Winter All-Stars: The Best Moisturizers Are Here

Key Points

• Moisturizers for winter protect skin from the results of prolonged exposure to harsh weather.

• Winter moisturizers are rich creams with all of the best ingredients.

• Moisturizers for winter help maintain the skin's moisture barrier and lock in hydration.

Dry skin only worsens in winter when temperatures plummet and dry central heat blows through the furnace. Dehydrated skin becomes irritated skin. If you don't have a moisturizer for winter, your skin can't replace the moisture it loses in everyday exposures. Skin quickly becomes cracked, red, and painful.

The best moisturizer for winter is a moisture magnet with hyaluronic acid as a primary ingredient. Hyaluronic acid is famous for holding up to 1000 times its weight in water. It is a humectant that draws water from the environment back into the skin. What else should you look for in a moisturizer for winter? Keep reading to learn about all-star moisturizers for winter!

What Are The Best Moisturizers For Winter Skin?

The top moisturizers for winter are not commonplace creams or your average salves. Instead, these treatments are featured in beauty campaigns and are on the top lists of many beauty editors worldwide.

Expect moisturizers for winter to give your skin everything it needs to feel soothed, protected, and comfortable, even in the most unpredictable cold weather climates and conditions. These creams work hard to restore everything you lose when the temperature drops.

What To Look For in Winter Moisturizers?

Is your winter skin ashy or flaky and lacking signs of life? A generous application of moisturizer is the solution to these common winter skin woes.

Winter-friendly moisturizers don't skimp on richness or luxury-level softening. Vitamins, ceramides, butters, and hydrating ingredients describe what great moisturizers have in common. They blend all the buzzy skincare ingredients that are proven to yield measurable results.

Skin deserves the best you can afford, and with reasonably affordable options like these winter all-stars, your skin will glow as the celebrities do.

While some customers specifically search for luxury options and pricier creams, those who seek skincare on a budget will be satisfied with the best affordable creams on the market.

One size doesn't fit all skin types. Oily skin needs a non-comedogenic product, so it won't clog pores or cause blackheads. Other keywords for oily skin types to look for are oil-free and fragrance-free.

Silky smooth skin is a goal in winter that requires the right active ingredients. Effective, well-crafted moisturizers produce a refined, youthful appearance.

If it's time to replace or toss out your old moisturizer for a new formula, remember to look at some of the highest-ranking and best-loved formulas for winter skincare.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream With Vitamin E

You may or may not have heard of this cult classic, but it should be on your winter sampling list. Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream is worth a try. It’s a luxurious cream with essential vitamins to plump and hydrate dry winter-worn skin.

Magic Cream is popular with makeup artists and regular users because it yields instant results. Moisture-depleted skin gets a glow with a combination of shea butter, Vitamin E, hydrolyzed collagen, hyaluronic acid, Vitamin C, and bionymph peptide complex.

Customers rave about the smoothness and hydration they receive after using this product. Dry and mature skin types especially prefer Magic Cream. It also makes a perfect base for makeup application.

Magic Cream is usually available at your local Sephora. If not, the online site delivers with free shipping to Beauty Insiders.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

First Aid Beauty or FAB Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration is a winter dry skin favorite. The large white and blue jar is recognizable anywhere. The scent is light and herbal; the cream is thick and ultra-rich. The jar size (six or eight oz) is enormous compared to the size of traditional moisturizers on the market.

Ultra Repair Cream is an intensely nourishing skincare product when you are parched from the elements and need a powerful boost of comfort and protection.

This cream also contains colloidal oatmeal: a skin protectant known for calming itchy skin. For those who suffer from eczema, psoriasis, rashes, and other skin irritations, winter causes more severe dryness and flaking. Colloidal oatmeal is a skin saver!

This one checks off all the boxes if you want a vegan, cruelty-free, and gluten-free moisturizer. Additional core ingredients are allantoin, an ingredient known for soothing, and shea butter.

Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream

Fresh is one of the most loved brands in luxury skincare. Their singular focus on crafting highly effective clean organic skincare products is why Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream is one of the best-selling moisturizers.

Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream receives rave reviews, and there are excellent reasons why it ranks so well. Rosewater and hyaluronic acid soothe and draw moisture from the air into parched drier skin, and 100% of participants reported feeling softer and smoother after use.

If scented skincare is a desirable part of your self-care regimen, you’ll love Damask Rose extract and 72 hours of continuous moisturization and softening.

Damask rose extract has so many benefits it's hard to name just a few. It’s both antimicrobial and hydrates really well. Like the petals from a rose, soft supple skin renews from wintry weather conditions.

Fresh values quality ingredients and shares where they source their products: "Damask rose extract, sourced from Rose Valley, Bulgaria and extracted with a sustainable approach, helps retain moisture while strengthening the skin’s barrier to protect from water loss."

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizing Cream with Squalane

Kiehl's Since 1851 is a brand many skincare fans recognize. Ultra Facial Moisturizing Cream with Squalane has been a customer favorite for years. This fragrance-free cream has all the nutrients necessary for winter weather.

Kiehl's delivers a no-fuss, straightforward moisturizer with effective ingredients. The price is quite reasonable at $38 for a 1.7 oz jar. This rich cream is an excellent addition to any winter weather routine.

Active ingredients squalane and glycerin are hydration superstars that protect the moisture barrier while softening and soothing. Dr. Geeta Yadav of Skin Science Dermatology adds, "As a lipid, squalane helps to restore the moisture barrier and seal in hydration for more nourished skin."

Ultra Facial Moisturizing Cream with Squalane is compatible with all skin types.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost For Extra Dry Skin

Neutrogena has been a staple for makeup and skincare fans for years. This dermatologist-recommended drugstore brand has made it to mainstream status with its Hydro Boost line. For renewed winter skin, try Hydro Boost For Extra Dry Skin.

Hydro Boost is considered the number one hyaluronic acid skincare line for 2022 according to Scantrack, a Nielsen rating tool.

Hydro Boost for Extra Dry Skin is as effective as a luxury cream without the luxury price point. The ingredients effectively prevent dryness and dehydration.

Hyaluronic acid is the primary active ingredient in this gel that works like a cream to moisturize and soften intensively. It is fragrance-free, non-comedogenic, dye-free, and oil-free.

Hydro Boost's lightweight gel-cream consistency absorbs quickly into the skin, yielding rich moisture without a heavy or sticky finish.

Extra dry skin types enjoy around-the-clock hydration in a long-lasting 48-hour delivery system.

CereVe Moisturizing Cream

CereVe's Moisturizing Cream is a favorite that fits the needs of many winter skin sufferers.

For years, it has been a go-to for patients with all types of skin conditions. CereVe is an excellent product for anyone, from the youngest toddlers to the elderly, who all receive the same consistent results.

This rich skin product is safe for dry areas on the face and body. It’s great for those suffering from skin disorders that need additional protection and healing of the skin's natural barrier.

CeraVe is a highly trusted brand, often part of suggested products from healthcare professionals and skincare pros.

Essential ceramides and lipids protect the moisture barrier and prevent winter skin conditions such as cracking and flaking. Encapsulated ceramides are on a slow time release to distribute these molecules into the outermost and innermost layers efficiently.

The jar weighs 19 ounces, which is more than generous, and goes a long way for complete body care.

This cream doesn't just sit on the skin; it works even after you've finished applying it. Replace the effects of rough, dry, cracked skin with emollient, nourished, and hydrated softness.

Winter All-Stars

The best moisturizers of the winter season are stellar performers. Regardless of price point, each cream provides repair and renewal to the driest of skin. Now anyone can find superstar-quality hydration that suits their personal preference and budget.

Sure it’s cold and dry out there, but your skin doesn’t have to show it!