Here’s a very effective and affordable face treat for you, if you’re after something light, hydrating and sensibly formulated. Suitable for sensitive, itchy or very dry skin (as well as skin with no particular complaints), CeraVe’s Moisturising Lotion comes in a whopping great big pump-action bottle (236ml) which, I’ll admit, does make it look more like a body lotion than a face moisturiser, but I can tell you that this is as brilliant for thirsty faces as it is for scaly shins. (Actually, there’s a much richer cream version that works better on scaly shins, but more of that later.)
CeraVe is a hugely popular American skincare brand, widely recommended by dermatologists and frequently topping the bestselling beauty charts. Their formulations contain a blend of lipids and ceramides to repair and strengthen the skin’s barrier, which I imagine is what makes the range of creams and lotions so popular with people who have very dry or compromised skin – in the US CeraVe has more products approved by the National Eczema Association than any other brand. But enough reading from the “About” section on their website (ha!) and onwards to my testing results; I had been using this on Angelica’s eczema around her elbow and knee creases. It wasn’t actually the CeraVe cream that was prescribed (Boots didn’t have the right one and then I had to go back in a week and then I didn’t and then I lost the bit of paper)...