STEP UP

When choosing a moisturizer, we’re as critical as Goldilocks complaining about the temperature of her porridge: We scrutinize ingredient lists and debate with strangers on beauty subreddits in the hope of finding our own Holy Grail formulation. Procter & Gamble is listening. After conducting a survey of 1,750 women and combing through the responses on its Olay Skin Advisor app, the brand discovered that nearly half of the women were unhappy with their moisturizer. Women want light hydration with powerful anti-aging ingredients and no sticky feel. Basically, they want it all. (And why shouldn’t they?) Traditional emulsions are heavy, but “they create a film that helps drive ingredients into the skin,” explains Dr. Frauke Neuser, principal scientist for Olay. For anyone repelled by that “coated” feeling, there’s the new Olay Whip ($40), which is available in the Luminous, Regenerist and Total Effects lines. The lightweight creamto-liquid formula contains a network of bubbles (micro sponges, actually) that break open when they hit the salt in your skin, instantly releasing niacinamide and other actives to flash-penetrate and hydrate without that sticky feeling. And, like that good friend who stays after a party to help you clean up, the “little micro sponges remain on your skin absorbing sebum and sweat,” says Neuser. Which means you’re left with that glowy-but-never-shiny look that you had as a tween but took for granted.