11 Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin of 2023
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Dermatologists and skincare product experts weigh in on these hydration heavy-hitters from Olay, Cetaphil, CeraVe and more.
Tested by Danusia WnekSenior ChemistSave Article
When it comes to skin woes, whether it's on your face or your body, dry skin can be one of the most aggravating, uncomfortable and even painful of them all. When skin is super dry, it likely means your skin's barrier has become compromised which can make already-irritated skin feel itchy, tight and prone to infection. That's why skin hydration is so important.
"Think of moisturizers as a shield: You use moisturizers to lock in active ingredients and block harmful aggressors out," says Dendy Engelman, M.D., board-certified dermatologist and director of dermatologic surgery at Metropolitan Hospital in Manhattan. "Moisturizers help to reinforce the skin barrier, making it stronger and less vulnerable," she says.
To find the best moisturizers for dry skin, the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab tested hundreds of body lotions and face moisturizers, parsing through nearly 10,000 data points to find the ones that proved to hydrate skin. We've also included picks that are backed by our Good Housekeeping Seal as well as popular products with thousands of rave reviews online that have been vetted by our beauty editors and product experts.
The overarching winner in our most recent Beauty Lab tests, this silky-smooth cream hydrated even parched skin best, increasing skin hydration by 46.5% over 6 hours, according to our Corneometer data.
Our consumer testers also rated it tops for satisfaction and praised its texture, calling it "fine and silky," and loved how it left skin feeling "hydrated but not heavy or sticky." Although it is pricey per ounce, testers loved that "skin feels dewy without leaving a residue," making it perfect for application even under SPF or makeup.
In Lab tests, this top-scoring body moisturizer hydrated skin by 60% (the highest score of more than 20 moisturizers we tested), and kept skin feeling moisturized all day. The scent-free lotion was also our testers' favorite, even though some said they'd prefer a scented option.
It's formulated with super-hydrating petrolatum, but it won't leave skin feeling greasy or tacky: our testers all agreed it absorbed quickly. One raved, "It went onto my skin very smoothly and spread easily and evenly" and "left my skin very moisturized throughout the day."
Retinol is the gold standard when it comes to anti-aging face creams, and this retinol-packed face cream made skin look 32% smoother and more radiant after just one week of use, our data evaluation confirmed. Fine lines faded after four weeks and even deeper wrinkles and dark spots lessened after eight weeks' use. It deeply hydrates all the while, with ultra-hydrating performance that left skin looking instantly refreshed and hydrated for 24 hours after application.
This affordable drugstore pick from cult-favorite brand CeraVe performed excellently in recent Lab tests, tying for first place as the most moisturizing face moisturizer (it increased skin hydration by 48.1%!).
The fragrance-free moisturizer performed at the top of the pack for absorbing quickly and leaving skin feeling hydrated. Testers loved using it everywhere from face to body, and said, "It went on smoothly, was not greasy, absorbed well, and made my face feel very soft."
Another raved, "it absorbed quickly and left my skin feeling hydrated for hours," though it may not leave skin feeling plump as well as other moisturizers.
This calming facial lotion is perfect for anyone suffering from chronic skin conditions. Developed and tested by dermatologists, the fragrance-free formula is formulated with licorice extract and allantoin to help repair the skin’s barrier while calming and soothing redness. Though we haven't tested its claims or performance in-Lab, Dr. Engelman even recommends it to patients with chronic skin conditions like rosacea.
This face moisturizer is really proven to hydrate. We took 10,300 Lab measurements to find that this budget-friendly face cream effectively moisturizes 400% better than a cream nearly 18 times its price. It kept skin quenched for 24 hours and boosted hydration by 50% on average, thanks to powerhouse hydrators like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid.
Eighty percent of the time, testers preferred it to expensive creams, calling it "rich" without feeling heavy or greasy, although its floral, fruity scent may not be best for those who are sensitive to fragranced products.
A GH Beauty Lab gold standard for many years, Curél's quick-absorbing formula leaves skin looking and feeling moisturized. In our tests, it boosted skin hydration's hydration by 56% over 6 hours and it got a perfect score for spreading easily on skin. Testers loved that it doesn't leave skin feeling tacky, either, though it got below average score for making skin feel soft. We love its budget-friendly price and that you can use it everywhere from dry hands to scaly elbows and beyond.
A past GH Beauty Award-winner and our pick for the best overall moisturizer for oily, acne-prone skin, this refreshing Neutrogena gel is water-light but seriously quenches dry skin thanks to glycerin and hyaluronic acid. The oil-free formulation immediately moisturizes, with results lasting 12 hours, evaluations confirmed.
Consumers love it, too: It has over 79,000 reviews on Amazon, with one reviewer raving, "I went from very dry, flaky, angry skin to soft and supple in about one week. I noticed a change instantly," though it may not be rich enough for extremely dry or compromised skin.
This dermatologist-tested cream is free of dyes and fragrance, making it ideal for those with super sensitive, dry skin. We haven't tested these claims in the Beauty Lab yet, but reviewers can't get enough of this hydrating cream (to the tune of more than 28,000 five-star reviews on Amazon).
Reviewers with eczema, psoriasis and rosacea all swear that this rich cream helps quell symptoms. One says, "I have never had any irritation from this lotion and it has gone miles towards healing my rashes and open wounds." Keep in mind that the brand says there may be a slightly different aroma to each batch since there are no fragrances or masking aromas.
