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Beauty
By Tanya Edwards, CNN Underscored
Updated 10:57 AM EST, Mon December 4, 2023
What’s in this guide
- Best hand creams for dry skin
- Best hand creams for aging hands
- Best hand creams for eczema
- Best hand creams for working hands
Dry hands can be especially persistent in the winter months, and sometimes, no matter what hand cream or balm you try, your hands keep feeling rough, flaky and itchy. To figure out the best treatments, we went to the experts and spoke with dermatologists about the best hand creams to soothe and moisturize your hands.
Best hand creams for dry skin
Moisturizers for the hands, like moisturizers for other areas, ideally contain three components: humectants, emollients and occlusives, explainsDr. Hadley King, a New York City-based dermatologist.
“Ceramides and filaggrin are the building block proteins for locking moisture in and keeping the outside environment out,” saysDr. Caren Campbell, a San Francisco-based dermatologist. Other ingredients to look for include vitamin E and niacinamide, as they “each support a healthy skin barrier and promote better hydration,” according to board-certified dermatologist Dr. Rachel Nazarian.
This lotion is a favorite of King’s, who says, “The formula combines ceramides, emollients and vitamin E to nourish dry skin, and sclareolide, a plant-derived ingredient that helps to lighten dark spots.”
King says she’s a big fan of this product because the cream is “fast-absorbing and paraben-free.” She adds, “Their studies showed that it lasts through five handwashings."
Asone of our favorites, this cream from Weleda has been a savior for dry winter skin. Plus, it has a light and refreshing scent and feels expensive without actually costing an arm and a leg.
Nazarian says to, “Look for ingredients that either draw water into the skin, or those that seal hydration and minimize loss of hydration into the environment.” She recommends this multipurpose cream, since it combines “hyaluronic acid, which pulls in water, and chamomile, which is super calming and soothing to skin.” According to the dermatologist, “It also contains antioxidants which help neutralize free-radical damage.”
Enriched with vitamins B, C and E, this nourishing hand cream now comes in unscented Fiji, making it a great option for those sensitive to fragrance. It’s made with squalane, glycerin and avocado and argan oils that help replenish the skin.
Best hand creams for aging hands
Another tip: You’re usually better off with a cream rather than a lotion. “Creams are always best for those with extra-dry skin over lotions, as they contain more of the moisturizing ingredients and less water,” says Campbell. “Lotions contain more water than creams.”
But if you’re not a fan of those thick, greasy-feeling creams, Nazarian says there’s one ingredient that has a big effect on a formula’s consistency: “The concentration of glycerin often determines how heavy and thick the ointments or creams will feel. Although glycerin is great for increasing hydration, it can often increase the heaviness of a product as well.” Instead, look for lightweight ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, that can draw water into the skin, but tend to absorb quickly without tackiness or stickiness.
This anti-aging cream is one of King’s favorites. “It combines sea buckthorn fruit to lighten dark spots and argan and meadowfoam seed oils to hydrate and moisturize without feeling greasy,” she says. “And the SPF 40 protects your exposed skin from UV damage.”
“[This] is a really great formula that combines natural extracts and oils that work to deeply hydrate, with a combination of omega fatty acids and antioxidants to minimize environmental damage that can lead to accelerated skin aging,” Nazarian says. “It’s a fragrance-free and hypoallergenic product, and also generally good for all skin types.”
In this hand cream, Sundays uses the power of aloe leaf juice, coconut oil, jojoba seed and other ultra-moisturizing ingredients to make one of the most nourishing hand creams we’ve ever tried. Our favorite part though is that it’s nongreasy and smells of bergamot.
This bestselling Target fave soothes dry hands using shea butter and macadamia oil. (And while it’s packaged in a tube, it feels like it was scooped from a tub of butter.)
Made with hydratingglycerin, emollient squalane and vitamin E and nourishing shea butter, this hand cream feels rich and moisturizing as you massage it in.
This luxurious balm melts into hands and nails when it’s massaged in, and it’s packed with a shea butter formula that promises to nurture and protect dry, damaged skin.
The secret ingredient for extremely dry skin
“A lot of people with dry skin don’t realize they also have a problem shedding the dead top layer of skin,” saysDr. Clarissa Yang, dermatologist-in-chief at Tufts Medical Center. “So a secret ingredient I always look for is an exfoliating agent like salicylic, glycolic or lactic acid.”
This classic still packs a punch and is a dermatologist fave. “I recommend this for my patients who need gentle exfoliation and hydration,” Campbell says.
This daily cream “contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid and is perfect for patients with very dry skin,” says Campbell.
Best hand creams for eczema
If you experience eczema, then you’ll want to look for a cream that’s sensitive enough for your skin but still gives you top-notch moisturizing qualities.
“This is a great lotion for many patients, particularly those with normal to dry skin,” says Campbell.
“This hypoallergenic, paraben-free product is great for people with chapped hands and is fragrance-free,” notes Nazarian, who adds that it strengthens the skin barrier with dimethicone, glycerin, thermal spring water and beeswax.
This lotion repairs dry skin with microdroplets of Vaseline jelly that lock in moisture. It was awarded theNational Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance, which “helps individuals recognize products that are suitable for care of eczema or sensitive skin.”
Best hand creams for working hands
Whether at home or at a workplace, hands that are doing chores or cooking — or just getting dirty — are going to need something extra, like “barrier ingredients like paraffin to keep moisture locked in,” says Campbell. Yang likes to see particular occlusives, or moisturizing agents, in the ingredient list too.
“Occlusives are much more oil-based. They help by trapping the water the humectants draw up and preventing it from evaporating,” says Yang. “Lanolin, petrolatum and beeswax are common ones.”
This healing cream offers a pretty great bang for your buck, using petrolatum to help restore smooth, soft, healthy skin.
Anotherone of our staff favorites, this has been a moisture-barrier builder for working hands for years. Campbell recommends it because “it contains barrier ingredients like paraffin to keep moisture locked in.”
“Although this particular lotion is super lightweight, it has wonderful hydrating properties,” Nazarian says. “The nongreasy formula uses aloe vera, combined with dimethicone to hydrate skin, and sunflower seed oil to improve skin fatty acids. It absorbs very quickly and is great for people who need their hands to work.”
Sweet almond oil and vitamin E in this cream work to restore moisture to dry hands, while beeswax locks in moisture.
This salve is designed for hardworking hands and has wax-based properties that form a protective barrier on the skin, leaving the hands feeling soft.
Created by a nurse anesthetist who is no stranger to the drying conditions of constant handwashing in a hospital, Nuebiome’s hand cream is specifically formulated for working hands. It’s formula contains a blend of pre-, pro- and postbiotics to nurture the skin’s microbiome, as well as calming allantoin, echinacea stem cells and cloudberry antioxidantsto soothe irritation.
This botanical-based salve can be used on hands, lips and anywhere else dry, chapped skin needs some relief. It contains shea butter, jojoba seed oil, and coconut oil as well as illipe butter and calendula oil to hydrate and protect the skin.
More recommendations
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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