There are three Types of Moisturizers out there in the beauty market today - Humectants, Occlusives and Emollients
Humectants type of moisturizers absorb water and draw moisture into the outer layer of the skin and they contain ingredients like Hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
But when it comes to moisturizing the skin, using just a humectant is not enough because they lack the ability to retain water.

That’s why to make them 2x more effective they’re usually combined with emollients (Like Ceramides, castor oil, squalane, grapeseed oil) so that they can not just hydrate the skin but also attract and retain moisture as well.
These Emollients, unlike humectants that disappear into the skin, actually soften and smooth the surface of the skin for a radiantly younger look.
In fact, they are so powerful that they have barrier improving benefits on the skin. They hydrate the skin, keep the moisture in, and repair damaged skin.
Now you might think that having a cream that has ingredients that attract and retain moisture is all you need, but that’s not true because there’s a third important type of ingredients that a good moisturizer should have and these type are called “occlusives” and have a very critical job of protecting the skin.
Occlusives seal up the surface of the skin and makes it almost impossible for the skin to lose water. They don’t hydrate the skin but they make sure the existing water doesn’t escape while also keeping harmful things from being able to enter your skin.
Hence, They act like a nylon that forms a barrier between your skin and the environment and the most common occlusive types of moisturizers are petroleum jelly, olive oil and beeswax