Formulated for dry skin, our data evaluations found that this lightweight gel leaves skin feeling nourished and hydrated for 72 hours. It glides onto skin and instantly absorbs and hydrates, leaving skin glowing. This moisturizer, suitable for sensitive skin, also feels lightweight, non-sticky and makes skin feel instantly hydrated, perfect for quenching dry patches without adding to oiliness on combination skin.
One reviewer raved that it "immediately relieves that tight, dry feeling and truly does last up to 72 hours," though it does contain fragrance which may not be ideal for anyone sensitive to scented products.
If you're looking for both instant and long- lasting dryness relief, this is the lotion for you. A clinical study showed that it significantly increased hydration up to 24 hours after application compared to untreated skin, and our Beauty Lab chemists were impressed at how quickly the silky, lightweight moisturizer absorbed into skin.
This moisturizer is packed with advanced ceramide complex and aloe water to soothe and repair skin, and orange peel oil (not added fragrances) for subtle citrus notes. Over 94% of testers reported that the formula soothed their skin and left it feeling healthier and looking more radiant, our evaluations confirmed.
To find the best skincare, the Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty Lab rounds up the best and newest products on the market to see which ones are actually worth your money, from drugstore moisturizers to luxury picks and much more. In the Lab, we use a Corneometer device to gauge moisturization capabilities, and we also send moisturizers out to a panel of consumer testers to get feedback on absorption, texture and scent. Products are masked or placed in unmarked containers to remove any brand biases.
For body lotions, we parsed through more than 134 products, distributed to 120 testers and collected over 5,000 hydration data points. And when it comes to face creams, we sent 264 top products home with a panel of testers, and tallied the results of 2,160 questions plus 1,920 Corneometer data points taken in-Lab to find the moisturizers that actually hydrate skin.
Regular moisturization is crucially important, according to Craig Kraffert, M.D., board certified dermatologist and founder of Dermstore. But it has to be the right moisturizer to actually heal severely dry skin. Dr. Kraffert says richer products — like thicker body creams in place of thinner body lotions — is key for quenching extreme dryness. Here are the ingredients our experts say makes a powerhouse body lotion that'll actually hydrate parched skin:
✔️ Emollients: These are hydrating agents, and Dr. Kraffert says they are a must in lotion for dry skin since they prevent hydration loss while smoothing and softening skin. They come in the form of oils (plant, mineral or animal), butters (like shea and cocoa) or fatty acids.
✔️Humectants: By attracting water to the skin, humectants help increase the skin's moisture content over time. Our experts love glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water and "creates a barrier for the skin, locking in moisture and improving texture," says Dr. Engelman.
✔️Ceramides: Your skin's lipid layer that locks in moisture and acts as a barrier against pollution, bacteria and signs of aging depletes as you age. "Ceramides help to restore the skin’s barrier by holding the cells together," says Dr. Engelman. "As a result, skin feels smoother, plumper and more moisturized." Look for skincare with ceramides or niacinamide, which helps skin increase natural lipid production.
✔️ Occlusives: While emollients and humectants hydrate, occlusives sit atop the skin and create a barrier to prevent further moisture loss and act as a shield against the hydration-robbing elements like wind and cold air. They come in the form of waxy or oily ingredients like petroleum, candelilla or carnauba wax, beeswax and cocoa butter.
The order of your skincare routine matters for peak hydrating efficacy. "Apply moisturizer day and night after a serum, and before SPF (during the day)," says Dr. Engelman. And when you apply moisturizer also matters. Whether face or body, dermatologists recommend lathering up immediately after cleansing or showering when skin is still damp. "Applying moisturizer immediately after showering or cleansing allows the product to trap some of the water on your skin, keeping it from evaporating," says Dr. Engelman.
In addition to picking the right product, layering on occlusive products can help lock in moisture and frequent application can help skin’s moisture levels remain balanced, says Dr. Kraffert. Look for occlusive ingredients like petrolatum, mineral oil or dimethicone. Our GH Beauty Lab pros recommend smoothing Aquaphor over your moisturizer on extra-dry or uncomfortable spots to create a barrier that'll lock in moisture and protect skin from further damage.
Jessica Teich is the deputy editor for the Good Housekeeping Institute with a decade of beauty editorial experience. To write this piece, she teamed up with Danusia Wnek, a chemist in the Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab, who led our Lab and consumer tests and authored a testing report for the Lab's latest round of moisturizer testing.
Jessica also interviewed dermatologists, pored over online reviews and even personally tested moisturizers for this piece. Jessica and Danusia each regularly test and cover the best skincare on the market and report on skincare ingredients (like hyaluronic acid and ceramides, vitamin C, retinol and niacinamide).
Jessica (she/her) is a deputy editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a longtime product tester, reviewer, writer and editor of beauty and lifestyle content. She has over a decade of industry experience, previously as beauty editor at USA Today's Reviewed where she launched the Beauty vertical and tested hundreds of products and has covered trends for publications like The Boston Globe and The New York Times. You can usually find her sorting through piles of beauty products — and testing the best ones on camera.
Danusia (she/her) is a senior chemist in the Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute where she evaluates haircare, skincare, cosmetics and beauty tools. She holds a B.S. in chemistry from St. John’s University and a M.S. in pharmaceutical sciences with concentration in cosmetic science from the University of Cincinnati. Danusia has over 10 years of experience in the personal care industry including formulation, product development, claim evaluation and efficacy testing.