Creams vs. Hydrating Moisturizers: What’s Changed?

Skincare has evolved gradually. From the days in which it was just a rich and thick cream to emerging as an ultimate solution for moisturized skin. With changes in the perception and subtle need of the users and beauty seekers, a subtle shift was observed among moisturizers. 

Traditionally what seemed to create a protective layer on the skin surface was greasy and uncomfortable and at times even caused irritation. Modernisation brought in changes in the perspective of moisturizing creams, making a shift from greasy to lightweight formulations and from a protective layer to a formulation that attracts and retains moisture.

However, the question persists—"Is there any real change or is it just the terminology?”

Let’s find out!

Traditional skincare routines were mostly universal and lacked complexity. The universal applicability of the products was due to the lack of a targeted approach to skincare. Creams occupied an essential position in traditional skincare, owing to the needs of the people to keep their skin soft, smooth and protected. The concept of the creams was to retain the moisture content of the skin by sealing the skin barrier and protecting the skin surface from dehydration, dryness, skin flakiness, etc. However, the mechanism of action of these traditional creams was a bit outdated.

From the standpoint of a skin moisturizing formulation, it can be stated that creams or lotions are essentially an emulsion that contains a balanced mixture of oil and water. In this connection, various creams included a wide range of ingredients that supported their capability of delivering humectant, emollient, or occlusive support to the skin while keeping it moisturized and hydrated. According to Sethi et al. (2016), it was observed that the occlusives help in creating a protective layer on the skin surface while preventing the occurrence of trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). On the contrary, Purnamawati et al. (2018) found that the humectant properties of an ingredient in a cream help to attract and retain moisture to the skin surface, whereas an emollient works by softening the skin surface by filling between the rough edges and partially damaged skin cells. Essentially, the traditional creams were made with occlusives, which aimed to provide nourishment to the skin surface while sealing the skin barrier for trapping the moisture content.

However, in the later phases it was observed that the traditional creams were never about attracting and retaining moisture, as they mostly provided richer texture that was supposed to act as a protective layer against dry and cold weather conditions. Increasing the rate of ingredients with occlusive properties often meant that the creams would feel heavy and greasy on the skin surface, making the user feel uncomfortable (Ali et al., 2022). Furthermore, the effect of these heavy and greasy creams used to wear off faster than expected while exposing the skin to the weather changes and other environmental stressors. Finally, as these so-called “rich creams” were made for universal skin types, i.e. all the skin types could apply these creams, several skin conditions used to erupt. So, traditionally people had fewer alternatives to keep their skin moisturized and prevent dryness and flakiness from taking effect and creams were mostly recognized on the basis of their ‘rich texture.'

With increased globalization, networking and transfer of information on beauty, cosmetics and general well-being, people started gaining awareness of targeted skincare regimes. Researchers started identifying the role of stratum corneum and tried finding the correlation between hydration and barrier function. Extensive research studies and trials uncovered a list of ingredients that are lightweight and are helpful in attracting and retaining moisture to the skin surface, thereby preventing the chances of dryness, irritation, flakiness, etc. This scientific breakthrough brought about subtle changes in the mechanism in which the moisturizers or creams were formulated this long. For the first time ever, people started identifying the product based on its benefits, not features like texture or the like.

The ingredients also changed considerably. Traditionally creams had a thick and greasy texture and were believed to create a protective layer on the skin surface to keep it moisturized and shield against dry or cold weather conditions (Mawazi et al., 2022). The perception of ingredient use changed considerably with the modernization of the cosmetic and skincare sectors. Humectants or ‘moisture magnets’ were introduced to replace certain occlusives. The beauty and skincare industry started using humectants like Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid, Panthenol, sodium PCA, etc., due to their moisture-attracting and retaining properties. Furthermore, moisturizing formulations went from being greasy and thick textures to lightweight and skin-absorbent. The result of this scientific breakthrough came in the form of deep-hydrating lotions, gels, gel-creams, milks and lightweight moisturizers (Bianchini et al., 2019). This ultra-diverse range of moisturizing accessories was formulated with the purpose of addressing different care priorities like skin type, climate, texture preferences and individual skincare necessities, giving rise to the common term “hydrating moisturizer."

The Gen Z population basically prefers ‘hydrating moisturizer’ over ‘creams’ as the prior describes the benefit associated with the use of the product rather than just the feature. Moreover, the consideration of addressing different skin priorities while formulating these hydrating moisturizers attracted the attention of Gen Z. It was observed in the research by Sonkar, Singh and Singh Dubey (2026) that the Gen Z population prioritizes targeted skincare, as it helps in adhering to the skin's priorities. And so, one of the greatest transitions occurred in the beauty and skincare industry with the introduction of ‘hydrating moisturizers’ replacing the conventional ‘rich creams.'

Ali, A., Skedung, L., Burleigh, S., Lavant, E., Ringstad, L., Anderson, C.D., Wahlgren, M. and Engblom, J., 2022. Relationship between sensorial and physical characteristics of topical creams: A comparative study on effects of excipients. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 613, p.121370. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378517321011765

Bianchini, J.M., Zhang, Q., Hanna, G., Flach, C.R., Wang, H., Southall, M.D., Mendelsohn, R. and Randhawa, M., 2019. A unique gel matrix moisturizer delivers deep hydration resulting in significant clinical improvement in radiance and texture. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, pp.229-239. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.2147/CCID.S196110

Mawazi, S.M., Ann, J., Othman, N., Khan, J., Alolayan, S.O., Al thagfan, S.S. and Kaleemullah, M., 2022. A review of moisturizers; history, preparation, characterization and applications. Cosmetics, 9(3), p.61. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/9/3/61

Purnamawati, S., Indrastuti, N., Danarti, R. and Saefudin, T., 2018. The role of moisturizers in addressing various kinds of dermatitis: a review. Clinical medicine & research, 15(3-4), pp.75-87. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5849435/

Sethi, A., Kaur, T., Malhotra, S.K. and Gambhir, M.L., 2016. Moisturizers: the slippery road. Indian journal of dermatology, 61(3), p.279. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4885180/

Sonkar, S., Singh, P. and Singh Dubey, R., 2026. Examining the consumer behavior and preferences of generation Y and generation Z toward green cosmetics in the Indian market. Journal of Global Marketing, 39(3), pp.331-352. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Singh-Richa/publication/392700391_Examining_the_Consumer_Behavior_and_Preferences_of_Generation_Y_and_Generation_Z_Toward_Green_Cosmetics_in_the_Indian_Market/links/695d2daaa1fd017989116490/Examining-the-Consumer-Behavior-and-Preferences-of-Generation-Y-and-Generation-Z-Toward-Green-Cosmetics-in-the-Indian-Market.pdf