Our Definitive List of Moisturizers That Go Above and Beyond Hydration (2025)

The best face moisturizers are non-negotiable essentials in anyone’s skin-care regimen regardless of their skin type or concerns (we’re looking at you, oily skin types). No matter the time of the year, your skin constantly craves (and deserves) extra TLC in the form of these rich, moisture-sealing creams, which plump and soften skin in ways that lighter-textured products like your serums just can’t. Without this key step in your skin-care routine, your skin’s natural moisture barrier can gradually break down, leaving your skin feeling dry, tight, and prone to irritation. That’s why a great face moisturizer is so important—it’s your skin’s first line of defense against dehydration and discomfort.

Finding the best face moisturizers for your routine is a process that ultimately relies on your skin type, concerns, and your desired results. The good news? We test the latest and most innovative formulations daily, so we know a thing or two about finding a top-tier face cream. Whether you're looking for a lightweight moisturizer with SPF to wear during daylight hours or a souped-up version with hard-working actives to use as a night cream, odds are the perfect face cream for you has passed through our offices and landed on this very list.

Our Top Picks:

• Best Overall: Dieux Instant Angel, $45
• Best for Sensitive Skin: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced, $185
• Best for Dry Skin: Trinny London Bounce Back, $70
• Best for Mature Skin: Chanel Le Lift Pro Crème Volume, $200
• Best for Oily Skin: Kate Somerville HydraKate Recharging Water Cream Moisturizer, $78
• Best for Winter: Caudalíe Premier Cru The Cream, $119
• Best for Face and Body: Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream, $32
• Best Priming Moisturizer: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream, $100

Here, we've rounded up the best moisturizers we’ve ever tried, including Allure Best of Beauty Award winners and recommendations from dermatologists, to keep your skin bouncy, hydrated, and protected all winter long.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why do you need a face moisturizer?
• What step is moisturizing in a skin-care routine?
• Meet the experts
• How our staff tests and reviews products
• Meet our staff and testers

Best Overall: Dieux Instant Angel

Why it's worth it: Dieux’s Instant Angel is gentle on your skin no matter how sensitive it may be. This fragrance-free formula focuses on replenishing moisture with its heavy-hitting mix of lipids, squalane, glycerin, urea, and amino acids, which the brand labels as its hydro-lipid blend. It’s also spiked with firming peptides and a compound called meadowestolide, a derivative of meadowfoam seed oil that boasts conditioning benefits. This cocktail of skin soothers and hydrators is so good that multiple editors (and one Hailey Bieber) have been hooked on this cushiony formula since it launched in 2022. On top of its stacked ingredient lineup, a general consensus amongst our Dieux-loving editors is that its richer texture, fast dry-down, and instant skin-smoothing results can’t be beaten. It doesn’t contain known pore-clogging ingredients, so acne-prone skin can feel free to enjoy, but oily skin types may want to opt for something lighter in texture.

Tester feedback: “Dieux's Instant Angel is the kind of lowkey luxury moisturizer that keeps me uncapping day after day,” says shopping contributor Annie Blackman. “The formula is unscented, thick without being gooey or sticky, and never irritating. A no-brainer, really. Never mind its very aesthetic design and the fact that I'm obsessed with anything that comes in a metal tube.”

Tester feedback: "The magic this barrier-restoring concoction works on my dry patches in the bitterly cold New York winters has yet to be beaten," senior news editor Nicola Dall'Asen says of its formula. "A tiny bit of this thick, gooey cream goes a long way, thanks to the seamless way it spreads and sinks into skin."

