The 14 Best Barrier Creams to Achieve Youthful, Hydrated Skin
There's a lot of buzz these days about theskin barrier and the best barrier repair creams, thanks to viral TikTok videos, but what does it all mean? For starters, the skin barrier is a protective layer of skin cells that shields the skin against the outside world and all of its damaging elements, so if your skin constantly feels red, dry, itchy, and rough and regularly experiences acne breakouts, rosacea, or dermatitis, chances are the barrier is compromised. While it may sound hard, fixing the skin barrier is easier than you think. All you need is agood barrier cream that goes hard to work to support and protect weakened skin, some patience, and a little bit of time to see the results.
What is Barrier Cream?
Barrier cream is a specialized type of facial cream or lotion that protects the skin by locking in what it needs to function and keeping out anything damaging. The primary goal of a barrier cream is to prevent transepidermal water loss from the uppermost layers of skin by creating a barrier to prevent excessive dryness. Since barrier creams create a physical barrier between the skin and its environment, any existing abrasions, cuts, microtears, and breakouts are healed since moisture is locked in, allowing the skin to repair itself. While barrier creams and moisturizers are not one and the same (moisturizers hydrate; barrier creams create a barrier on the surface), they also protect the skin against damage, irritants, and friction, leaving the skin feeling more supple, softer, and well protected.
Key Ingredients in Barrier Cream
When it comes to finding the best barrier cream, look for one that includes any combination of humectants, emollients, and occlusives that target the skin barrier for proper support. Ceramides, an emollient that works to repair the skin and lock in moisture, are a key ingredient in many of today's best barrier creams. Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and linoleic acid, all of which are humectants, prevent water from evaporating from the skin, while occlusives such as petrolatum, dimethicone, and plant-based oils create a layer to lock in moisture and prohibit allergens and toxins from penetrating the skin and causing damage.
Shop the Best Barrier Creams
1. Dr. Loretta Barrier Repair Gel Cream
$65.00
Some barrier creams can feel heavy on this skin, but not this gel-based one. Super lightweight, this fragrance-free gel cream keeps skin soft and smooth all day while protecting against pollution and environmental damage.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, antioxidants, bioidentical ceramides, postbiotics, ergothioneine
Skin Type: All skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone
Skin Benefits: Plumps, fights pollution damages, lessens the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, smoothes skin textures, repairs moisture barrier, targets redness
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply to the skin before sunscreen to lock in the gel cream's skin-friendly benefits.
2. Doctor Rogers Face Cream
$78.00
One of the most luxe barrier creams we've tried, this super-hydrating one works overtime to restore the skin to a more youthful state. With just one use, skin looks and feels dramatically firmer, smoother, plumper, and brighter, with fewer visible lines and wrinkles with continued use.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, glycerin, shea butter and niacinamide
Skin Type: Dry, mature skin
Skin Benefits: Plumps, smooths, hydrates, and firms the skin while fading dullness, redness, fine lines and improving the skin's health
Beauty Insider Tip: To protect the delicate skin on the eyes, neck, and chest, apply the cream to those areas—no separate products are needed!
3. Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer
153 reviews
$54.00
For compromised skin that needs a quick barrier fix, consider this hyaluronic acid-packed cream your go-to. The oil—and fragrance-free formulation floods the skin with long-lasting moisture, leaving it well-hydrated and looking healthier and stronger.
Key Ingredients: Shea butter, beeswax, soy proteins, aloe vera
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Moisturizes, delivers nutrients to the skin, protects against environmental and external aggressors
Beauty Insider Tip: Use this do-it-all multi-functional moisturizer as a makeup base, after-shave, and to nurse the skin back to health after sun exposure.
4. Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre Moisturizer
38 reviews
$29.00
There's a reason why this moisturizer is considered a cult classic. Its ultra-light, milky texture absorbs into the skin instantly, helping restore low moisture levels while revitalizing the skin and repairing the lipid barrier for increased skin elasticity.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, elderberry
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Improves dryness and dehydration
Beauty Insider Tip: Thanks to its non-comedogenic formula, this moisturizer can safely be used on oily and acne-prone skin without worrying about breakouts.
