When it comes to keeping your skin hydrated and healthy, choosing the right face cream is crucial. Whether you’re dealing with sensitive skin or looking for a product with sun protection, there’s a moisturizer out there that’s perfect for your skincare routine.
For those with dry or sensitive skin, finding a moisturizer that doesn’t irritate or exacerbate skin issues is essential. Products packed with soothing ingredients can provide relief and maintain skin hydrated throughout the day. Meanwhile, if you’re someone who values skincare products that work while you sleep, investing in a quality night cream can make all the difference in your skin’s appearance and health.
It’s important to remember that your skincare routine should evolve with your skin’s needs and the changing seasons. Incorporating face creams that offer deep moisture in the winter and lightweight hydration with sun protection during the summer can help keep your skin balanced and protected year-round.
Our Top Picks
Understanding the essentials of facial moisturizers
Moisturizers play a pivotal role in maintaining skin health by forming a protective barrier that locks in moisture, keeping the skin hydrated and safeguarding it from environmental aggressors. This barrier is particularly beneficial for minimizing lines and wrinkles, promoting a smoother, more youthful appearance. Ingredients like hyaluronic acid and niacinamide are key for attracting moisture to the skin and retaining it, ensuring your face remains hydrated and plump.
Different skin types require specific formulations to effectively hydrate the skin without causing dryness or oiliness. For oily skin, a lightweight moisturizer that doesn’t clog your pores is ideal, while dry skin benefits from richer, more nourishing formulas. It’s crucial to identify your skin type and choose products designed to meet its unique needs, balancing hydration and nutrient content without compromising the skin’s natural balance.
Lastly, leveraging products that combine oil with other hydrating ingredients can offer an enhanced moisturizing effect, creating a supple and soft skin surface. Whether it’s through sealing in moisture with oils or reinforcing the skin’s moisture barrier with ceramides, the right moisturizer can transform the health and appearance of your skin.
Finding the ideal moisturizer
When searching for a suitable moisturizer, it’s key to look for active ingredients that address your specific skin concerns. Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and ceramide NP are powerhouse hydrators that help to lock in moisture, while salicylic acid can aid in preventing acne by gently exfoliating the skin. For those with mature skin, look for products with peptides and vitamin C to support collagen production and brighten the complexion.
Understanding your skin’s needs is the first step in choosing a moisturizer. If you have dry skin, a rich, hydrating moisturizer or one for dry skin can provide the deep moisture your skin craves. Conversely, if you have oily or combination skin, a lightweight, non-comedogenic moisturizer can moisturize your skin without leaving it greasy or clogging your pores.
Don’t forget to consider how a moisturizer feels on your skin. A good moisturizer should feel lightweight and absorb quickly, making it perfect for layering under makeup. It shouldn’t leave your skin feeling sticky or heavy. The texture and how the moisturizer felt on your face and body can greatly influence your comfort and satisfaction with the product.
Lastly, the integration of protective elements such as SPF and antioxidants can make a daily moisturizer not just a hydrating tool but also a protective shield against environmental damage. This multifunctional approach ensures your skin is not only moisturized but also shielded from the sun and pollution.
Best face moisturizers for oily skin
Credit: Sephora
Belif’s The True Cream – Aqua Bomb offers an ultra-lightweight, oil-free gel cream formula that instantly cools and refreshes your skin while boosting hydration by 70%. This moisturizer bursts upon application, delivering weightless moisture that doesn’t feel greasy. It’s packed with a blend of apothecary herbs, including lady’s mantle, which not only minimizes pores but also has anti-inflammatory properties. The napiers aqua and original formulas enhance skin’s overall health with potent antioxidants, improving elasticity and combating free radicals. It’s free from mineral oil, synthetic fragrances, colors, preservatives, or animal-derived ingredients, making it a clean choice for maintaining balanced, hydrated skin.
Credit: Laneige
Harnessing the power of micro-sized blue hyaluronic acid, Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer is a top pick for those with oily skin seeking deep hydration without a heavy feel. This moisturizer not only offers superior absorption due to its refined blue hyaluronic acid—enhanced through a double fermentation process with fucoidan—but also includes the Pepta-Panthenol Complex™ and squalane. These ingredients work together to visibly firm your skin and reinforce its moisture barrier. You’ll notice a more resilient and healthy complexion, thanks to its fast absorption and deep hydration capabilities. Plus, it’s easy to keep your regimen eco-friendly with its simple refill process. Just follow the steps to replace the inner pod, ensuring continuous, effective hydration without extra waste.
Credit: COSRX
Why settle for heavy creams when COSRX Oil-Free Ultra Moisturizing Lotion offers a lightweight solution that deeply hydrates without leaving your skin feeling greasy? Packed with 70% betula platyphylla japonica Juice, this formula soothes your irritated skin quickly and effectively. It restores and maintains the hydration levels, ensuring that your skin feels fresh, soft, and silky smooth throughout the day. Suitable for oily, combination, and even sensitive skin types, this fragrance-free lotion penetrates rapidly.
Best face moisturizers for dry sensitive skin
Credit: First Aid Beauty
Get instant relief for dry, distressed skin with the award-winning Ultra Repair Cream from First Aid Beauty. This fast-absorbing moisturizer is perfect for those with dry or normal skin types and can even soothe eczema. The colloidal oatmeal and shea butter work together to provide long-term hydration and protection for your skin’s barrier, leaving you feeling comfortable after just one use. Plus, it’s safe for sensitive skin and suitable for the whole family.
Credit: Kiehl’s
This best-selling moisturizer has been formulated with 4.5% Squalane to replenish skin lipids and glacial glycoprotein to help boost and retain moisture, making it perfect for dry sensitive skin types. Plus, it absorbs easily into the skin without leaving a greasy residue, so you can use it as part of your daily skincare routine.
