As a dermatologist, I know that keeping your skin barrier moisturized is crucial for a healthy-looking, vibrant glow – and this is doubly true for mature skin. But sometimes that’s easier said than done.
So many factors can dry out skin, keeping you from that healthy-looking glow:
That’s why I highly recommend an advanced, next-generation moisturizer to help your skin look and feel its best.
But let’s do some real talk for a moment. I’m guessing there’s more to your moisturizer search than just dryness and supporting your skin barrier function. Your confidence and emotional outlook about your appearance are crucial to your well-being, too.
So, let’s not ignore these core basics:
A truly excellent moisturizer, like my very top pick, is even designed to brighten the appearance of dark spots and help skin look more even.
Imagine if aging gracefully didn’t mean you had to set your emotional needs and self-confidence aside. Imagine if aging gracefully meant caring for yourself so you can look and feel your best.
Or maybe aging gracefully isn’t part of your plan at all. Maybe you want to fight the appearance of aging tooth-and-nail to the bitter end so you can look as youthful as possible.That’s OK too!
Whatever your approach, guess what product you’re going to need? You guessed it: A moisturizer!
But not all moisturizers are created equal. The truly excellent moisturizers on my list are designed to accomplish so much more than most people think.
This all-star cream is from a well-loved brand that specializes in highly-effective, naturally-derived skincare. I used it on a recent vacation in a snowy climate (usually a nightmare for my Florida-acclimatized skin), and I woke up every morning with dewy skin that felt and looked gorgeous. Verdict: love this!
This moisturizing cream tops my list simply by doing so much more than a typical moisturizer would do. It’s so chock-full of incredible, studied ingredients that it’s like having three products in one.
Some of these ingredients will come up again with other moisturizers on my list, so I’ll spend some time explaining them here:
Maybe the most famous moisturizing ingredient. Studies show that Hyaluronic Acid (HA) can hold more than 1000x times its weight in water. HA is famous for visibly plumping up skin and shrinking the appearance of wrinkles, too. And Restore Night Cream contains three sizes of HA, which means it’s designed to hydrate and visibly plump at multiple depths.
Here’s where Restore Night Cream goes well beyond the expected: it contains Bakuchiol. This retinol-like ingredient is known for its ability to diminish the look of wrinkles as effectively as Retinol, but – and this is key – without Retinol’s risk of sun sensitivity and irritation. Bakuchiol is a naturally-derived, plant-based retinol alternative backed up by studies and praised for reducing the appearance of dark spots.
Many of us experience uneven skin, including spots from sun exposure and visible aging. Luckily, Restore Night Cream is innovatively formulated with Resurrection Plant. This plant is truly wild! It can dry out to the point that it looks dead and then spring back to vibrant life when watered, hence the name. No wonder it’s known to visibly improve unwelcome skin spots. It’s truly a magical ingredient for your complexion.
Price (at time of publication): $68 full size. $28 travel size.
This all-star cream is from a well-loved brand that specializes in highly-effective, naturally-derived skincare. I used it on a recent vacation in a snowy climate (usually a nightmare for my Florida-acclimatized skin), and I woke up every morning with dewy skin that felt and looked gorgeous. Verdict: love this!
This moisturizing cream tops my list simply by doing so much more than a typical moisturizer would do. It’s so chock-full of incredible, studied ingredients that it’s like having three products in one.
Some of these ingredients will come up again with other moisturizers on my list, so I’ll spend some time explaining them here:
Maybe the most famous moisturizing ingredient. Studies show that Hyaluronic Acid (HA) can hold more than 1000x times its weight in water. HA is famous for visibly plumping up skin and shrinking the appearance of wrinkles, too. And Restore Night Cream contains three sizes of HA, which means it’s designed to hydrate and visibly plump at multiple depths.
Here’s where Restore Night Cream goes well beyond the expected: it contains Bakuchiol. This retinol-like ingredient is known for its ability to diminish the look of wrinkles as effectively as Retinol, but – and this is key – without Retinol’s risk of sun sensitivity and irritation. Bakuchiol is a naturally-derived, plant-based retinol alternative backed up by studies and praised for reducing the appearance of dark spots.
