The 16 Best Ceramide Moisturizers for Seriously Plump Skin
Meet the Expert
- Dr. Magovern - Board-certified dermatologist and member of Dermstore's Medical Advisory Board
What Are Ceramides?
According to board-certified dermatologist Ashley Magovern, M.D., Medical Director of Dermstore, ceramides are lipids that make up the skin barrier, helping to lock in moisture and protect against environmental damage. Although ceramides have been around in skin care for years, only recently are they getting the attention they deserve, partially because dehydrated skin and weakened skin barriers are on the rise.
Applying moisturizers with ceramides to the skin allows the ingredient to protect the outermost layer, allowing the skin to trap moisture within. With more hydration in the skin, the skin improves physically and takes on a plumper, healthier appearance with a natural glow. Plus, ceramides can add some bounce back to the skin so that it looks more cushiony, too.
However, Dr. Magovern shares that not all ceramide moisturizers are created equal. "For optimal skin barrier repair, look for formulas that maintain the ideal ratio of ceramides (3 parts), fatty acids (1 part), and cholesterol (1 part). This 3:1:1 ratio closely mirrors the skin's natural lipid composition, which comprises 50% ceramides, 25% cholesterol, and 15% fatty acids, ensuring deep hydration, reduced irritation, and better moisture retention. When this balance is disrupted from aging, over-exfoliation, or harsh skincare, the skin becomes dry, irritated, and prone to sensitivity."
Shop the Best Ceramide Moisturizers
1. SkinMedica TNS Ceramide Treatment Cream
258 reviews
$72.00
Dull, dry skin becomes a more common complaint as the skin ages. This healing cream helps restore the skin to its natural youthful appearance and reinstate much-needed moisture. It works equally well for dry, damaged, and compromised skin as it does for post-procedure skin. Packed with peptides to improve cell function and stimulate new collagen production, it also helps to improve the appearance of age-related lines and wrinkles while locking in hydration.
Key Ingredients: Peptides, ceramides, human fibroblast conditioned media
Skin Type: Dry, mature
Skin Benefits: Hydrates, restores moisture barrier, heals, mends and soothes the skin, reduces the look of fine lines and wrinkles, promotes new cell growth
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply the TSA-friendly cream to the entire face, neck and chest to reinstate moisture for a visible transformation.
2. EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex
195 reviews
$62.00
This deeply hydrating cream works wonders for perpetually dry skin, helping to bring back its youthful glow and improve the skin's overall texture. Packed with ceramides to replenish lost moisture and increase water retention to help soften the appearance of lines and wrinkles, the soothing cream provides immediate comfort to the skin.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, enzymes, lipids, squalene, tocopherol
Skin Type: Dry, mature
Skin Benefits: Improves the appearance of fine lines, elasticity, skin texture, tone, and pore size
Beauty Insider Tip: Within 21 days of consistent use, skin appears softer, smoother, healthier and more youthful.
3. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer
152 reviews
$23.99
Revive dry skin with this daily moisturizer that provides deep hydration and works overtime to soothe it. Suitable for use on even the most sensitive skin, this lightweight, dermatologist-recommended cream provides instant hydration while restoring the skin's barrier function so that the skin looks and acts healthy.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, glycerin, thermal water, niacinamide
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Repairs the skin barrier, hydrates, comforts
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply the oil-free lotion to the skin using circular motions both morning and night.
4. SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore 242
2431 reviews
$155.00
Bring dry, aging skin back to life with this moisture-packed treatment cream that replaces lost lipids that occur with normal aging. The quick-to-absorb formula not only feels good on the skin but also helps to renew the skin's texture while protecting it against free radical damage. The result: softer, smoother, more supple-looking skin with a healthy, radiant glow.
Key Ingredients: Lipids, vitamin E, essential oils
Skin Type: Aging, normal, dry
Skin Benefits: Restores essential skin lipids, improves the look of skin fullness, texture, and pore size, enhances skin evenness and overall radiance
Beauty Insider Tip: Always warm the cream between your fingertips before applying it so that it melts seamlessly into the skin for maximum absorption and results.
5. Neocutis BIO Cream Firm
29 reviews
$188.00
This non-comedogenic cream can be used as a daily moisturizer or when extra support is needed to help replenish the skin. No matter how you integrate this skin-firming cream into your daily routine, it increases hydration levels for smoother-looking skin and improves luminosity.
Key Ingredients: Growth factors, peptides, argan oil, glycerin, borage seed oil
Skin Type: Dry, mature
Skin Benefits: Improves the look of fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone and texture, helps skin look firmer and feel tighter, supports collagen and elastin production, increases skin hydration
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply the cream after cosmetic and dermatological treatments to help support the skin and heal it faster.
