How Often to Wash Your Face

"You should wash your face at least once every day without fail,” says Dr. Turner. “Even if you haven’t left the house, nor have put any products on your skin, dirt and oil build up, as do dead skin cells, and cleansing helps remove the buildup that can congest skin or leave it dull.” If you do apply skin-care products, sunscreen, plus any level of makeup on your skin, experts recommend a pre-bed p.m. cleanse. “A morning and night cleanse is typically recommended; however, cleansing more than once daily may leave skin too dry, so choosing the right formula is important,” Dr. Turner adds.

“Retinol is a form of vitamin A that falls into a class of ingredients called retinoids,” explains Ryan Turner, M.D., dermatologist and assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “Retinols started their use in anti-aging in the 1980s and its efficacy in treating many skincare concerns is nearly unmatched by any other ingredients and as a result, has been the cornerstone ingredient of dermatologist-recommended at-home anti-aging skincare for decades.”

If your dark circles persist despite healthy eating and sleeping habits, you might want to upgrade your eye cream. Some are better than others, says Ryan Turner, MD, a dermatologist in New York City and cofounder of the skin-care line TRNR Skin. He suggests getting one with niacinamide or vita- min C, which can lighten the area over time.

TRNR Skin Prebiotic Lipid Nourishing Moisturizer

This thing is a paradox: super rich but not heavy. My skin is dry—so dry that the last time I went to get a facial (through work), the esthetician was surprised my skin drank all the massage cream and she needed to reapply. :P This is the best moisturizer I’ve tried (and I’ve tried so many in the past year). Not greasy, not oily, but incredibly moisturizing.

Dr. Turner is a fan of this Versed product for its versatility. “While I consider it richly moisturizing, it can still be used by oily skin types, especially in winter when oily skin types can also need extra hydration,” he says. “It features two forms of hyaluronic acid and red algae extract to pull water into the skin as well as the emollient squalane, which will help lock in the moisture but not clog pores—it functions similarly to your skin’s natural oils.” As an added bonus, this moisturizer is budget-friendly.

For the last year, Team Cosmo has been busy. Doing what, you ask? Just testing about 500 different beauty products to narrow down the best of the best in order to bring you (yup, you, lucky reader) our biggest beauty awards of All. Frickin’. Time. Behold: Our 2024 Holy Grail Beauty Awards, a collection of 216 of the very best products, tools, and treatments of the year—all tested by 25 outrageously choosy, beauty-obsessed editors.

As with any makeup or skin care product, “Whether or not a skin tint is good for the skin depends entirely on the ingredients in the formula,” says Dr. Ryan Turner a board-certified dermatologist and co-founder of TRNR Skin. Often, they are designed as a skin care/makeup hybrid with active or beneficial ingredients, including sunscreen. However, Turner points out that some makeup and skin care products contain mineral oil, which can congest the skin. “Coconut oil is a popular ingredient in skin care and makeup products but can be comedogenic, triggering breakouts. If someone has acne-prone skin and uses a product with these ingredients or heavier emollients, they could be risking the formation of blemishes,” he adds. Or if you have sensitive skin, a skin tint with fragrance might cause irritation or breakouts, too.

According to Dr. Ryan Turner, a New York City dermatologist and co-founder of his own skin care line, TRNR Skin, this product’s effectiveness is due to key ingredients including the avocado oil that originally caught my attention. “Avocado oil is one of my favorites in skin care because it’s high in natural fats and lipids,” he says. Healthy fats, such as omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, are hydrating to the skin while sodium PCA, which pulls in moisture, has a fast-acting plumping effect, says Dr. Turner. The formula also contains the antioxidant beta carotene, which he says helps lessen puffiness and “can increase the microcirculation of the blood vessels under the eye.” 

If you can’t find some reprieve from the sun, try wearing a wide-brimmed, Dr. Turner recommends. An umbrella can also provide sun protection, but certain fabrics work better than others. “Look for a sun umbrella specifically designed to provide up to 99% protection from the sun’s rays,” says Dr. Turner.

“Things that worked for your skin before menopause may not work for you anymore,” says Ryan Turner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City and co-founder of TRNR Skin. “The products you once loved may be too drying, too sensitizing or too weak.” But if you’re not sure where to start with addressing your new skin issues, you’ve come to the right place. The first step is identifying what’s different about your skin now and then making certain adjustments to counteract those changes. Here, a primer on menopause skin care so you can keep your skin looking as calm, healthy and youthful as possible as this new life stage sets in.