Archived Post
The Hit List: Worst Moisturizer
Worst Moisturizer? What product wins this category?
Explore Temptalia
We're here to help you make better beauty purchases that you'll enjoy and love! We recommend signing up to take advantage of personalized features like tracking products you own, viewing dupes that you already have, and more!
Here are some useful resources for you:
Compare Any Two
Curious how two shades compare to each other? Type in the shades below to get instant side-by-side swatches!
32 Comments
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
Comments on this post are closed.
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
Clinique dramatically different (yellow) daily moisturizer. Three step program far too much overrated, doesn’t do a thing for me, other than regret spending so much…
I strongly agree!!!
hi all i’ve been reading temptalia religiously for the last few months, but this is my first comment 🙂
I hate Clinique DDDM too. It makes my skin look oily and it doesn’t sink a bit into my skin.
If you took the time to really find out about the Clinique products, and then purchased the 3 steps (instead of being cheap) You would have found that the DDML and the other 2 steps (soap, & clarifying lotion) will give you younger skin for life!! – NO other skin care products can give you that – I have used the Clinique system and their scrub for over 40 years and to this day I still have people stop me and ask what I use on my fabulous skin – I say “Clinique of course” (If you want younger skin for life – get off your butts and do some real research on the actual back ground of how the formulas came about. The famous doctors that are behind the formulas charge $600 a office visit – Estee Lauder bought the “Marketing rights” and trust me – these doctors do not sale “crap” they have the results to back the products.
Clinique DDML—-I worked at Clinique for a while, and would you believe that you’re supposed to put ANOTHER moisturizer over it for it to work effectively? It’s so stupid. Anyway, it broke me out and made my face a greasefest. Gross. But then again, some women swear by it…so I don’t know.
Okay, this even reinforces my hate for it even more. I guess thats why it never worked for me, I didn’t know I was to put another moisturizer over top. Silly me!
I TOTALLY AGREE!! And silly me-I been using it for ages thinking my skin was just that dry that I needed another moisturizer on top-UGH!! I’m throwing the entire 3 step out the window.
Clinique DDML is pure crap, I can’t believe Clinique would even make such a shitty product. Have you read the ingredients??
Anyways, for me, Cetaphil moisturizer. Soo greasy and my skin used to be terrible bc of it.
* all clinique – ddml, moisture surge, superdefense. i cant even begin to explain the nastiness and the burning i experienced.
* clarins – really wanted to love this line but it made my skin red. no burning or itching, just spots of red.
* philosophy – love their microdelivery peel but all of their ‘hope’ moisturizers did nothing for me. been trying to make myself like them since 2000. lol.
* shiseido – great suncare but all of the creams ive tried suck except for benefiance.
* la prairie – the fragrance in their products made my skin itch and eyes water
* chanel – pretty colored creams but overly waxy. products never absorbed into my skin
Ugh I hate Clinique’s DDML, it made my face so greasy and I don’t even have oily skin!
Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Moisturizer
NOT that it doesn’t work as a moisturizer, but in order for SPF to work efficiently, the SA told me I had to wear a layer of moisturizer underneath (look at the name!!) I thought she was trying to sell me on more Clinique, until after reading reviews of it on MUA. I was kinda angry that i paid $50 for this.
Since my skin is sensitive, this DOESN’T break me out whatsoever. However, I’m so offended that I paid $50 for this little jar and turned out the SPF is a gimmick unless I moisturize my face first. I shoulda have picked Neutrogena oil-free Moisturizer 15 (also PABA-free). The only reason I’m keeping this CL is because it feels light and moisturizing but doesn’t ever break me out.
I cant remember which moisturiser it was but it was by l’oreal and it was super rich and greasy ! The texture was thick but watery!
I love your blog
http://www.wearebeauty.blogspot.com – here is mine! ( its new!)
The Body Shop seaweed mattifying day cream – soo good.
Ahhh, glad to hear I am not the only one who thinks Clinique is crap!
Yep, have to agree when it comes to the Clinque, it really sucks. Then to top it off they came out with the gel formula!!
Talk about super suck! My problem is the opposite though, my skin is super dry, & this did nothing for my face at all. For my it was like using colored water!! I have to use the heavier creams for my skin.
I couldn’t agree more!
I made sure to go back and get my 34.50 back!!!
Neutrogena Oil Free Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin. One February my skin was freaking out (it was super dry and cracking in places and yet was still breaking out!), and I needed moisture, so I picked this up at the drugstore. Big mistake. It burned horribly, and then, a day or two later, I got these enormous hive-like welts on my face. It took weeks for them to go away, and as they did, they faded into these brown spots, so I looked like a leopard for a while.
Dermalogica Sheer Moisture. Broke me out and was watery.
Philosophy Hope in a Jar! More like Oil in a Jar.
I agree..Philosopy Hope in a jar was super oily and broke me out. I hated the smell too!
OMG I was just going to nominate Hope in Jar. The smell was incredibly disgusting, and it lasted all day. I had to wash my face twice in order to get the stink off.
agree w/ clinique DDML and their gel version sucks too!
The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream. Ugh I hate the smell so much. It broke me out after a while and made my skin oilier than what it is now.
every clinique product i’ve tried has been like acid on my poor skin :(( ick ick ick.
Balanced Diet by Origins. I hated it so much. The smell was awesome but it broke me out badly and did nothing to keep my face moisturized.
Philosophy Hope In A Jar. Women swear by it, but the smell reminds me of a mixture of fermenting bread and spoiled milk. Eew.
Oh, and would you know it that I absolutely adore Clinique’s DDMG? Guess I’m the only one…
Ditto!
Dr. Hauschka, didn’t feel like it was moisturizing at all and the whole line broke me out btw..
Wow! I can’t believe how many voted for Clinique! I totally agree! The gel is a little better than the lotion, but both are not worth the price you pay. Biotherm is dry too, considering it’s got “1000 litres of spa water in a jar” (or whatever they claim). It’s expensive too! Garnier is the worst! The Pure line (for oily skin) is very very drying. I’m now using the rest of it as moisturizer for my feet. The Nutritionist line is dry too.
Clinique, hope in a jar, and creme de la mer. broke me out.
the “Simple” Moisturizer, I only had it for two weeks, and it smelt funny, and different from when I first got it, waste of money!
Clinique Superdefense SPF 25 Moisturizer
IT WAS SO BAD
the smell (although clinique claims to be 100% fragrance free) was nasty, it was expensive, and worst of all, it almost “burned” my skin.
my skin isn’t so sensitive, but i would out it on and it would tingle to the point where it would burn a little and look red
my eye area became dry from it ironically enough.. considering it’s a ‘moisturizer’. so bad!