The best face cream for dry skin

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The best face cream for dry skin

Best face cream for dry skin

Dr. Jart+ / Business Insider

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  • If you're one of those people whose face feels flaky whether it's December or August, finding the right face cream can be difficult.
  • But if full-on hydration and protection are what you're after, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is your best bet.

While dry skin tends to plague most people in the chillier months, for some, their daily skin-care regimen is a near-constant fight against the flake.

If you're one of these folks, you know that all moisturizers are not created equal. Whether your dry skin is caused by some kind of condition, like eczema, or if your protective barrier just doesn't work as well as others might, there are certain ingredients to look out for to soothe your chapped face.

Ceramides are molecules that mimic your skin's natural lipid layer, for example. Hyaluronic acid is another ingredient to keep an eye out for. It has the ability to attract and trap moisture like none other. In fact, it can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it one of the wunderkinds of the skin care industry.

But the important thing to do before you go shopping for your new favorite moisturizer is talk to your dermatologist. He or she can identify whether your dry skin is just the result of cold air, or if it's because of an underlying condition. Issues like eczema and psoriasis may need a prescription for proper treatment.

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If your symptoms are unconnected to an underlying issue, there are a few things to keep in mind to try to mitigate your skincare woes. Dry skin actually needs exfoliation just as much, if not more, as those who don't suffer from regular flaking. Why? Because those dried patches of skin can actually block pores, which can keep your moisturizer from penetrating deeply. So make sure to exfoliate regularly to keep your skin smooth.

Creams also penetrate damp skin better than dry skin. So make sure to apply your moisturizer before your skin completely dries. If you need to, mist down your face with a hydrating toner before applying, just to make sure everything is supple.

Here are the best face creams for dry skin in 2019:

Updated on 7/1/2019 by Jada Wong: Updated copy, formatting, links, and prices.

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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.

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The best face cream for dry skin overall

The best face cream for dry skin overall
The Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is made with ceramides, which are molecules that mimic your skin's natural barrier to hydrate and heal chapped skin.

Hydration may seem like the most important quality in a moisturizer for dry skin, but if you're suffering from serious dry skin woes, you're going to want something that heals as much as it hydrates. Enter: Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream. This jar is such a winner because it's more of a skin mimicker than a skin cream.

Let me explain. The star ingredients in Dr. Jart+'s cream are ceramides, which are naturally-occurring in your skin. They're lipids that help to bind skin cells together, forming the protective barrier that keeps good stuff in and bad stuff out. People who suffer from seriously dry skin tend to have a leaky barrier, which causes moisture to eek out. These lipids can also break down over time, which is why folks tend to have flakier skin as they age. Thanks, science.

Ceramides in skin care, on the other hand, are either synthetic or derived from plants. But they do they same exact thing as the ceramides your skin naturally produces. So Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream contains ceramides that are used to replenish the skin's natural lipid layer. That means that it helps your epidermis to hydrate itself by working to fix its leaky barrier layer.

Because of its ability to do actual maintenance on your skin instead of just covering up a problem, this cream is also fantastic for those who suffer from eczema.

But be forewarned: This cream is heavy-duty, and those who don't actually suffer from intensely dry skin can find it a little too heavy for their faces. But this cream is perfect for those with aging skin, diagnosed dry skin issues, or those suffering from intense chap after neglecting their faces for a bit.

Pros: Helps to actually heal skin instead of just hydrate it

Cons: May be a little too heavy for those who only suffer from seasonal dryness

Buy Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream from Sephora for $48

The best lightweight face cream for dry skin

The best lightweight face cream for dry skin
The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is a lightweight moisturizer that hydrates without being too heavy.

Some people don't want to slather on a heavy skin cream to soothe their chapped faces. One of the most common misconceptions about dry skin is that it requires a thick, heavy cream to fix it. In fact, if they don't contain the proper ingredients, thick formulas can actually do more harm that good for your skin.

