If your skin feels tight after cleansing, flakes under makeup, or stings when you apply actives, you're dealing with dryness. And the fix isn't just "any moisturiser". Dry skin needs specific things: ceramides and fatty acids to rebuild the barrier, humectants like glycerin to pull in water, and something occlusive on top to stop that water escaping.
I've put together the ten moisturisers I'd actually recommend for dry skin, based on their formulas rather than marketing. Every pick here supports the skin barrier, most are fragrance free or close to it, and there are options at every price point. If your dryness comes with stinging and redness, it's worth reading our skin barrier repair guide alongside this, because a damaged barrier and dry skin usually go hand in hand.
Quick picks
In a hurry? Here's the shortlist:
- Best overall: CeraVe Moisturising Cream
- Best for very dry or flaky skin: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
- Best lightweight day cream: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream
- Best for sensitive skin: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
- Best for barrier repair: Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
- Best soothing option: Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser
- Best gel for dehydrated skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream
- Best for rough, dry patches: Eucerin UreaRepair Plus
- Best overnight balm: Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume
- Best premium pick: Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer
All links go straight to the brands. No affiliate parameters, no sponsored placements.
What dry skin actually needs from a moisturiser
Before the picks, a quick bit of context, because it makes choosing much easier.
A good moisturiser for dry skin does three jobs. Humectants (glycerin, hyaluronic acid, urea) draw water into the skin. Emollients (squalane, shea butter, fatty acids) smooth and soften. Occlusives (petrolatum, dimethicone) sit on top and lock everything in. The best formulas combine all three.
Then there's the barrier side. Your skin barrier is held together by lipids, roughly half of which are ceramides. When you're chronically dry, those lipids are usually depleted, so creams that contain ceramides alongside cholesterol and fatty acids help rebuild the structure rather than just masking the dryness for a few hours.
One more thing worth knowing: dry and dehydrated aren't the same. Dry skin lacks oil, dehydrated skin lacks water, and you can be both at once. If your skin is oily but still feels tight, you're probably dehydrated rather than dry, and a lighter gel cream (like the Neutrogena pick below) will suit you better than a heavy balm. Not sure which you are? Our skin type quiz takes about a minute.
The best moisturisers for dry skin
1. CeraVe Moisturising Cream (best overall)
If I could only recommend one moisturiser for dry skin, it's this. Three ceramides (NP, AP and EOP) plus cholesterol mirror the lipids your barrier is made of, hyaluronic acid and glycerin handle hydration, and the slow-release MVE delivery keeps it working through the day. It's fragrance free, works on face and body, and a big tub costs less than most branded serums.
The texture is a rich cream with a low-shine finish. It's my go-to recommendation for anyone recovering from over-exfoliation or starting a retinoid, because it's about as unlikely to irritate as a rich cream gets.
2. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ (best for very dry or flaky skin)
Cicaplast is what I reach for when skin is properly unhappy: flaky, wind-chapped, or raw from too many acids. Panthenol (vitamin B5) calms and supports repair, madecassoside soothes redness, and shea butter gives it a lightly occlusive finish without feeling like Vaseline.
It's marketed as a multi-purpose balm and it genuinely is. Face, hands, dry patches, post-procedure skin. If your dryness comes with visible flaking, start here and read our guide to dry, flaky skin on the face for the underlying causes.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
3. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream (best lightweight day cream)
Deceptively hydrating for how light it feels. Squalane and glycerin do the heavy lifting here, and the texture layers beautifully under SPF and makeup, which is exactly what you want from a daytime cream. Dry skin in the morning is a balancing act: enough moisture to stop the tightness, not so much that your sunscreen slides around. This gets that balance right.
We've written a full review of Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream if you want the deep dive.
4. Vanicream Moisturizing Cream (best for sensitive skin)
Vanicream built its reputation on what it leaves out: no fragrance, no dyes, no lanolin, no botanical extracts that might set off reactive skin. What's left is a straightforward, rich cream built around petrolatum and dimethicone that dermatologists recommend constantly for eczema-prone and sensitive dry skin.
It's not glamorous, but if every "soothing" cream you've tried has made your face sting, this is the one to try. It can be trickier to find in the UK, but it's stocked on Amazon and most big online pharmacies.
5. Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream (best for barrier repair)
The Ceramidin line is built entirely around ceramides, and this cream is the strongest of the range. It pairs a ceramide complex with glycerin and panthenol, so you're getting barrier lipids and hydration in one step. The texture is rich but sinks in properly, which isn't always true of barrier creams.
I'd point you here if you're using tretinoin or strong acids and your moisturiser needs to actively repair, not just sit there. It costs more than CeraVe for a similar ingredient story, but the elegance of the formula is a genuine step up.
6. Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser (best soothing option)
Oat is one of the most underrated soothing ingredients in skincare, and Aveeno uses it better than anyone. This gel cream pairs oat extract with feverfew to calm redness while glycerin hydrates. Despite being aimed at sensitive skin, the gel texture means it never feels heavy or greasy.
Best suited to dry skin that also runs red or reactive, especially if richer creams tend to make you feel suffocated.
Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturiser
7. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream (best for dehydrated skin)
This is the pick for water-based dryness. Hyaluronic acid and glycerin flood the skin with hydration in a cooling, fast-absorbing gel cream. On its own it's not occlusive enough for very dry skin in winter, but layered under a richer cream at night, or worn alone in summer, it's excellent.
If you want to understand why hyaluronic acid works so well here, we've covered the benefits of hyaluronic acid separately.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream
8. Eucerin UreaRepair Plus 5% Urea (best for rough, dry patches)
Urea is brilliant and most people have never used it. It's a natural moisturising factor, meaning your skin already makes it, and at 5% it both hydrates and gently smooths rough texture. Combined with ceramides, this cream is the answer for stubborn rough patches: elbows, knees, shins, and faces that get scaly in winter.
In the US the equivalent line is Eucerin Advanced Repair.
Eucerin UreaRepair Plus 5% Urea Cream
9. Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume (best overnight balm)
A thick, lipid-replenishing balm designed for very dry to atopic skin, and my favourite of the bunch for overnight use. Apply it as your last step in the evening and you wake up with noticeably calmer, softer skin. It's essentially a more elegant take on slugging with added soothing agents.
Works on face and body, and it's one of the few balms this rich that doesn't break me out.
Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Baume
10. Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer (best premium pick)
Omega fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic) are the "mortar" ingredients most moisturisers skip, and this cream is built around them, alongside ceramides and shea butter. It's a mid-weight texture that plays nicely with actives, so it slots into an existing routine without fuss.
It's the most expensive pick on this list, and honestly CeraVe covers most of the same ground for a third of the price. But if you want a more refined formula and texture, this is where the extra money goes.
Paula's Choice Omega+ Complex Moisturizer
How to choose between them
A rough decision guide:
- Persistent all-over dryness: CeraVe or Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin. Ceramides first.
- Flaking, stinging or over-exfoliated skin: Cicaplast Baume B5+ while things calm down, then transition to a ceramide cream.
- Dry but hates heavy creams: Kiehl's for day, or the Aveeno gel cream.
- Oily-but-tight (dehydrated): Neutrogena Hydro Boost, possibly under a light cream at night.
- Sensitive or eczema-prone: Vanicream, no contest.
- Rough, scaly patches: Eucerin's urea formula.
- Winter survival or overnight repair: Bioderma Atoderm Baume as your last step.
If your dryness is seasonal, we've also rounded up the best winter skincare products for dry, cracked skin. And if you'd rather build a full budget routine around dry skin, The Ordinary regimen for dry skin covers cleanser to moisturiser for under £40.
A simple routine for dry skin
Moisturiser matters, but so does everything around it.
AM: gentle cleanse (or just water if your skin is very dry), hydrating serum if you use one, moisturiser, SPF 30+.
PM: gentle cleanse, any treatment serums, then your richest cream or balm as the final step.
Two habits that make a bigger difference than any product swap. First, apply moisturiser to slightly damp skin; humectants work far better with water available to grab. Second, turn the shower temperature down. Hot showers strip the exact lipids you're paying to replace.
What to avoid with dry skin
- Heavily fragranced creams and essential oils. They smell lovely and irritate compromised barriers.
- Foaming cleansers with sulfates, and cleansing more than twice a day.
- Daily strong acids. Dry skin usually tolerates exfoliation once or twice a week at most.
- Layering several new actives at once. Introduce one thing at a time.
FAQs
What is the best moisturiser for dry skin?
For most people, CeraVe Moisturising Cream. It contains the three ceramides your barrier needs plus hyaluronic acid, it's fragrance free, and it's affordable enough to use generously on face and body. If your skin is very flaky or irritated, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the better starting point.
Is a gel cream enough for dry skin?
For mornings, often yes, especially under SPF. At night, pair it with a richer cream or balm. In winter, very dry skin usually needs a rich texture both morning and night.
Can I use retinoids if my skin is dry?
Yes, just go slowly. Start two to three nights a week, apply moisturiser before or after the retinoid to buffer it, and don't use strong acids on the same evening. A ceramide-rich cream like CeraVe or Ceramidin makes retinoid use much more comfortable.
Do I need an occlusive like petrolatum?
If you wake up with tightness or flaking, a thin occlusive layer over your night cream can make a noticeable difference. That's the whole idea behind slugging. You don't need it every night, just when your skin is struggling.
How long until a new moisturiser improves dry skin?
You should feel more comfortable immediately, but genuine barrier improvement takes two to four weeks of consistent use. If you're still tight, red or flaky after a month, the problem is probably something else in your routine, or an underlying condition worth seeing a GP about. Our guide to the causes of skin dryness is a good place to start.
Sources
- Brand product pages for formulations and INCI lists: CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Kiehl's, Vanicream, Dr. Jart+, Aveeno, Neutrogena, Eucerin, Bioderma, Paula's Choice.
- Peer-reviewed ingredient evidence:
- Ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids in barrier repair: PubMed, "Stratum corneum defensive functions."
- Urea as a natural moisturising factor: PubMed, "Urea in dermatology."
- Glycerin as a humectant: PubMed, "Glycerol and the skin."
- Hyaluronic acid and skin hydration: PubMed, "Hyaluronic acid: a key molecule in skin aging."
- Dexpanthenol (panthenol) for barrier support: PubMed, "Topical use of dexpanthenol in skin disorders."