The Best Moisturisers For Dry Skin To Instantly Hydrate

Moisturiser is an unsung hero. While buzzworthy ingredients get all the love, it’s moisturiser that does the heavy lifting. This is because, whatever your skin tone, type, age, or condition, everybody benefits from moisture. Excellent moisturisation ensures a strong skin barrier which means less moisture loss and lower inflammation, leading to clearer, stronger skin.

That said, dehydrated skin is not always easy to spot, explains clinical aesthetician and founder of Mortar & Milk, Pamela Marshall. “There is a difference between dehydrated skin and dry skin, you can have both or one of the other,” she says. “Dehydrated skin will easily turn red as when your dermal layers are dehydrated, your capillary network expands, making you flush. While dry skin tends to feel more like sandpaper. Both situations can arise from the same causes such as not treating your skin with nourishing ingredients, especially in the wintertime, or sitting by a radiator or under air con.”

Overusing exfoliators can also lead to dehydration. “Overusing chemical exfoliators diminishes your skin’s acid mantel,” Pamela explains. “The exception is mandelic acid, which is suitable for daily use if formulated with PHAs or ceramides.”

What should you look for in a moisturiser if you have dry skin?

Like all true skin experts, Pamela stresses you shouldn’t overlook the importance of moisturiser, “I love moisturising formulas containing light cosseting ingredients and formulated with a small number of actives.”

But where to start? As a rule, the thicker the texture of your moisturiser the more cossetting it is. This means it contains large moisturising molecules that flood the surface of your skin, keeping your barrier strong and preventing moisture loss. This kind of texture feels particularly nice in cold, dry weather. Lighter textures such as a gel, often contain smaller molecules that penetrate further for deeper hydration.

Look for ingredients such as ceramides (to strengthen your skin barrier), peptides (to promote collagen synthesis), and hyaluronic acid (to draw moisture into the skin).

7 of the best moisturisers for dry skin