The 21 Best Moisturisers for Glowing, Radiant Skin, According to Experts

Key ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid

This moisturiser is one of the brand's best-selling products. It promises to hydrate and boost radiance for glowier, smoother skin, while a gel-cream moisturiser formula ensures it is cooling, too.

Key ingredients: Kombucha, vitamin E, gold, diamonds

This moisturiser may be expensive, but the price is indicative of its incredibly potent ingredient list. Prebiotics and peptides help to brighten, boost, and plump skin, so it looks brighter, younger, and fresher.

Editor review: "I've been testing this moisturiser on the days when my skin is in need of radiance and brightening, and I've seen a noticeable difference in my complexion" she tells me. "It contains both gold and diamond powder, which feels a bit fancy, but combined with the other ingredients they work to give an instant radiance as well as a long-term glow." -Who What Wear UK beauty editor, Eleanor Vousden.

Key ingredients: Niacinamide, Mexoryl 400™

We're all for the moisturisers that provide an instant glow, but this one helps to give your skin that long-term glow too. Created with niacinamide and SPF protection, they work in tandem to brighten and shield your skin from pigmentation for an even-toned glow from within.

Key ingredients: Kombucha, ginger, green tea

Formulated with kombucha and fermented ginger to up radiance, this priming moisturiser is by far one of the glowiest I have come across. Plus, my breakout-prone skin has absolutely no trouble with it. Thanks to its light-reflecting minerals, whenever I use it, I get compliments on how healthy my complexion looks.

Key ingredients: Caffeine, ginseng

This lightweight gel moisturiser is impossibly refreshing on the skin, so it breathes a bit of glowing life into lacklustre complexions straight away. On top of that, it also has a golden, pearly sheen that just radiates health and vitality.

Key ingredients: Vitamin C

The gel-cream texture is lightweight and refreshing but also has a very sheer peachy colour (it doesn't have any pigment; it's just the natural colour of the cream) that livens up any complexion.

Editor review: "The Ole Henriksen C-Rush cream is one of my favourite moisturisers. For those who consider their skin type "normal,” I highly recommend this radiance-boosting formula." - Shannon Lawlor, Who What Wear UK beauty director

Key ingredients: Jojoba, grapeseed, squalane

If you don't like thick creams but still prefer skin to look glowy and feel nourished, this rich oil-serum hybrid ticks all of the boxes. it's also perfect for no-makeup days.

Editor review: "For no-makeup days, this stuff has become my reach-for. It's jam-packed with oils and fruit extracts for optimum nourishment, but it doesn't leave a sticky or greasy residue. If you're into a super-glossy finish, nothing compares." - Shannon Lawlor, Who What Wear UK, beauty director

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, shea butter, sunflower seed oil

With powerhouse hydrators such as hyaluronic acid alongside shea butter and sunflower seed oil, this is a wonderful moisturiser on its own merit. However, it also contains pearlescent shimmer to give the most beautifully blurring (and radiant) sheen.

Editor review: "While this is a little pricey, I know, if you ask me, it's also one of the best illuminating products around." - Shannon Lawlor, Who What Wear UK beauty director

Key ingredients: Vitamin C, camu camu, hyaluronic acid

Newly reformulated, but from a lifelong-favourite range, this glowing moisturiser champions vitamin C and therefore has glow-giving antioxidant properties. The light, gel-like texture is also wonderfully cooling and invigorating. 

Key ingredients: Oat, glycerin

This stuff is seriously soothing and what's more, it's one of the cheaper options on this list. Full of essential oat extracts and hyaluronic acid, it offers up lightweight, refreshing moisture. If you have sensitive, reactive, or redness-prone skin, this one is for you.

Editor review: "Oat is a brilliant ingredient for calming and healing skin, so it's ideal for anyone who experiences sensitivity. I often reach for this if I've had a reaction to a product or a bad breakout. It's light and won't cause any irritation or clog pores." - Grace Day, freelance beauty editor

Key ingredients: Shea butter, oat extract

Famed for giving skin a glow that transcends makeup this award-winning face cream works to brighten up tired faces in an instant.

