Dealing with dry skin is enough to leave anyone frustrated, frazzled and, well, flaky. Even worse, chronic dryness is associated with a disrupted skin barrier. “Without an optimal barrier function your skin becomes more vulnerable to minor trauma and infections, and it will take longer to heal,” says Dr. Hadley King, a board-certified dermatologist and clinical instructor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. The best remedy to restore your skin’s barrier—and keep your complexion smooth and supple—is, without a doubt, a moisturizer made to nourish dry skin types.
The Best Ingredients for Dry Skin
“Moisturizers help to keep the skin looking and functioning at its best and help ensure the strength and resilience of the skin barrier,” says Dr. King. She recommends reaching for products that contain hydrating and nourishing ingredients—specifically moisturizing creams or ointments that contain oils such as olive or jojoba. “Shea butter also works well,” she adds. “Other ingredients that help soothe dry skin include lactic acid, urea, hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, lanolin, mineral oil and petrolatum.” To best absorb all the hydration your moisturizer contains, she recommends applying immediately after washing.
Ready to arm your skin with the protective barrier it needs to remain healthy and hydrated? Read on for the best moisturizers that are guaranteed to do the job and leave you with that desirable dewy glow.
1. Dermalogica Intensive Moisture Balance (3.4 fl. oz.)
If you’re looking to maintain the delicate hydration balance that prevents your skin from being dry but also ensures that it won’t look greasy and oily, this is a great option. It is formulated with a BioReplenish Complex that contains a combination of key barrier lipids to boost your skin’s natural resiliency and aid in skin barrier recovery. Key ingredients include chlorella algae, a prebiotic complex that helps rebalance the skin’s microbiome, as well as hyaluronic acid, which holds up to 1,000 times its weight in water. Echinacea, centella asiatica and aloe vera are also added to lock in moisture and reduce the appearance of fine lines.
2. SENTÉ Dermal Repair UltraNourish (1.7 oz.)
This lipid-replenishing cream nourishes and smooths skin while preventing water loss. It's uniquely formulated for drier, sensitive skin types and also addresses fine lines, wrinkles and redness with their patented Heparan Sulfate Analog (HSA) technology and a lipid blend. Together, they deeply hydrate, fortify and help restore the skin's natural barrier.
3. SkinMedica Rejuvenative Moisturizer (2 oz.)
Providing continuous hydration throughout the day, this formula from SkinMedica helps smooth and soften dry, rough patches and minimizes the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Featuring sodium hyaluronate, a hyaluronic acid derivative that has the ability to retain up to 40 times its weight in water on the surface of the skin, meaning your skin will remain hydrated and touchably soft throughout the day, it's also formulated with a slew of antioxidants like vitamin C and E to help brighten and shield your complexion from damaging free radicals.
4. PCA SKIN Collagen Hydrator (1.7 oz.)
Ideal for overnight use (when your skin is working its hardest to repair itself) this collagen hydrator can also be used anytime—morning and afternoon, too. It incorporates a nourishing combination of shea butter and hyaluronic acid to rehydrate overly dry skin. It also softens the skin’s texture with a blend of emollients and wheat protein and balances your skin’s natural pH levels with sweet almond oil.
5. Obagi Medical Hydrate Luxe (1.7 oz.)
Although this cream can be used both in the morning and evening, it’s actually formulated to work in tandem with your skin’s natural nightly function to restore and hydrate while you sleep. Shea butter helps soothe and soften the skin, while naturally occurring biomimetic peptides form a barrier that locks in moisture and aids in cellular repair.
6. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242 (1.6 fl. oz.)
Perfect for dry, aging skin to replenish nutrients and bring your skin back to life, SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 is infused with the essential lipids we lose as we age that leaves our skin looking less full, unevenly textured, and with fine lines and wrinkles. This treatment’s fast-absorbing formula has antioxidants, vitamins and other nutrients to fight free-radical damage and smooth skin texture. The result is an improvement in elasticity, moisture levels and radiance, leaving your skin looking supple, healthy and radiant.
7. Epionce Intensive Nourishing Cream (1.7 oz.)
This unique cream was designed to target and repair damaged areas of the skin with a powerful blend of fruit extracts, namely apple, which contains a high concentration of phenolic compounds and
flavonoids, along with anti-aging benefits. Peptides are also in play to stimulate cell regeneration and promote a youthful, more even-toned complexion.
8. iS Clinical Reparative Moisture Emulsion (1.7 oz.)
Utilizing a blend of potent, pharmaceutical-grade botanicals, peptides, antioxidants and marine extracts, this nourishing moisturizer works to keep skin smooth while warding off signs of premature aging and fine lines that can be exacerbated by dry, parched skin. One of its best qualities is that it is lightweight and absorbs quickly, so you don’t feel as though it is sitting on your skin throughout the day. For this reason, it also doubles as a makeup primer, allowing your products to go on smoothly and seamlessly.
9. Naturopathica Calendula Essential Hydrating Cream (1.7 fl. oz.)
If you’re looking for a moisturizing face cream that contains natural ingredients, Naturopathica Calendula Cream is a great buy. It contains the flowering plant calendula as well as aloe vera, which both hydrate the skin, as well as borage seed oil and
rosa damascena essential oil to help soothe irritation and relieve dryness. It’s meant to be used twice daily after their
Aloe Cleansing Gel. 
