Before you walk out the door for the day, you get several things checked off your list, consciously or unconsciously. That is your routine. For your skincare routine, a face moisturizer is an important item that needs to be checked off your list.
A facial moisturizer is used to improve your skin texture from a scaly and tough texture (dehydrated) to a moisturized, supple texture. It is essential to also protect your skin, which is why you need a moisturizer. Rather than the sun oxidating your natural moisture, the moisturizer serves as a buffer.
Therefore, getting the right face moisturizer to carry out these skin-benefiting functions is a priority for you. This is where the problem arises. There’s a lot of fish in the market, so which is just for you?
To guide you through the throngs of products, I have gathered a list of the best face moisturizers to serve as skin-protecting tools against the daily, harsh elements we encounter.
The list is derived based on research on sales data metrics on e-commerce stores, social media engagement, and in-house product testing.
1. Best overall face moisturizer
Olay Regenerist Face Moisturizer
You will find this moisturizer a 5-star option for most people who have used the product. It is infused with collagen, peptide, and vitamin B3 to improve your skin cell regeneration process and smoothen and soothe your skin.
The moisturizer puts your skin in a constant loop of regeneration, keeping your skin looking youthful and fresh. The cream formula is great for renewing your aging skin, removing fine lines, and improving skin elasticity.
The moisturizer is a tested and trusted formula, which is why it is the best face moisturizer on the market right now. Furthermore, it is fragrance and chemical-free. Use the moisturizer to maintain your face’s hydration for 24 hours by adding it to your morning and evening routine.
2. Best face moisturizer for dry skin
Neutrogena Face Moisturizer
This is a top moisturizer for dry skin to help hydrate and plump their skin. The moisturizer helps to boost supple skin with its hydrating water-gel formula. Additionally, it has a long-lasting effect. Your skin would retain its smooth texture.
With hyaluronic acid as an active ingredient in the moisturizer, your skin also fills up, removing the cracks in the skin. Additionally, the cream is non-comedogenic, therefore, it will not clog your skin pores. You get hydrated with your pores clean and clear of residues.
Use the clinically-tested intense moisturizer daily to boost the hydration of your dry skin.
3. Best face moisturizer for oily skin
L’Oreal Paris Face Moisturizer
This moisturizer stands out for its oil-control and hydrating features. The moisturizer infuses intense hydration with its lightweight formula deep into your skin and retains the hydration by sealing it in.
Furthermore, the serum is quick-absorbing, which is part of its selling point. You feel refreshed and have smooth skin almost immediately after applying the moisturizer.
It has a good amount of hydrating ingredients, making it a potent formula. Additionally, with its restoring the hyaluronic acid component, the skin stays hydrated for up to 72 hours, which is a positive quality of any moisturizer. You can’t do without this product in your morning routine.
4. Best face moisturizer for sensitive skin
Burt’s Bees Daily Face Moisturizer Cream
The cream calms your skin and improves its supple texture when applied. The moisturizer hydrates the skin complexion and protects the skin with anti-inflammatory ingredients such as aloe vera and rice extracts.
Furthermore, the cream hydrates your skin and reduces redness and irritation. It comes out looking refreshed and healthy.
5. Best face moisturizer for combination skin
Olay Complete Lotion All Day Moisturizer
The product contains an equal amount of refreshing and protecting components. The formula also provides a sun protection factor of 15 to keep the skin protected.
In addition, it contains vitamins E, B3, and C to maintain your skin’s complexion and moisture and protect against external aggressors. The moisturizer is non-comedogenic, non-greasy, and oil-free; it would not clog your pores or make them slip.
It’s a simple formula that helps in protecting the skin surface with its antioxidant and vitamin properties.
6. Best face moisturizer for acne-prone skin
Aveeno Clear Complexion Salicylic Acid Acne-Fighting Daily Face Moisturizer
The moisturizer controls sebum and clears your skin with Beta Hydroxy Acid (salicylic acid) and soy complex to improve skin tone.
