Best Moisturizers are not only used to hydrate dry skin, but they also help retain moisture levels in the body. The most moisturizing creams will be those that have a high amount of fatty acids and ceramides.
The moisturizers for dry skin can mean the difference between having a healthy glow and looking like you’ve been in an oven all day. Yet, many people are hesitant to try one because they don’t know what type of product is right for them or how often should they use it. This article helps break down which products work best on different levels and offer advice so that users don’t have to waste time figuring out what works before jumping into things with both feet.
The “best moisturizer for dry skin face” is a product list that can help to heal and hydrate the skin. The best moisturizers are those that are lightweight, don’t have oils, and aren’t greasy too.

To prevent flaking and extremely tight, sand-papery skin, dry skin types sometimes need greater care in the moisturizing sector. However, not every moisturizer will help extremely parched skin, particularly during the winter. According to Noelani Gonzalez, head of cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai West, patients with dry skin, particularly eczema sufferers, must be cautious about the moisturizers they use. “Goopy and greasy creams and ointments are your greatest friend if you have dry skin,” she explains, since they are oil-based, thicker in consistency, and give more moisture than lotions. However, this can change depending on the season, which is why dermatologists recommend switching to a lighter lotion, gel-based moisturizer, or serum in the summer.
Almost all of the experts we talked with agreed that your moisturizer should include a combination of emollients (such as ceramides) and humectants (such as glycerin and hyaluronic acid), which pull and seal moisture into the skin. Almost a dozen dermatologists tell us which hard working moisturizers are on their short list for dry skin. This list of best moisturizers for dry skin include products which carry nice ingredients and which work continuously to improve your skin quality.
Here is the list of 16 Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin:-
1. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream

It is “a terrific cream for both face and body.” It’s great for treating dry skin since it’s loaded with moisturizing humectants like glycerin and skin-softening emollients like glyceryl stearate and sweet almond oil. It is also recommended by two other dermatologists. It’s “extremely lightweight and comfortable for everyday usage throughout the year,” according to Dr. Rachel Nazarian. She advises patients with dry skin all year long (not just in the winter) to use this cream because it contains all of the essentials for healthy skin and is free of “irritating fragrances or perfumes.”
Cetaphil is also a very cost-effective option. “This moisturizer line’s pricing point makes it a no-brainer,” adds Linker. She suggests switching to Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion in the summer instead of the cream because it’s lighter and better for those months when your sebum levels (natural lubrication) have stabilized.
2. Neutrogena Gel-cream

This Neutrogena gel cream intended for extra-dry skin is also a favorite of four of our experts. Our readers definitely agree; it has appeared eight times on best-seller lists. While we don’t normally associate gel textures with dry skin (they’re usually designed for normal or oily skin), Dr. Hope Mitchell, a board-certified dermatologist in Perrysburg, Ohio, says this cream is “excellent” for dry skin and works rapidly. “Give it a week,” says the narrator. “Hyaluronic acid and glycerin will soothe dry skin and leave it soft, smooth, and moisturized,” she explains. “It delivers quick comfort to dry skin,” Gonzalez affirms.
The nicest feature about it (apart from its extremely moisturizing abilities) is that “it gently sinks into the skin, so it may be used alone or under makeup.” Because of its super-hydrating yet mild characteristics, we’ve also suggested this product for aged skin, burnt skin, Accutane users, and even pregnant women.
3. Aquaphor Healing Ointment

There are individuals whose skin becomes parched and flaky during the winter months, and then there are others whose skin becomes so dry that it seems scaly and, as a consequence, is very difficult to feed. “The best fortifying the skin barrier and locking in moisture are ointments,” says Woolridge. It’s an emollient that may help restore a broken skin barrier, which is a major cause of dehydration, and it’s readily available at any pharmacy. “It may be a little oily,” Binder says, but she believes it’s “excellent when applied soon after the shower or bath to seal in moisture and help repair dry, cracked skin.” It’s also fragrance-free, which makes it a suitable choice for those with sensitive skin.
4. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

This drugstore classic is recommended by two dermatologists we spoke with for treating dry skin. “It has a high lipid content, which helps restore dry, cracked skin,” Binder explains, adding that this is one of her favorite moisturizers. Patients with dry skin should search for a cream with a greater lipid content than lotions, according to Binder. CeraVe is a “barrier-repair cream” that includes ceramides, according to Nazarian.
“Dry skin requires both humectants and emollients, which pull in moisture and lock it in,” she explains. She also recommends starting with a hyaluronic acid serum and then using this CeraVe cream to “help minimize moisture loss into the environment over time.” Finally, no matter what the cause of your dry skin is — whether it’s dry in the winter, dry all year, or dry due to age — this is a universally excellent pick, according to Binder.
5. LaRoche Posay

This French drugstore brand is another dermatological favorite because of its low-cost, high-quality compositions. Rodney praises their Lipikar Balm, which he describes as a “top moisturizer for dry skin” that “hydrates without feeling greasy.” She recommends using it “as soon as you finish bathing, when your skin is still damp,” so it can better enter the skin and lock in hydration. It has beneficial ingredients like glycerin and niacinamide, but Rodney points out that shea butter is “heavy in stearic acid and strengthens the protective skin barrier.”
6. Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Cream

This Vichy Aqualia Thermal Rich Cream for dry skin has a thicker, creamier consistency and includes hyaluronic acid, which is “a potent humectant that can hold over a thousand times its weight in water to help hydrate and plump the skin,” according to King, as well as emollients like shea butter. She did mention, though, that this cream has a little aroma, which may be something to consider if you have sensitivities.
7. Vanicream

