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As we welcome winter, we also welcome dry skin. Cetyl-PG Hydroxyethyl l Palmitamide
Though some may experience dull and cracked skin all year round (myself included), there hasn’t been a better time to invest in a new skincare routine.
For one, you’ll have a regimented ritual set in place just before the new year. Not to mention, the best products in this list have been thoroughly tested and are miracle formulas for my dry skin.
I’ve been testing products for years and, truth be told, there’s an entire product cart in my bathroom dedicated to face cleansers, serums, moisturizers and more.
Essentially, I’ve put nearly every top brand from Alpyn Beauty to Youth to the People on a calendar-driven cycle, many thanks due to my color-coded Google Calendars and notes app.
I’ve had dry skin for as long as I can remember, have made several visits to the dermatologist to try to cure it and, until using these products on a regular basis, I’ve seen a major improvement to the flakiness on my skin.
That said, you’ll rest assured that all the top picks are actually worth the buy. We know skincare can be pricey at times. But hey, even if you want to start with a quality cleanser and a cloud-like moisturizer, your skin will still thank you.
Some of the best ones include hyaluronic acid, while others include retinol. Noteworthy favorites are of every variety, too, from toners and eye creams to vitamin C serums and under-eye patches.
Below, find our edit of the best skincare products for dry skin we reviewed. They sure made my skin bounce and glow — and have since erased the itchy, thirsty skin I used to have.
Click to jump to our winners of the best skincare for dry skin by category:
A skincare routine for dry skin should not only hydrate the skin, but prep it to actually receive new moisture while also protecting it from any further moisture loss, which can lead to eczema. Here’s a basic routine you can follow:
Gentle Cleanser: Use a mild, hydrating cleanser that doesn’t strip away natural oils. Look for ingredients like glycerin or hyaluronic acid.
Exfoliation (1-2 times a week): Use a gentle exfoliator to remove dead skin cells. This helps other products penetrate better. Look for products with ingredients like lactic acid or glycolic acid. Contrary to popular belief, these are more effective (and less irritating!) than harsh scrubs.
Hydrating Toner: Apply a hydrating toner to balance your skin’s pH and prepare it to absorb the next products. Toners with ingredients like rose water or chamomile can be soothing.
Serum: Use a hydrating serum with ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or vitamin E. Serums with antioxidants can also help combat dryness.
Moisturizer: Choose a rich, emollient moisturizer that provides long-lasting hydration. Look for ingredients like shea butter, ceramides, or other fatty acids. Consider using a thicker cream at night for added moisture.
Sunscreen (morning routine): Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from UV damage. Sunscreen is crucial for preventing further dryness and maintaining overall skin health.
Occasional Mask or Treatment: Use a hydrating mask or treatment to give your skin an extra boost of moisture. Ingredients like aloe vera, honey, or oatmeal can be beneficial as they’re soothing on dry, sometimes itchy skin.
Humidifier: Consider using a humidifier in your living space, especially during the winter months. This helps add moisture to the air and prevents your skin from drying out.
Remember to patch-test new products, introduce one product at a time, and listen to your skin’s needs. Additionally, staying hydrated by drinking enough water can contribute to overall skin health.
While moisturizer might seem the most obvious choice here, it may not be the missing link for your dry skin. Take your symptoms into consideration. If your skin feels tight after washing, ingredients that impart hydration like hyaluronic acid will give you the most immediate relief, and those are often found in serums.
If you’re only really dry in the wintertime, consider a highly emollient barrier cream as your best friend throughout the season, as it’ll protect the moisture that does exist in your skin and is often depleted by the weather. If you tend to flake, exfoliation is key — but don’t overdo it. An AHA-lead exfoliant used a couple times a week is more than enough and will not only smooth your skin but prep it to receive your other hydrating products.
Most skincare brands have products that cater to dry skin, but it’s important to label-check for ingredient hierarchy and keep your own skin’s preferences in mind. Don’t reinvent the wheel here — use what you already know works for yourself and stick to it for the best results.
