Lionel de Benetti, research director at Clarins, answers your questions...  

Why do we get such dry skin in winter?
Our skin suffers from a lack of moisture in winter because it doesn't secrete as much sebum in lower temperatures, so the film which slows down the evaporation of moisture from your skin is weaker and less effective.

What should we look for in a moisturiser?
Anti-dehydrating oils to compensate for the weakness of your protective film, such as cocoa butter and walnut oil, and agents which absorb and lock moisture into your skin like a sponge (aloe, algae and seaweed etc).

How should age influence our choice of moisturiser?
Your skin's natural moisturising properties diminish with age because as the epidermis gets older it has less contact with the dermis (this aids moisturisation). From 30 onwards, your skin becomes more sensitive and this is much more marked from 40 onwards. Clarins do a Multi Active moisturiser for up to 30, a Multi Regenerating moisturiser for up to 50 and a Multi Intensive moisturiser for 50+.

What texture of moisturiser suits our skin?  
For dry skin, which is severely lacking in sebum, go for rich, creamy moisturisers. You'll often find creams for dry skin and liquid moisturisers for greasy skin (you don't want to make your skin any more greasy than it is naturally). Serums are slightly different: use them as targeted treatment for a particular skin problem, alongside your regular moisturiser.