• Key ingredients: hydro-lipid blend (lipids, squalane, glycerin, urea, amino acids), peptides (dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline peptide), meadowestolide
• Texture: custardy cream
• Best for: anyone sensitive to fragrance
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Sensitive Skin: SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced

Why it's worth it: Just like the Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning eye cream its formula is based on, the SkinCeuticals A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced contains a slew of hydrators that skin slurps up for a softer, velvety feel. This dense, fragrance-free moisturizer contains SkinCeuticals’s proprietary Proxylane, an extract from beech wood that has humectant properties that bind water to the surface layer of the skin, but it stands out for its inclusion of anti-inflammatory glycyrrhetinic acid and antioxidant flavonoids for their tone-evening, firming effects. It’s basically a multitasking cocktail for your skin—it’s no surprise that so many dermatologists, like New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, are such fans of this dense cream. "[It's a] great thicker cream that provides improvement for age-related changes, as well as for hydration," he says.

Tester feedback: “Many moisturizers sting my dry, sensitive skin—but not the A.G.E. Interrupter Advanced,” says senior editor Jesa Marie Calaor. “It coddles my skin, comforting the extra-dry patches and leaving my complexion bouncy and bright.”

• Key ingredients: proxylane, wild fruit flavonoids, glycyrrhetinic acid
• Texture: balmy
• Best for: all skin types
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Dry Skin: Trinny London Bounce Back

Why it's worth it: Restore skin’s plump texture with Trinny London’s Bounce Back. This peptide- and hyaluronic acid-powered moisturizer has a pudding-like feel that instantly provides the skin-softening level-up that dry, dehydrated skin calls for. A soothing combination of squalane and oat-derived lipids calms down redness and inflammation, but sensitive skin types should keep in mind that this formula does contain fragrances. Its airless pump format keeps the formula fresher for longer and disperses just the right amount to moisturize without feeling greasy.

Tester feedback: “I’m all about peptides these days and the more the merrier. Bounce Back has four types of peptides that leave my skin feeling softer and plumper right away,” says commerce editor Sarah Han. “I recognize most of the barrier-loving ingredients in the ingredient list but phytosphingosine was new to me—it functions the same way preexisting lipids in our skin do and, along with the peptides, boost collagen production (a concern of mine as I make my way through my 30s). I also love the mess-free pump and not having to scoop my fingers into a jar.” Han prefers to use this cream at night because it can be a tad too heavy for her combination skin during the day. She also adds that many of Trinny London’s skin-care products (not just this one) do contain artificial fragrances—her skin is rarely sensitive to fragrance, so there’s no issue for her.

• Key ingredients: peptides, hyaluronic acid, squalane, oat-derived lipids
• Texture: custardy
• Best for: dry skin, mature skin
• Fragrance-free: no

Best for Mature Skin: Chanel Le Lift Pro Crème

Why it's worth it: Chanel’s Le Lift Pro Crème plumps skin with sodium hyaluronate (a stable form of hyaluronic acid) and glycerin, a powerhouse combination known for its hydrating properties. The star ingredient, however, is melipona enzymatic honey, a rare form of honey sourced from the tiny melipona bee in Costa Rica that takes this cream’s moisturizing powers to a max level, minimizing advanced signs of aging like fine lines and puffiness. (Chanel notes that only the excess honey is collected and no hives are harmed in the process.) And it actually succeeds, which explains why it won a 2023 Best of Beauty Award. Another bonus: It's also fragrance-free, a tough find among luxury skin-care products.

Tester feedback: "The Chanel Le Lift Pro Crème Volume moisturizer helps me hit glazed status every night before bed," says social media director Kassidy Silva. "With chronically dry skin—thank you eczema and psoriasis—it's my nightly staple to keep my skin supple and glowing."

• Key ingredients: Melipona enzymatic honey, hyaluronic acid, glycerin, shea butter, jojoba seed oil
• Texture: rich cream
• Best for: mature skin
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Oily Skin: Kate Somerville HydraKate Recharging Water Cream Moisturizer

Why it's worth it: For those with oily skin, HydraKate is a great year-round formula. Its ultra-light gel texture dries down immediately but still provides all the necessary hydration to leave skin feeling silky-smooth to the touch, even in winter. The key ingredients at work include antioxidant-rich algae extract to combat the effects of daily environmental aggressors and marigold flower extract to boost elasticity and smooth the look of wrinkles. Kate Somerville’s cream also features the brand’s AquaPort Technology, which is inspired by in-clinic micro-channeling treatments and is thought to mimic micro-channeling (and open up water pathways) to deliver moisture quickly and deeply into the skin.