CeraVe is often recommended by dermatologists and is known for its hydrating cleansers, moisturizing creams, and lotions. The products typically contain ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and other ingredients that help restore and maintain the skin’s natural barrier. Korres, a Greek skincare brand known for utilizing natural ingredients, has products like the Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Probiotic Gel-Cream, formulated to provide deep hydration to dry skin by way of Greek yoghurt and hyaluronic acid.
Alpyn Beauty is known for incorporating wildcrafted botanicals from the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming (where, yes, they know winter skin well). Their PlantGenius Line-Filling Eye Balm and Cream, for example, includes ingredients like bakuchiol and squalane to hydrate and address fine lines. Aveeno is recognized for incorporating oat-based ingredients in its products. The Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion, for example, contains colloidal oatmeal, which is known for its soothing and moisturizing properties, making it awesome for dry and sensitive skin.
Drunk Elephant is a clean skincare brand that avoids the “Suspicious 6” ingredients. The Lala Retro Whipped Cream is one of their moisturizers that includes a blend of six African oils, plantain extract, and ceramides to nourish and hydrate the skin.
Listen, there are a lot out there. But we put a ton of them through the wringer to find the best of the best, and these are among our favorites. Read on for more of our picks of the best skincare brands and products for dry skin, from washes to hydrators and lip care.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best moisturizers.
All I can say is wow. Korres’ Greek Yoghurt Nourishing Probiotic Gel-Cream has a heavenly subtle almond paste scent and is calming, bounce-evoking and doses your skin with the dewiest hydration. It’s pure magic, TBH.
Alpyn Beauty is one of my favorite clean beauty brands, with its PlantGenius Melt Moisturizer being a standout product. Infused with hyaluronic acid for refreshment, squalane for hydration and bakuchiol to target fine lines, it’s one of my favorites to apply twice daily.
Truthfully, your skin will bounce with Alpyn Beauty’s Triple-C Brightening Bounce Cream. It kind of reminds me of Maybelline’s Dream Bouncy Blushes (RIP), and this aloe-rich cream — which also includes chokecherry — always leaves my skin with unmatched radiance every time I use it.
Banila Co’s Dear Hydrating Boosting Cream proves that some of the best ingredients come straight from the hive. This somewhat sticky, viscous moisturizer is a treat for dry skin — especially in the evenings — and left my skin supple and clear.
Plus, the larger-than-life tub will last for quite a while.
If you want a cream solely targeted for the nighttime, you can’t go wrong with CeraVe’s Skin Renewing Night Cream. I’ve been using it for months and it’s a superstar product for being dermatologist-recommended and containing three essential ceramides.
Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Cream Moisturizer may be a splurge at $100 — but a mighty good one at that. Aside from its glam packaging, it contains hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamins C and E, aloe vera, rosehip oil and a slew of other skin-hydrating ingredients.
If you’re searching for a velvety moisturizer, look no further than Drunk Elephant’s Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer. It targets dull skin, is infused with six African oils and has the most luscious texture you have to experience.
Meet my years-long favorite. First Aid Beauty’s Ultra Repair Cream truly serves intense hydration. I’ve inspired a handful of loved ones to try it (my boyfriend included) and it’s especially suited for eczema and sensitive skin types.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best lotions.
For a no-frills, effective body lotion, look no further than the Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion. For less than $10, it’s one I reach for after nearly every shower. Plus, it’s apt for sensitive skin.
Jergens’ Ultra Healing Dry Skin Moisturizer is the drugstore-sold bottle I reach for after every shower and it’s dynamite on my sensitive and dry skin. And, it’s less than $10.
For a nourishing whipped body lotion that’s buttery soft and worth every penny, the Kiehl’s Since 1851 Crème de Corps Lotion fits the bill. It’s a bit heavier than other lotions but not too goopy, and my skin is always well-hydrated after each use.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best face washes.
