No matter how many times your Apple Watch reminds to you to get up and refill your glass with water, or whether you prefer Poland Spring’s crisp neutrality to Evian’s soft mouthfeel, your body is made up of more than 50% water. It is more than a bragging right to drink plenty of H2O every day. It is vital for maintaining life, for powering your mind (73% water), your body (79% water), and your skin (64%).
The importance of moisturizing is just as important as having a Brita filter or a S’well bottle. This is to say that while it’s great to have access to clean water, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t. There are many moisturizers available, just like water varieties. There are many to choose from, some subtle, others more noticeable, and all at a range of prices, so you can suit almost any budget.
We tried a lot of them on different skin types, and only used the best. We are the water sommeliers in the skin-care industry. Here are the 16 best moisturizers to dry skin.
Milk Makeup Vegan Milk Moisturizer
You don’t have to choose among trendy non-dairy dairy milks when you can get them all in one jar. And some you may not even know. Combining fig, oat and argan milks with shea butter, squalane makes a rich, deeply nourishing vegan moisturizer that is gentle enough to be used on all skin types.
Milk Makeup Vegan Milk Moisturizer, $38.00, available at Sephora.
Botanics Simply Hydrating Face Cream
For well under $20, this rich, yet quick-absorbing combination of shea butter, cannabis seed oil and aloe vera is rich.
Botanics Simply Calm Hydrating Face Cream for Stressed Skin, $17.99, available at Walgreens.
Augustinus Bader the Cream
This luxe cream is the best of all luxe creams. It smells like a wool blanket but feels like heaven. Skin looks like a million dollars.
Augustinus Bader The Cream, $265.00, available at Violet Grey.
Renee Rouleau Skin Recovering Lotion
This oil-free moisturizer soothes and destresses skin, just like a Canyon Ranch 14-day stay for sensitive, acne-prone skin.
Renee Rouleau Skin Recovery Lotion, $43.50, available at Renee Rouleau.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
This sleeping beauty treat comes in a large tub and can be used on all dry areas (elbows, hands, etc.) as well as your face.
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream, $18.99, available at Ulta Beauty.
Ursa Major Gold Hour Recovery Cream
This soothing cream is rich in essential fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamins A, E. It’s a great choice for sensitive, dry skin.
Ursa Major Golden Hour Recovery Cream, $48.00, available at Credo.
Alpyn Beauty PlantGenius Melt Moisturizer
This luxurious moisturizer features hyaluronic and qualane as well as bakuchiol, which is a plant-based retinol substitute. The brand also harvests its active complex locally from its headquarters in Jackson Hole.
Alpyn Beauty PlantGenius Melt Moisturizer, $60.00, available at Credo.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Moisturizer
It may sound absurd to say that “pore-perfecting moisturizer” is a term. This dual-action formula has all the qualities of a “minor miracle” or “terribly good”.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Alpha Beta Pore Perfecting Moisturizer, $68.00, available at DermStore.
Clinique Dramatically different Hydrating Jelly
This gel locks in moisture without suffocating the skin. It is so light that even oily-skinned people will not be able to resist it.
Clinique Dramatically Different(tm) Hydrating Jelly, $28.00, available at Clinique.
Tatcha The Dewy Cream for Skin
What is luxurious, but not excessively rich? It’s perfect for dry skin and not too heavy for oily. It gives you a radiant glow that doesn’t require any highlighter. This is not a trick – it’s the cream.
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, $68.00, available at Tatcha.
Supergoop! Superscreen Daily Moisturizer, SPF 40
This is the most popular moisturizer on the market. It has SPF 40, protection against pollution, and long-lasting moisture to ensure you have the smoothest skin in any Stefon’s club.
Supergoop! Superscreen Daily Moisturizer SPF 40, $38.00, available at Nordstrom.
Olay Regenerist Wip with Sunscreen SPF25 Moisturizer
It’s a moisturizer that is so soft and nourishing it almost seems like a mistake. But we won’t tell anyone.
Olay Olay Regenerist Whip with Sunscreen SPF 25 Moisturizer, $36.99, available at CVS.
Ghost Democracy Lightweight Daily Face Moisturizer
There are no silicones, essential oils or fragrances. This moisturizer is all-natural and contains probiotics, Niacinamide and oat extract to nourish and soothe dry skin.
Ghost Democracy Clean Lightweight Daily Face Moisturizer, $28.00, .available at Ghost Democracy.
RoC Retinol Max Daily Hydration Anti Aging Creme
Anti-wrinkle creams can be harsh on the skin. This cream, however, moisturizes and smoothes the skin, just as you deserve.
RoC Retinol Correxion Max Daily Hydration Anti-Aging Creme, $24.16, available at Amazon.
Dr. Jart Ceramidin Cream
You can make a lot of things with a few beauty products. But the best thing about this moisturizer is its plump and hydrated skin.
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin(tm) Cream, $48.00, available at Sephora.
BeautyStat Universal Pro-Bio Moisture Boost Cream
This moisturizer is a simple cold compress in a glass. It contains ceramides, probiotics and fermented mushrooms extract. This moisturizer is gentle on the skin, without leaving behind a greasy film.
BeautyStat BeautyStat Universal Pro-Bio Moisture Boost Cream, $50.00, available at Amazon.