Many of us experience uneven skin, including spots from sun exposure and visible aging. Luckily, Restore Night Cream is innovatively formulated with Resurrection Plant. This plant is truly wild! It can dry out to the point that it looks dead and then spring back to vibrant life when watered, hence the name. No wonder it’s known to visibly improve unwelcome skin spots. It’s truly a magical ingredient for your complexion.
Price (at time of publication): $68 full size. $28 travel size.
I love an accessible price point, and that’s what put this night cream in the second position. It’s low cost and fairly basic, but you’re getting decent quality at a great price – so long as you’re not expecting too much.
With my top pick, you get a wealth of ingredients (it’s really like buying 2 or 3 products in one). Olay Night Cream is sort of the opposite of that. You’re getting a simpler product that’s mostly going to moisturize and maybe help you feel a bit firmer, but at a great price!
This is a tried-and-true moisturizer ingredient. Would I love to see a heap of hyaluronic acid in here too? Yes, I would. But at this price point we can’t be too picky.
You’ll find these in a lot of skincare ingredients. Essentially, peptides are chains of amino acids, and the hope is that they will help skin look a little smoother, feel a little firmer – and maybe even look plumper, too.
I also like that this one felt lightweight on my skin and absorbed quickly. But if you want to really fight the look of wrinkles and dark spots, you’ll probably want to buy other products to supplement this – which may negate the great price.
Price (at time of publication): $27.49
I love an accessible price point, and that’s what put this night cream in the second position. It’s low cost and fairly basic, but you’re getting decent quality at a great price – so long as you’re not expecting too much.
With my top pick, you get a wealth of ingredients (it’s really like buying 2 or 3 products in one). Olay Night Cream is sort of the opposite of that. You’re getting a simpler product that’s mostly going to moisturize and maybe help you feel a bit firmer, but at a great price!
This is a tried-and-true moisturizer ingredient. Would I love to see a heap of hyaluronic acid in here too? Yes, I would. But at this price point we can’t be too picky.
You’ll find these in a lot of skincare ingredients. Essentially, peptides are chains of amino acids, and the hope is that they will help skin look a little smoother, feel a little firmer – and maybe even look plumper, too.
I also like that this one felt lightweight on my skin and absorbed quickly. But if you want to really fight the look of wrinkles and dark spots, you’ll probably want to buy other products to supplement this – which may negate the great price.
Price (at time of publication): $27.49
This is a solid product from a storied brand. While it does have some excellent ingredients, you might be paying more for big brand name recognition. I like seeing ceramides and “pre” biotics, but it unfortunately doesn’t contain anything I’d consider a true retinol-like ingredient.
Dermatologists like me love to sing the praises of ceramides, which are known for their ability to support the skin barrier’s lipid function. This is a very common ingredient found in a lot of popular skincare – even in drugstore products like Cetaphil (just without that pricy, department store branding).
Our skin has a natural microbiome, and feeding it, in the right way, can be helpful. However, this is a fairly new area of science. If you are concerned about the way your skin barrier looks and think it might actually appear damaged, a “pre”biotic could be worth a try.
I found this product had a somewhat floral scent – not overpowering, but also not what I prefer – and it felt a little greasy on my skin. Unfortunately, for me, it didn’t nail that sweet spot between “easy to use” and “thick enough you can feel it working.”
Price (at time of publication): $95.00
This is a solid product from a storied brand. While it does have some excellent ingredients, you might be paying more for big brand name recognition. I like seeing ceramides and “pre” biotics, but it unfortunately doesn’t contain anything I’d consider a true retinol-like ingredient.
Dermatologists like me love to sing the praises of ceramides, which are known for their ability to support the skin barrier’s lipid function. This is a very common ingredient found in a lot of popular skincare – even in drugstore products like Cetaphil (just without that pricy, department store branding).
Our skin has a natural microbiome, and feeding it, in the right way, can be helpful. However, this is a fairly new area of science. If you are concerned about the way your skin barrier looks and think it might actually appear damaged, a “pre”biotic could be worth a try.
I found this product had a somewhat floral scent – not overpowering, but also not what I prefer – and it felt a little greasy on my skin. Unfortunately, for me, it didn’t nail that sweet spot between “easy to use” and “thick enough you can feel it working.”
Price (at time of publication): $95.00
I think this cream’s dual-chamber packaging is pretty inventive. It allows you to mix two creams in the ratio you want. In other words, it felt somewhat customizable. Gimmicky? Maybe to some. I thought it was neat.
