As anyone with painfully dry skin can tell you, a good arsenal of skin-care products is super important for keeping discomfort at a minimum, and skin hydrated and happy. To find out which new products worked the best for dehydrated skin for our 2019 Healthy Beauty Awards, we asked a panel of testers—many who know the unique struggle of dealing with skin dryness—to dabble in a range of new skin-care items from brands such as Peter Thomas Roth, Neutrogena, Dermalogica, and more to discover what best suited their skin type.
Our panel of dermatology experts recommended keeping a few ingredients in mind for drier skin types, especially humectants like glycerin and hyaluronic acid, which draw and seal in moisture to the skin, and emollients like ceramides and oils, which help repair the skin barrier. Each of our winning products contains some medley of the above and have also received gold stars from our testers, so they’re proven to provide long-lasting hydration both in theory and in practice. Here, we present the 2019 Healthy Beauty Awards skin-care picks for dry skin that will keep your face and body feeling great and looking dewier than ever. And if you want to learn more about skin care for dry skin, read our brand new comprehensive guide to skin care here.
All products featured on SELF are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Reviews have been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin: Tatcha the Dewy Skin Cream
Tatcha is a repeat favorite on our Healthy Beauty Awards lists and their antioxidant-rich skin cream won over our panelists this year for its luxurious, whipped texture. All of our reviewers raved that this moisturizer is “luxury in a jar,” calling the texture “buttery” and flat out “in another league” from the competition, and added that the hydrating benefits last for hours. See the full ingredients list here.
Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This product contains a lot from the “good ingredients” column and also avoids most of the stuff from the “avoid this” list at the same time. It’s made without mineral oil, and is hypoallergenic, noncomedogenic, and synthetic fragrance-free. Plus it contains hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and dimethicone—all of which our dermatologist experts said to seek out.
Just So You Know: This product does contain fragrance and dye, which our derms said to try to avoid because they might be drying.
One Tester Said: “OMG, nothing says luxury like this moisturizer! It smells super nice—lightly floral and a bit sweet, but not like a grandma—and has the perfect goopy texture. It rubs in easily and made my pores and face feel super hydrated and open all morning. Later in the day, the texture it gave my skin sort of wore off, especially compared to other moisturizers I used, but the application and immediate result of this one was so good that I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It is the definition of ‘treat yourself’ cream. Dewy is right.”
Best Cleanser for Dry Skin: Naturally Serious Major Moisture Gentle Cream Cleanser
Cream cleansers have the derm stamp of approval for dry skin, and this one by Naturally Serious—enhanced with hyaluronic acid and glycerin—does the work of cleansing your skin of dirt and oil without stripping skin of moisture or causing irritation. See the full ingredients list here.
Bonus Points, Per the Experts: This is a cream-based cleanser, which our derms suggested you look for (along with detergents that are “milky” or “lotion-based”); plus it contains glycerin and hyaluronic acid.
Just So You Know: This product contains a natural fragrance, which our derms said can be drying.
One Tester Said: “This cleanser is great—I love how lightweight the formula is. I actually have been using this product as a go-to cleanser, because I noticed how much my skin brightened after the first two uses. My pores appeared to be minimized, and overall my face seemed to be hydrated. A win-win!”
