Dry, Sensitive Skin? These Are the 18 Moisturisers That Will Suit You Best

Kiehl's famous Ultra Facial Cream is a tried-and-tested favourite of mine when I notice my skin starting to feel a little sensitive. Formulated with glycerin and squalane, it helps to restore the skin's barrier and boost moisture levels without feeling overly heavy or rich.

Customer Review: "I found it particularly beneficial during colder months when my skin tends to dry out. It leaves my skin feeling soft and balanced without being too creamy or heavy, which is ideal for daily use."

Packed with calming ingredients like ginger root and ceramides, Kate Somerville's DeliKate collection is all about calming stressed complexions.This cream is thick and dense in texture, so it provides instant nourishment—an excellent choice for skin that's feeling dry as well as tight and sensitised.

Customer Review: "I am a serial repeat buyer of this cream! So game changing for dry, sensitive skin."

If you prefer a light, gel textured formula, but still want to pack in the hydrating ingredients, this cooling moisturiser successfully manages to do both. The fresh, water-based formula absorbs quickly and is packed with hyaluronic acid, which works for up to 48 hours after application to draw moisture into the skin.

Customer Review: "This is gorgeous! It’s so hydrating, and not at all greasy. I have very dehydrated skin, exacerbated by using prescription Tretinoin, but it’s also very oily and acne prone, so I struggle to find moisturisers that are hydrating enough without clogging my pores, or leaving my skin like an oil slick. This seems to do the job beautifully. It calms any irritation from the retinol, and creates a gorgeous, smooth base for makeup application. Delighted!"

This intensive repair cream is designed for those with a compromised skin barrier, so is great for sensitive skin as its focus is on fortifying that skin barrier as well as moisturising dry skin. It contains centella asiatica, which is great at soothing the skin, as well as calming redness and inflammation.

Customer Review: "I'm trying to repair my skin barrier and reduce the redness in my cheeks. I regular repurchase this Dr Jart Intensive Soothing Repair Cream. The texture of this cream is great, I use it day and night. It sinks in well and doesn't leave you with greasy or glowy skin. Centella Asiatica is the best ingredient for those of us with redness and the Dr Jart Cicapair range is excellent."

Ideal for when you really don't want to put anything on your face (but know you have to), this weightless watery gel will soothe signs of sensitivity, reducing any uncomfortable itching or stinging sensations. It contains aloe vera (known for its calming properties) as well as hydrating glycerin and hyaluronic acid.

Customer Review: "I bought theist resolve a disrupted skin barrier after reacting to a cleanser that caused irritation. I have tried other moisturisers before for similar issues as I have reactive skin but they usually are thicker and more of an emollient. The consistency of this gel-cream surprised me and I initially didn't think it would be hydrating enough, but it is living up to the hype and making my skins feel soft, much more hydrated, and is reducing the tightness caused by irritation."

With just nine ingredients to its formula, this basic (in a good way) moisturiser focuses solely on the essentials. Hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and coconut oil help to draw moisture into the skin and prevent it from escaping while sodium hydroxide balances the pH of the formula to make it as similar as possible to the pH of the skin.

Customer Review: "I have very sensitive, dry skin with a tendency to get pimples and rosacea. This cream moisturizes my skin perfectly without causing redness or anything! I recommend it 100%."

If you're a fan of using retinoids, you're probably well aware of their side effects—increased sensitivity and dryness. Once you notice this occurring, it's important to ramp things up on the moisture front. This moisturiser makes the perfect counterpart, reducing chance of irritation with its deeply moisturising blend of glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and shea butter.

Customer Review: "I love this moisturiser. It is so thick and hydrating. I like that this moisturiser is thick without being too greasy. It is perfect for the colder months when my skin is drier."

If your sensitivity is also accompanied by extreme dryness, don't worry—this is super common, and indicates that the cause is a damaged skin barrier. Although this may sound alarming, it's a fairly simple fix which this rich ceramide-packed cream will be just the ticket for.

Customer Review: "This product does what it says on the tin and for such value for money you can’t go wrong. Works for all skin types and everybody in my house including the children use this same product with no issue."

