The best moisturizers of 2025 come from brands like CosRx, First Aid Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury.
Of all the anti-aging skin care products out there — from under-eye creams to face serums to facial toners to exfoliators — face moisturizers are probably the most familiar. Many of us grew up watching our moms and grandmothers apply a soothing cream to their faces, often reaching for classics like Pond’s or Oil of Olay. But when it comes to choosing the best facial moisturizer for your needs today, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. With so many options on the market, it’s no wonder some of us still aren’t totally sure why we even need a separate moisturizer just for our faces.
Don’t worry, though — the experts have our backs. “Every skin care routine should include gentle, soothing and hydrating ingredients that help maintain the skin's protective moisture barrier,” says Dr. Kiran Mian, a dermatologist at Hudson Dermatology and Laser Surgery in New York City. "Moisturizers specifically work to help add moisture to dry skin and protect the skin's barrier to prevent it from drying out again."
Below, we’ve rounded up our favorite face moisturizers for different skin types and budgets — all recommended by dermatologists and tested by our beauty editors.
Update, July 8, 2025: We checked all product prices and availability. Our No. 1 pick for the best moisturizer remains unchanged.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 3.52 ounces | Skin type: Dry, dehydrated | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, sea buckthorn water
CosRx has helped popularize snail mucin as a skin care ingredient, but you shouldn’t sleep on its other products. Case in point: the brand's Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Cream. A favorite among the K-beauty crowd, this face cream packs and seals moisture into dry, dehydrated skin. I love it for its lightweight, fast-absorbing formula and antioxidant ingredients.
In addition to hyaluronic acid, it contains vitamin tree water (also known as sea buckthorn), which is filled with vitamins, amino acids and fatty acids that help strengthen the skin barrier and increase hydration even more. The midrange price is the cherry on top.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 2 ounces | Skin type: Dry, dehydrated, eczema | Key ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal
If you're one of the millions of eczema sufferers in the U.S., dry skin isn't the only thing you have to worry about when you're looking for a good moisturizer. First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Cream is made with colloidal oatmeal, which is known to soothe skin instantly and protect and strengthen the skin barrier.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 2.5 ounces | Skin type: All | Key ingredients: Niacinamide, ceramide-3
While nourishing botanical oils are a common ingredient in moisturizers (and usually beneficial for dry skin), some people prefer — or need — an oil-free face cream. This one, by La Roche-Posay, is free from oils and won't clog up pores. It's also a popular moisturizer for all skin types due to its formulation of ceramides, niacinamide, glycerin and La Roche-Posay's Prebiotic Thermal Water.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 1.7 ounces | Skin type: Dry, dehydrated, sensitive | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin B5, vitamin E
"This Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream hydrates for 48 hours," Dr. Kiran Mian says. "It's formulated with hydrating ingredients such as glycerin, niacinamide and panthenol that work to improve the resilience of sensitive skin."
Cetaphil's affordable cream is made with a combination of hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin B5 and vitamin E — a good checklist of ingredients you want in a moisturizer. For those with sensitive skin, niacinamide does a great job of soothing, but we like how there's also blue daisy extract — this pretty, flower-bearing plant has antioxidant benefits that are meant to help with redness and discomfort.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 1.7 ounces | Skin type: Dry, normal | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, peptide complex
When it comes to celebrities and beauty editors, one product that frequently comes up is Magic Cream. Celebrity makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury created this moisturizer to instantly prep models' skin before runway shows, and it became an in-demand product for her celebrity clients. (It has been used to prep everyone from Demi Moore to Lizzo, and it's a favorite of Khloé Kardashian.)
I was first introduced to Magic Cream this way: A makeup artist applied it to my skin before glamming me up, and I was impressed by how good my skin felt and how my makeup looked afterward. I became an instant believer!
The cream contains all the good stuff: hyaluronic acid, vitamins C and E, nourishing rose hip and camellia oil, frangipani flower extract, shea butter and the BioNymph Peptide Complex (love the name). The peptides help reduce wrinkles and make skin appear smoother and plumper. It became my go-to when I began noticing that I needed a more hydrating face cream during winter. Now I love using it year-round. Even though I'll use other primers to camouflage pores before putting on makeup, nothing has the same effect on my skin as Magic Cream.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 19 ounces | Skin type: Normal, dry | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides
If you want something that's expert-approved and affordable, try this CeraVe pick that can be used on both the face and body. "CeraVe Moisturizing Cream contains effective moisturizers like hyaluronic acid and ceramides that trap in moisture and prevent evaporation over the skin barrier," says Dr. Angela Lamb, a dermatologist and director of the Westside Mount Sinai Dermatology Practice in New York City.
