The Best Face Moisturizers Make It Easy to Quench Thirsty Skin

best face moisturizer
Gif: Vogue's Beauty Secrets series with Ashley Graham

All products featured on Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, we may earn affiliate revenue on this article and commission when you buy something.

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 Dr. Jessica Weiser, 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.”

Our Top Picks

On the other hand, changing seasons often cue a swap. For example, in a heatwave, a lightweight gel (basically the halter top of summer hydration) might be preferred over an ultra-rich cream that could end up feeling sticky or clammy.

Plus, with customers becoming more conscious of product formulations and asking for exactly what they want, from nontoxic ingredients to do-it-all recipes, there’s a new wave of natural multitaskers on the shelves. “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 often feel tight, uncomfortable, and appear flaky. Thankfully, this skin type can benefit from modern plant-based formulas and scientific breakthroughs that keep skin hydrated and feeling moisturized for hours on end.

SkinCeuticals

Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2

SkinCeuticals’s formula relies on a balance of essential skin lipids to restore hydration cycles without a heavy feel. Key ingredients like pure ceramide, natural cholesterol, fatty acids, and an essential oil blend—featuring lavender, rosemary, and peppermint—leave skin looking radiant, and feeling refreshed. Plus, the bottle is TSA-approved. So you won’t have to skimp out as you’re packing for your next vacation.

Augustinus Bader

The Cream

Augustinus Bader’s The Cream has become a cult-favorite thanks to its TFC8 science—a complex blend of amino acids which helps promote faster healing, all while supporting cell's renewal process and the skin barrier. The result? Enhanced moisture levels, plus reduced lines and dark spots.

Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin

Remember: even if you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize. Trying to leave skin parched in hopes of reducing sebum production will only have the opposite effect on skin—as your body will produce more oil to compensate for what it’s feeling deprived of. That said, for oily skin types, gel and matte-finish moisturizers deliver the hydration skin needs without that heavy, clammy feeling. 

Tata Harper

Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer

Tata Harper’s Hyaluronic Gel Moisturizer uses chia seed water (famous on TikTok for its moisture-trapping skills), as one of its main ingredients. Enjoy a weightless finish that will still leave skin feeling nourished.

Belif

The True Cream Aqua Bomb

Whipped into a refreshing gel-cream texture, Belif's Aqua Bomb blends Lady's Mantle, ceramides, and glycerin to boost skin’s hydration levels and impart a fresh-faced glow. Not to mention, it sinks right into skin—making it an impeccable face primer before makeup.

Best Drugstore Moisturizer

In 2023, the French pharmacy holds the drugstore secrets everyone wants to know. But if you can’t make it to Paris right this second, these picks—which you can grab as you’re running errands around town—are sure to get the job done.

Weleda

Skin Food Original Ultra-Rich Cream

Use this cream from head to toe (seriously) on any areas of the skin that need a little extra love. You can also opt to apply it as a makeup primer or even a highlighter.

Embryolisse

Lait-Crème Concentré

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 any French girls’ handbag. The formula is light and milky, but still offers 24 hours of moisture.

Best Moisturizer for Wrinkles

There's never a poor time to turn to the market’s best wrinkle creams to address fine lines. Chanel’s refillable Revitalizing cream smooths skin with red camellia extract, while Augustinus Bader’s TFC8 science even comes in a mini version for those who 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.”

Chanel

N°1 de Chanel Revitalizing Cream

To address lines and wrinkles, Chanel’s refillable Revitalizing cream smooths skin with red camellia extract. The key ingredient targets all five signs of aging, while also helping to keep the skin barrier intact. When it comes to an anti-aging moisturizer, it truly doesn’t get any better than this.

Sulwhasoo

Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream

Sulwhasoo’s ginseng concentrate is racking up five-star reviews, and it’s easy to see why. Expect this rich cream to not only provide ample hydration, but also skin to appear firmer and bouncier.

Best Lightweight Moisturizer

Lightweight moisturizers are a first choice for many who fear breakouts or just aren’t a fan of greasy textures. Optimal for layering, these earn a spot in any beauty vanity year-round—not just during warmer months. 

