The 13 Dermatologist-Approved Moisturizers That Your Dry Skin Will Love

Finding a sunscreen that not only protects your skin from sun damage but also contains enough moisturizing ingredients that you don’t necessarily need a second moisturizer is no easy feat. Luckily, derm-approved brand CeraVe provided us with such a product, which won a 2020 SELF Health Beauty Award. This mineral sunscreen contains ceramides and niacinimide to bolster your skin’s moisture barrier, plus humectant hyaluronic acid to provide lightweight moisture. 

With hyaluronic acid as the star ingredient of this Neutrogena gel-cream, you can trust that it glides onto skin smoothly, absorbs quickly, and provides ultra-light, non-greasy (but nevertheless intense) hydration. “It layers well under anything and helps other antiaging products absorb better,” Jessica Krant, M.D., previously told SELF.

Linda C. Chung Honet, M.D., F.A.A.D, previously told SELF that this moisturizer ranks as “one of my favorites for skin when it is very inflamed and irritated,” and said she even recommends it for people with eczema. Dr. Honet pointed to ceramides, niacinamide, glycerin, and selenium as key ingredients for hydrating and protecting the skin’s barrier. Plus, she added, “It is fragrance-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free, and oil-free, making Toleriane especially soothing to the most sensitive, eczematous skin on contact.”

Dry, flaky, dull skin has met its match in this nighttime cream from SkinCeuticals, which contains a powerful one-two punch of moisturizers and exfoliators. Dendy Engelman, M.D., previously described how this cream’s ingredients work together to smooth, soothe, brighten, and restore skin overnight: “[It exfoliates] with AHAs (alpha hydroxy acids), helps reduce fine lines, and hydrates with ingredients like aloe, chamomile, and rose.”

“Alastin’s Ultra Nourishing Moisturizer contains fatty acids, phospholipids, triglycerides, dimethicone, various plant extracts like bisabolol, and their proprietary TriHex peptides to boost collagen and elastin synthesis,” Dr. Honet previously told SELF. In so many words, this is one seriously hydrating, restorative facial moisturizer.

For the 2021 SELF Healthy Beauty Awards, this sheer moisturizer won our testers’ hearts, and it’s little wonder why. It contains dryness-fighting ingredients like shea butter and aloe vera but still feels weightless upon application. As one tester put it, “It goes on lightly, but is nourishing enough that I would use it as a night cream at times, too. It paired well with face oil after it, and was a great base for foundation.”

If your skin is extremely dry, stressed out, or compromised, and you want relief ASAP, give this rich cream from Murad a try. Not only does it contain ingredients that come recommended by derms for dry skin (including jojoba oil, sunflower seed extract, dimethicone, and glycerin), one 2021 Healthy Beauty Award tester reported improvements after every night they used it: “I put this on at night and the redness in my skin is lifted, and it has totally reduced tired or dry skin spots. This product right here… it’s worth the money.”

Both Temitayo A. Ogunleye, M.D., and Julie Mervak, M.D., previously recommended Cetaphil moisturizers for people with dry skin because they’re fragrance-free and non-comedogenic (meaning they won’t clog pores). This lotion from Cetaphil is great if you’re looking for a lightweight product that will keep your skin hydrated all day long.

Dr. Ogunleye and Dr. Mervak also pointed to Vanicream as must-try brand for dry skin. Similar to Cetaphil, its products are gentle and free of most common irritants like dyes and perfumes. This cream in particular will feel wonderful on skin that’s not only dry but prone to irritation: It’s thick enough to feel nourishing without feeling greasy, and its dermatologist-recommended formula helps heal super dry, itchy, or even cracked skin. 

Dermatologists recommend using a thicker, more enriching moisturizer at night in order to keep your skin happy while you sleep. “We know that skin hydration levels decline at night, making your nighttime moisturizer an important step,” Joshua Zeichner, M.D., previously explained to SELF. This cream from Drunk Elephant, maker of some of the internet’s favorite skin-care products, is an excellent option for your pre-bedtime routine. It contains firming and strengthening proteins (in addition to reparative moisturizers) that’ll help you wake up with a smoother skin tone and texture. 

If you’re looking for a tinted moisturizer that’ll actually, you know, moisturize your skin, consider your search over. This 2021 SELF Healthy Beauty Award winner is packed with expert-approved hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid and glycerin, and one tester went so far as to say it made her “whole face look dewy and even goddess-like.”