Vanicream body cream had previously been suggested as a remedy for excessively dry skin, but it’s just as effective and mild for your face. Vanicream is “excellent” for sensitive skin since it’s “free of lanolin, formaldehyde, parabens, and perfumes that typically aggravate dry, sensitive skin,” according to Rodney. “It’s filled with ceramides,” she says, “which build the skin barrier and lock in moisture.”
8. LaRoche Posay

Mitchell also recommends La Roche-Posay for persons with dry skin, citing the Toleriane range as “ideal for moisturizing dry skin associated with redness” since it contains dimethicone, calming niacinamide, water-attracting glycerin, and hydrating ceramides. While acne-prone skin is normally oilier, when utilizing drying chemicals like benzoyl peroxide, the face may become too dry. This will aid in skin restoration and is “non-greasy.”
9. Aveeno Ultra Calming Night Cream

Mitchell enjoys that this Aveeno night cream is fragrance- and oil-free, making it suitable for all skin types, including “sensitive skin or even red, itchy, or tight skin.” It truly works, owing to its “soothing colloidal oatmeal and fever few extract,” which helps “lower face redness and skin irritation” common to dry skin. Because it’s rather thick and created to restore the skin overnight, it’s only meant to be used at night.
10. CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion

Because it contains the components required to treat dry, irritated skin, such as ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, we previously ranked it our best overall drugstore moisturizer. “These compounds bind cells together and reinforce the skin’s barrier, preventing it from water loss and irritants while also providing continual 24-hour maximum hydration and calming the skin,” Mitchell explains. It’s also “lightweight, non-comedogenic, so it won’t clog pores, and oil-free,” according to Mitchell, making it “a triple bang for your money.” You don’t have to take it just at night, but that’s when you’ll most likely notice the best benefits.
11. Augustinus Bader, Cream with TFC8

We’ve previously written about this high-end (expensive) cream. Kathleen Hou, the Cut’s beauty director, calls it the “secret to rich-person skin,” while Rio Viera-Newton, a beauty journalist for the Strategist, previously called it “the most desired cream in the business.” It’s also highly recommended by dermatologists and other skin professionals.
Kim Zimmerman of Philadelphia’s Rescue Spa recommends it for individuals who want a one-step solution, particularly on “the laziest evenings when you don’t have time to slather on a million serums but still want all the anti-aging advantages,” as she puts it. It includes the brand’s unique TFC8 mix, which is a combination of natural amino acids, vitamins, and synthetic compounds that are naturally present in the skin. It’s especially good for dry, aged skin.
The components are then guided into the cells, which aids in the skin’s restoration. It also contains vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin B5, and hydrolyzed rice protein, which all help to enhance the look and texture of the skin while also hydrating it thoroughly.
12. SkinBetter Trio Rebalancing Moisture Treatment

This “rebalancing” moisturizer for dry skin, according to Nussbaum, includes emollients and ceramides, which strengthen the skin barrier and aid in plumpness. This is a wonderful face moisturizer, according to Binder, since “it addresses dry skin from several sides with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, cholesterol, and linoleic acid” to help heal and hydrate damaged, flaky skin. It may seem pricey for a bottle that isn’t quite two ounces at $140, but a little goes a long way, and beauty journalists and celebrities alike enjoy this moisturizer. This stuff is only sold at dermatologists’ offices, not on the brand’s website, which is a good sign that there’s some clinical science behind it.
13. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2-4-2

This moisturizer is said to specifically target the signs of aging because it is infused with certain lipids, such as natural cholesterol, pure ceramides, and fatty acids, which are naturally depleted in the skin over time, according to Dr. Deanne Mraz Robinson, a partner at Modern Dermatology and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale New Haven Hospital. Robinson says that lipids “help maintain the skin’s barrier and assist the skin retain moisture,” whether you’re using them to fight aging or not.
Also on the topic of SkinCeuticals, Robinson recommends the LHA cleanser for persons with dry skin since it “will slough off dead skin cells at the surface without drying the skin and depriving it of its natural oils.”
14. Aveeno Eczema Therapy

Several doctors had previously suggested the Aveeno eczema range for body lotions and eczema-specific treatments, including this itch-relief balm. “I suggest that persons with eczema apply relaxing and anti-inflammatory substances in addition to moisturizing,” explains Nazarian. She points out that skin irritation is a “core feature” of eczema, so this Aveeno cream with colloidal oatmeal, which is “naturally anti-inflammatory,” can help relieve any flare-ups. It also includes ceramides, which she says would “increase the condition of skin with regular usage.”
15. CeraVe SA Cream

Psoriasis treatment necessitates a visit to the dermatologist’s office, according to Robinson, since patients typically need a prescription and a customized regimen. “Psoriasis is a highly peculiar skin ailment that has nothing to do with dryness and everything to do with an abnormal cell cycle,” writes Nazarian. Although there is no way to “moisturize psoriasis away,” there are “over-the-counter treatments that help remove the extra skin that generates the scaly appearance of psoriatic plaques,” which frequently seem as dryness.
Binder advises lactic acid for face psoriasis that develops around the hairline, head, and ears because it softens and smooths rough, bumpy regions. “It’s even been found to counteract the effects of long-term cortisone usage,” she says. Meanwhile, Nazarian suggests using CeraVe SA, a moisturizer that “contains salicylic acid to resurface the scale and smooth out psoriasis plaques.” Of course, your dermatologist can help you narrow down which option is ideal for you.
16. NIA 24 Cream

Other types of psoriasis, such as sebo-psoriasis (which affects the middle face) and seborrheic dermatitis (which causes flaking and itching along the sides of the nose and brows), need the use of a medicated cleanser. However, according to Binder, a moisturizer containing niacinamide, which is “related to vitamin B3 and is anti-inflammatory,” can help with inflammatory conditions. Binder suggests that patients use this Nia 24 cream after using their medicated cleanser on a regular basis.
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