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- As a beauty reporter, I test a lot of skincare brands, and Maelove is one of the companies I believe is most worth watching right now.
- Each product is under $30, like its cult-favorite $28 vitamin C Serum called the Glow Maker, and its everyday
moisturizer , The One Cream.
Finding a face cream that adequately moisturizes dry skin without clogging pores is a tall order. At least, it always has been for me, and I'm lucky enough to spend a good part of my year researching and testing skincare products as a career.
One of the perks of that very specific job is stumbling upon seemingly nondescript brands like Maelove, the maker of what is now my favorite everyday moisturizer: The One Cream ($28).
The One Cream is billed as a deeply hydrating moisturizer that nourishes skin without clogging pores or causing sensitivity, and in my experience, those claims are true. It's gentle, soothing, and the formula is velvety soft, lightweight, and quick to absorb. It's a great everyday moisturizer for all skin types, especially sensitive complexions like mine, and provides prolonged hydration. It even wears well under makeup (just make sure to rub it in well).
A $28 price tag pretty much solidifies it as a triple threat; my other go-to is $68, for comparison.
The "obsessively formulated" moisturizer has a blend of squalane, coconut extracts, and glycerin to form a nourishing barrier over your skin, sealing in the active ingredients in any serums you use and maintaining hydration. It's also infused with prebiotics to support the community of good bacteria on your skin — an important part of maintaining clear skin.
I use The One Cream twice a day: once after washing my face in the morning and again before bed at night. Despite — or perhaps thanks to — the fact that I began using it right after a combination of Differin gel and the Caribbean sun made my skin a flaky, dry disaster, I was impressed by it. I was stuck between thicker options that gave me semi-greasy hydration all-day long and clogged my pores, or lightweight formulas that helped immediately but withered within a few hours. Maelove's The One Cream is a great in-between and it left my skin feeling hydrated and bouncy for the entire day.
The bottom line:
One year after I first tested Maelove's The One Cream, it's still the moisturizer I recommend to most people when they ask me for a deeply hydrating moisturizer that they can wear every day without clogging their pores — and that they can reasonably afford. I also recommend checking out Maelove's Glow Maker serum, which you can read my full review of here.
In general, Maelove makes one great version of the skincare essentials you need. But, after trying almost two-thirds of what they make, I'm happy to conclude that they aren't a one-hit-wonder, but are, in fact, a really solid brand — and an exciting one at that.