for acne thrive in an acidic environment, and the baking soda raises the pH level of your skin, creating a hostile environment for the bacteria. A box of the best baking soda in the shop shouldn’t set you back more than one euro. You can find instructions for how to prepare it all over the Internet.

• Best Full Body Moisturising Lotion
  It may seem a little clinical, but Cetaphil Moisturising Cream is a really excellent product for hydrating and nourishing dry skin. It’s also wonderfully inexpensive at around €10 for a 453g tub.

• Best Moisturiser with SPF
  Having a moisturiser with an SPF is a bigger deal than most people think it is. Although having this essential in your makeup bag is recommended for all months in the year, it’s especially important in summer.

  The winner of this category is the Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturiser with an SPF of 47. It’s made with a combination of natural ingredients including argan oil and mineral sunscreens including titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. It’s non-greasy and is reasonably priced considering the quality of the product.