Tester feedback: "I love how lightweight the Kate Somerville HydraKate Recharging Water Cream is," associate beauty editor Annie Blay-Tettey says. "It sinks in quickly but leaves my skin moisturized all day and never greasy."

• Key ingredients: algae extract, marigold extract, glycerin
• Texture: gel-like water cream
• Best for: oily skin, acne-prone skin
• Fragrance-free: no

Best for Winter: Caudalíe Premier Cru The Cream

Why it's worth it: Caudalíe's Premier Cru The Cream features powerhouse active ingredients that smooth and diminish the look of wrinkles and intensely hydrate skin—thus earning this moisturizing cream a 2022 Best of Beauty Award. The star ingredients are proprietary TET8 technology, which involves resveratrol (a plant compound commonly found in red grapes that acts as an antioxidant) and honokiol (green extraction of magnolia), viniferine, micro-size variations of hyaluronic acid, and sugars derived from honey locust to tighten the appearance of skin for up to six hours.

Tester feedback from commerce writer Jennifer Hussein: “My face gets tomato-red over anything: the slightest changes in weather, a quick workout, a single glass of wine…even a small tinge of anxiety can make my entire face flush. Caudalie’s cream provides the comfort my constantly inflamed skin needs while leaving it with a dewy, bouncy appearance.”

Tester feedback from shopping market editor Angela Trakoshis: “It truly feels like a blanket of long-lasting moisture and the velvety texture couldn't feel more luxurious and nourishing. This cream seals in all the moisture from my other skin-care products, acting as a barrier between my skin care and makeup during the day, or my skin care and pillowcase at night. The texture is thick but not heavy—as if you're wearing a super-warm jacket in the winter that manages to feel like you have nothing on.”

• Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, vine sap extract, glycerin
• Texture: rich cream
• Best for: people with age-related dryness
• Fragrance-free: no

Best for Face and Body: Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream

Why it's worth it: The twin to Aestura's Best of Beauty Award-winning lotion, the Atobarrier 365 Cream is a lightweight cream you can apply to your face and body (bye-bye, rough patches). Formulated particularly for dry, sensitive skin, Aestura’s dreamy cream is infused with micro triple-lipid capsules (composed of ceramides, cholesterol, and fatty acids) that burst upon contact with skin, supplying a surge of skin-smoothing moisture. Its fast-absorbing texture means you can slather this lotion all over your body and immediately put clothes on without fabric sticking to your skin.

Tester feedback: “I love Aestura AtoBarrier 365 Cream as much for what it does for my skin as what it doesn't: The rich formula is deeply hydrating without causing irritation or congestion,” says features director Dianna Mazonne Singh. “When I apply it before bed, my skin feels noticeably softer and smoother come morning.”

• Key ingredients: ceramides, cholesterol, fatty acids
• Texture: cream
• Best for: anyone who wants a cream to use all over
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best Priming Moisturizer: Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Cream

Why it's worth it: Charlotte Tilbury released her eponymous line stateside in 2014, but the makeup artist’s celebrity clientele, such as Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, were avid fans of Charlotte’s Magic Cream long before then. Fast forward to today: The Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning cream is a mainstay for its formulation that leaves skin smooth, soft, and even—exactly what you need for a seamless, second-skin finish with your makeup. As it sinks into your skin, its blend of hyaluronic acid, antioxidant vitamins C and E, and peptides work their skin-conditioning sorcery to leave skin feeling smooth as butter, but not nearly as greasy.

Tester feedback: “If I could slather my entire body in a vat of this cream every night, I absolutely would,” says commerce writer Jennifer Hussein. “It has a dense texture straight from the jar, but it quickly changes to a lightweight, cushiony veil when it’s massaged in. It doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy afterwards—just velvety-smooth and ready for my concealer.”

• Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), vitamin E, peptides
• Texture: dense cream
• Best for: anyone prepping their skin for makeup
• Fragrance-free: no

More face moisturizers we love:

Best Night Cream: Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair

Why it's worth it: Technically, Tatcha Indigo Overnight Repair is a serum-in-moisturizer, meaning it offers the concentrated active ingredients of a serum in a cushiony formula—which is why our editors love its conditioning, skin-calming formula so much. Angelo Landriscina, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Brooklyn, New York, is also a fan; he recommends it to people with sensitive skin since it's formulated with colloidal oatmeal, a wonderful skin soother. "It also has a seal of acceptance from the National Eczema Association," Dr. Landriscina adds. Indigo has many anti-inflammatory and antibacterial benefits, so it's ideal for soothing sensitive skin, strengthening the barrier, and calming irritation.

• Key ingredients: Japanese indigo, ceramides, Mondo grass root
• Texture: rich cream
• Best for: people with sensitive, reactive skin or dryness
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Acne-Prone Skin: Skinfix Barrier+ Restoring Gel Cream

Why it's worth it: Acne-prone skin needs moisturizer, too—but it has to be the right formula. The star ingredients in the Skinfix Barrier+ Restoring Gel Cream include moisture-binding saccharide isomerate, oil-absorbing niacinamide, and a peptide blend that supports the skin barrier’s moisturizing abilities—all without clogging pores. It's also free of silicone, which makes it lighter and less likely to feel occlusive on skin. "For people with oily, acne-prone skin looking for a lightweight moisturizer, this is excellent," says David Kim, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist. "One to two pumps is all you need and it gets absorbed instantly."

• Key ingredients: zinc PCA, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid
• Texture: lightweight gel-cream
• Best for: people prone to breakouts or congested skin
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Fine Lines: Ole Henkrisen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturizer

Why it's worth it: Ole Henriksen's Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturizer boasts a powerful blend of eight conditioning peptides, three moisturizing ceramides, and eight amino acids. This combination locks in moisture for the long haul, boosting elasticity and fortifying the moisture barrier. Bonus: Mango shea butter adds a subtly fruity scent that makes you feel like you're on vacation. The balm-to-gel texture seems like it might be heavy at first, but we’ve found that it absorbs quickly as you massage the formula in, leaving behind a glowy finish.

Tester feedback: "As a 31-year-old who is a little too into TikTok these days (that's a story for another day), I've started to get really into peptides—the tiny messengers in your skin that can be used topically to firm and lift the skin over time—to help alleviate the physicals effects of hunching over my phone for too many hours a day,” says associate beauty director Sarah Kinonen. “A peptide-packed treatment I've been loving lately is the Ole Henriksen Strength Trainer Peptide Boost Moisturizer, which is also formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid and ceramides to really plump up skin. Here's to firmer skin and more TikTok scrolling."

• Key ingredients: peptides, collagen, hyaluronic acid
• Texture: rich balm
• Best for: people looking for bounce and supple texture
• Fragrance-free: no

Best for Rosacea: Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Intensive Soothing Repair Cream

Why it's worth it: Dr. Jart+ makes some of our favorite cica skin-care products, like the Intensive Soothing Repair Cream, to curb sensitivity and redness. Used in Asian medicine for centuries, "Cica (short for Centella asiatica) is believed to soothe and repair irritated skin," Ellen Marmur, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, previously told Allure. This lightweight cream pairs a cica complex with allantoin to calm irritation, while niacinamide provides a gentle boost of radiance. It layers beautifully beneath sunscreen and makeup but also holds its own as a nighttime moisturizer.

• Key ingredients: Centella asiatica, allantoin, niacinamide, shea butter
• Texture: midweight soothing cream
• Best for: redness- or rosacea-prone skin
• Fragrance-free: yes

Best for Discoloration: Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream

Why it's worth it: Summer Fridays’ Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream has a weightless formula that checks a lot of boxes. "The blend of ceramides and humectants in this moisturizer packs a punch," Dr. Landriscina says. Though he recommends this cream to dry, dehydrated, or sensitized skin, the addition of exfoliating pineapple enzymes gives it the power to address dark spots and hyperpigmentation. (So, if you’re wearing this during the day, make sure to follow with sunscreen.) Whatever your skin type, its brightening, tone-evening formula, and lightweight gel texture will leave it radiant.

• Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, glycerin, amino acids, ceramides
• Texture: lightweight gel-cream
• Best for: people with dry or dull skin
• Fragrance-free: yes

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you need a face moisturizer?

The short answer: Absolutely. "Moisturizers are an essential part of every skin-care routine," says Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. "Just as our bodies require us to hydrate with water, so does our skin." While our skin appears dewier almost instantly, the real benefits show up in the long term. The consistent use of moisturizers slows down the rate and intensity at which fine lines and wrinkles appear, she says.

This daily philosophy applies to all skin types and not just dry skin. "Overwashing without the appropriate use of a moisturizer will trigger an overproduction of oil on your skin," says Divya Shokeen, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Torrance, California. In short, if you don't rehydrate your skin, it will become dried-out and irritated—which then opens your skin up to a cache of troubles.

"People confuse oil with hydration, so they don't properly hydrate the skin," says New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, MD. "We now have really great ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, which balances oil and water in the skin." Increased hydration supports a stronger barrier, Dr. Day says, which also helps curb oil production.

What step is moisturizing in a skin-care routine?

Consider your moisturizer as the cellophane that seals in the rest of your skin-care routine. In our beginner-friendly skin-care guide, dermatologists recommended three simple steps: cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen (during the day, of course).

A basic rule of thumb is, after cleansing, use products with the lightest texture first and work your way down to denser formulas like moisturizers. Using your moisturizer after serums and treatments like toners and essences is crucial for getting the most out of your products, according to cosmetic chemist Ni'Kita Wilson. "They seal in serums on your skin, which can make them more effective," Wilson says. After moisturizing, you can layer oil to make your skin look even dewier. And again, never forget to apply your last (and arguably most important) layer, sunscreen if you're headed out for the day.

Meet the experts

• Angelo Landriscina, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Brooklyn, New York
• David Kim, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist
• Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Divya Shokeen, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Torrance, California
• Doris Day, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City
• Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist based in New York City

How our staff tests and reviews products

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle to best serve you. We review ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. In addition to testing each and every product that's included in each and every review, we rely on experts who shape their fields, including dermatology, cosmetic chemistry, and medicine, to help us vet the ingredients and formulas.

For our list of the best face moisturizers, we considered each product's performance across five primary categories: product ingredients and efficacy, packaging, fragrance, texture, and product wear. Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from board-certified dermatologists who test and recommend moisturizers almost every day. To learn more information on our reporting and testing processes, read our complete reviews process and methodology page.

Meet our staff and testers

A beauty product is a personal purchase. You might be searching for a face cream to address persistent dryness or a new nail product to add to your Sunday self-care routine; you may simply be browsing around for the latest launches to hit the hair market. No matter what you seek or your individual needs and concerns, Allure wants to ensure that you love anything we recommend in our stories. We believe that having a diverse team of writers and editors — in addition to the wide range of outside testers and industry experts we regularly call upon — is essential to reaching that goal.

After all, can we really say a skin-care product is the "best" for people over 50 if the only testers we've solicited opinions from folks who have yet to hit 30? Can we honestly deem a high-end diffuser worthy of your hard-earned cash if it’s never been tested on curls? We're proud that our staff spans a wide range of ages, skin tones, hair textures, genders, and backgrounds, which means that we are able to fairly assess any beauty product that comes into the beauty closet.

Read more about our favorite skin-care products:

• 14 Night Creams to Soothe Seriously Dry, Irritated Skin
• 18 Best Face Exfoliators for Glowing Skin
• 17 Best SkinCeuticals Products Your Skin Will Thank You For
• 15 Best Lip Oils for a Hydrating Punch of Shine and Color

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