The science behind skin care: Moisturizers

Moisturizers provide functional skin benefits, such as making the skin smooth and soft, increasing skin hydration, and improving skin optical characteristics; however, moisturizers also function as vehicles to deliver ingredients to the skin. These ingredients may be vitamins, botanical antioxidants, peptides, skin‐lightening agents, botanical anti‐inflammatories, or exfoliants. This discussion covers the science of moisturizers.