The 15 most popular moisturizers (2023)

Regardless of your skin type, you should always follow-up washing your face with a moisturizer. A good one hydrates and replenishes your skin barrier. This outermost layer of the skin consists of cells and lipids and acts as a protective shield against harmful bacteria, fungus, viruses, and other microorganisms. Whether you have oily or dry skin or something in between, there is a moisturizer out there for you.

For oily skin

1. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel for lightweight moisture

Reviews: 3,529Average rating: 4.5This longtime fan favorite is a must-try for anyone with combination or oily skin. The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel claims sunflower seed cake, barley extract, and cucumber fruit extract strengthen the skin barrier to better retain moisture. “It isn't too thick or too light, but just the right consistency to keep my oily/combination skin happy,” says one hooked Sephora reviewer. “I've used it for about six months now and it has kept my few dry patches from being dry, and my extremely oily T-zone from getting oilier. It has kept me from breaking out and saved me a lot of acne-related grief. Bless this moisturizer. I will never let this stuff go.”

Get the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel at Sephora for $28

2. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel for oil-free hydration

Reviews: 2,582Average rating: 4.3Oily skin is sometimes a sign that your skin is dehydrated and over-compensating for its lack of water with oil. The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel uses hyaluronic acid to pack a punch of hydration, but feels lightweight on the skin, so it won’t add slickness. One Amazon reviewer loves the velvety feel: “It was as if my skin just drank it up! Like it really needed it. So, I applied a little more, went to bed, [then] woke up the next morning [and] my skin looked and felt totally different. No fabrication, no exaggeration. The texture was different, I had a glow, and even my acne wasn't as red or agitated-looking.”

Get the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel on Amazon for $14.42

3. Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb to shrink pores

Reviews: 3,522Average rating: 4.5If you want to minimize the appearance of pores while treating your skin to hydrating ingredients, this cream, designed for people with normal or oily skin, is your new must-try. The True Cream Aqua Bomb claims to minimize pores and protect the skin against free radicals using antioxidants such as plant extracts and malachite (a mineral). One doting Sephora reviewer: “It really does give you that dewy glow without oil or greasiness. Great by itself or under makeup. So versatile. Amazing amazing amazing.”

Get the Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb at Sephora for $38

4. Tatcha The Water Cream for a matte finish

Reviews: 2,386Average rating: 4.2If you want to control excess oil and promote skin cell turnover to avoid dead skin buildup, Tatcha’s The Water Cream is a top-notch choice. The cream claims to improve the look of pores with japanese wild rose, reduce oil production and cause cell turnover with japanese leopard lily, and moisturize with green tea, rice, and algae. “This moisturizer has an interesting texture because it is lighter than most moisturizers I have used,” one adoring Sephora reviewer writes. “I know this sounds weird, but it feels like I am putting water on my face. I don't know how this works, but it must be sorcery because it absorbs really quickly and lasts for a long time.”

Get the Tatcha The Water Cream at Sephora for $68

For dry skin

5. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion to maintain hydration

Reviews: 3,336Average rating: 4.4To kick the hydration up for normal-to-dry skin, go with a moisturizer like the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion, which uses hyaluronic acid to maintain moisture and ceramides, or lipids, to protect the skin barrier. One Amazon reviewer found it years ago and never looked back: “I didn't like other moisturizers in the past because they would either leave my skin feeling greasy, make me break out, or leave me feeling clammy if I accidentally used too much. This moisturizer leaves my skin feeling light and refreshed in the winter, and all year round. There's no heavy residue left on your skin after you use this. No more dry, cracked or itchy skin!”

Get the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion on Amazon for $10.66

6. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration to calm irritation

Reviews: 6,502Average rating: 4.6 For a moisturizer to become a cult-favorite beauty product, it must be stellar. The First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration specifically targets parched skin and eczema with ingredients like colloidal oatmeal to relieve itching, shea butter to moisturize and provide a skin barrier, and allantoin (a skin conditioning ingredient that increases water and stimulates cell regrowth) to calm and soothe the skin. “This product is so gentle and amazing that it almost makes me cry,” writes one Sephora reviewer. “I've been using it for a few months, and it's gotten rid of any extra redness in my cheeks (not from any condition, I'm just Irish), and it's also gotten rid of all of my unsightly texture on my skin. It's a must-have, it absorbs quickly, and [it] makes my skin feel happy and healthy.”

Get the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration at Sephora for $32

7. Weleda Skin Food to treat dry patches

Reviews: 2,180Average rating: 4.4Make dry, rough skin a thing of the past with a squeeze of the Weleda Skin Food. The rich cream moisturizes and reduces itching using lipids and calms the skin with extracts of pansy, rosemary, and chamomile in a sunflower and sweet almond oil base. One Amazon reviewer calls it a must-have: “I am always looking for that rich moisturizer that leaves your face so hydrated that you look fresh and rejuvenated, that is this stuff! This is the most luxurious cream that truly continues to work. I never break out or become too greasy, yet my skin looks hydrated and beautiful!”

Get the Weleda Skin Food on Amazon for $11.39

8. Crème de la Mer for a ‘miracle worker’ at a premium price

Reviews: 1,132Average rating: 4.7 If you’re wincing at the price tag of this moisturizer gem, you’re not alone. This ultra-rich cream claims to “improve dryness in as little as three days” and help the skin appear softer and brighter using glycerin, which helps to retain moisture, and extracts and oils from algae, limes, eucalyptus, and more. “This cream works miracles when on the skin,” one La Mer reviewer writes. “As soon as I put it on, my skin looks flawless and plumped. Plus my pores don't show! [...] If you love your skin, you will definitely give La Mer a try!”

