• Every skin type typically requires a different moisturizer with a unique formula to hydrate while providing other benefits.
  • Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb is the best facial moisturizer overall because it works well for most people, it’s reasonably priced, and it has a gel texture that’s seriously hydrating but doesn’t feel heavy.

Face moisturizer is an essential skincare product, but the various brands are far from “one size fits all.” Just as every body is different, so is every skin type.

When selecting a moisturizer, it’s important to use the right one for your skin, especially if you moisturize your face two to three times a day. Using a moisturizer that isn’t quite right could lead to unwanted problems.

Typically, those with oily or combination (oily and dry) skin will find that an oil-based moisturizer isn’t appropriate, as the excess of oils can leave an imbalance that feels greasy. People with such skin types usually find a water-based product the most beneficial. On the other hand, those with particularly dry skin won’t find a water-based moisturizer to be their best choice. And people with sensitive skin should be mindful of a moisturizer’s ingredients list, opting for products with a short list of intensely hydrating ingredients that don’t include alcohol.

If finding your right match in a moisturizer is starting to sound like a science experiment, don’t worry. We’ve done the legwork for you, searching the internet until we could find the best facial moisturizers for each skin type. It’s important to note that not every cream will work for everyone, and your results may vary. If you have highly sensitive skin, consult a dermatologist, who might also have helpful recommendations on which cream to pick for your skin.

Here are the best face moisturizers you can buy:

Updated on 7/15/2020 by Ashley Phillips: Updated prices, links, and replaced the best overall pick with Belif’s Aqua Bomb Moisturizer for its ability to work well with most skin types. I also added new categories and picks for the best high-end moisturizer and the best moisturizer with SPF after testing both options.

The best face moisturizer overall

The lightweight gel consistency of Belif's Aqua Bomb delivers a refreshing dose of hydration for all seasons. It also works well with most skin types.

With endless face moisturizers available to choose from, it's hard to say that any single one is best for everyone's skin and personal preferences. But if anything comes close, it might just be Belif's Aqua Bomb. This crowd favorite tends to work well with lots of different skin types, including very dry, sensitive, oily, and combo. It's also one of the few options that can be used year-round.

The unique gel formula is seriously hydrating, yet because it's ultra-lightweight and oil-free, it doesn't clog pores or upset skin's oil balance. It also feels instantly cool and refreshing when first applied to the skin. Along with moisturizing ingredients like ceramides and glycerin, it contains Lady's Mantle that has anti-inflammatory properties.

I've tried too many moisturizers to count, and while most don't earn a spot in my permanent rotation, the Belif Aqua Bomb has become a fixture. At $38, it's a great value considering the jar lasts a while and it can keep up with my other high-end favorites. Allure's Devon Abelman agrees that it's a great find, saying that "The True Cream Aqua Bomb's consistency is a hydrating, lightweight dream come true." At Sephora, it has over 4,000 reviews and a 4.5-star rating.

If you prefer the texture of a cream to a gel, I've also tried Belif's True Cream Moisturizing Bomb and liked it just as much. - Ashley Phillips

Pros: Lightweight gel consistency, oil-free, great value

Cons: Contains alcohol

The best face moisturizer for oily skin

Foto: Source: Origins

Origin's Original Skin Matte Moisturizer is a water-based moisturizer that has been called a "lifesaver" to those with oily skin, and 91% of users recommend the product for its ability to moisturize without leaving skin shiny.

While the Origins Original Skin Matte Moisturizer is nourishing to all skin types, its water-based formula makes it the best choice for those with oily skin. Its mattifying consistency hydrates skin while boosting a healthy appearance, reducing dryness, as well as uneven skin tone, the look of pores, dullness, and uneven texture.

This moisturizer is made with what Origins describes as a "lush water cream formula," which is excellent for boosting hydration without leaving an excess of oil on the skin. It is made with essential oils, including lemon peel oil, orange peel oil, and lavender oil that are known to give hydration without affecting the skin's existing oil levels.

The Origins Original Skin Matte Moisturizer is also formulated with pink rock-rose and willowherb that help to boost radiance, refine texture, tone, and visibly minimize pores. Willowherb comes from a magenta flower found in Canada and is able to withstand extreme environments. For most people, the result is a soft, smooth feel with a healthy glow and fresh finish.

Around 91% of people who have used this moisturizer would recommend it to others, according to a poll on Sephora. The product has a 4.5-star average rating, with reviewers calling it a "lifesaver for oily skin," and noting how they don't need to worry about shiny skin when using the Matte Moisturizer.

The Origins Original Skin Matte Moisturizer's glowing reviews don't end with its e-commerce pages. Several publications have included it in their roundups of either the best products for oily skin or those its editors swear by. According to StyleCaster, the moisturizer is well-equipped to "boost glow, minimize your pores, and even your skin tone."