The nourishing moisturizer also improves the overall facial skin tone and health of your acne-prone skin. It also improves your natural texture, leaving your skin soft and smooth.
Additionally, it has a quick-absorbing and fast-acting formula that is non-comedogenic and gentle on the skin. You would get revitalized skin in a short period of using the cream.
7. Best face moisturizer for eczema
Eva Organics Redness Relief Cream
This is a calming formula used to treat skin conditions like dermatitis, rosacea, redness, and eczema. The gel textured cream is an irritation repellant that soothes your uncomfortable skin.
In addition, the moisturizer uses its milk and chamomile properties to soothe your patchy and uneven skin. Furthermore, it provides support to the inner layer of the skin by boosting skin moisture from within and nourishing the surface.
You can use the cream to calm and shrink eczema and get positive results with the formula. Use this cream to protect and clear the imperfections lodged on the surface of your skin.
8. Best budget face moisturizer
Bioré Sensitive Skin Face Moisturizer
This is an oil-, parabens-, and alcohol-free cream suitable for sensitive skin types. The moisturizer is an inexpensive and effective cream that soothes and moisturizes your skin seamlessly.
Additionally, the moisturizer is non-comedogenic and would not clog your pores. It has a simple formula with bakuchiol, vitamins E and B3, and green tea extract to smoothen and provide the necessary amount of moisture needed. Use the liquid product to soothe and moisturize your skin in the morning and night.
9. Best drugstore face moisturizer
La Roche-Posay Double Repair Face Moisturizer
This moisturizer rapidly improves the moisture of your face, boosting it with niacinamide and ceramides for protection. The formula is highly concentrated, giving the skin the right nourishment it needs with active ingredients like glycerin and prebiotic thermal water.
In addition, the serum helps to balance your skin oil, restoring healthy skin with the oil-free solution. Furthermore, it is long-lasting; it keeps your skin hydrated for up to 48 hours. Protecting the skin barrier becomes easy with this formula’s ceramides-3 component.
Apply the moisturizer to your face and neck daily to improve the overall texture of your skin.
10. Best splurge face moisturizer
Dr. Barbara Strum Super Anti-aging Face Cream
The moisturizer promotes good and healthy skin by filling the skin with hyaluronic acid and ceramides.
The moisturizer is quick-absorbing and very effective in giving the skin a burst of natural freshness by infusing the skin with plankton biopolymers, which provide supple and tightened skin pores.
Furthermore, the cream melts easily into the skin due to its biomimetic formula, which mimics the skin’s natural barrier, weaving into the skin to blend with the natural lipids that strengthen and protect the skin.
It’s what aging skin needs to improve the skin’s protection at both the surface and deeper level.
11. Best hydrating face moisturizer
Cetaphil Face Moisturizer
This puts your skin in a constant hydrating loop with its humectant-rich formula. The moisturizer works to maintain your skin’s hydration. It’s a moisturizer meant to give optimum hydration to extremely dry and sensitive skin.
Additionally, it is lightweight and non-greasy. The moisturizer won’t clog your pores. Moreover, the hypoallergenic formula maintains a long-lasting feel on the skin. You can trust this dermatologist-recommended product to keep your dry skin hydrated, changing the cracks on your skin to a smoothened surface.
12. Best AM face moisturizer
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion
This shields your skin against external aggressors like sun radiation. The lotion contains an SPF of 30, which is the required sun protection factor you need daily. Furthermore, it is oil-free and would not clog your pores. This makes it the perfect outdoor cover your face needs.
Additionally, the moisturizer hydrates and smoothes your skin with its vitamin B3 (niacinamide) and hyaluronic acid components. And ceramides 1, 3, 6, and II acts as a barrier on your skin to seal moisture gained.
The cream product is suitable for all skin types, including acne-prone and sensitive skin.
13. Best PM face moisturizer
EltaMD PM Therapy Face Moisturizer
This is a lightweight formula that works to not only moisturize your skin but to restore and repair it. The formula is easy on the skin, penetrating the pores without clogging them.
