crème de la cream

The 27 Best Facial Moisturizers of 2021

We've tested every lotion under the sun to bring you the cream (get it?) of the crop. Here, you'll find a moisturizer for every skin type and concern.
27 Best Facial Moisturizers of 2022 for Hydrated Healthy Skin | Neutrogena Glow Recipe Kiehl's

Some people may cringe when they hear the word moist, but when it comes to moisturizers, we've got nothing but love. For many, it's the final step in a skin-care routine, and whether you're looking for a lighter option to wear during the day, or a souped-up version for an overnight glow-up, we've tested countless formulas in our day-to-day work as beauty editors. Whether you've got dry, oily, or combination skin, odds are the perfect face cream for you has passed through our offices.

"Moisturizers are an essential part of every skin-care routine," Shereene Idriss, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist at Union Square Laser Dermatology in New York City, tells Allure. "Just as our bodies require us to hydrate with water, so does our skin." While our skin appears dewier almost instantly, the real benefits show up in the long term. Idriss says that consistent use of moisturizers slows down the rate and intensity at which fine lines and wrinkles appear.

This daily philosophy applies to all skin types, and not just dry skin. "Overwashing without the appropriate use of a moisturizer will actually trigger an overproduction of oil on your skin," Divya Shokeen, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Torrance, California previously explained. In short, if you don't rehydrate your skin, it will become dried-out and irritated — which then opens your skin up to a cache of troubles. 

"People confuse oil with hydration, so they don't properly hydrate the skin," New York City-based board-certified dermatologist Doris Day, M.D., noted. "We now have really great ingredients, like hyaluronic acid, which balances oil and water in the skin." Increased hydration supports a stronger barrier, she said, which then helps curb oil production.

Here, we've rounded up the 27 best face moisturizers (the crème de la cream, if you will), including Allure Best of Beauty Award winners and recommendations from dermatologists to help you find the moisturizer of your dreams.

All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

  • Courtesy of brand
    1/28

    Farmacy Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer

    Farmacy's Daily Greens Oil-Free Gel Moisturizer has a feel-good formula in every sense of the word. For starters, its lightweight gel texture is satisfyingly bouncy and glassy when scooped out of the jar, and melts into skin as you apply it. The moisturizer also includes a cocktail of skin-perfecting ingredients like a quadruple dose of hyaluronic acid (for mega hydration), papaya extract (for gentle exfoliation), and moringa seed extract (for removing impurities) which leave skin looking dewy and brighter. The cherry on top: The farm-sourced, cruelty-free formula is bottled up in recycled packaging.

    $38
  • Courtesy of brand
    2/28

    Glow Recipe Plum Plump Refillable Moisturizer

    Glow Recipe is known to be one of the Internet's buzziest brands with the brightest formulas, and the skin-perfecting goodness of its Refillable Plum Plump Hyaluronic Cream is further proof. The whipped gel-cream gets its gorgeous lavender color from three different types of plums (kakadu, illawara, and Burdekin) and its intense moisture-replenishing powers from five weights of hyaluronic acid. Slather it on your face and neck twice daily for a radiant glow and healthy bounce that leaves skin looking plump and dewy. The brand also upped the ante on its sustainability pledge, offering replacement pods that pop into the glass jar when you need to restock.

    $39
  • Courtesy of brand
    3/28

    Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream

    The price tag on Augustinus Bader’s widely adored Rich Cream may make you do a double-take, but so will the unbelievably impressive results. The formula is anchored by the brand's patented Trigger Factor Complex (TFC8), which is rooted in 30 years of clinical research and includes over 40 powerful natural ingredients — like peptides, hyaluronic acid, rice proteins, and shea butter — that intensely hydrate and support cellular turnover. The buttery cream feels decadent as you apply it and pampers the heck out of skin, soothing dry patches, making skin appear visibly smoother, and brightening an uneven skin tone.

    $280
  • Courtesy of brand
    4/28

    BeautyStat Universal Pro-Bio Moisture Cream

    Leave it to the work of a cosmetic chemist to develop a product that strikes the fine balance of achieving a rich, pampering texture, with a lightweight feel. Ron Robinson formulated BeautyStat's soothing Universal Pro-Bio Moisture Cream to deliver on both, with a healthy dose of hyaluronic acid and ceramides that replenish moisture to skin and leave a healthy, glowy finish.

    $50
  • Courtesy of brand
    5/28

    Then I Met You Renewing Rich Beauty Cream

    You'll know you're tapping into something special the second your skin comes into contact with the rich, silky formula of Then I Met You's Rich Beauty Cream. The dewy, glowing complexion that you'll see after using it will further justify the extraordinary hydrating experience. Its periwinkle jar is chock full of antioxidants and super-hydrators like ginseng, squalane, and hyaluronic acid, which leave skin plump and radiant.