This moisturiser is my go-to during the winter months, which is the one time of year when sensitivity and dryness flares up in my (usually) oily and breakout-prone skin. Although the texture is thick and dense, this creamy moisturiser never causes issues in terms of breakouts or clogged pores. Instead, it soothes, calms, and restores my skin to its healthy, balanced self.

Customer Review: "My skin can be normal on the drier side but quite sensitive to certain products. It absolutely loves this! I know I will be repurchasing this for a long time to come. Perfect for the current winter weather when your skin needs a little more TLC! Love, love, love."

As its name suggests, this moisturiser is specifically formulated to calm sensitive skin and reduce redness. It relies upon prebiotics, a buzzy ingredient with an impressive ability to balance and protect the skin barrier.

Customer Review: "I bought this after falling in love with the serum and I’m so glad I did! It pairs beautifully with the serum and leaves my sensitive red skin hydrated and looking healthier!"

Oat-derived ingredients are also famously good for sensitive skin, and this rich cream combines two; oat lipids (to absorb moisture into skin) and colloidal oatmeal, which binds to skin to lock in the moisture. According to reviews, it has impressive benefits for sensitive skin conditions like rosacea and eczema.

Customer Review: "A rich moisturiser, which absorbs well. No reaction, skin is plumped and moisturised without leaving a shiny effect."

e.l.f.'s Holy Hydration range is a bit of an unsung hero: the formulas are minimal and focus on soothing and hydrating skin with powerful ingredients like squalane, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide. This fragrance-free cream is particularly good for super sensitive skin that can't tolerate fragrance, and although it feels incredibly luxe, it won't make a dent in your bank balance. Win, win.

Customer Review: "Absolutely love this product! Very light on the skin. Makes my skin feel smooth and fresh! A little amount goes along way. Also pairs well with the Holy Hydration! Triple Bounce Serum."

If you've left it too late and your skin is really suffering with irritation, you're probably noticing symptoms like a scaly texture, constant redness, and maybe even inflammatory papules. Gentle and soothing, this thick, nourishing cream works hard and fast to both repair and soften skin.

Customer Review: "An absolute life saver of a cream. It's very mild smelling. Suitable for sensitive skin. Ultra moisturisersing and healing. My go to!"

Free from fragrance and any potential irritants, this intensely nourishing moisturiser addresses the key signs of dryness and sensitivity, such as flaky skin, redness, and dullness. 

Customer Review: "An impressive moisturiser, one of the best at this price point. Love that there is a choice of fragrance or fragrance free. I use it after a facial oil and it absorbs quickly and skin looks hydrated and dewy in the morning."

Formulated with dermatologists to address skin sensitivity in both the long term and the short term, this thick, nourishing cream helps to reduce irritation by supporting the skin barrier.

Customer Review: "My skin feels and looks so much more hydrated from its first application, I'm three weeks in and ive already purchased my next tube."

This lightweight, cooling gel cream feels instantly hydrating and soothing. Byoma is a brand that's focussed on protecting your skin barrier with their barrier boosting Tri-Ceramide complex, so this one is a great choice for sensitive skin. It's oil free and is even packed with antioxidants to protect the skin from free radicals and environmental aggressors. Antioxidants reduce skin inflammation too.

Customer Review: "This made my skin feel so soft and super hydrated. I have pretty sensitive and dry skin which makes it really hard to try any new skincare. This made my skin feel so much better."

Cetaphil's Daily Hydrating Moisturiser comes in a great large size with a handy pump. It's a basic moisturiser for sensitive skin that's great value. It offers intense hydration with hyaluronic acid and glycerin, but also feels lightweight and has fast absorbtion too.

Customer Review: "I have basically tried every face moisturiser as my skin reacts quickly to products that do not sit well. This is amazing. Use it every day and it settles right away. No red flushed cheeks, tingling or runny eyes. Highly recommend."

Part of REN's Evercalm range for sensitve skin, this lightweight day cream not only soothes sensitive skin and tackles redness and discomfort, it also protects skin against the environmental aggressors our skin encounters daily.

Customer Review: "This cream is just great! I've got sensitive skin so it's always a bit hard to find myself a reliable moisturiser, this one is my new best friend. It leaves my skin super hydrated and ready for the day. I've seen the difference on my face after of few days of use, it looks nice and healthy now."