Skin that feels tight, areas that shine, small dehydration lines that appear throughout the day… Moisturizing facial cream remains the simplest way to keep skin comfortable and luminous in the face of cold, heating, the sun, pollution or even tobacco. You still need to find the right treatment, one that really hydrates without suffocating the skin, and that fits your lifestyle.
Between ultra-light gel textures, rich cocoon-style creams and formulas full of hyaluronic acid, ceramides or vitamin C, the offer can quickly make you dizzy. To help you see clearly, here is a guide to choosing the best facial moisturizer according to your needs, and a selection of 20 treatments that accompany the skin every day, from morning to evening.
Choose your facial moisturizer according to your skin type
Hyaluronic acid remains the star active ingredient for maintaining good hydration levels, and it is suitable for all skin types, including combination to oily skin which needs it just as much. They can turn to treatments that combine hydration and shine control, such as mattifying creams or formulas designed to limit imperfections and tighten the appearance of pores. For dry skin, the ideal is a cream containing essential fatty acids, or even complexes of lipids and ceramides which help to rebuild the skin barrier.
When the complexion lacks radiance, a moisturizing cream with vitamin C can provide this sought-after reboosting side, while mature skin benefits from integrating treatments with fruit acids to smooth the skin’s texture, avoiding these ingredients in direct sunlight. Sensitive skin needs more protection from external aggressions such as cold, sun, pollution or tobacco: formulas with Centella asiatica, niacinamide or soothing ingredients will be more suitable. And at night, we rely on a richer cream than during the day, more focused on repair than simple protection, especially in winter when the skin really tends to dry out.
20 moisturizing face creams for beautiful skin every day
For skin looking for comfort, several creams rely on generous textures and nourishing active ingredients. The Shiseido moisturizing cream formulated with Japanese lime intensely nourishes, just like the Abeille Royale Guerlain moisturizing cream which concentrates bee products to hydrate, plump, repair and care for the skin. Payot offers a moisturizing cream with 95% ingredients of natural origin for optimal hydration, while the Cerave moisturizing cream relies on ultra-hydrating active ingredients to provide lasting protection against dryness. For very dry and/or sensitive skin, the rich Bora Barrier Drunk Elephant face cream, with its complex of lipids, ceramides, natural minerals and antioxidant compounds, as well as the rich Water Bank LaNeige moisturizing cream based on blue hyaluronic acid, offer a real cocoon effect.
- Combination to oily skin: Re Boost Matte My Clarins hydra mattifying cream eliminates shine, imperfections and visible pores while preserving the hydration barrier; Watermelon Glow Glow Recipe Moisturizer, an oil-free gel-cream that soothes, brightens and perfectly preps the skin before makeup, works well on areas that are shiny.
- Skin lacking radiance: the Maria Galland lumin’escence enhancing cream with Provence rose extract smoothes the skin and reduces fine lines and pores; the Ole Henriksen Radiance Moisturizer with Vitamin C hydrates while preparing the complexion before makeup; InnisFree Radiance Gel Cream, enriched with Jeju cherry blossom extracts, niacinamide and betaine of natural origin, helps to strengthen the hydration barrier while reviving the face’s radiance.
- Mature skin: Shiseido Vital Perfection Anti-Aging Cream fights against loss of firmness and gives the skin a lifted, sculpted and redensified appearance, ideal for women over 60; Estée Lauder Youth Revealing Cream SPF25, with SPF25 protection, reduces the appearance of expression lines and fine lines; La Mer Intense Regeneration Refreshing Cream, with a gel texture, refreshes and protects the skin against irritation and future signs of aging.
- Sensitive or weakened skin: ILIA facial moisturizing essence, a hybrid between essence and moisturizer, reduces redness, strengthens the skin barrier and smoothes the skin; the Sephora Collection soothing hyaluronic acid cream combines hyaluronic acid and Centella asiatica known for its soothing properties; Byoma moisturizing cream, with its tri-ceramide complex designed to mimic and replenish the skin’s essential lipids, also targets the skin barrier.
- Long-lasting daily hydration: the Paula”s Choice moisturizing cream, a gel-cream enriched with 3 pro-collagen peptides and hyaluronic acid, promises 24 hours of hydration; the Moisture Surge Clinique moisturizing cream, thanks to its patent based on Aloe Vera bio-ferment, penetrates up to 10 layers of the epidermis for intensely nourished skin; the skin-perfecting daily moisturizer Hydraplay™ Elizabeth Arden, with 95% natural origin ingredients, combines glycerin and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and plump the skin.
With these 20 treatments, it becomes easier to match your cream to your skin type, age and texture desires, while maintaining the same hydration reflex morning and evening. The idea is not to change everything every season, but to know the right family of formulas to be able to adjust, for example by switching to a richer texture during periods of cold or intense heating.
Apply your facial moisturizer carefully morning and evening
The moisturizer should remain the final step in the skincare routine, morning and evening. After carefully removing make-up and/or cleansing the skin, apply it gently, starting from the center of the face outwards, without forgetting the neck. A simple reflex to keep in mind: always wash your hands before spreading your cream, to avoid depositing impurities on the skin. To reinforce hydration or target a particular need, you can first apply a serum, moisturizer or more specific depending on expectations.
On a daily basis, regularity makes all the difference: a light cream in the morning, which lends itself well to makeup, then a richer or more restorative formula in the evening, especially for dry or mature skin. Creams with integrated SPF protection, such as Estée Lauder SPF25 youth revealing cream, can also help limit the impact of the sun, which is one of the external aggressions to take into account along with pollution, tobacco, cold or heat. Adapting these few parameters is enough to establish a simple, but lasting, facial hydration routine.