Additionally, it contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate your face and plump it while you rest. Furthermore, it helps with the regeneration of new skin cells, then improves the skin tone with niacinamide and antioxidants for protection.
This is an effective blend of products of good ingredients to provide the needed rejuvenation in the dark hours of the day.
14. Best face moisturizer with SPF
Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Absorbing Moisturizer
The moisturizer protects, absorbs oil, reduces shine, and hydrates the skin. The formula is the ideal skincare product to act as a shield against external aggressors. Furthermore, it is the most suitable for an outdoorsy person.
It works to create a hydrating matte finish on the skin surface while attracting moisture to the skin too. In addition to its strong barrier, it is long-lasting and skin-strengthening. Plus, it is non-comedogenic; it would not clog your skin pores.
The facial moisturizer is suited for sensitive and oily skin types.
15. Best dermatologist-recommended face moisturizer
Aveeno Positively Radiant Facial Moisturizer
This is a hydrating and protective formula needed to promote moisture and skin barrier protection in your skin.
The moisturizer is hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic with SPF 15 to protect the skin from sun radiation. Additionally, the serum helps to even the skin tone, giving you radiant skin. It is also fast-acting, changing your overall skin tone in one week.
The moisturizer is packed with components that do three major things; hydrate, brighten and protect. These are the necessary features of a facial moisturizer. This is why dermatologists recommend the cream.
16. Best face moisturizer for winter
Palmer’s Coconut Oil Facial Moisturizer
It gets really dry in winter, so you need a moisturizer with thick cream and deep hydration. This moisturizer offers that deep hydration for really dry days in the winter.
The formula contains rich coconut oil and coconut water to keep your skin dewy and glowing. Furthermore, the moisturizer has shea butter and cocoa butter formula to hydrate and seal the moisture in your skin pores.
Similarly, hyaluronic acid plumps the skin from within, fortifying it with its restorative properties. The moisturizer is a complete hydrating and moisturizing product that keeps you hydrated for 24 hours and more.
17. Best brightening face moisturizer
TruSkin Vitamin C Face Moisturizer
With jojoba oil and vitamin E, this simple moisturizer is special for two things – hydrating and brightening. The moisturizer has vitamin C, which is known to brighten and restore your skin’s even complexion.
In addition, the moisturizer contains antioxidants from green tea and vitamin B5 to keep your skin protected against sun damage and free radicals. It also restores, rejuvenates, and refines your skin surface.
Moreover, it has anti-aging healing properties. Your skin goes through a slow-changing phase and stays radiant all the time.
18. Best anti-aging face moisturizer
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Anti-Aging Face Cream
The cream contains anti-aging ingredients like hyaluronic acid and retinol to boost collagen levels and improve the overall look. The moisturizer for the face is suitable for all skin types and clears signs of aging such as wrinkles, fine lines, and crow’s feet.
The moisturizer plumps your skin, filling it with hydrating molecules to close up the space and sagging skin. Therefore, your skin rejuvenates and brightens. This also reduces the dullness of your skin.
The anti-aging moisturizer should be applied to the face and neck area day and night to get faster and new youthful-looking skin.
19. Best face moisturizer for men
Jack Black Double-Duty Face Moisturizer
This really does two things – protect and nourish. The advanced moisturizer for men contains nourishing and hydrating ingredients such as jojoba oil, blue algae, and sea parsley.
Furthermore, it protects your skin against sun radiation with an SPF of 20. The moisturizer is also lightweight and shielding. It contains antioxidants and vitamins to act as barriers to the skin from external damage.
The emollient formula creates a smooth and natural appearance on your skin. You can apply this cream to your face after shaving or cleansing your face.
20. Best face moisturizer for dark skin
Marlowe Facial Moisturizer
With deep-sea algae extract, the moisturizer provides the needed hydration your skin needs. The moisturizer is lightweight and non-greasy on the skin. Plus, it provides a cleansing formula to improve your natural skin effects.