5. Avène Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream
75 reviews
$42.00
This super-rich, nourishing skin barrier cream helps create an ideal level of hydration so that the skin can properly restore itself to health. Perfect for skin of all ages, this hydrating and restoring cream improves the skin barrier four times faster so that the skin feels more comfortable within 48 hours.
Key Ingredients: C+ Restore, copper-zinc sulfate, Avene thermal spring water
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Restores the skin to an optimal environment, hydrates, maintains proper moisture levels, protects the skin barrier
Beauty Insider Tip: The formula is made specifically to reduce the risk of allergic reactions and maintain the skin's integrity.
6. Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream
$49.00
The perfect antidote for dry, compromised, rough skin, this facial cream provides a dose of instant plumpness plus improved skin barrier function so that your skin is as healthy as possible. It is also loaded with barrier-supporting prebiotic peptides, which help initiate proper microbiome health and keep the skin functioning properly.
Key Ingredients: Prebiotic peptides, hyaluronic acid, lipids, ceramides
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Plumps the skin, protects the skin barrier, provides a healthy glow, acts as a base for makeup, non-comedogenic
Beauty Insider Tip: This cream holds the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association, making it perfectly safe for people with eczema or sensitive skin to use.
7. Epionce Renewal Facial Cream
130 reviews
RRP: $102.00Current price: $81.60
For skin that needs intense strengthening and repair yet also needs to target the common signs of aging, this cream is the one you'll want to reach for. With a clinically proven formula that repairs the skin and provides anti-inflammatory benefits, this moisturizing cream helps to improve the skin's barrier, leaving the skin soft and smooth.
Key Ingredients: Rosa canina fruit oil, meadowfoam extract, safflower seed oil, flax seed extract, apple fruit extract, olive oil, orange fruit extract, avocado oil, lavender extract, date fruit extract
Skin Type: Dry, Sensitive, and Normal
Skin Benefits: Helps reduce the visible appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of skin aging for visibly smoother, tighter skin
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply this face cream to the skin up to three times per day to alleviate the symptoms of a compromised skin barrier.
8. SENTÉ Dermal Repair UltraNourish
14 reviews
$179.00
The perfect cream to restore the skin's natural lipid components also works wonders to soothe even dry, sensitive skin while targeting the common signs of aging. Skin emerges hydrated, soft, and better equipped to handle the symptoms of a compromised skin barrier.
Key Ingredients: Heparan sulfate analog, lipid blend, vitamin E
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Nourishes dry skin, improves hydration, smooths rough texture, diminishes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, enhances the skin tone, calms sensitive skin, decreases visible redness
Beauty Insider Tip: Use this cream to take down redness caused by rosacea and eczema.
9. SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream
254 reviews
$72.00
Heal and rejuvenate dry, damaged, and compromised skin with this peptide-rich cream. Besides healing the skin and reinstating healthy moisture levels, it also helps stimulate collagen production for fewer lines and wrinkles.
Key Ingredients: Palmitoyl oligopeptide, human fibroblast conditioned media (TNS), hydroxypropyl bispalmitamide MEA
Skin Type: Dry and Sensitive
Skin Benefits: Hydrates and helps restore skin's moisture balance and the skin's moisture barrier
Beauty Insider Tip: To reap the benefits of this treatment cream, apply a small amount to clean skin twice daily and massage it thoroughly into the skin.
10. Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty Bowe Glowe Microbiome Nourishing Cream
$95.00
From world-renowned dermatologist, Dr. Whitney Bowe comes her microbiome-balancing and skin barrier-strengthening skin care cream, which provides results in one hour. The luxurious formula helps to hydrate dry skin and smooth away the look of lines while leaving behind a healthy glow.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, prebiotics, postbiotics
Skin Type: Dry, Mature, and Sensitive
Skin Benefits: Helps strengthen the skin barrier, reduces the appearance of fine lines, hydrates to help balance the skin microbiome, promotes a luminous glow
Beauty Insider Tip: Use this cream morning, night, and even under your makeup to create a beautifully dewy base.
11. EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex
194 reviews
$59.00
Get your healthy, youthful skin back in order with this barrier-renewing cream, which helps improve the skin's health as well as its tone and texture. A blend of different ceramides increases the skin's water content to comfort it and plump up fine lines and wrinkles, leaving the skin looking stronger, brighter, and smoother.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, tocopherol, saprooyl phytosphingosine, saprooyl sphingosine
Skin Type: Dry, Mature
Skin Benefits: Minimizes the appearance of fine lines, improves elasticity, skin texture, tone, and pore size.
Beauty Insider Tip: This clinically proven formula moisturizes dry skin to improve it within 24 hours; after 21 days, skin is softer, smoother, and healthier.
12. Paula's Choice Resist Barrier Repair Advanced Moisturizer
$39.00
An ultra-creamy moisturizer that strengthens the skin to improve its barrier, this lightweight lotion enhances the skin in just 30 minutes. Plus, this supercharged formula helps to support elasticity levels for firmer, younger-looking skin.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, butyrospermum parkii butter, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, citrullus lanatus seed oil
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Improves the skin barrier, prevents moisture loss, hydrates, firms, and supports elasticity function
Beauty Insider Tip: Pair the moisturizer with your favorite vitamin C serum or cream to enhance the results of both products.
13. Obagi Medical Rebalance Skin Barrier Recovery Cream
5 reviews
$110.00
This skin-rebalancing recovery cream does so much more than the average: it soothes dry, rough skin, maintains a healthy microbiome, rebalances the skin, and restores hydration levels as soon as after just one use.
Key Ingredients: Postbiotics, green algae, ceramides, niacinamide.
Skin Type: Normal, dry, oily, combinations
Skin Benefits: Soothes skin, restores hydration, rebalances, and maintains a healthy microbiome
Beauty Insider Tip: The formula is so gentle you can even use it to nurse the skin back to health post-procedure.
14. U Beauty The Barrier Bioactive Treatment
1 reviews
$198.00
For a super concentrated overnight skin-repairing treatment, give this one a shot. From soothing dull, dry skin to restoring the skin's moisture barrier and strengthening the skin and its barrier, this heavy-duty cream works hard as the last step in your skincare routine to fortify and renew the skin, leaving it softer and stronger.
Key Ingredients: Urea, vitamin B6, sodium DNA, shea butter, hyaluronic acid, purified oat extract, fruit hydroxy acids, jojoba wax, sunflower wax, mimosa wax
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Improves moisture barrier function, boosts skin renewal, improves rough, dull skin
Beauty Insider Tip: For the best results, apply the treatment to clean skin at night, don't rinse off, and don't add makeup on top of it.
FAQs
What is the skin barrier?
The skin barrier is an invisible layer of skin cells and lipids that creates a protective barrier between the skin and the outside elements, keeping the skin healthy and well-hydrated.
What's the right way to use a barrier cream?
Always apply your barrier cream to clean skin in the morning and again at night as the last step in your skincare routine after moisturizing. Layer it on when the skin is still damp after cleansing to really allow the cream to lock in moisture.
What should the consistency of a good barrier cream be?
Barrier creams range from light lotions to thick creams, depending on what your skin type needs. Some people prefer a light formulation, while others like something rich and dense.
Who are barrier creams best for?
A barrier cream can benefit a multitude of skin types. Dry, Dehydrated, and Sensitive skin types, as well as those with rosacea and eczema, often see the most significant changes in the skin from a barrier cream since these skin types usually lack an ample amount of ceramides and benefit from the extra hydration and skin-fortifying capabilities of the cream.
Elise Minton Tabin is an award-winning beauty journalist, editor, and beauty expert with more than 16 years of experience. She previously held the title of Executive Beauty Editor at NewBeauty magazine, where she reported on beauty, plastic surgery, anti-aging, health and wellness. She was also instrumental in the launch of the beauty supplement brand Hush & Hush. A self-professed beauty junkie and retinol and sunscreen pusher, Elise knows what’s new, what works and who’s the best to go for every procedure under the sun. Follow Elise on Facebook, Instagram, and on her beauty blog, elisetabin.com
