This $20 moisturizer from a wildly popular French pharmacy brand doesn’t irritate my sensitive, acne-prone skin

La Roche-Posay

Moisturizers with powerful ingredients like hyaluronic acid that actually improve your skin’s health can often get pricey, but La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer costs only $20.
This moisturizer doesn’t contain synthetic fragrances, parabens, or oil so it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin. Instead, it has hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and more to hydrate.
I liked the moisturizer so much that I also bought the daytime version with SPF as well as the facial cleanser — both were less than $20 each.

I have combination, acne- and redness-prone skin that’s very sensitive — it’s a real trip shopping for skin-care products that won’t irritate it even more.

My current routine involves a cleanser and brightening vitamin C serum in the mornings, and a cleanser and a combo of alpha and beta hydroxy acids to target any acne and dead skin at night. I needed a moisturizer that would target dryness, make my skin feel bouncy instead of tight, and ultimately, not cause pimples or more redness — all without breaking the bank.

So I went to the beauty mecca that is Ulta and found La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer. It’s the best no-BS moisturizer I’ve tried, and it all comes down to the clean ingredients and $20 price tag— it was as if someone figured out all the things that would make me want to try it.

I was immediately sold when I saw all the benefits: hydrating ingredients, no synthetic fragrances or parabens, and suitable for sensitive skin. We’ve all been told to look out for certain ingredients in a moisturizer — like niacinamide, ceramides, and hyaluronic acid. Because these are such powerhouses that hydrate, strengthen, and repair skin, some moisturizers containing these ingredients can get crazy expensive, and worse, they can also contain irritating ingredients like synthetic fragrance.

The formula leaves out questionable ingredients like petrolatum, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. Petrolatum is a refined derivative of petroleum, which is technically safe, but since the US beauty industry is not regulated, it can be contaminated and irritate skin. Petrolatum feels smooth and thick, like jelly, so it can make your face feel soft as if it moisturized, but it can also clog pores and prevent skin from breathing. Parabens are preservatives that can also irritate skin and mess with hormones, and synthetic fragrance — you guessed it — can also irritate skin.

La Roche Posay’s moisturizer doesn’t contain these ingredients, so it’s a dream for my sensitive skin. And while it leaves out a lot of the bad stuff, it also contains beneficial ingredients as well. Like ceramides, which help restore your skin’s moisture barrier so moisture doesn’t evaporate. There’s also niacinamide, or vitamin B5, to help with redness and the appearance of pore size; hyaluronic acid, which keeps helps skin retain up to 1,000 times its weight in water; and prebiotic thermal water, which definitely sounds like it’s from a fairy tale, but actually keeps more of the good bacteria on your skin to help fight the bad bacteria that can cause acne.

I use the daytime and night time versions of this moisturizer, since the daytime one has SPF to protect my face daily. And for good measure, I picked up the cleanser from the same Toleriane line as well.

Both the cleanser and moisturizers feel creamy, but not heavy. The cleanser is a clear-ish gel that you rub in and wash off. Since it’s not made with sulfates, it doesn’t lather up or strip my face of natural oils. Instead, my skin just feels really soft and clean.

I have to blend the daytime moisturizer into my face for about 20 seconds because the mineral sunscreen can leave a really white cast if it’s not blended well. The nighttime moisturizer is also an opaque white like the daytime version and has a thicker consistency, though neither is due to the sunscreen. My skin never feels tacky or sticky after using either of these creams.

I was so happy to try a cleanser and moisturizer that didn’t try to mask themselves with heavy fragrance either. I love perfume, but I don’t need a bouquet of flowers on my face.

Over time, what I’ve noticed is that my skin feels moisturized and not tight. More importantly, my skin hasn’t felt red, or itchy, or blotchy, and my acne hasn’t gotten worse after using. I also love that it’s only around $20, which my wallet definitely appreciates as a good moisturizer with clean, hydrating ingredients can get pretty expensive. I’ve been able to find this moisturizer at drugstores like CVS and online Ulta, so the wide availability is an added bonus.

If you’re looking for a workhorse moisturizer with hydrating ingredients you want — and without the irritating ones — this is a great one to pick up.

Buy La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer from Ulta for $19.99

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