Instead of penetrating pores, creams with heavy consistencies can actually sit on top of your skin, sapping it of air and moisture. So in some cases, a lighter formulation may be your best bet And when it comes to a lightweight moisturizer, no product does it better than Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel.

This feather-light gel contains one of the all-star ingredients I mentioned before: Hyaluronic acid. Like ceramides, hyaluronic acid is naturally-occurring in your body — and not just in your skin. It's also in your joints and eyes. It's especially clutch for your dermis, because of its moisturizing properties. It holds 1,000 its weight in water, so it doesn't mess around with hydration.

When it's applied to your face, hyaluronic acid pulls moisture from the environment and utilizes that to moisturize. The reason why Neutrogena's version of this wunderkind is so great is the texture.

Instead of a cream, which tends to just sit on top of your face and act like a barrier, Neutrogena's moisturizer is in gel form. This allows it to penetrate your skin, hydrating you from the inside out. The formula is great for those who suffer from dry skin 365 days a year because it's so light.

While hyaluronic acid is an amazing source of hydration, it may not be strong enough for those suffering from rosacea or eczema. So if you feel you're dealing with one of those skin woes, check in with your doctor to make sure the products you're using are good for you.

Pros: Lightweight, perfect for those who don't love to feel of a heavy cream

Cons: May not be hydrating enough for certain skin care issues

Buy Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel on Amazon for $16.97 (originally $16.19)
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The best drugstore face cream for dry skin

The best drugstore face cream for dry skin
Have dry skin that's also sensitive? CeraVe's Moisturizing Cream is formulated without fragrance, so you can hydrate without irritation.

People with dry skin usually complain that their faces also tend to be ultra-sensitive. And it makes sense. Since your protective barrier is damaged, it's bad at protecting your skin. So ingredients and additives that wouldn't irritate some people can throw those with dry skin into an itchy, inflamed hellscape.

That's what makes CeraVe'sMoisturizing Cream so exceptional. It's formulated without fragrances, which make it ideal for sensitive skin. CeraVe's moisturizing cream is, hands-down, the best formulation for folks with dry skin. It's made with three essential ceramides and hyaluronic acid, giving it the formulaic one-two punch flaky skin is desperate for.

This double dose of hydration helps your skin in two ways. First, the hyaluronic acid penetrates the pores, giving you a deep dose of moisture. Then, the ceramides work to lock in that moisture by repairing the skin's barrier layer.

CeraVe claims that this hydration lasts for 24 hours. While I'm not quite sure it lasts that long, I can definitely say that this moisturizer left me hydrated all day. There was no midday tightness and no afternoon flake. My face felt supple until I washed my makeup off that evening.

And I'm not the only one to give CeraVe a glowing review. Buyers can't stop talking about how much they love this wallet-friendly moisturizer. One reviewer on Influenster gave major snaps for CeraVe's ability to dry down almost immediately. There's no waiting around for your moisturizer to absorb before applying your makeup.

Pros love it too, with Glamour beauty writer Rachel Nussbaum saying "ever since [I started using CeraVe], I've had baby soft, clear skin with the smallest pores of my life." That's a review you can take to the bank.

Pros: Wallet-friendly, absorbs quickly, provides two types of moisturizing

Cons: It might be a little too heavy for those with acneic skin

Buy CeraVe Moisturizing Cream at Walmart for $14.92 (originally $15.83)

The best pro-approved face cream for dry skin

The best pro-approved face cream for dry skin
Pros love the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream because it's packed with amino acids, peptides, and growth factors for moisturizing and anti-aging power.

Dry skin is something that can plague someone no matter how old they are. But flaky, itchy, dehydrated faces tend to be a common complaint among people as they get older — especially women. Menopause can cause some serious dryness. So instead of reaching for a cream that only delivers moisture, those with aging skin want to reach for a product that also provides some anti-aging benefits.

That's exactly what Drunk Elephant's Protini cream does. It moisturizes dry skin, but it also delivers a powerful cocktail of anti-aging products that keep your face looking tip-top. After just one use of this cream, buyers see better texture, better tone, and more moisture.

