13 best moisturisers for dry skin that offer instant hydration

This rich, creamy moisturiser has an intensely nourishing effect and glides onto skin with ease. It contains plant-derived phytoceramides and emollients, with the formula adding hydration, which sits on the skin’s surface to help support the natural barrier. We’ve been using this product for more than a year and it is our daily go-to for a glossy skin finish. The moisturiser creates a smooth, fresh-looking base and dewiness, whether or not it’s worn underneath make-up.

With use, we noticed a plumping effect – which helps improve the appearance of tightness and fine lines – and the moisturiser feels comforting for skin prone to irritation, too.

A compact tube of moisturiser, this balmy cream is best suited to those with dry or very dry skin. While its consistency is thick, the formula sinks in fast and offers a lightweight finish. Key ingredients include hydration-promoting hyaluronic acid and ceramides to help support the skin barrier. As it’s fragrance-free, this moisturiser can be used on sensitive skin, too.

We liked the lack of greasiness and speedy absorption, making it ideal to use in a rush. The no-frills moisturiser offers a reassuringly simple skincare layer, which left our skin feeling soothed and softened.

Despite being an undeniably pricey splurge, this enveloping moisturiser felt lavishly cooling during testing. Alternatively, you can warm it in your hands. Packaged in a glass jar with twist-off lid, the glossy cream is a blue-grey shade. Ingredients include peptides and brightening vitamin C.

Instantly soothing on our skin, we appreciated its speedy absorption, which was particularly helpful ahead of applying foundation. As a result, we saw smooth, supple skin with an added glow. This cream is of a midweight consistency, but is still satisfyingly hydrating, for those who don’t like an overly thick moisturiser.

Presented in a tall, square-edged bottle – with a useful pump nozzle, for mess-free application – this formula is velvety soft and gently lightweight, while still feeling nourishing. The moisturiser glided over our face, and previously tight areas seemed to have added elasticity.

Ingredients include acacia-derived collagen, and its welcoming scent is sweetly creamy. Quickly soaking in, the luminous cream was also delicate on our easily irritated skin.

Although technically an intensive treatment, we have relied on this as a regular dry-skin-relieving night cream for several years now. The essential oil blend includes cedarwood and ylang-ylang, while hyaluronic acid hydrates, and lavender soothes. All of this contributes to a spa-like scent, making the application feel ultra relaxing.

The gleaming cream covered our skin well, sinking in as we slept, revealing obvious hydration the next morning. Where dryness has made our wrinkles more obvious, these areas appeared improved, and irritated tightness felt soothed.

This small tube contains key skincare ingredients, including collagen, vitamin B3 (aka niacinamide) and hyaluronic acid. With a rich consistency, the formula is so smoothing, the glistening cream glides onto the skin without much effort. Our face felt well-coated in abundant moisture, which gradually sank in.

Under make-up, there was slight surface residue as the day went on, so we would recommend leaving extra time for it to absorb. Almost immediately, the appearance of dryness was improved, with our fine lines and wrinkles reduced and a feeling of elasticity added over the weeks of testing.

This lotion-like cream comes in a generously sized tube (with a useful pump-release nozzle) for its affordable price tag. Hydrating ingredients include hyaluronic acid and milk protein, so it’s not suitable for vegans. While spreading the calming moisturiser onto our skin, we picked up on a comforting, powdery scent.

This moisturiser nails the balance between being thickly nourishing and easily absorbed, and we saw an improvement to the look of frown lines straightaway. The product also offered a smoothing, primer-like base underneath our foundation.

More of a balm than a cream, dipping into this stylishly branded jar, we found a thick paste that felt incredibly soothing. Not easily spreadable at first, the vegan-friendly vitamins A- and E-rich shea butter formula steadily melted onto our face with the help of a rubbing motion.

The effect is that of all-consuming moisture that perked up our dull, dry skin by creating a glowing finish that was richly velvety to the touch. After a busy day and evening, we could still detect hydrating glossiness in our make-up look, which we found impressive.

When opening the brown glass apothecary-style pot, we immediately noticed the golden cream’s clean, botanical scent. The inclusion of vitamins A and E means this moisturiser is gently nourishing, and we could feel that on our face as this cream was gradually absorbed.

With a thick but not heavy formula, its moisturising effect left our skin looking a lot less dry, without any excess shine. We saw significant smoothness, too. An undisputed treat buy, this is the right one for those who don’t like a glowing, dewy effect.

A vegan-friendly moisturiser presented in a brown glass pot, this white cream is free from fragrances and is suitable for all skin types. Key ingredients include caffeine and plant-fermented biosaccharide gum, with amino acids coming from griffonia seeds.

Soaking into skin easily, it has the consistency of a cooling yoghurt. Appearing to even out the appearance of fine lines caused by dryness, we saw a brightened tone, too.

The cream offers refreshing skincare that you can layer up with as much product as you like, rather than it being a thick, slathering hydrator.

This sizeable 150ml bottle of moisturiser is specifically formulated for those with very dry skin. It is fragrance-free, so shouldn’t cause irritation, and key ingredient glycerin helps combat moisture loss.

We found the nozzle applicator releases a generous dollop of product with just one pump, and this covered our face with ease. The formula is thick and it offers a comforting layer of soothing, no-fuss skincare, which feels cooling to apply, too.

We noted the cream takes a bit of rubbing in and some excess product lingers on the skin’s surface, but that’s worth it for the intense moisture delivered with this affordable buy.

If you’re looking for a new moisturiser presented in fun, vibrant packaging, this product will tick those boxes. The mint-green and orange bottle has a push-down release applicator, which serves up a flower-shaped dollop of sheeny, mid-weight moisturiser. As well as looking pretty, it also means easy, mess-free use.

Key ingredients for dry skin include soothing aloe leaf juice, vitamin E and avocado oil, and we noted how gently comforting the moisturiser feels on parched patches. We saw silky, soft skin and a smooth finish, and we are big fans of the purse-friendly price, too.

Presented in a pot with a twist-off lid, this glossy moisturiser contains ceramides and squalane derived from sugarcane, with both helping to support the natural skin barrier. A fragrance-free pick, it adds a silky layer to skin, which helps smooth dryness and improve the look of tightness, too. Once it’s absorbed, the final effect is a matte finish that offers an even base under make-up or for bare skin.