Enter my tried-and-true favorite cleanser that is accredited for transforming my breakout-prone skin into smooth bliss. Alpyn Beauty’s Creamy Bubbling Cleanser delivers the proper amount of foam, gently exfoliates (thanks to AHAs and papaya enzymes).
Walk, don’t run to this less-than-$40 formula.
Truthfully, Banila Co’s Clean It Zero Foam Cleanser is a hidden treasure in the skincare department. I was pleasantly surprised with its delicate foaming on my dry and sensitive skin and loved the subtle floral scent for waking me up in the morning.
For causing no breakouts or irritation — and, because of its ultra-hydrating feel, it’s undoubtedly one of the best cleansers on this list, especially if you’re on a budget.
As a budget-friendly option, CeraVe’s Foaming Facial Cleanser takes the cake. It’s great on sensitive skin, specifically, and a great hydrator for dull and dry skin, too.
Infused with argan oil, this jelly-feeling cleanser felt super clean on my face and is gentle enough for sensitive and dry skin. Plus, it actually left my entire face subtly radiant which, for $17, take of that what you will.
Want your skin to bounce? Drunk Elephant wasn’t fooling around with its Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser that has a well-textured consistency — that contains cantaloupe and glycerin for added moisture — to offer a revitalizing skin feel.
When my skin is feeling extra dull, I always pull out Fresh’s Sugar Strawberry Exfoliating Face Wash. It’s sweet-smelling and doesn’t strip my skin, though its subtle grit exfoliates away impurities like a charm.
Korres’ Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser is one you shouldn’t sleep on if you have dry skin. Containing rich and real Greek yogurt, I love using it because it gently cleanses, tones my complexion and even removes makeup.
Tatcha’s one ‘pass GO’ away from landing the skincare Monopoly. The Japanese beauty brand has exceptional, luxury-feeling products, with The Rice Wash Skin-Softening Cleanser packed with hyaluronic acid, Japanese algae and the brand’s signature Hadaasaei-3 to tap into more youthful skin.
Not to mention, it always leaves my face fresh and glowy before using a moisturizer.
I finally hopped on the Nécessaire bandwagon and found it to be a necessary endeavor. All puns aside, it’s a fantastic gel-oil cleanser for your skin that always leaves mine irritation-free and post-shower smooth.
If you’re looking for a body scrub for extra texture, consider First Aid Beauty’s KP Bump Eraser. It’s designed for rough patches and, for alleviating and preventing razor burn, I can’t recommend it enough.
What’s great about OUAI’s Scrub is that it’s equally performant for your scalp and body. It revolutionizes my shower experience for dolloping on my skin and then my hair for a two-in-one wash.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best makeup primers.
I never thought primers were necessary until Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer made its way atop my vanity. It can double as a moisturizer — it’s just that good.
If you want a hydrating eye primer that will cover veins and small imperfections, Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Eye Primer is small but mighty at the job. Just note a little goes a long way with this product; it’s quite thick.
Benefit Cosmetics’ The POREfessional Pore Minimizing Primer deserves all the praise in the world for actually blurring pores ahead of applying makeup. And, it makes your makeup stay on all day.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best toners.
Let’s talk about refreshing. Belif’s Aqua Bomb Hydrating Toner always makes me feel like I took a dive into the ocean. The bottle says it “floods the skin with moisture,” and the brand practically took all the words out of my mouth.
Sweet-smelling and pore-reducing, Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow PHA + BHA Pore-Tight Toner will inspire you to have a seven-step skincare routine. It replenishes your skin before moisturizer in the yummiest way possible, while including hyaluronic acid and cactus water for a snazzy skin drink.
Indie Lee’s COQ-10 Toner is a hidden skincare gem that contains aloe vera and cucumber for a spa-like feel that reverses the dull feel of dry skin. And, it’s one my friends always steal from me when they visit.
I mean, I want to travel to Santorini for a quick drink, but Korres’ Santorini Grape Velvet Skin Drink is the closest I’ll get these days. The best way to describe this modern-packaged treatment: it makes my skin feel awake without looking shiny.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best niacinamide serums.
