J. Cosmet. Sci., 67, 175–183 (May/June 2016) 175 Comparison of skin hydration in combination and single use of common moisturizers (cream, toner, and spray water) LI YUANXI, HUA WEI, XIONG LIDAN, and LI LI, Department of Dermatovenereology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province (L.Y., H.W.), Sichuan Cosmetic Engineering Research Center Center of Cosmetic Safety and Effi cacy Evaluation of West China Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province (X.L.), and Department of Dermatovenereology, Sichuan University, and Sichuan Cosmetic Engineering Research Center, Chengdu, Sichuan Province (L.L), China. Accepted for publication July 6, 2016. Synopsis This study aims to assess the moisturization in combination or single use (including seven general applications) of three common moisturizers: cream, toner, and spray water. Groups were set as C: cream only T: toner only C+T, T+C: cream or toner applied successively within a few minutes C-T, C-S: cream applied with repeated toner or spray water every 2 h T-T: toner applied with repeated toner every 2 h and N: untreated group. Outcomes were the change in skin hydration from baseline at 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after applications. All treated zones displayed a signifi cantly higher degree of hydration compared with the untreated zone (p 0.05). For normal skin (hydration value at baseline 35 a.u.), C-T led to greatest hydration change rate compared with others, followed by C+T, T+C, and C. Those three applications exhibited analogous hydration at each test point (p 0.05). The hydration rate of C-S differed slightly from T-T, followed by those four mentioned above, with T being the last. For dry skin (hydration value at baseline 35 a.u.), no statistical signifi cance could be detected between C-T zone and C+T, T+C, and C zones ( p 0.05), the other results were identical. When cream and toner were applied successively, the application order has little effect on skin hydration. The application of cream only was an effective and brief way to achieve favorable moisturization especially for dry skin. As a complement, repeated application of toner rather than spray water is effi cacious for skin hydration. INTRODUCTION As skin moisturization plays a vital role in skin care, receiving a higher skin hydration is essential for major skin types, especially for dry skin and some related skin conditions (1–3). Because moisturizers serve as routine care, the availability of creams and lotions, including toner and sprays, gels, emulsions, oleaginous mixtures, milks, serums, and Address all correspondence to Prof Li Li at lily2058@126.com.