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The search for the perfect facial moisturizer is often a lifelong pursuit. Why? Formulas change (even the most coveted) as brands constantly update recipes and star “actives” to make them cleaner, better, faster, stronger. “New products are continually released onto the skin-care market, some of which contain more potent combinations of ingredients, and sometimes even entirely novel actives,” says Jessica Weiser, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Columbia University. She adds that rotating tried-and-true favorites intermittently helps “to ensure that your skin continues to respond to its source of hydration.” Changing seasons often cue a swap. In a heatwave, lightweight gel (basically the halter top of summer hydration) might tap in for an ultra-rich cream.
The Best Face Moisturizers
- Best Moisturizer for Wrinkles: N°1 De Chanel Revitalizing Cream, $115
- Best Lightweight Moisturizer: Tatcha The Water Cream, $68
- Best Night Cream Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Omega-Rich Cloud Cream, $53
- Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin: Tata Harper Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer, $130
- Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin: Glow Recipe Plum Plump Moisturizer, $39
- Best Drugstore Moisturizer: Embryolisse Lait Crème Concentre, $29
- Best Non-Comedogenic Moisturizer: Shani Darden Hydration Peptide Cream, $58
- Best Moisturizer with SPF: U Beauty Multimodal Defender SPF30, $165
- Best Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: Bubble Level Up Balancing Moisturizer, $15
- Best Moisturizer for Glowing Skin: Caudalie Vinoperfect Instant Brightening Moisturizer, $65
- Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242, $150
Of course, consumer demand is a powerful thing. Now that Big Beauty is finally catching on to customers asking for nontoxic ingredients and do-it-all recipes, there’s a new wave of natural multitaskers. “With endless innovative moisturizers, the hydration market is more abundant than ever, and there are products suitable to all skin types and needs,” says Weiser. To help narrow the search and edit the noise, we tapped experts for their recommendations on the best face moisturizers.
Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin
Dry skin can benefit from modern plant-based formulas and scientific breakthroughs. SkinCeuticals’s formula relies on a balance of essential skin lipids to restore hydration cycles without a heavy feel, while Retrouvé’s Dynamic Nourishing Face Cream even works as a dewy makeup base. And Dior’s paraben-free Hydra Life Intense Sorbet Crème Moisturizer hydrates with 93% natural ingredients like mango butter and hyaluronic acid.
Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin
For oily skin types, gel and matte-finish moisturizers deliver the hydration skin needs without the grease. Think picks by Youth To The People or Barney’s New York Beauty. Tata Harper’s Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer uses chia seed water (famous on TikTok for its moisture-trapping skills) while Ustawi’s “invisible” gel texture decreases the overproduction of sebum with a velvety matte finish.
Best Drugstore Moisturizer
In 2023, the French pharmacy holds the drugstore secrets everyone wants to know. Embryolisse’s bestselling (one is purchased every ten seconds) Lait Crème Concentré is the do-it-all natural moisturizer that can be found everywhere, from backstage at Paris shows to boyfriends’ Dopp kits, along with Weleda Skin Food. Weiser likes La Roche Posay’s Toleriane (which now comes in a new gel formula) for a basic moisturizer as it’s “soothing and calming to even the most sensitive.” Makeup artist Daniel Martin (who has worked with the likes of Meghan Markle, classical pianist Chloe Flower, and Michelle Yeoh) agrees that it’s “great for sensitive skin,” and its featured prebiotics is a barrier bonus.
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Best Moisturizer for Wrinkles
To address lines and wrinkles, Chanel’s new refillable Revitalizing cream smooths skin with red camellia extract, while Augustinus Bader’s TFC8 science now comes in a mini version for those that want to test drive the industry favorite. MUTHA notes that their adaptogen-rich cream is pregnancy-safe (a rare find in this category), and Sulwhasoo’s ginseng concentrate is racking up five-star reviews. Martin also keeps iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion in his kit (also marked as Amazon’s Choice for the category), which “brightens up tone while protecting skin and diminishing wrinkles over time.”
Celebrity-Approved Moisturizers
Emma Roberts tells Vogue that makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury’s bestselling Magic Cream is her “favorite.” Tilbury’s early iterations of the formula were mixed by hand and applied to models like Kate Moss backstage—now, her hyaluronic acid-packed recipe has become a celebrity pick for its ability to plump skin while layering seamlessly with makeup (and never pilling). And the hits keep coming: Teyana Taylor keeps it classic with La Mer’s moisturizing Soft Cream, Niall Horan steps into the future with Element Eight’s new O2 Hyaluronic Acid cream, and Alton Mason takes it easy with Alo’s straightforward Luminizing Face Moisturizer.
Best Lightweight Moisturizer
Lightweight moisturizers are a first choice for many who fear breakouts or just too-greasy texture. Natura’s Chronos gel uses intelligent technology to help skin regulate its own moisture levels for a minimalistic (and futuristic) approach. Martin says Tatcha’s Water Cream is “hands down my go-to for the summer or anywhere you’re dealing with humidity and heat.” As global director of artistry and education for the brand, he’s tested it everywhere.; he says to apply before makeup.
