After Rigorous Testing, Our Editors Found the 23 Best Moisturizers on the Market

Welcome to Deep Reviews—your one-stop destination to discover the absolute best products and brands the beauty industry has to offer. The Who What Wear staffers you already know and trust will research, test, and review the market's most sought-after and buzzed-about products to see which formulas (of the hundreds up for consideration) are truly worth your hard-earned money and attention. You can expect honest, completely uncensored feedback and no-BS recommendations our hard-to-please testers endorse without reservations.

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Every time I feel like branching out and trying a new moisturizer, I'm frozen by the paradox of choice. There are so many moisturizers on the market—on Sephora's website alone, there are 437 pages of choices. It's tough to choose a new moisturizer when you're faced with thousands of options that are all essentially meant to do the same thing (moisturize your face). 

Here at Who What Wear, we set out to find a definitive answer for the best moisturizers on the market. A crew of 13 testers decided to put some of the best-of-the-best formulas to the test by adding them to their skincare routines. Keep reading for the 23 we would recommend to anyone—plus why we love them so much. 

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Best Overall Moisturizer: Dieux Instant Angel Skin Restoring Moisturizer

Best Affordable Moisturizer: The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer

Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer

Best Heavy Moisturizer: Caudalie Premier Cru Anti-Aging Cream Refillable Moisturizer

Best Drugstore Moisturizer: Olay Regenerist Fragrance-Free Micro-Sculpting Cream

Best Noncomedogenic Moisturizer: Tatcha The Water Cream

Best Moisturizer for Mature Skin: SkinCeuticals Triple Lipid Restore

Best Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: Avène Hydrance Aqua-Gel Moisturizer

Best Priming Moisturizer: Glossier Priming Moisturizer

Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin: Shani Darden Skin Care Weightless Oil-Free Moisturizer

Best Moisturizer for Rosacea: Renée Rouleau Skin Recovery Lotion

Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin: Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream

Best Daytime Moisturizer: Chantecaille Rose de Mai Cream

Best Moisturizer for Redness: Laneige Cica Sleeping Mask

Best Refillable Moisturizer: Glow Recipe Plum Plump Refillable Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer

Best Luxury Moisturizer: La Mer Crème de La Mer

Best Nighttime Moisturizer: Augustinus Bader The Cream

Best Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin: Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Refillable Moisturizer

Best Moisturizer With SPF: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer SPF 30

Best Moisturizing Mask: Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

Best Moisturizer for Use Under Makeup: Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré

Best Fragrance-Free Moisturizer: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

Best Moisturizer for Eczema: First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

FAQ

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(Image credit: Courtesy of Dendy Engelman, Mona Gohara, and Rachel Nazarian)

Why are moisturizers important?

Hint: They don't just work to keep skin from flaking. "Skin that is well-moisturized is stronger, has a healthier barrier, and can keep out potential damaging aspects from the external environment, such as bacteria, fungus, viruses, [and] even microscopic pollutants that are more likely to irritate or inflamed dry skin," says Nazarian. "Additionally, even though cleansing your skin is a vital part of your skincare regimen, cleansing can strip some of the natural oils and hydrators, weakening skin over time. Moisturizing is an important step to maintain a healthy skin barrier despite daily cleansing."

What should someone look for in a moisturizer?

When picking out a moisturizer, Gohara recommends looking for ingredients that are already found in your natural skin barrier to boost it. Think ceramides, hyaluronic acid, squalene, and urea. Engelman agrees, noting that you should also opt for moisturizers without added fragrance or harsh chemicals, as they can irritate skin—this is especially important if you're already sensitive. 

"When preparing to purchase a moisturizer, the most important things to know first are your skin type and what results you are looking for," says Engelman. "For example, if your concerns are aging, you may want to look for a night cream that incorporates retinol or phyto-retinol. If your skin is dry, look for a more occlusive and hydrating formula that will deeply moisturize the skin and prevent transepidermal water loss."

Read more about Who What Wear's rigorous testing process:

First, we asked our experts the best way to choose moisturizers and used that as a starting point. With their expertise in mind, I combed through 63 moisturizers that had made other publications' "best-of" lists and landed on 30 formulas for our editors to test. From those, we chose and ranked the top 23. 

This article was originally published at an earlier date and has been updated.

Associate Beauty Editor

Katie Berohn is the associate beauty editor at Who What Wear. Previously, she worked as the beauty assistant for Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and Prevention magazines, all part of the Hearst Lifestyle Group. She graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a major in journalism and minor in technology, arts, and media, and earned her master's degree at NYU's graduate program for magazine journalism. In addition, Katie has held editorial internships at Denver Life magazine, Yoga Journal, and Cosmopolitan; a digital editorial internship at New York magazine's The Cut; a social good fellowship at Mashable; and a freelance role at HelloGiggles. When she's not obsessing over the latest skincare launch or continuing her journey to smell every perfume on the planet, Katie can be found taking a hot yoga class, trying everything on the menu at New York's newest restaurant, or hanging out at a trendy wine bar with her friends.