Want to know the best moisturizers for dry skin that will make your skin happy and plump? These are the tested moisturizers suitable for dry skin that you should really know about. I have combination skin with extra dry skin on the cheeks which gets even drier in the winter months and these products worked wonders for me.
In this post, you are going to learn what is dry skin, what ingredients to look for when choosing your moisturizer, and the holy grail moisturizers for dry skin.
Disclaimer: Please take this as entertainment, educational and informational content and not as medical information and advice.This post contains affiliate links. For full disclosure please check here.
What is dry skin
Dry skin is the type of skin that is lacking its natural oils or moisture. Not having enough moisture in your skin can lead to premature wrinkles, expression signs, or dull-looking skin.
If you are not sure about what type of skin you have, you can check this post, which helps you find out your skin type.
How to choose the best moisturizer for dry skin
Make sure it doesn’t have irritants: Sulfates (like SLS) and fragrances can be harsh and irritating to the skin. Alcohol is also something to be aware of as it can dry out the skin even more than it already is.
Look for hydrating ingredients – there are a lot of ingredients that provide hydration and bring back moisture to the skin. What you should be looking for are humectants( like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, honey, aloe), emollients(squalene oil, vitamin E or jojoba oil) that help soften and smoothen the skin, and occlusives(dimethicone, shea butter) which help prevent water loss from the epidermis
Moisturizers For Dry Skin
The best moisturizers that I have found out to work wonders for dry skin are:
1. Cerave Moisturizing Cream
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One of the best sellers moisturizers for dry skin on Amazon appreciated and recommended by a lot of dermatologists is Cerave Moisturizing Cream. It’s a thick cream with ceramides and hyaluronic acid. Ceramides are lipids found naturally in the skin. They help the skin’s barrier as well as helping the skin retain moisture while protecting the skin from environmental damage. If there is a lack of ceramides in the skin, the skin’s barrier gets compromised, leading to dryness and increased sensitivity. It also contains Sodium Hyaluronate which is a humectant and glycerin which is an emollient. This cream is suitable for use both on your face and on your body and because is fragrance-free is also good for people with sensitive skin. This cream is best to be used in the wintertime when your skin need even more moisture.
2. La Roche Posay Toleriane Sensitive Riche
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Ok, I only found out this product to be available in Amazon Europe at the moment I wrote this post, but you can get it shipped to the US and other countries too if you don’t plan on going on a trip to France or the UK where you could easily find this cream in a lot of pharmacies. It’s a thick cream that contains one of my favorite active ingredients, niacinamide. If you don’t know what this is, niacinamide, also known as vitamin B3, helps regulate oil production, so it’s good for both dry and oily skin. It’s one of those miracle ingredients. It also helps with fine lines, as well as an uneven skin tone. Niacinamide helps enlarged pores return to their natural form by increasing elasticity in your skin, as well as making the surface of the skin feel smoother and even. It also contains Squalene and Shea Butter, both amazing emollients. It can leave a greasy feeling for about 10 minutes until it sinks perfectly into the skin. I would recommend using this cream at night or also in the day in the wintertime.
3. Neutrogena hydro boost gel-cream extra dry
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Make sure you get the fragrance-free version – this is one of the creams recommended by a lot of dermatologists. It’s lightweight, perfect for summer, but it does its job in providing moisture for your skin. Neutrogena hydro boost gel cream contains hyaluronic acid, which makes this gel-like cream be a great humectant for your skin when applied on damp skin to lock in moisture. In the winter months, you could use this under oil or another heavy moisturizer if you feel like it is not enough. As I said, this is more like a great humectant, it helps retain hydration into the skin making it plump, but you should lock that moisture with an occlusive moisturizer. When used correctly on damp skin, it leaves amazingly smooth and plump skin.
4. Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
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Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is a simple cream to which I always go to, when I feel my skin very, very dry, or sensitive. It is alcohol-free, fragrance, and essential oil-free, making it a great cream for sensitive skin or eczema-prone skin. This thick, occlusive cream is recommended and liked by a lot of dermatologists because of the simple and moisturizing ingredients. It contains Glycerin, a natural moisturizer that can also be found in our skin, that protects against irritation and helps to restore the barrier. The famous Petrolatum (Vaseline or Petroleum Jelly), the most effective occlusive agent known today can also be found high in the list of ingredients, helping with hindering the Transepidermal Water Loss(TEWL). It also contains Dimethicone, a polymer molecule that makes the skin silky smooth, and forms a protective barrier, which gives skin a plump look (only temporary). All in all, it’s a great simple moisturizer, very good for dry to extremely dry skin, probably better used in the evening or also in the daytime in winter.
5. Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex with Chia and flaxseeds
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It contains a lot of replenishing ingredients like ceramides and Omega fatty acids (Omega 3, 6 and 9), Shea Butter, Passion fruit, and guava. Omega fatty acids are a valuable component in maintaining our skin and body health by protecting us from environmental damage. They can’t be produced by our body, it has to be taken from external sources like fish oil, algae, and in some nut oils like chia, flaxseed, or walnut oil. This thick cream also contains Passion fruit and guava extracts, soothing ingredients for stressed or irritated skin. Another great ingredient found in this cream is shea butter, an ingredient that has rich emollient benefits. It’s a good moisturizer for dry, normal, combination, or sensitive skin.
6. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – Intense Hydration
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FAB Ultra Repair Cream can be used both on your face as well as on your body. It’s a thick cream, which takes a while to absorb into the skin. It is great for dry parched skin, sensitive skin as well as people with mild eczema. The cream contains a lot of super nourishing and hydrating ingredients. It contains Colloidal Oatmeal which was proven to relieve itching, rashes, and other minor irritations, this being one of my favorite ingredients that helps you to repair your skin barrier. It also contains Ceramides, lipids that are imperative in the regulation, and the maintenance of our skin barrier. I would not recommend this thick cream for oily or acne-prone skin people.
7. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream 
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A pretty straightforward cream, one of the classics I would say, doesn’t feel heavy on the skin but it’s really moisturizing. It contains Squalene, a very good emollient, Glycerin good for moisturizing as well as a lot of hydrating oils like Avocado Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, and Apricot Kernel Oil, all oils high in oleic acid which makes this cream feel thick and rich, benefitting those with dry or aging skin. It is a little on the pricey part and can usually be found in the luxury departments, but it’s amazing for dry skin.
6. Clinique – Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
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Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion contains Glycerin, Mineral Oil, a great emollient and moisturizer, and Petrolatum, which is an occlusive that helps lock in that moisture. Another ingredient that we can find in this lotion, is Cucumber Fruit Extract, a non-irritating plant extract that’s known for its soothing properties. Urea, a great natural moisturizing factor found in this lotion helps improve skin barrier function. This lotion absorbs quickly into the skin leaving a plump skin for a long time. It is great to be used in the daytime.
9. Hada Labo Tokyo – Anti-aging wrinkle reducer day cream
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This comes from Japan’s Number One Skincare line, Hada Labo. It is a very hydrating cream that contains Super Hyaluronic Acid, a combination of several types of Hyaluronic acid, giving your skin multi-layer hydration. It also contains Retinyl Palmitate, a derivative form of Vitamin A, an ingredient found naturally in our skin, with the role of an antioxidant. This heavy cream is fragrance-free and also good for sensitive skin. It does contain Methylparaben and other parabens, a preservative that makes sure the formula doesn’t go bad too soon, so I don’t recommend this cream if you are looking for a paraben-free cream. It feels a little bit oily on the skin at first, but after about half an hour it absorbs completely, leaving your skin smooth and hydrated.
10. La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Rich
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I just love this lotion, it’s very lightweight and it absorbs so quickly, leaving the skin extra plump and hydrated. I am a fan of La Roche Posay and this lotion does not disappoint. It contains thermal spring water, specific to La Roche Posay, together with a lot of hydrating ingredients like hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid and glycerin, as well as emollients like shea butter. I feel this lotion-like cream goes really well under foundation and is a very good fit for dry skin people in the daytime. For the nighttime, this cream might not be enough for very, very dry skin and an oil or a sleeping mask might be needed on top. But, I consider these cases rare, I would say it would be pretty good for dry skin in general.
11. Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream with retinol
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Paula’s Choice Intensive Repair Cream is a very good moisturizer for starting your retinol journey. If you don’t know what retinol is, you definitely should. Retinol, a vitamin A derivative, is a great anti-aging ingredient that is thought to stimulate the production of collagen and can also help with hyperpigmentation and acne. It is the over-the-counter version of prescription-strength tretinoin, one of the most powerful ingredients in skincare. Usually, when starting with retinol and when using retinoids in general, people will be more prone to dryness. It is not the case with this moisturizer as it also contains a lot of moisturizing ingredients like jojoba seed oil, petrolatum, glycerin, and dimethicone. Even if this is a very good starting retinol cream, I would not apply it directly on dry, cleansed face if you have not used a retinol until now. You should go first with a lightweight moisturizer or a serum without any actives and apply this cream on top of it for the first few uses. You have to smooth your way into using a retinol product. Using it once a week for a few weeks until your skin acclimates is a best practice among retinol users.
12. Eucerin Aquaphor Skin Repairing Balm
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This one is more like a very heavy balm and is good for people with extremely dry skin. You can use it just on patches where you have dry skin or on your entire face. It is fragrance-free and it’s great for sensitive skin too. The balm might feel a little greasy so I would recommend this to people who can handle this. If you don’t want to use it on your face, it is a great product for hands, elbows, and dry lips. Really, it does wonders with dry lips. If you have dry, parched skin in the wintertime, try to use Aquaphor Skin Repairing Balm and be amazed.
Pro tip: One of the best things you could do for your dry skin is to invest in a humidifier. A humidifier creates a humid environment so that your skin can retain moisture from the air. I personally use a diffuser, because I like to add a few drops of essential oils when I want to feel fancy, relaxed, or just want a change of scent in the house, but a humidifier should be a must in your home in cold winter time when the heating units make the air dry.
Pro tip 2: Second best thing is to shower and wash your face with lukewarm water instead of hot water, as hot water will only dehydrate your skin even more.
These were the Holy-Grail Moisturizers for dry skin that I have found out to work amazingly.
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People in my area have no clue that scalp therapy shampoos for fast hair growth (obviously with no sulfates, no parabens, no DEA) are even a thing. We all are now able to enjoy longer hair and have more options. Surely worth looking up.
When you’re thinking about alopecia, hair damage, preventing hair disorders, hair growth, hair care generally, very similar principles come to mind.
In general, you have to avoid hair products and treatments that include chemicals such as parabens, DEA or sulfates.
What’s beneficial for your hair is beneficial for your skin also.
Obviously your content here is spot on for multiple reasons. It avoids the accustomed mistakes and errors most fall into: utilizing ineffective alternatives. Keep up the great content!
Thank you very much for your kind words :). There are a lot of advancements done each day and unfortunately, people don’t know about them. And yes, scalp therapy shampoos that stimulate hair growth are amazing and there are a lot of available products to choose from. It’s important for everyone to take care of their scalp health, not just their skin health.