6. Medik8 Advanced Night Ceramide Cream
15 reviews
$76.00
Kiss hard-to-erase lines and wrinkle goodbye in as little as one week thanks to this luxe hydrating cream. Infusing the skin with deep moisture and replenishing lost lipids helps plump up the appearance of lines and wrinkles while firming the skin for visible improvement you'll appreciate.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, essential lipids, peptides, saskatoon berry and dragon fruit extract, N-Acetyl glucosamine
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Replenishes the skin's natural barrier, provides deep nourishment, firms, gives a healthy glow
Beauty Insider Tip: Use the cream with retinol or retinal at night for maximum benefits and dramatic results.
7. Epionce Renewal Facial Lotion
124 reviews
$102.00
We're big fans of this lightweight, skin-restoring lotion, especially when it comes to strengthening the skin barrier and restoring lost moisture. The anti-aging treatment, which is formulated with ceramides and hyaluronic acid to pack a powerful punch of hydration instantly, also works wonders for calming irritated and inflamed skin while neutralizing free radicals to prevent future skin damage.
Key Ingredients: Meadowfoam extract, apple fruit extract, orange fruit extract, rosa canina fruit oil, safflower seed oil, olive oil, lavender extract, flax seed extract, avocado oil, date fruit extract, hyaluronic acid, ceramides
Skin Type: Normal to combination
Skin Benefits: Helps reverse visible signs of aging, hydrates, tightens and firms, improves radiance for a healthy glow
Beauty Insider Tip: A little goes a long way–just a pea-sized amount of lotion is enough to cover the entire face.
8. Dr. Whitney Bowe Beauty Bowe Glowe Microbiome Nourishing Cream
$95.00
Layer on this moisturizer morning and night to provide an intense dose of much-needed hydration to the skin. Since this dermatologist-created cream floods the skin with moisture while balancing the skin's microbiome and strengthening the skin barrier, it provides a skin-plumping effect that improves the look of lines and wrinkles while leaving once-dry skin soft and glowing.
Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, prebiotics, postbiotics
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Hydrates, smoothes, plumps, strengthens the skin barrier, reduces fine lines, balances the skin microbiome
Beauty Insider Tip: The cream is designed to be used every night during a skin cycling program.
9. Sunday Riley Ice Ceramide Moisturizing Cream
85 reviews
$65.00
For long-lasting moisture, treat your skin with this ceramide-enriched hydrating cream. Perfect for normal to dry skin but suitable for all skin types, this skin-smoothing-rich cream also provides a layer of defense against environmental aggressors to limit free radicals and premature damage, leaving the skin feeling super soft, smooth, and perfectly hydrated.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, vitamin F, coconut, beetroot extract, red algae extract, pomegranate sterols
Skin Type: Normal, dry
Skin Benefits: Hydrates, strengthens the skin's natural moisture barrier, smoothes, seals in moisture.
Beauty Insider Tip: Apply a bit of the cream to the skin before or after traveling to help alleviate dryness.
10. Peter Thomas Roth Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Cream Hydrating Moisturizer
153 reviews
$54.00
With its bouncy, cloud-like texture, this intense hydrating gel-cream moisturizer drenches skin with hyaluronic acid and ceramides to plump dry skin for major improvement. The fragrance- and oil-free formula keeps the skin hydrated for up to 72 hours, helping to improve its overall appearance and leaving it with a silky smooth, well-hydrated finish.
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, elderberry, Pentavitin
Skin Type: Al
Skin Benefits: Plumps, hydrates, reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles, creates more youthful-looking skin
Beauty Insider Tip: For the perfect skin prep, apply a thin layer of moisturizer to the skin before makeup.
11. Supergoop! Daily Dose Hydra-Ceramide Boost SPF 40
4 reviews
$48.00
Ultra-light on the skin yet hefty in ceramides, this lightweight SPF-packed oil provides ample UV protection while nourishing the skin and infusing it with hydration. Like a 3-in-1 treatment for dry skin, it locks in moisture for skin that looks plump, refreshed, healthy, and boosted.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, squalane, hyaluronic acid, probiotics, rice germ extract
Skin Type: Normal, combination, dry
Skin Benefits: Helps fortify the skin barrier, moisturizes, prevents dehydration
Beauty Insider Tip: Mix a few drops of the oil into your favorite moisturizer for serious hydration and sun protection.
12. COSRX Balancium Comfort Ceramide Cream
47 reviews
$26.00
From the brand that put snail mucin on the beauty map comes this ultra-comforting, intensely hydrating cream in a lightweight formula that soothes irritated, dry skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and bump-free. Perfect for eczematic skin as well as those with hypersensitive skin, the botanical-based balm-like cream hydrates from the inside out, leaving the skin far more comfortable and healthy.
