4 Signs Your Moisturizer Isn't Working, Acoording to a Dermatologist

If your skin is breaking out or feeling bumpy you apply your moisturizer, this may mean that the moisturizer is comedogenic which means its "clogging your pores causing inflammatory pimples as well as open and closed comedones..so you should switch to a non-comedogenic moisturizer." --Dr. Orentreich.

Look for products that are oil-free and are infused with hydrators like glycerin, honey, aloe vera, allantoin, urea, and lactic acid.

Moisturizer should help you create a smooth base for makeup, so if you notice that your foundation is pilling(forming into weird balls and quite literally roll off of your face) after you apply it, it may be because your moisturizer is too thick. When that's the case, Dr. Orentreich recommends switching to a gel-textured product. They're thinner, but equally hydrating.

This may seem obvious, but if you've been testing a moisturizer for 2 to 3 weeks and aren't seeing any positive changes in your skin's texture, it's time to swap. Look for more hydrating ingredients, like the ones listed below, to give your skin the nourishment it needs to stay healthy.

When purchasing a moisturizer, derms recommend looking for the following

• Humectants to draw moisture to the top layer of your skin. Glycerin and hyaluronic
• Emollients to fill the tiny cracks in the skin's barrier to seal in all of the moisture it's getting from your product. shea butter and cocoa butter
• Occlusives to lock all of that hydrating goodness into your complexion. They form a protective barrier on the top layer of the skin, to give your skin time to soak up all that hydration.