    $58
    More from Allure
  • Courtesy of brand
    6/28

    Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

    Kiehl's best-selling Ultra Facial Cream has been a beloved skin-care staple for years and with good reason: It works. "In the winter my skin needs moisture but can't take too much fragrance," notes Boston-based board-certified dermatologist Papri Sarkar, M.D. "This cream, packed with glycerin, squalane, and plant oils (like apricot and avocado) hydrates and helps to seal in moisture without irritating." All you need is a dime-sized amount to seal your entire complexion in comforting hydration.

    $33
  • Courtesy of brand
    7/28

    Herbivore Pink Cloud Soft Moisturize Cream

    This ultra-chic pink moisturizer is more than just an exceptionally pretty jar, although it certainly is that, too. Inspired by the clouds of a breathtaking Hawaiian sunset, Herbivore's swoon-worthy Pink Cloud Soft Cream Moisturizer is formulated with a cocktail of skin hydrators and soothers including rosewater, aloe water, and white tea extract. It also includes Aspen bark, which is a natural source of salicylic acid that gently exfoliates skin, creating a smooth base that also works well as a primer underneath makeup.

    $44
  • Courtesy of brand
    8/28

    Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream for Extra-Dry Skin

    The Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel moisturizer is a cool, bouncy gel-cream that feels delightfully cushiony on skin. That's only one of the many reasons we love it. It also boasts exceptional hydrating benefits. "Although it feels gel-like, it's packed with glycerin and dimethicone which add moisture to the skin, seal it in, and help the product go on smoothly," notes Dr. Sarkar. As an added bonus, she notes that it doesn't cause breakouts even among her acne-prone patients.

    $19 $17
  • Courtesy of brand
    9/28

    Dr. Jart+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream

    Extremely lightweight in texture and feel, Dr. Jart+'s Cicapair Tiger Grass Calming Gel Cream contains glycerin, niacinamide, cica, and the brand's proprietary microbiome complex to not only moisturize skin and soothe irritation, but strengthen your skin's defensive abilities as well. Dr. Jart's Cicapair line is a favorite among skin-care enthusiasts, but the Calming Gel Cream takes the cake in terms of no-fuss, daytime moisturizers, which is why it won a 2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award.  

    $49
  • Courtesy of brand
    10/28

    The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer

    With its one-percent peptide complex and special smoothing royal jelly protein, The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer's price seems like a typo. For just $15, this shea butter-rich cream does the heavy lifting of moisturizers 10 times the price, deeply moisturizing and smoothing skin while absorbing quickly for a non-heavy feel.

    $15
  • Courtesy of brand
    11/28

    Youth to the People Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream

    The texture is weightless, but don't let that fool you. Youth to the People's Best of Beauty-winning Superfood Air-Whip Moisture Cream is loaded with leafy ingredients such as spinach and kale, making the antioxidant-rich formula one lean, green, free-radical-fighting machine. Layer it under sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) daily.

    We love it so much we added it to our 2021 Allure Beauty Box lineup. You can score the Allure Beauty Box here for access to even more editor favorites — for just $23. Check out beauty's top subscription box on TikTok at @allurebeautybox.

    $48
  • Courtesy of brand
    12/28

    Olay Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Moisturizer

    You probably already know and love the Olay Regenerist line. (We're big fans of the Micro-Sculpting Face Cream ourselves.) Well, the Regenerist Collagen Peptide24 Moisturizer kicks it up a notch and pumps collagen peptide and Olay's signature vitamin B3 (also known as niacinamide) into your skin to improve texture and appearance of pores, while cutting back on redness, irritation, excess sebum production, and even acne. For these reasons, we predict this fragrance-free, hydrating cream — which received a 2021 Best of Beauty Award — will become a skin-care staple of yours.

    $39
  • Courtesy of brand
    13/28

    Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream

    A winner of our 2016 Best of Beauty Award and three-time Readers' Choice Award winner, the Lala Retro Whipped Cream by Drunk Elephant is the ultimate fancy-but-not-too-fancy, unscented moisturizer that, despite being packed with nourishing ingredients, doesn't feel the least bit heavy. It'll wrap your skin in an airy blanket of plant-derived ceramides and moisture-boosting oils (e.g. green tea, soybean, etc.) that guard against water loss for all-day (or all-night) relief.

    $60
    More from Allure
  • Courtesy of brand
    14/28

    Garnier SkinActive Water Rose 24H Moisture Cream

    Loaded with rose water and hyaluronic acid, Garnier's SkinActive Water Rose 24H Moisture Cream has a delightful, lightweight water cream formula that your skin immediately drinks up. This 2020 Allure Best of Beauty Award winner leaves your skin feeling soft, smooth, and smelling faintly of roses, making it the perfect daytime moisturizer.  

    $12 $11
  • Courtesy of brand
    15/28

    SK-II Skinpower Cream

    SK-II Skinpower Cream is the definition of a splurge-worthy skin-care product, especially since it took the honor of a 2021 Best of Beauty Award in the — you guessed it — splurges category. SK-II's famed (and proprietary) pitera complex comes from a yeast fermentation process that almost mimics that of sake and is packed with over 50 vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and acids to intensely moisturize and condition skin. 