Best Night Cream
The skin notoriously does its best repair work after hours, which makes night creams with smart ingredients an important step for all skin types. Noble Panacea’s single-serving packets are an insider favorite thanks to time-release technology that delivers the right amount of ingredients at the right time throughout the night for myriad results from firming to tone evening. Omega-rich recipes can also offer essential hydration while skin loses water at night, like Kiehl’s cloud cream (sealed with Sephora’s clean stamp), which has clinical results that show over 90% of those tested saw more refined, renewed, and rejuvenated skin in one month.
Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin
Combination skin types are always looking for the right balance, something that Clarins’s Lotus oil helps deliver with its natural astringent qualities and preservative-free formula. Glow Recipe’s refillable Plum Plump Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer caters to multiple skin types, incorporates hyaluronic acid (which holds a thousand times its weight in water), and sits in adorable packaging.
Best Non-Comedogenic Moisturizer
Non-comedogenic basically means it nourishes skin without creating congestion, like Shani Darden’s squalane-rich Hydration Peptide Cream. To restore protective barrier function, “look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides in a non-comedogenic formula,” says facial plastic surgeon Yael Halaas, MD. Free of fungal blemish triggers, Skinfix’s gel cream also sports Sephora’s Clean + Planet Positive seal of approval, along with clinical results showing that it improves skin barrier function in just one hour, and can lock in moisture for up to three days.
Best Moisturizer with SPF
U Beauty’s Multimodal Defender SPF 30 has gained a cult following from industry insiders for its skin-perfecting results, and for straightforward SPF hydration. Halaas likes CeraVe for its broad-spectrum SPF that “won’t clog pores or cause acne flare-ups.” Then, there are the color-correcting formulas that cater to a range of tones, and BareMinerals Complexion Rescue has swept its category for a reason—its clean mineral SPF recipe protects from blue light with just the right buildable texture for beginners. When Vogue staffers would ask for something to polish up before an event, I’d hand them a tube in their skin tone. The next time, they’d bring a friend—a certain accessories editor once raved, “it looks like you’ve had your makeup professionally done.”
Best Moisturizer for Extremely Dry Skin
Extremely dry skin calls for a thicker cream. Topicals created a buttery mask for reactive and eczema-prone skin as a salve so soothing for sensitive types. Glowbar founder Rachel Liverman (a third-gen esthetician) likes Avène Cold Cream for a “rich and creamy moisturizer that provides intense hydration, leaving even the driest skin feeling smooth and supple.” Its modern update to the old-school favorite comes in the form of sensitive-skin-friendly Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream, which can reveal skin that’s up to four times more hydrated after a month of use.
Best Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin
For inflamed and acne-prone skin, balance is key—so is hydration. “Acne is often a reason patients avoid using proper moisturizers, but in fact, moisturizing acne-prone skin can help suppress oil production and speed healing of the skin,” says Weiser. She likes this “dewy” Biossance gel that “leaves skin radiant without causing occlusion that can lead to skin congestion and blemishes.” It features squalane, “a plant-derived, excellent emollient to keep skin hydrated,” alongside aloe vera which can similarly be of service. Soothing niacinamide blends with moisture-trapping humectants in Bubble’s Level Up balancing moisturizer—plus, its touch-pump dispenses single servings to keep bacteria out of the mix. Otherwise, Monastery’s Attar Floral Repair Concentrate has antifungal properties that deter blemish-causing bacteria.
Best Moisturizer for Glowing Skin
Weiser shares that a mild exfoliant can help encourage skin turnover to “eliminate dead skin cells that contribute to dullness,” which translates into a “glow.” She recommends Sisley Paris Phyto-Blanc La Lotion for its brightening effect and ability to “continually even tone to yield bright, radiant skin while eliminating dryness.” Martin likes Good Light’s Moon Glow featuring snow mushroom, another ingredient that holds a thousand times its weight in water. (It also layers well!) “I’m truly obsessed,” he says.
Best Moisturizer for Anytime-Anywhere
For any time, anywhere moisture, creams that let skin breathe and skip the kind of SPF that needs to be washed off at the end of the day are at the front of the line. Safe for sensitive skin and designed to play well with other products, Matter of Fact’s Minimalist Moisturizer was shown in hydration studies to calm and smooth skin after just two weeks. Grown Alchemist smartly wraps their nourishing rosehip oil Hydra-Repair cream in a recyclable tube.
Best Body Moisturizer
“Body skin doesn’t have the reparative ability that facial skin has, so it needs more support from protective creams,” says Halaas. Boscia’s works for all areas of sensitive skin, Gisou’s famous bees are now helping to create honey-infused hydration, and it’s hard to describe the heavenly-yet-sharp botanical scent of Agent Nateur’s holi(body) serum.
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