Pros: Excellent for oily skin, inexpensive, natural ingredients

Cons: Not suitable for sensitive or extremely dry skin

The best face moisturizer for sensitive skin

Foto: Source: Dr. Hauschka

Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream Light is made with rose, giving a pleasant scent and calming formula that hydrates skin without overpowering.

I turned to Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream Light as I'd learned from past products that rose water is a gentle way to hydrate my chronically sensitive skin without overpowering and reddening it. As this moisturizer is moderately priced and easy to find, I decided to give it a go.

My skin doesn't need to be moisturized daily, so I typically use this two or three times a week, either after a face mask or on a particularly dry-weather day. It has never made my skin react and gets the hydration job done. Plus, the rose ingredients give the moisturizer a relaxing scent.

The Rose Day Cream Light is made with a variety of rose ingredients, like rose petal extract and rose petal wax, to give a delicate hydration. The cream moisturizer is also formulated with natural, nourishing oils like avocado, sesame, and wheat germ to help keep moisture in.

The lightweight product is actually the warmer weather counterpart to Dr. Hauschka's Rose Day Cream. While some reviewers shared that the light version is too light to keep skin hydrated in the colder months, I haven't experienced any shortcomings.

Pros: Lightweight, hydrating, gentle enough for sensitive skin, paraben-free, cruelty-free

Cons: Too light for drier skin, somewhat pricey

The best face moisturizer for combination skin

Foto: Source: Macy's

The Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer was made by dermatologists to have a water-based and oil-free formula that targets both dry and oily skin.

There's a good reason Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer earned itself either Allure's Best of Beauty Award or Reader's Choice Award from Allure every year since 1996. The lightweight and fast-absorbing gel hydrator was developed specifically for the needs of combination skin. As combination skin typically suffers from both dryness and excess oil, it's often hard to match with the right moisturizer. Usually moisturizers that target intense dryness are made with a high oil content, and those designed for oily skin don't always have strong enough hydration capabilities to handle extremely dry skin.

The Dramatically Different Moisturizer is actually dramatically different from most products on the market. Its water-based formula comes in a gel form that was developed by Clinique's dermatologists to target both dryness and oiliness at the same time. The result is a refreshing product made without any oils that maintains an optimal moisture balance for oily skin.

At the same time, the Dramatically Different Moisturizer contains a 100% vegan mix of ingredients to handle dryness and strengthen skin. It was also allergy tested, non-acnegenic, and made without fragrance, alcohol, parabens, sulfates, or phthalates to help skin look younger and feel comfortable.

A former beauty editor from Allure with combination skin wrote that the moisturizer "balanced everything out into totally soft, radiant, and even skin that lasted the entire day." Just as its formula is intended, it provided moisture to the reviewer's dry skin areas without making oily skin spots greasy.

Over 3,400 shoppers have reviewed the moisturizer on Sephora, leaving it with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. People have shared that the gel moisturizer is great for both combination and acne-prone skin. While most reviewers shared similar experiences as the Allure editor, a few agreed that the moisturizer was too light for their driest patches.

Pros: Excellent for oily areas of skin, oil-free, water-based formula, made by dermatologists, allergy-tested

Cons: Formula is too lightweight for some, not the best option for nighttime moisturizer, can cause breakouts or sensitivity to some people

The best face moisturizer for dry skin

Foto: Source: Sephora

The Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream is made with ceramides, which are molecules that mimic your skin's natural barrier to hydrate and heal.

Chronically dry skin sometimes needs a formula that goes a step further than the typical moisturizer. This cream from Dr. Jart+ is made in a way that actually heals skin over time, and it's also our best overall pick in our guide to the best face creams for dry skin.

As the name suggests, Dr. Jart+'s Ceramidin Cream contains ceramides, which are lipid molecules that work to defend your skin. Ceramides help to bind skin cells together, forming the protective barrier that keeps good stuff in and bad stuff out. People who suffer from seriously dry skin tend to have a leaky barrier, which causes moisture to escape. So, Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream helps your epidermis to hydrate itself by working to fix those leaks. Because of its ability to do actual maintenance on your skin instead of just covering up a problem, this cream is also fantastic for those with eczema.

The cream has over 1,200 reviews and a 4.6 star rating on Sephora, with shoppers saying it saved their dry skin, and calling it a holy grail moisturizer. One Popsugar writer says that "Even just a few uses of this thick, creamy formula in the morning and night has shown a huge improvement on my dry patches and chapped areas."

Something to note: This cream is heavy-duty, and if you don't actually suffer from chronically dry skin you might find it a little too heavy. It's perfect, however, for those with aging skin, diagnosed dry skin issues, or intense chap. For a moisturizer that's still intensely hydrating but feels more lightweight, I suggest giving our best overall pick, Belif Aqua Bomb, a try.