When you use Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream with Squalane, you’ll notice an immediate improvement in your skin’s dryness thanks to its 24-hour hydration formula. Not only that, but this ultra-lightweight cream has also been shown to strengthen the skin barrier by 86%, leaving your face feeling soft and supple all day long. And because it’s formulated for all skin tones and textures (including sensitive), you can trust that it will work wonders on even the most delicate of complexions.
Credit: EltaMD
If you want to lock in moisture for up to 24 hours and soothe dry, flaky skin after procedures, EltaMD Moisture Seal is the intense occlusive moisturizer designed specifically for delicate skin resulting from cosmetic or medical treatments. This waterless, preservative-free formulation spreads easily and forms a protective layer over the skin, locking in moisture and preventing further dehydration. The petrolatum in the ingredients adds to the moisture retention properties of the product, making it an effective solution for dehydrated and post procedure skin.
Best face moisturizers for combination skin
Credit: Pyunkang Yul
If you’re struggling with combination skin, Pyunkang Yul Moisture Cream, featuring barberry root extract, is an ideal choice for maintaining balanced hydration. This non-sticky, refreshing moisturizer replenishes moisture and soothes your skin effectively. It’s crafted from natural ingredients, including the moisturizing powers of coptis root and jojoba oil, ensuring your skin receives deep hydration without any greasiness. The cream has passed skin irritation tests, making it safe for sensitive skin types. It also prevents pore clogging and calms the skin, offering a dewy, even-toned complexion.
Credit: Dr. Jart+
For those tackling both dry and oily zones, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream is a prime choice as it effectively hydrates while strengthening the skin’s barrier. This cream isn’t just about hydration; it’s packed with five different ceramides, panthenol, and glycerin that work together to lock in moisture for up to 100 hours after just one application.
Its rich texture absorbs quickly, providing immediate relief to dry areas without contributing to oiliness in others. The Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is a round lab of skin science that delivers exceptional results for healthier-looking skin. You’ll notice your skin feels softer, more supple, and significantly nourished.
Credit: Nature Republic
Nature Republic’s Super Aqua Max Combination Watery Cream offers hydration with its unique Aqua Sherbet Network System. This innovative system forms a moisture barrier that protects your skin from external aggressors, ensuring hydration lasts all day. This moisturizer combines the hydrating power of hyaluronic acid with the soothing benefits of green tea extract, making it an ideal choice for combination skin.
The gel cream texture provides a burst of moisture that lasts, keeping the skin hydrated throughout the day without adding shine to oily areas. This innovative formula ensures that the skin remains balanced and comfortable, with green tea extract offering antioxidant protection and calming properties. It’s a refreshing solution for those seeking to maintain a hydrated, yet non-greasy, complexion.
Best face moisturizers for acne-prone skin
Credit: COSRX
For those battling persistent redness and irritation, the COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream, enriched with 92% snail mucin, offers deep nourishment and repair. You’ll find it in various sizes and types, whether you prefer a jar or a tube. This cream isn’t just about soothing; it’s packed with sodium hyaluronate, betaine, and other skin-loving ingredients that target everything from rough patches to dark spots and scars. Apply it gently after cleansing and toning, and tap it into your skin to boost absorption. It’s designed to leave your complexion looking plump, hydrated, and significantly calmer. Use it as needed to maintain that fresh, comfortable feel all day long.
Credit: Jumiso
Jumiso Have A Good Cream, enriched with cica and snail secretion extracts, is your ideal choice for soothing and healing acne-prone skin. It’s not just for hydration; it also helps fade spots and restore your skin’s elasticity. Perfect for those who struggle with sensitive skin, this cream is alcohol-free, paraben-free, and sulfate-free, ensuring a gentle yet effective approach to skincare.
Its gel-to-cream formula is designed to absorb easily without leaving any oily residue, making it perfect under makeup. Users love its lightweight feel and quick absorption, praising how it sits well on combination skin and isn’t sticky at all.
Credit: Sulwhasoo
If you’re battling dry, acne-prone skin, the Sulwhasoo Essential Comfort Firming Cream might be your best choice for moisturization and firmness. Packed with Sulwhasoo’s JISUN Firming Complex™ and JAUM Moisturizing Complex™, this cream not only hydrates deeply but also strengthens your skin barrier. You’ll notice your skin feels more moisturized and elastic after just two weeks of use. Plus, nearly everyone agrees that it boosts radiance significantly.
This hypoallergenic formula targets the dryness that often accompanies acne-prone skin, soothing and visibly firming it. With its proprietary blend of five herbal ingredients, it’s specially designed to tackle the challenges your skin faces daily.
Questions you may have
Is it better to moisturize at night or morning?
Moisturizing both in the morning and at night caters to your skin’s different needs throughout the day. Morning routines benefit from a lighter moisturizer, possibly with SPF, to protect and hydrate your skin without interfering with makeup. At night, opting for a richer, hydrating moisturizer or night cream can provide deep moisture and support the skin’s natural repair process while you sleep.
This dual approach ensures your skin remains hydrated and protected at all times, optimizing the benefits of your skincare routine.
What happens if you don’t moisturize your face everyday?
Skipping daily moisturization can lead to a breakdown in the skin’s protective barrier, making it more susceptible to damage from environmental aggressors. This can accelerate the signs of aging, such as the development of fine lines and wrinkles, and leave your skin feeling dry and tight. Over time, lack of moisture can exacerbate skin concerns, leading to a dull and uneven complexion.
Regularly moisturizing helps to lock in moisture, maintain the skin’s protective barrier, and keep the skin looking and feeling healthy and vibrant. It’s an essential step in preventing premature aging and maintaining the skin’s overall health.