Get the Crème de la Mer on La Mer for $335

For all skin types

9. Origins GinZing Oil-Free Energy Boosting Gel Moisturizer for a skin pick-me-up

Reviews: 3,071Average rating: 4.4Along with moisturizing oily-to-normal skin, this gel moisturizer from Origins claims to refresh the skin using caffeine from coffee, energize using ginseng (plant root), and create a moisture-retaining barrier using “hydra hug technology” that binds skin cells together. One Sephora reviewer can’t get enough: “This stuff is amazing. I am a very oily girl and this is my all-time favorite go-to moisturizer. I use it year-round and it keeps my skin balanced. I have tried to go away from it just to try new things and I keep coming back! It's especially amazing in the morning since it has such a refreshing smell, plus it makes a great base for your makeup!”

Get the Origins GinZing Oil-Free Energy Boosting Gel Moisturizer at Sephora for $30

10. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer to improve skin’s texture

Reviews: 3,189Average rating: 4.0Whether you have oily or dry skin, or something in between, the Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer claims to improve the skin’s tone, texture, and firmness using nine peptides, pygmy water lily stem cell extract, and soybean folic acid ferment extract. If those ingredients have you feeling unsure, let a Sephora reviewer reassure you: “This boy is expensive! That being said, it is worth every dollar! My skin feels softer than ever, my skin tone is more even, and many of my problem breakout areas are clearing up. [...] I will definitely be buying this again because it's been working miracles on my stubborn skin!”

Get the Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Moisturizer at Sephora for $68

11. Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream for a clean feel

Reviews: 2,089Average rating: 4.3Hydrate and improve your skin texture with a blend of fruit water and vitamin C when you pick up the Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream designated for dry skin. If your skin leans more oily, get the same refreshing feel, but with a blend of fruit water and vitamin E when you pick up the “normal/combo skin” version. With either version, you can’t go wrong: “Normally I am not one to repurchase the same product unless I truly don't think I can find anything better. Not with this moisturizer! I have tried both the dry skin (pink) and the normal/combo (green/blue) versions of this product and both are fantastic. It applies smoothly and a little goes a long way. I only need to dip my finger once in the product to cover my whole face. It takes away the tight, dry feeling after washing my face, yet does not make my skin feel tacky or oily.”

Get the Garnier SkinActive Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream on Amazon for $6.62

12. It Cosmetics Confidence In A Cream Hydrating Moisturizer for reducing fine lines

Reviews: 2,873Average rating: 4.3It Cosmetics is no stranger to making fan-favorite complexion products, being best known for its CC Cream,. The Confidence In A Cream Hydrating Moisturizer is also a hit with shoppers. It claims its ceramides help support the skin barrier, peptides reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and hyaluronic acid hydrates and retains moisture. “I love this product,” writes one ULTA reviewer. “I have very dry skin and couldn't wear foundation because you could see my dry skin. I have battled this my entire life and tried so many products. I live in Arizona and love to garden so the sun doesn't help. However, when I put this on, I wake up and my skin still looks and feels amazing! Despite the price, I have bought eight jars of this in the last year to make sure I never run out!”

Get the It Cosmetics Confidence In A Cream Hydrating Moisturizer at ULTA for $48

13. Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream for firming and exfoliating

Reviews: 4,233Average rating: 4.2Similar to the Drunk Elephant or It Cosmetics moisturizers, this cream from Olay prioritizes anti-aging along with moisturizing. Using vitamin B3 and hyaluronic acid, the cream moisturizes, improves firmness, and helps skin cells turn over faster to remove dead skin. One Amazon reviewer is a longtime fan: “I have been using this cream at night for several years and my face and neck have very few wrinkles (a few lines in my forehead). My skin feels extremely smooth. I think I look younger than my 73 years. A new doctor did a double-take when he looked at me and then down at the paper with my birth date on it. I would never give this cream up.”

Get the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream on Amazon for $20

14. Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream for sensitive skin

Reviews: 4,822Average rating: 4.5Anyone with sensitive skin that needs a boost of moisture should try the Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream, which is free of dyes, fragrance, and other controversial ingredients, such as lanolin, parabens, and formaldehyde. One Amazon reviewer swears by it: “After four years of trying different products, I have found a skin cream that is absolutely wonderful. I am post-chemo and radiation with lots of scars and allergies that are worse since the chemo. This is the first product that I have not reacted to. It is very creamy and concentrated and it soaks into my skin amazingly.”

Get the Vanicream Moisturizing Skin Cream on Amazon for $12.17

15. Elta MD UV Daily Moisturizing Facial Sunscreen for sun protection

Reviews: 1,374Average rating: 4.5To protect your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays while moisturizing it, look to this SPF from Elta MD. It uses zinc oxide and octinoxate to protect the skin from the sun, and hyaluronic acid to moisturize. One Amazon reviewer never goes without it: “This is my go-to daily moisturizer. It is the first and only moisturizer that has SPF and doesn't break me out at all. I was recommended this product by my dermatologist and it has been my saving grace since I have sensitive skin with patches of rosacea.”

Get the Elta MD UV Daily Moisturizing Facial Sunscreen on Amazon for $28.50

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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.