    A bouquet of floral extracts including calla lily extract, dokudami extract, and peony extract supercharges the plumpness of your skin — in addition to fan-favorite ingredients like glycerin, niacinamide, and shea butter. Give your skin a quick massage by working the cream into your forehead, cheeks, chin, and neck, and call it a day.

    $235
  • Courtesy of brand
    16/28

    La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer UV

    A common complaint about sunscreens (and even moisturizers with added SPF) is that they can show up ashy on tan to deep skin tones. Not La Roche-Posay's Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer UV Broad Spectrum SPF 30. The thermal water-infused face lotion won't cause makeup to slip and slide and quickly absorbs with a translucent finish.

    $20
  • Courtesy of brand
    17/28

    Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Night Concentrate

    Joining the family of Tatcha's beloved face mist and night cream is The Dewy Skin Cream, a rich cream inspired by makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic that features Japanese purple rice (hence the lavender color), Okinawan algae blend, and hyaluronic acid to plump skin with hydration. Dry skin will drink up this formula right away, leading to softer, plumper skin in almost no time at all.

    $110
  • Courtesy of brand
    18/28

    Function of Beauty Custom Facial Moisturizer

    Everyone's skin is unique, so why not customize your skin-care products to deliver the results you actually desire? While the final Custom Facial Moisturizer from Function of Beauty will differ from person to person — there are three formulas based on skin type: water-based gel, lotion, and cream — the core ingredients remain the same. Tsubaki oil, squalane, and vitamin E boost moisture retention, which means your complexion will look exceedingly dewy and plump all day long. Trust us, this 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner was literally made for you.

    $45
  • Courtesy of brand
    19/28

    E.L.F. Holy Hydration! Face Cream Fragrance Free

    If you like E.L.F.'s Holy Hydration! Face Cream but your nose or skin prefers moisturizer without added scent, you will love the fragrance-free version. You still get all the plumping, brightening, and hydrating benefits of hyaluronic acid, peptides, and niacinamide — just without the fragrance frills.

    $12
  • Courtesy of brand
    24/28

    Murad Intense Recovery Cream

    For dry to severely dry skin, you want to bring the heavy (hydration) hitters into your nighttime skin-care routine. Murad Intense Recovery Cream, a rich, seafoam-green-tinted cream, is a 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner because it puts a stop to redness and visibly calms signs of stressed skin. Star ingredients include shea butter, macadamia oil, redness-soothing mirabilis jalapa plant extract, and fine-line-smoothing microalgae extract, making it the ideal nightcap for your skin.

    $80
  • Courtesy of brand
    25/28

    Milk Makeup Sunshine Oil

    Applying facial oils can get a little messy, which is why Milk Makeup's Sunshine Oil comes in a clickable pen with a rollerball applicator that frees your hands from turning into grease fests. Vitamin C brightens and even your skin tone while olive-derived squalane and sea buckthorn berry oil seal in moisture for hours on end. Oh, and get this: You can also use this cheerful 2021 Best of Beauty Award winner to smooth flyaways or add some subtle sheen to your hairdo.

    $38
  • Courtesy of brand
    26/28

    Skinfix Barrier+ Lipid-Peptide Cream

    If your skin is thirsty for some serious hydration, look no further than this 2019 Allure Best of Beauty Awards winner. The super-rich Skinfix Lipid-Peptide Cream has it all: emollient shea butter, sodium hyaluronate, and a triple-packed blend of fatty oils that feed even the most dehydrated skin. And protein-packed peptides help strengthen skin barriers against environmental damage.

    $52
  • Courtesy of brand
    27/28

    L'Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care

    Not only is L'Oréal Paris Hydra Genius Daily Liquid Care devastatingly chic (and a 2017 Best of Beauty Award winner), one Allure editor described the texture as "silky water" and praised its instantly cooling effects. Time to drink up.

    $14

Shop More

VIEW ALL Facial Cleansers
Marci Robin is a contributing editor at Allure. She previously served as senior beauty editor at GoodHousekeeping.com, executive editor of xoVain, and senior online editor at NewBeauty; her writing has also appeared in publications such as InStyle, MarthaStewart.com, and Refinery29. She graduated from Florida State University with a degree... Read more
Contributing Editor
Keywordsmoisturizermoisturizersface creamhydratorhydratingcreamskin creamnew skin-care launchskin caredermatologistshoppingshopping guideface moisturizerABB Productsdry skinskincareskinsensitive skinskin tipsglow recipeKiehl'sFarmacyAugustinus BaderBeautyStatthen i met youHerbivore Botanicalsneutrogenadr. jartThe Inkey ListyouthOlayDrunk ElephantgarnierE.L.F.eminenceCetaphilBelifpaula's choicemuradmilk makeupskinfixL'Oreal Paris