Furthermore, the serum works perfectly for all skin types and soothes with its antioxidant properties derived from green tea and willow bark.
Besides, the water-based formula lightly illuminates the skin, giving your skin a natural glow. The moisturizer is parabens-, cruelty-, and sulfate-free; your skin would stay refreshed and calm even under the sun.
How to pick the best face moisturizers
Skin type
Your skin type is a deciding factor when thinking of what to get. When you know what type of skin you are, you are halfway in getting the right face moisturizer.
For instance, sensitive skin should get a hypoallergenic moisturizer to soothe its skin. Meanwhile, dry skin types should pick thick moisturizers in cream format.
Oily skin types should pick lightweight moisturizers like lotions to slip through the pores without clogging them. Therefore, it is essential they get non-comedogenic moisturizers.
On the other hand, normal and combination skin types should pick moisturizers based on their present skin needs.
Formula
When picking moisturizers, words like humectant, emollient, occlusive, non-comedogenic, and hypoallergenic are common. They are essential in figuring out what you need.
For instance, humectants are ingredients that seal moisture in your skin. They also attract moisture from their surroundings; therefore, they help to keep the skin hydrated.
Emollients, meanwhile, are substances that help in strengthening the skin barrier and improving skin appearance and smoothening.
Non-comedogenic formulas break into little molecules that get into the skin without clogging the pores. It means the moisturizer can easily break into smaller molecules to get to the deep layer of the skin.
Occlusive properties form a barrier or film on the skin and prevent moisture from slipping out of the skin. And hypoallergenic formulas are non-irritating. The formula is allergy-tested and safe for the skin, especially sensitive skin.
You need your moisturizer to be one or two of these skin concepts due to their benefits on the skin.
Ingredients
Ingredients like hyaluronic acid, aloe vera, glycerin, ceramides, peptides, collagen, and vitamins C, E, B3, and B5 are common in face moisturizers. Essential oils and natural oils, like coconut oil and jojoba oil, can be found in moisturizers too.
There are other ingredients found in a moisturizer. However, what matters in a moisturizer is if the ingredients and functions of the cream match your skin type and needs.
Condition
You would need the moisturizer to provide support other than hydrating your skin. If you have eczema, rosacea, dermatitis, dry spell, or discoloration. You need a moisturizer to treat or relieve your skin of these issues. Therefore, seek ingredients that would improve your skin condition
FAQs
Can you layer your moisturizer?
Yes, you can.
You can layer your moisturizer if it is lightweight and non-comedogenic. Thick moisturizer formulas would clog your pores if layered. Furthermore, it could lead to breakouts.
How often should you use face moisturizers?
Twice a day.
You should use your face moisturizers in your morning and evening routine.
However, moisturizers are specifically designed for a particular time or routine and are to be strictly followed. Also, moisturizers with components mostly active during the day should only be sued in the morning routine and likewise for ingredients active at night.
Do face moisturizers go bad?
Yes, they do.
Face moisturizers go bad when they are exposed to light and air which leads to oxidation. In addition, moisturizer which has passed their POA (period after opening) can go bad too.
Therefore, keep your product away from air and sunlight. And dispose of moisturizers with a past shelf-life.
Conclusion
In your morning and night routine, you need face moisturizers to improve skin texture, hydrate it, restore its color, and protect it. These moisturizers are created to match your skin’s needs.
Nonetheless, some stand out more than others. And of these best, I would recommend Aveeno Positively Radiant Facial Moisturizer because it does everything you need a moisturizer to do.
Neutrogena Face Moisturizer is a deeply hydrating moisturizer you need for low-humid days. It blends well with cooler days or generally for dry skin. And a moisturizer like Olay Regenerist Face Moisturizer revitalizes and protects your skin always.
And when you pick the right one for your skin, use it according to the guide to get the best out of your product.
Thanks for reading.
Get more skincare recommendations here on MBGON.