Pros: Helps to actually heal skin instead of just hydrate it

Cons: Might be too heavy for those who only suffer from seasonal dryness

The best affordable moisturizer

Foto:

With an ultra-hydrating formula made from hyaluronic acid and a price tag under $6, The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors is the best value for your dollar.

The Ordinary's Natural Moisturizing Factors is one of the most versatile and affordable moisturizers on the market. And, it costs under $6. It's made with essential amino acids, and dermal lipids that soothe dry skin, without any potentially harmful parabens, sulfates, or phthalates. Plus, it's vegan and cruelty-free.

As it is made without oil, alcohol, silicone, nuts, gluten, and fragrance, this moisturizer is also a good choice for most people with sensitive skin, however, those with extremely sensitive skin might want to consult their doctors before trying.

If you ask the skincare experts, there is one ingredient in particular that makes this moisturizer rival not only products in the under-$10 category, but also those with much higher prices tags: hyaluronic acid, the key to hydrated smooth skin. The natural moisturizing ingredient is actually produced by our own skin cells to maintain moisture levels, but environmental stressors can cause our hyaluronic acid levels to fluctuate.

Refinery29 describes the formula as an "ultrarich cream that rivals in thickness to those found in fancy jars that cost a hundred times more."

This inexpensive moisturizer has earned itself an average rating of 4.1 stars out of 5, based on over 900 customer reviews on Sephora's website, plus a spot on Allure's Best Drugstore Moisturizers Under $20 list.

The overall verdict on this moisturizer is that it's an excellent choice for a day-to-day moisturizer, but it might not be the right choice for long-term total hydration, especially for those with drier or combination skin.

Pros: Inexpensive, good for several skin types, easy to use

Cons: Results might not continue over extended period of use

The best high-end face moisturizer

Foto: Source: Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream makes your complexion appear more even almost instantly and it's less expensive than other luxury options.

The main metric I use for determining the effectiveness of a moisturizer is how sad I am when the container goes empty. Most only produce feelings of indifference, but it was a truly sad day when I ran out of Charlotte Tilbury's Magic Cream.

I'm admittedly a sucker for packaging, but the Magic Cream is a great product with the bonus of a pretty container for your bathroom countertop. Along with the obvious benefit of hydration, thanks to ingredients like shea butter, I found that the "magic" of this formula is that it evens out skin tone and reduces redness. I was surprised to see a noticeable difference in my complexion just a minute or so after application. It works well as a precursor to foundation, but it also just makes your skin look better for days when you want to go makeup-free.

Some reviewers found that it caused breakouts for their sensitive or acne-prone skin, but it didn't cause any issues for my combination skin type. Others reported that while they liked the Magic Cream, their dry skin required too much of it, making it too expensive for everyday use.

For me personally, it's one of the few luxury moisturizers that I've found to be worth the price. As a comparison, I've used La Mer's iconic Moisturizing Cream that goes for $180 an ounce - and still prefer Tilbury's, which rings up at a much more palatable $64. - Ashley Phillips

Pros: Evens out complexion, can be used morning and night

Cons: Contains alcohol, cream may be too rich for sensitive or acne-prone skin

The best moisturizer with SPF

Foto: Source: Peter Thomas Roth

This moisturizer makes it easy to wear sunscreen daily without adding an extra step to your routine, and it layers well with foundation.

I often preach about the importance of wearing SPF every single day, but admittedly, I'm not so great at practicing it. This usually has to do with the weird smell and a consistency that doesn't play nice with face makeup. So far, I've been dependent on Supergoop! for sunscreen that's foundation-friendly, but I've found another worthy contender in the recent release of Peter Thomas Roth's Hyaluronic Cloud Moisturizer with SPF 45.

You'll want to think of it as a moisturizer with the bonus of SPF 45 rather than a true sunscreen. Fans of PTR's Cloud Moisturizer will be happy to know that this formula is fairly similar - there's no scent, the lightweight texture blends in quickly, and there's no residue left behind. My skin just feels hydrated and glowy, thanks to a 30% hyaluronic acid complex. And, my foundation doesn't melt off when layered on top.

Something to keep in mind is that you'll still want to go for something heavier when outdoors for extended periods. After an hour of tennis under the intense summer sun, I found that it wasn't enough on its own to keep my cheeks from turning a bit red. However, it's the first SPF I've actually looked forward to slathering on in the morning, which I count as a huge win in the constant battle to remember some form of sunscreen every single day.

Another thing to note is that the SPF works as a chemical UV filter as opposed to a physical UV filter (which means it absorbs into the skin rather than sitting on top). Although free of Oxybenzone and Octinoxate, the formula contains a few ingredients considered to be potentially harmful by the EWG. - Ashley Phillips

Pros: Doesn't smell like sunscreen, hydrating, absorbs quickly, reef safe

Cons: Contains chemical sunscreen ingredients