Best Moisturizer: The 2024 Glam Beauty Awards
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Whether your moisturizer isn't up to snuff anymore or you simply want to try a new lotion or two, you've come to the right place. Glam's annual Beauty Awards set out to find the best moisturizers of 2024 based on quality, price, and special attributes that help certain products stand out from the crowd. More specifically, we tested 10 products from 10 different brands to sniff out (pun intended) which moisturizers are worth your moolah and which are better left on the shelf. We then narrowed these products down to a top five, including an overall winner and four runners-up that function very well in their own arenas.
Finding the perfect moisturizer is especially important right now because 2024's biggest skincare trends revolve around barrier health, and few things are worse for our skin barrier than a dehydrated epidermis. This is also why we tested these moisturizers all over the body — where one lotion or créme might really shine on the hands, another might be perfect on the face. So, without further ado, let's break down Glam's top moisturizers of 2024.
Best overall: CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion
If you've ever wondered what ceramides in skincare products actually do, you're definitely not alone. To understand them better, let's take a closer look at CeraVe's Daily Moisturizing Lotion, which contains three different types of ceramides. I tested this moisturizer over several days and felt my skin healing and getting stronger. When you use this formula, you feel like you suddenly know what ceramides are all about (even if the science behind them is still lost on you — we get it!).
My hands stay pretty dry because of frequent dishwashing, but CeraVe's Daily Moisturizing Lotion helped heal cracked skin and scabs on my hands. This lotion also absorbs like a dream. I'm a longtime user of CeraVe's face moisturizer, and I've now been officially converted to a daily (several times daily — let's be real) user of its general lotion, too. Plus, it's fragrance-free, so anyone can use it.
At about $13, CeraVe's lotion is a skosh more expensive than many drugstore lotions, which typically fall in the $7 to $9 range. However, the few extra dollars are priceless. Years of drugstore lotion use pale in comparison to CeraVe's formula. Ultimately, its top-notch quality at its brilliant price point is what earned CeraVe's Daily Moisturizing Lotion our winning position. There's a reason over 50,000 Amazon reviews have culminated in a 4.7-star rating.
Purchase the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion on Amazon for $13.66.
Best whipped moisturizer: OUAI Body Crème Shibuya
Where CeraVe's lotion is the best overall lotion for daily hydration, OUAI's Body Crème is a rich moisturizer that creates a truly luxurious feeling every time you dip your finger into the soft, whipped formula and spread it on your skin. When testing all of the products, I kept reaching for this one for my arms and legs, specifically my elbows and knees. The formula is beyond silky and absorbs quickly, which other lotions in our tests couldn't say. Be warned, however, that this moisturizer does have a slight scent, but it's not overpowering and doesn't smell too much like chemicals. Instead, it smells faintly like a spa day — you can almost envision cucumber slices on your eyes, which is only aided by the tub's green color.
OUAI's Body Crème has an impressive resumé of ingredients, including hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, shea butter, ceramides, and more. These ingredients are brightening and generally help bring your skin to life. No dry or dull skin when OUAI's in town!
Purchase the OUAI Body Crème, Shibuya on Amazon for $38.
Best retinol moisturizer: Paula's Choice RESIST Intensive Repair Cream
Sometimes, you need an everyday moisturizer to slather all over your body, and sometimes, you need a moisturizer with retinol to help fight skin discoloration and early signs of aging. Enter the RESIST Intensive Repair Cream from Paula's Choice, which is a standout moisturizer in every right but felt a touch too niche to be named our overall winner.
To get a good understanding of this moisturizer, I tested it on my face, hands, and arms. After all, retinol is typically used in face products, so it only felt right to give it its best shot. I also discontinued the use of my other retinol products for a clear view of what exactly Paula's Choice could bring to the table. Naturally, I was worried that my face might suffer from switching retinol products, but I was delighted to see that my face didn't react negatively. On the contrary, this moisturizer glided on like softened butter and absorbed deeply, and I saw the same results with this moisturizer that I normally do by using a retinol serum with a separate moisturizer. It also didn't feel like it stayed on the surface like some other moisturizers do. Because of these reasons, the RESIST Intensive Repair Cream soared into our top five moisturizers.
Purchase the Paula's Choice RESIST Intensive Repair Cream on Amazon for $38.
Best luxury moisturizer: Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream
We all know the deal: Skincare products run the gamut of price points, leaving us to wonder whether the more expensive products are actually worth it. Well, one pricier daily moisturizer really stood out to me: the Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream. This moisturizer is almost like a luxury brand's take on CeraVe's lotion in that it's a great everyday product focused on high quality without needing gimmicks to stand out. Interestingly, it's the same price as our picks from Paula's Choice and OUAI, but those are more niche picks that benefit from specific ingredients or consistencies, respectively. Dermalogica's moisturizer is a simple lotion, but it's effective.
That said, Dermalogica's scent threw me off initially. It has a strong citrus smell, so we wouldn't recommend this one for those with sensory issues or who easily get headaches from scents. If you love citrus, however, this is the lotion for you — and we can attest that it grows on you. Eventually, you stop noticing it as much, and it thankfully smells more like natural citrus, not chemicals.
Purchase the Dermalogica Body Hydrating Cream on Amazon for $38.
Best multi-purpose moisturizer: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant
Where most of the products on this list are bigger and therefore regulated to the bathroom counter, Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant is the perfect size to carry with you everywhere. It's the ideal pick for backpacks and purses, and you can even take it in your airplane carry-on since it's under 3.4 oz. But its portability isn't all we love about this moisturizer — it's also a jack of all trades.
The cream's tube notes that this product can not only be used as a regular moisturizer but also to heal chapped lips and even treat small scrapes and light sunburn. While I couldn't commit myself to sunburn for this test, I did test it on my dry, chapped lips and was very pleased with the results. Lip products are, in my opinion, harder to get right, and if I had known that a skin cream was all I needed for healed and healthier lips, I would've stopped buying lip balms and oils long ago. Because of these uses and its portability, I definitely believe this cream is worth its price. Plus, a little goes a long way, so you won't have to invest in new tubes too regularly.
Purchase the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant on Amazon for $27.55.