If you buy this thing and it sits in your vanity and you never use it, the value is zero.

So if the one that you keep using is the one that costs a little bit more, so be it.

That's the one you should use.

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

I'm Rosie Garron, and you're listening to The Wirecutter Show.

Hi, Kira.

Hi, Rosie.

It's wintertime, isn't it? It's so cold. It's cold. It's cold in New York. It's cold and windy. It's blistering. We're talking moisturizers today and that's not incidental. It's dry. My skin is crying right now.

Mine too. So I was excited to see Wirecutter's Guide published about facial moisturizers and body lotion, specifically things you can find in the drugstore. I want to know more because I realize I know very, very little.

Yeah, I'm really excited to learn more too. And I'm excited for the person who's going to take us on this journey.

It's Jen Sullivan. She is amazing. She's a senior editor here at Wirecutter on the beauty team, and she's been covering beauty for at least 25 years.

So she's going to really walk us through the basics of moisturizer, what you know, what you think you might know, and how to apply them and keep your skin smooth, soft, and hydrated all winter long. So 60,000 questions for Jen after the break. We'll be right back.

With us now is Jen Sullivan, a senior editor on Wirecutter's beauty team who's been covering beauty for at least 25 years.

She also hosted her own award-winning podcast, Fat Mascara, so Jen really is a pro. Hi, Jen. Hi. Today we're talking

moisturizer, and we're going to zoom way out to start. So can you just first explain what we

mean when we say moisturizer? What are we talking about? We can mean a lot of things,

but I think we talk about topical products you put on your skin to add back in hydration, lock in

hydration, prevent water loss, soften your skin. They do a lot of things. And who is it good for?

Who needs to be using moisturizer? I would argue all of us at some point in our lives

because, you know, when you're young, your skin barrier is not super strong. You might not be good at

holding in moisture as you get older your skin gets drier. And explain what you mean by skin barrier.

Meaning your cell's ability to hold in the water that is in your skin is not as strong as someone who's a

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