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, centella asiatica, sunflower seed oil
Skin Type: Dry, oily
Skin Benefits: Hydrates, nourishes, soothes, protects, reduces blemishes and roughness
Beauty Insider Tip: Use the cream to improve the symptoms associated with psoriasis, eczema and acne.
13. Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Balm
$20.99
Compromised skin requires serious TLC, and that's where this intense restoring balm comes into play. Gentle enough not to irritate or inflame the skin but hardworking enough to soothe and nourish it, this thick cream is safe for all skin types and ages and provides instant relief for everyone in the family. Whether you use it on the face or body, the nongreasy, fragrance-free formula absorbs instantly to comfort and heal the skin.
Key Ingredients: Glycerin, mineral oil, sunflower seed oil, ceramides
Skin Type: Dry
Skin Benefits: Nourishes, soothes itching, hydrates, strengthens the skin
Beauty Insider Tip: Use the brand's proprietary 3.6.9 application (3 pumps for babies, 6 for children, and 9 for adults) to ensure an ample dose of the balm.
14. AMELIORATE Replenishing Facial Cream
2 reviews
$33.00
If dry skin is getting the best of you, treat it with this intense moisturizer, which helps nourish and protect the skin while minimizing the common signs of aging. Clinically proven to boost moisture levels for up to 12 hours while reducing redness, this unique cream delivers instant and long-term skin benefits while calming the skin, too.
Key Ingredients: LaH6 skin hydration complex, hyaluronic acid, CICA, glycogen, camelina and oat oils, shea and cocoa butters
Skin Type: Dry
Skin Benefits: Moisturizes instantly, leaves skin feeling and looking more youthful, radiant, and brighter, smooths out lines, increases elasticity, improves skin tone, reduces redness and sensitivities
Beauty Insider Tip: This cream was developed as a way for the brand's founder to improve her keratosis pilaris and provide long-lasting hydration.
15. IMAGE Skincare VITAL C Hydrating Repair Creme
8 reviews
$91.00
Like a tall drink of water for thirsty, dry, dull, and irritated skin, this luxe nightly-use cream instantly soothes and quenches the skin for immediate relief. Packed with vitamins, ceramides and hyaluronic acid, it locks moisture into the skin while brightening it for a noticeable improvement in the skin's overall tone, texture, and radiance.
Key Ingredients: Vitamins A and C, hyaluronic acid, ceramides, retinyl palmitate, superoxide dismutase
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Hydrates, brightens, firms
Beauty Insider Tip: After applying your favorite serum to your skin, layer on the moisturizer and let it work its brightening and hydrating magic while you sleep.
16. HydroPeptide Nimni Cream
7 reviews
$224.00
Dry skin often experiences a loss of elasticity, but this night cream helps everything snap back into place while providing serious hydration. Gentle yet powerful, the formula repairs past damage and helps prevent future damage by enhancing cell and collagen production and regeneration to reduce the signs of aging.
Key Ingredients: Amino acids, antioxidants, peptides, retinol
Skin Type: All
Skin Benefits: Diminishes fine lines and wrinkles, supports collagen production, increases skin elasticity, firms
Beauty Insider Tip: Allow the skin to acclimate to the cream by using it twice a week and slowly building up to nightly use.
FAQs
Are Ceramides better than Hyaluronic Acid?
Both ceramides and hyaluronic acid benefit the skin, and any good skincare routine can incorporate both to reap the benefits. Dr. Magovern says that ceramides and hyaluronic acid work best when used together. Some creams even contain both to reduce the amount of skincare products needed. "Hyaluronic acid hydrates, while ceramides lock in moisture," she adds.
What Ingredients Can You Pair with Ceramides?
Plenty of skincare ingredients pair well with ceramides to help further strengthen the skin barrier and prevent moisture loss. The most common ceramide combinations include hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamide, and fatty acids. "Using ceramides with hyaluronic acid will enhance hydration, and when it is combined with peptides, together, the duo supports skin repair and collagen production," Dr. Magovern says. "Additionally, fatty acids and ceramides help to strengthen the skin's lipid barrier when both ingredients are applied to the skin."
The Bottom Line
If dry, dull, aging skin is affecting your skin's health and appearance, chances are the lack of naturally occurring ceramides is impacting it in more ways than one. Rather than using just any moisturizer, treat your skin with one that is rich in ceramides to help strengthen the skin barrier and reinstate lost moisture back into the skin. No matter if you opt for a skincare product with ceramides on their own or choose to use a cream with other ingredients in addition to ceramides, the best moisturizers with ceramides pack a lot of bang for your buck to dramatically improve the skin, leaving it softer, smoother, plump, and more radiant.
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
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