As we know, I love HA for all the research supporting its incredible ability to hydrate and visibly plump your skin (and reduce the look of wrinkles).
Just like the peptides discussed above, neuropeptides are known to help with firmer-feeling skin. A great ingredient choice.
But at this price point, I would hope to see a true retinol or retinol-like ingredient (if it had that, then I could say the price is worth it). This is another storied brand, and that brand recognition is likely reflected in this higher price point.
I also pause at the long ingredient list. When I – even as a dermatologist – can’t completely understand what’s listed (I am not an industrial chemist, after all), I note a possible red flag – see my derm tip below!
Price (at time of publication): $74.00 via Sephora
I think this cream’s dual-chamber packaging is pretty inventive. It allows you to mix two creams in the ratio you want. In other words, it felt somewhat customizable. Gimmicky? Maybe to some. I thought it was neat.
As we know, I love HA for all the research supporting its incredible ability to hydrate and visibly plump your skin (and reduce the look of wrinkles).
Just like the peptides discussed above, neuropeptides are known to help with firmer-feeling skin. A great ingredient choice.
But at this price point, I would hope to see a true retinol or retinol-like ingredient (if it had that, then I could say the price is worth it). This is another storied brand, and that brand recognition is likely reflected in this higher price point.
I also pause at the long ingredient list. When I – even as a dermatologist – can’t completely understand what’s listed (I am not an industrial chemist, after all), I note a possible red flag – see my derm tip below!
Price (at time of publication): $74.00 via Sephora
I bet I’ve tried over a hundred moisturizing creams over the years, and every cream featured in this article is at the top of that list – so don’t take #5 as “last-place” by any means, take it as a front-runner among many excellent creams.
Like N&T, DE is a fresh, innovative company that uses great ingredients and has an enthusiastic, growing following. Both these companies prioritize environmental thoughtfulness, too. I love that DE users refillable cups, and N&T (reviewed at #1 on this list) uses recyclable glass. Total win-win!
As the name suggests, this is a very peptide-forward cream. Peptides are well-represented on this list of moisturizing creams, and for good cause. But in this list of extraordinary moisturizing creams, not necessarily a standout.
By now you know I love to see HA in a moisturizing cream. If you’ve skipped around in this article, read my explanation above!
This innovative ingredient is gaining a reputation as a potential contributor to healthy-looking, firm-feeling skin. And that’s part of why it landed on my list!
At the same time, this one just didn’t hit the sweet spot of thickness, absorption, and subjective “feel.” On my mature skin, it felt too thin, and I’m actually not certain this product is intended primarily for mature skin. Its marketing– the bright colors, the models – can feel a bit “young” so it’s possible it’s formulated with a younger crowd in mind. That said, this is a relatively newer brand with a great product line, which I encourage you to explore along with my top pick Naked & Thriving. Check both of these trending brands out!
Price (at time of publication): $68.00
I bet I’ve tried over a hundred moisturizing creams over the years, and every cream featured in this article is at the top of that list – so don’t take #5 as “last-place” by any means, take it as a front-runner among many excellent creams.
Like N&T, DE is a fresh, innovative company that uses great ingredients and has an enthusiastic, growing following. Both these companies prioritize environmental thoughtfulness, too. I love that DE users refillable cups, and N&T (reviewed at #1 on this list) uses recyclable glass. Total win-win!
As the name suggests, this is a very peptide-forward cream. Peptides are well-represented on this list of moisturizing creams, and for good cause. But in this list of extraordinary moisturizing creams, not necessarily a standout.
By now you know I love to see HA in a moisturizing cream. If you’ve skipped around in this article, read my explanation above!
This innovative ingredient is gaining a reputation as a potential contributor to healthy-looking, firm-feeling skin. And that’s part of why it landed on my list!
At the same time, this one just didn’t hit the sweet spot of thickness, absorption, and subjective “feel.” On my mature skin, it felt too thin, and I’m actually not certain this product is intended primarily for mature skin. Its marketing– the bright colors, the models – can feel a bit “young” so it’s possible it’s formulated with a younger crowd in mind. That said, this is a relatively newer brand with a great product line, which I encourage you to explore along with my top pick Naked & Thriving. Check both of these trending brands out!
Price (at time of publication): $68.00