Kiehl's

Calendula Serum-Infused Water Cream

This lightweight water-cream uses the star ingredient calendula flower extract (plus a host of micronized Calendula petals), to infuse skin with vital compounds that help combat everything from dullness and dryness to uneven texture.

Tatcha

Water Cream

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, safe to say, he’s tested it everywhere.

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. You’ll wake up looking renewed and dewy—trust us on this one.

Noble Panacea

The Absolute Rejuvenation Night Balm

Noble Panacea’s single-serving sachets are an insider favorite thanks to time-release technology that delivers the right amount of ingredients at the right time. Enjoy the benefits throughout the night and wake up with more firm, even skin over time.

Fresh

Lotus Anti-Aging Night Moisturizer

Super lotus and peach leaf extract come together to minimize the signs of aging, strengthen the skin barrier, refresh the skin, and protect against free radicals. Consider this cream a hangover cure for your face.

Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin

Combination skin types are always looking for the right balance—nothing too rich, but also nothing too drying. Thankfully, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Glow Recipe

Plum Pump Hyaluronic Cream

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.

Kate Somerville

HydraKate Recharging Water Cream Moisturizer

This product has raked up a nearly perfect five-star review—and it’s pretty easy to see why. The brand’s AquaPort Technology delivers up to 24 hours of hydration that goes deep into the skin for lasting benefits. The formula also features blue light-activated algae extract to combat the signs of aging caused by tech screens.

Best Non-Comedogenic Moisturizer

Non-comedogenic basically means it nourishes skin without creating congestion. To restore protective barrier function, “look for ingredients like hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides in a non-comedogenic formula,” says facial plastic surgeon Dr. Yael Halaas.

Shani Darden

Skin Care Hydration Peptide Cream

Shani Darden’s squalane-rich Hydration Peptide Cream is an oil-free moisturizer featuring hydrosella as well as squalane to protect the skin barrier, give you up to 72 hours of hydration, and seal in moisture—all without clogging pores.

Skinfix

Barrier+ Skin Barrier Restoring Gel Cream

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 the formula can lock in moisture for up to three days.

Best Moisturizer with SPF

Let’s be honest here: Any good skin-care routine has to feature SPF. Not only does it protect against sunburns, but it’s the best way to prevent premature aging. Perhaps your ideal sunscreen for face actually doubles as a moisturizer.

Lancôme

Rénergie Lift Multi-Action Dark Spot Correcting Cream SPF 30

This lightweight moisturizer is what we call a one-and-done kinda product. It helps firm, lift, and even out skin tone, all while providing sun protection with SPF 30. Make sure to apply at least 15 minutes before going out in the sun—then reapply every two hours after that.

CeraVe

Ultra-Light Moisturizing Lotion SPF 30

Halaas likes CeraVe for its broad-spectrum SPF that “won’t clog pores or cause acne flare-ups.” With hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and SPF 30 featured, rest assured this keeps skin in tip-top shape.

Best Moisturizer for Extremely Dry Skin

Extremely dry skin calls for a thick cream that can provide deep nourishment—sans irritation.

Topicals

Like Butter Moisturizer

Topicals created a buttery mask for reactive and eczema-prone skin to soothe even the most sensitive faces.

Avène

Hydrance Rich Hydrating Cream

Glowbar founder Rachel Liverman (a third-gen esthetician) likes Avène Cold Cream as 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.

Neutrogena

Hydro Boost Water Gel with Hyaluronic Acid

This oil-free water gel, formulated with hyaluronic acid, is perfect for anyone with acne-prone skin. It helps your face stay hydrated, all while not clogging pores.

Biossance

Squalane + Probiotic Balancing Gel Moisturizer

Weiser 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.

Meet The Experts

  •  Dr. Yael Halaas is a plastic surgeon specializing in facial cosmetic, reconstructive surgery, and non-surgical procedures.
  • Rachel Liverman is a third-generation esthetician, founder and CEO of Glowbar.
  • Dr. Jessica Weiser is a board-certified dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University.