I’ve been hearing about Elaluz’s Beauty Oil everywhere, and finally understood the hype when I’ve been using it for months. As an early riser, it makes my skin feel refreshed, likely because it’s 100% plant-based and contains eucalyptus and vitamins A and E.
Not only is this serum wonderful on dry and sensitive skin alike, but its inclusion of plant-based retinol quickly gives the skin a tightening effect — a skin-helping attribute that offsets the sometimes oily finish serums give.
As a top-three favorite vitamin C serum we tested, Biossance’s Squalane + Vitamin C Dark Spot Serum is a classic formula I always pick up. It’s one of the best for brightening and helping to erase dark spots, too.
Before you say, “There’s no way I’m spending $300 on a serum,” it’s important to note that Dr. Barbara Sturm’s Hyaluronic Serum is ideal for people who want to take their skincare regimen to the next level. It’s packed with low and high molecular weighted H.A. to instantly boost the skin — a truly recommended splurge.
Marula oil has wonderful anti-aging and hydrating properties, and I always feel refreshed when I use Drunk Elephant’s Virgin Marula Luxury Facial Oil. It’s rich in antioxidants and omegas 6 and 9 to target dryness and uneven texture, too.
Coming in hot is Glow Recipe’s Guava Vitamin C Dark Spot Treatment Serum, our top vitamin C serum overall. Can you tell we adore vitamin C serums yet?
It’s incredibly smooth, refreshing and just a bottle that deserves some attention on your bathroom counter.
As another splurge, Tata Harper’s Superkind Fragrance-Free Bio-Barrier Serum is especially great for dryness, dark circles and anti-aging. I love that it’s mostly botanical, vegan and ultra-hydrating — especially in the winter.
For more options, check out our review to the best face masks.
If you haven’t seen this mask on TikTok, it’ll sell you — and, it’s as good as it looks.
I’ve truly never met a mask that leaves my skin irresistibly smooth, refreshed and hydrated at once. For $39, it’s the product I recommend most.
Alpyn Beauty does it again with its Wild Huckleberry 8-Acid Polishing Peel. This soothing yet slightly gritty mask is a lovely and impressively gentle exfoliant and hydrator. It’s exceptional for reversing the effects of dull skin and, with its salicylic acid count, is effective for acne-prone skin.
Farmacy’s Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask always makes my skin glow, leaves it supple and looks great in my bathroom for a worthy, aesthetic skincare product to honor self-care days with.
For more options, check out our expert-backed guide to the best makeup removers.
Whenever I want to take off my makeup in a pinch, I always resort to Farmacy’s Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm. It’s smooth and never leaves any residue when I wake up the next morning — a rarity these days.
Micellar water is another product I enjoy using to remove makeup and excess oils, with Drunk Elephant’s being my favorite. It doesn’t strip my skin and leave it red like others I’ve used. Not to mention, the bottle lasts for a long time.
Garnier’s Micellar Cleanser Water is an affordable option if you want a two-in-one cleanser and makeup remover. Plus, it’s handy for travel.
For more options, check out our review to the best lip balms.
The Lanolips 101 Ointment Multipurpose Superbalm was the best lip balm for dry skin I reviewed and it’s a product worth having multiple of — one for your purse, your car and your desk. Seriously, incredible.
Aerin’s Rose Lip Conditioner taps into the floral scents of its perfumes (which I love — specifically, ‘Cedar Violet‘ and ‘Mediterranean Honeysuckle‘ scents). For $30, it may seem pricey for a lip balm, but it’s intensely hydrating, though a bit sticky.
This lip balm lives in my desk drawer and is practically in my hand at all times. With a hint of peppermint, the Alpha-H Absolute Lip Perfector is pocket-sized gold — effortless in moisturizing your lips while having a silky smooth finish. Plus, it’s buildable, depending on how dry your lips are.
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