Cold Cream vs Moisturizer: What’s the Difference?

Taking care of your skin is something that you should be doing no matter what age you have, what type of skin you have, and what season it is.

There are endless products out there. Yet, a few simple products you can use on your skin that won’t break your bank are moisturizers and cold creams. What is the difference between them?

Cold cream vs moisturizer, do you use both? Cold creams are a subset of moisturizers but have other uses too.

In this article, we’ll break down the differences and use cases for both cold cream and moisturizer.

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To differentiate the two, let us take a look at what they are separately and define them. Let’s start with cold cream.

What Is Cold Cream?

Cold cream is usually made of water plus beeswax. These are the main ingredients that make up cold creams. But there are also extra ingredients like mineral oil to add more benefits to the formulation.

Did you know that cold creams have been around as early as the second century?

It was in Greece where it was produced for the first time. Through the years, the formulation may have been altered. But the main purpose of the cold cream still remains to this day.

Using a cold cream  will make the skin look glowing and feel smoother.

What Is Moisturizer?

A moisturizer is a product that is used to make sure that the skin’s moisture is retained. It prevents people from feeling dryness on their skin.

Moisturizers come in a variety of forms. There are creams, gels, serums, lotions, and many others. They come in various formulations but are also usually made of a mixture of oil and water.

Other added enriching ingredients may be also included. This is to further nourish or treat the skin.

Using a moisturizer helps keep the skin hydrated. That keeps your skin healthy and youthful.

Cold cream can be considered a moisturizer? That’s because cold creams also have moisturizing properties.

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Cold Cream Vs Moisturizer: The Differences

We’ve mentioned that your cold cream can be considered a moisturizer. It can have a similar function of keeping the moisture in the skin for a longer period of time.

Yet, not all moisturizers can be considered cold cream. There are a few differences between the two.

All cold creams are moisturizers, but not all moisturizers are cold creams.

First of all, moisturizer is a broader term that could mean various skincare products. As long as they function to keep the skin moisturized, then they can be considered a moisturizer. Cold cream, on the other hand, performs as a moisturizer and also has other added benefits.

Another difference would be consistency.

Most traditional moisturizers may have a thin consistency. While cold creams which are quite thick.

Unlike moisturizers, cold creams also work to cleanse the skin. Other moisturizers will only help with the moisture issues, they don’t clean. Cold creams can help remove the dirt and other debris on the surface of the skin.

Due to the thicker consistency of the cold cream compared to other moisturizers, it is more preferred to be used during the winter season. Similarly, the consistency also makes it better to use during the nighttime rather than the daytime.

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Using A Cold Cream

How you use a cold cream will depend on what you want to use it for. As we’ve mentioned, cold cream can be used in a variety of ways.

As A Cleanser

First of all, cold cream can be used as a cleanser. In fact, many people prefer to use cold cream as their makeup remover because it does a stellar job at it (micellar water works well, too!).

At the end of the day, when you already need to remove your makeup, you can simply get your cold cream and apply it to the face.

It gently removes your makeup, even the waterproof makeup, because of the oils in it.

Additionally, while cleansing your skin, it is also able to moisturize it. Once you’ve removed your makeup, you can wipe it off. Then continue to wash your face and wrap up the rest of your skincare routine.

As A Moisturizer

You should also not ignore the moisturizing properties of cold cream. It is great for those who have dry skin. Cold cream can really help increase the moisture levels of the skin.

After cleansing your face, you can apply your face toner and serums. You can also apply lotions that are in your skincare routine. Then you can use the cold cream as the final step in moisturizing your face.

It helps seal in whatever other products you used beforehand.

Many people grab their cold cream during the wintertime. This is because it is when the skin is mostly dry and dehydrated. It serves as a great barrier to prevent the skin’s moisture from escaping.

As A Lip Balm

Apart from using cold cream for your face, you can also use it on your lips. The moisturizing effects also work well on your lips.

If you ever find your lips chapped, especially during the cold months, using a lip balm would also be a great choice.

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Using A Moisturizer

You can definitely use a cold cream as a moisturizer. But you have to remember that it may not have other benefits as other moisturizers would.

A cold cream is good at retaining moisture and cleansing the skin. But there are other moisturizers with other ingredients your skin could need.

Usually, other moisturizers come with additional benefits depending on the ingredients they contain. Some may have anti-aging ingredients like retinol to keep the skin moisturized while avoiding the other signs of skin aging.

There are also some moisturizers that could target blemishes or dark spots.

There can also be moisturizers that combine other ingredients to protect the skin from pollutants and contaminants or even against UV rays .