Formulation: Cream | Size: 1 ounce | Skin type: Normal, dry | Key ingredients: TFC8, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed rice protein
While the luxury price point and thick formula ensure Augustinus Bader's Rich Cream lives up to its name, it's easy to see why it has earned multiple awards and accolades. There's a lot of science backing up the product — the proprietary TFC8 technology (a blend of natural amino acids, peptides and high-grade vitamins) helps with wrinkles, redness, hyperpigmentation and stretch marks, making the skin look and feel firmer and stronger over time.
Some users prefer something lighter if they have oily skin, but even though it's thicker than the moisturizers I'm used to, I found that it rubbed into my skin quickly and easily without leaving me feeling greasy. Using this even brought my sunken, sallow skin back to life after an illness (being sick is not good for my complexion).
Skin type: Before purchasing a moisturizer, you should first know both your skin type — normal, dry, oily, combination, sensitive — and what that means for your individual hydration needs. If you can't tell just by looking, a dermatologist or aesthetician can help.
Budget: Once you've established skin type, you can start looking at value: How much you can afford to spend on a product you'll use twice a day? Remember, as with all skin care, consistency is key, so choose a face moisturizer you can afford to regularly restock.
As two over-40 beauty editors with decades of experience testing skin care products and very different skin (Marie's is more oily and acne-prone, Jennifer's is drier and, regrettably, in some places, crepey) we already had a few favorite face moisturizers. But we also tried more than two dozen new products for this story, evaluating their efficacy, absorption rate, texture, scent and value. We also considered (and included) expert picks we both love.
SkinMedica HA5 Rejuvenating Hydrator: This moisturizer tops many best lists and the formulation itself is fine, but we found the bottle to be laughably small, especially at its $150-plus price.
The Outset Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream: Beauty experts and influencers rave about this product, and, while the ingredients themselves are high quality, and we love other products from this line, we found this moisturizer pilled and was impossible to use under makeup.
"Moisturizers are an essential step in skin care because they can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and promote a more supple appearance in the skin," says Dr. Julia Schwartz, a board-certified dermatologist and adviser for telehealth company Ro.
Generally, thinner moisturizers are out — your parched skin needs a little extra oomph. "I recommend thicker, richer formulas for dry skin, like Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream," Mian says.
Once you've reached a certain age, a thicker formula may also be a good bet. "I like cream moisturizers for people with mature skin," says Schwartz. "A thicker cream formula can help lock in more hydration which, again, reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles."
The experts we spoke with recommended twice-daily application — gently rubbing a quarter-sized amount all over your face, avoiding the eyes and mouth. This will lock in moisture and seal in any other skin care products (like vitamin C serums or retinol serums), while also boosting hydration.
At night, moisturizer should be the last step in your skin care routine. In the morning, it should be the second-to-last step, before sunscreen.
"I recommend that people generally keep their skin care routines as simple as possible to make it easier for them to follow," Dr. Schwartz says. "If your moisturizer is working well for you, not promoting an overproduction of sebum while also keeping your skin hydrated and skin barrier supported, you can use the same moisturizer for day and night and all year round."
Formulation | Size | Skin type | Key ingredients | |
CosRx Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizing Cream | Cream | 3.52 ounces | Dry, dehydrated | Hyaluronic acid, sea buckthorn water |
First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream | Cream | 2 ounces | Dry, dehydrated, eczema | Colloidal oatmeal |
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer | Cream | 2.5 ounces | All | Niacinamide, ceramide-3 |
Cetaphil Deep Hydration Healthy Glow Daily Cream | Cream | 1.7 ounces | Dry, dehydrated, sensitive | Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin B5, vitamin E |
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream | Cream | 1.7 ounces | Dry, normal | Hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, peptide complex |
CeraVe Moisturizing Cream | Cream | 19 ounces | Normal, dry | Hyaluronic acid, ceramides |
Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream | Cream | 1 ounce | Normal, dry | TFC8, hyaluronic acid, hydrolyzed rice protein |
Angela Lamb, MD, board-certified dermatologist
Kiran Mian, MD, board-certified dermatologist
Julia Schwartz MD, FAAD, board-certified dermatologist