So what makes this cream so fantastic? The protein from the amino acids and peptides. Peptides themselves are actually fragments of proteins, and proteins are the building blocks of your skin. As your skin ages, and the more you're subjected to environmental factors, those proteins can break down. Peptides in skincare products help revitalize those proteins, improving skin's resilience over time.

And people have taken notice. According to The Cut, this cream had an insane amount of five-star reviews just hours after launching. Pros are fans of this cream, too. Fashionista editor Steph Saltzman raved that after using Protini, her skin "feels instantly coddled and protected, like it's been wrapped in a snug little security blanket/forcefield against the elements."

Just as a bonus, this cream wins for its near-perfect delivery system. Instead of a jar, which can easily become contaminated if you don't wash your hands before dipping your fingers in, Protini comes with a push-top applicator. It dispenses just the right amount of face cream in a totally hygenic way. Moisturized skin that's also healthy? Sign us up.

Pros: Anti-aging and moisturizing, innovative delivery system

Cons: The active ingredients may be a little too much for those with sensitive skin

Buy Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream from Sephora for $68
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The best plant-based face cream for dry skin

The best plant-based face cream for dry skin
Youth To The People's Age Prevention Superfood Cream is both green and hyper-moisturizing, making it perfect for the most ethically-minded folks out there.

When it comes to skincare, it's not always easy being green. So many active ingredients are synthetic. And while that doesn't mean that they're unhealthy, there are plenty of people who'd prefer to get their skin care superpowers from plant-based sources. The caveat? Those aren't always as effective as the synthetic kind.

But Youth To The People seems to have licked this seemingly never-ending cycle with its Age Prevention Superfood Cream. This moisturizer is stocked with 100% vegan ingredients, but it's also a powerful weapon in the fight against flake. Some of these ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, you're already very familiar with, but others, like kale and spinach, are less familiar when it comes to skincare.

These two greens are great for your skin in many of the ways they're great for your body. Spinach helps to prevent against sun damage, while kale contains some powerful antioxidants — specifically vitamins A, C, E, and K. These antioxidants are helpful in rebuilding your skin's protective layer, so that the hyaluronic acid also present in this formula can penetrate perfectly.

Buyers are huge fans of this product, too. On Influenster, one happy customer wrote that their skin feels so soft and supple that she can't imagine using another cream. And since this formula contains lightweight moisturizers, like hyaluronic acid, you can use it all year long. No face suffocation happening here!

Pros: Vegan ingredients, lightweight

Cons: Severely dry skin types may not get the amount of moisture you need

Buy Youth To The People Age Prevention Superfood Cream from Sephora for $48

Check out our other great skincare guides

Check out our other great skincare guides
The best makeup remover you can buy

It's good for your skin to remove makeup every night, but it can be a pain without the right makeup remover.

We've done our research and tested the best makeup removers on the market to come up our top recommendations. Whether you're a devout double cleanser or prefer removing makeup on the fly, there's something on this list for everyone.

Here are the best makeup removers you can buy:

The best body scrubs you can buy

When it comes to body-care products, scrubs are oftentimes overlooked in favor of lotions and body wash. But the exfoliating treatments should be included in your skin-care routines if you want to silky smooth skin. While you can also scrub away dull, dry skin by using loofahs or dry brushes, nothing will leave your skin feeling squeaky-clean quite like a good body scrub.

Here are the best body scrubs you can buy:

The best body oils you can buy

If smooth, supple skin is what you're looking for, then the Fresh Life Body Oil is the bottle you want to reach for.

Here are the best body oils you can buy in 2019:

The best exfoliators you can buy for any skin type or budget

Whether you're new to the exfoliation game or a seasoned skin-care pro, Glossier's Solution is the exfoliator you should be reaching for. Its powerful mix of acids dissolves dead skin cells and improves your complexion, giving your face a gorgeous glow.

Here are the best makeup removers you can buy:

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