There are times when even the best of us have a hard time finding a good moisturizer. I know I have hunted high and low like an anthropologist in search of Big Foot to find the perfect combination of high SPF protection, non-greasy texture and perfect hydration. But the beauty ads that appear in the pages of a magazine taunt me like striptease.

We promise you the moon. Okay. Let’s start with clear skin first.

The best moisturizer ever. Hmm, we’ve heard that before.

And trust me, we’ve all heard of peptides and amino acids and every extraordinary delivery mechanism in the world, and still remained unimpressed.

So when Clinique announced its re-launch of its new and improved Superdefense Triple Action Moisturizer SPF 25, I was intrigued but cautious. The first one got high marks from a lot of the top press, including Instyle Best Beauty Buys 2007 (the original Superdefense debuted in 2004).

The original formula aimed to help your skin combat the effects of the environment. I live in NYC, where the daily soot, fumes, pollution and grime are enough to make a Chinese industrialist choke. So, I get it.

But the new cream now looks at internal aggressors too. Psychological stress is as much a damage to skin as the sun (I know this. I get stressed. My boss screams at me. I get a zit).

So the cream addresses barrier and immune function too. I’m not saying it will help you prevent that pesky cold or headache (I got the flu last week, so there), but I applaud a cream for trying so hard. Even my new hires don’t do that.

Apart from blocking the UVA/UVB rays, the moisturizer (which is nice, thick, creamy but non-greasy) promotes repair at the cellular level. The three-tiered response of the new Superdefense moisturizer will make you realize that fleeing to the Hamptons or the Catskills may not be the only way to let your skin erase the aggressors’ print.

Ingredients include Red Microalgae Extract and a host of anti-oxidants. Marina plant peacock’s tail, murmuru butter and trehalose make the outer layer of the skin act as it’s supposed to act: as a barrier to the environmental effects.

So far, I’m loving every drop of the moisturizer. It feels thick and protective – like a veritable bodyguard.

The moisturizer comes in three formulas for all skin types and will hit counters in October 2008.