Editor review: "This really is every bit as good as the rave reviews say it is, and (in my opinion) worth the price tag. There's nothing else quite like it, and in all my years as a beauty editor I've yet to find a worthy dupe." - Grace Day, freelance beauty editor

Key ingredients: Vitamin E, squalane

Sitting somewhere between skincare and a makeup product, this stuff is a really worthwhile add-on. If you don't like the dewy finish that often comes with illuminating moisturisers, listen up. It contains vitamin E and squalane for a super-hydrating punch, but it also has a pearly finish that works to reflect light and boost luminosity. Plus, it's soft and more matte than many others on the list.

Key ingredients: Aloe, glycerin, rosehip oil, turmeric

nother rich formula, with essential fatty acids, rose-hip oil and antioxidant maracuja oil, this stuff means business. Ideal for dry skin, it also has a yellow tint (thanks to turmeric) that doesn't just deliver an out-of-this-world glow but also helps even out areas of hyperpigmentation.

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, shea butter

Sitting somewhere between a rich moisturiser and a primer, for days when you don't want to apply a full base, this perfecting balm is ideal. Reflective pearls illuminate while lychee extract revitalises the skin.

Key ingredients: TFC8®, amino acids, black tea, papaya enzymes

I've waxed lyrical about this glow-giving moisturiser before. It's one of the most radiance-boosting skincare products I own. It contains Augustinus Bader's TFC8®, which works miracles on the renew skin cells and leave your complexion looking luminous.

Editor's review: "The Cell Rejuvenating Illuminator has become a daily staple in my routine. These subtly radiant illuminators add a light touch of hydration while the the pearl formula adds just enough blurring so you can go without makeup if you wanted to. I like the shade Pearlescent, which adds a subtle gleam, but when I want to look sunkissed, I wear Golden, which has a bronzed tint to add a healthy glow. Plus, the formula is created in tandem with Augustinus Bader's high-acclaimed TFC8 formula, so you benefit from a glow in the long-term too." - Eleanor Vousden, Who What Wear UK beauty editor

Key ingredients: Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid

Few skincare ranges are as glow-boosting at Sunday Riley's CEO. The latest addition to the range, this cream feels lightweight at first but delivers intense hydration without feeling greasy. On top of generally being a great moisturiser, it is also jam-packed with glow-boosting vitamin C for antioxidant protection and has a very subtle shimmering yellow tint to help give skin a visible energy boost.

Key ingredients: Vitamin C, peptides, cacao extract, rice extract

Thanks to its high vitamin C content, this moisturiser leaves skin glowing both in the long term and the short term. In addition, the likes of peptides and polyglutamic acid help to improve firmness and strengthen the skin barrier.

Key ingredients: Omega fatty acids, ceramides, niacinamide

Packed with hydrating ingredients like omega fatty acids, ceramides, niacinamide, and betaine, this thirst-quenching moisturiser is like a glass of water for dehydrated skin.

Editor review: "This is my go-to recommendation for people who want that 'glass skin' glow. I love that it feels light and refreshing but still manages to quench the thirst of my dehydrated skin." - Grace Day, freelance beauty editor.

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, amino acids

The clue is in the name with this one. Glow Recipe's Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer is lightweight, hydrating and gives skin instant glow thanks to watermelon extract, mositure-quenching hyaluronic acid and amino acids that flood skin with hydration for a plumped, glass-skin effect. No wonder TikTok approves.

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, oat extract

This glow-boosting moisturiser is specifically designed to be worn under makeup, so you can guarantee a smooth application, no pilling, and a flawless finish.

Editor review: "As someone with oilier skin, I can't get enough of this non-comedogenic formula. I apply it directly to my face alongside my favourite foundation and mix the two together with a brush. It helps my base to last all day, as well as look glowy and hydrated without it feeling weighed down. I also wear it on the days where I want to go makeup free but my skin still needs a bit of a pick-me-up." - Mollie Burdell, freelance beauty editor

Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, red algae, squalane

A favourite amongst beauty editors and influencers, this much-loved cream improves skin's ability to retain moisture and repairs the skin barrier to prevent water loss. A great pick for the colder months.