The 14 Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin in 2024, Tested by Doctors

While dry skin sometimes needs heavier creams and balms, that doesn’t mean you always want to spend the day with a film on your face. This gel-cream hybrid “is ultra light, but effective,” says dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. “It’s loaded with hyaluronic acid, which acts like a sponge to pull in hydration to the outer skin.” You can’t go wrong with this facial moisturizer and it also comes in body and hand formulas.

Dry skin and sensitive skin are not mutually exclusive. In fact, dry skin can become increasingly sensitive because the skin barrier may be compromised, leading to more irritation. For sensitive skin, dermatologist Morgan Rabach, MD recommends this La Roche-Posay moisturizer because “it’s water-based, non-greasy, and hypoallergenic.”

Not only does this luxe, rich moisturizer help protect your skin barrier and hydrate parched skin, but it also helps smooth fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging. It’s innovative formula attacks glycation, a process in your skin that can cause the collagen and elastin in your skin to become weak, leading to the signs of aging. This double duty is why dermatologist Dendy Engelman, MD recommends it.

This body lotion “delivers the benefits of a cream in a light lotion formula that easily spreads over large surface areas of skin,” says Zeichner. “It contains a combination of ceramides to repair the skin barrier along with natural moisturizing factors to pull in hydration to the outer skin layer,” he says, which translates to longlasting moisture from head to toe.

This rich cream is a top pick from dermatologist Robert Finney, MD for a couple of reasons. It’s ultra-moisturizing power is ideal for winter, but it’s “non-comedogenic so it’s great for my acne-prone skin,” he says. It’s also soothing enough to help minimize irritation that can come from other skincare ingredients like retinol.

This cult classic moisturizer delivers incredible hydration and skin barrier-boosting power while still being fairly lightweight. It’s especially good for cold weather to help protect skin against harsh environmental factors like subzero temperatures and cold winds. Plus, “it’s rich and dewy and leaves skin with a beautiful glossy finish,” says aesthetician Sofie Pavitt.

This deeply moisturizing cream is packed with good ingredients like vitamin E and green tea extract to help reduce redness in addition to hydrating skin. Not only that, but it can also help improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

Cetaphil lotions are classic dermatologist go-tos, because they’re formulated for sensitive, dry skin and provide great moisture. But this version, according to Dr. Engelman, is supercharged. “The added antioxidants and niacinamide will neutralize free radical damage and repair the skin barrier,” she says. Niacinamide is especially good with strengthening the skin barrier to help keep moisture inside, but without irritation.

This daily moisturizer is ideal for dry skin, because “it contains ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid to moisturize skin,” says dermatologist Morgan Rabach, MD, but unlike the others on this list, it also contains sunscreen. Sun damage can make dry skin even dryer, so protecting it with a minimum SPF 30 every day can help protect it against drying out further.

Pavitt, who describes her own skin as bone dry, says she “consistently returns to this emollient, uncomplicated, fragrance free moisturizer when my skin is feeling particularly parched.” It’s packed with all the things dry skin needs: hyaluronic acid, peptides, lipids and ultra-moisturizing shea butter.

This skin-fortifying cream, which is shockingly lightweight for how hydrating it is, is one of Pavitt’s top recommendations because of the peptide-packed formula that also features bioidentical collagen. “Skin is ultra nourished, smoother and even toned after using this,” she says.

This ultra moisturizing and soothing moisturizer, recommended by dermatologist Evan Rieder, MD is so healing that it can double as a post-tattoo balm or be used after harsh treatments like lasers or microneedling.

This all-around great moisturizer is deceptively lightweight enough to wear during the day, but is packed to the brim with moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid but also has Epidermal Growth Factors derived from barley to help smooth the look of signs of aging like fine lines, wrinkles and sagging skin.

This power-packed moisturizer “addresses three critical elements of natural skin moisture,” says dermatologist Joe McGowan, MD. It contains natural moisturizing factors to help maintain the water content of the skin, ceramides and fatty acids to help improve skin barrier function, and hyaluronic acid “which acts as the skin’s primary hydration reservoir,” he says. Plus it’s non-greasy, lightweight, and non-irritating.

What To Look For

What Can Cause Dry Skin?

Meet the Experts

How We Selected