the skin, which is counterproductive when you’re trying

to solve for dryness. nbcnews.com

According to our skin care experts, here are some of the

ingredients you should avoid while shopping for a face
moisturizer for dry skin.

• Denatured alcohols: On skin care labels,

denatured alcohol will appear as ethyl alcohol or
SD alcohol. These alcohols “will dry out skin even
more and draw moisture out of the skin, which
can affect the skin barrier function and cause
sensitivity and redness,” according to Chiu. Not all
alcohols are denatured alcohols, so don’t worry if
you see “alcohol” on the label of a moisturizer
advertised for dry skin.

• Fragrances: Chiu, Goldman and Dachnowicz all

said they prefer unscented moisturizers, since
fragrances can irritate the skin.

• Exfoliants: The experts we spoke to noted that

exfoliants can irritate dry skin and potentially
even make it worse. Common exfoliating
ingredients to avoid include salicylic acid and
glycolic acid.

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