Moisturizer for dry skin

Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream has the best record for dry skin: 28 of 31 reviewers said it kept their skin hydrated and comfortable. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream comes next at 37 of 43, and IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream at 22 of 25. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion has the weakest record here at 32 of 43, and First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream is less convincing among reviewers who list dry skin (5 of 9).

  • 352 store reviews counted
  • Ulta and Sephora shoppers
  • Sep 2022 to Oct 2026

Updated . How we count

Does it keep dry skin comfortable? What buyers said
  1. Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream 31 said either way
  2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream 43 said either way
  3. IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream 25 said either way
  4. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream 49 said either way
  5. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base 25 said either way
  6. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion 43 said either way
  7. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream 17 said either way

Share of reviewers who stated an outcome for dryness. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream Best record Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream 28 of 31 say it kept dry skin comfortable See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Falling short on moisture is the common complaint: 21% of Clinique reviews, 22% of CeraVe reviews and 18% of First Aid Beauty reviews say it isn't moisturizing enough.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points reviewers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1 Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream

Estée Lauder

Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream

Best for hydration that lasts

28/31 say it kept dry skin comfortable

Reviewers who list dry skin were unanimous: 8 of 8 said it kept their skin comfortable. 19% say the hydration lasts and 17% say it absorbs well. Complaints are small, including 8% who find it heavy.

What buyers praise

  • Hydration lasts 19%
  • Absorbs fast 17%
  • Works under makeup 11%
  • Good value 8%
  • Not greasy 8%

What buyers complain about

  • Heavy 8%
  • Strong scent 8%
  • Greasy or shiny 8%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 6 of 7
  • Sephora 22 of 24
  • Brand site 10 of 11 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Combination11 of 12
  • Dry8 of 8
  • Normal3 of 3
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light8 of 9
  • Light-medium to medium6 of 6
  • Medium-tan to tan3 of 3
2 Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

Kiehl's

Ultra Facial Cream

37/43 say it kept dry skin comfortable

Reviewers like the feel: 20% call it lightweight and 16% call it gentle. It holds up at both stores, with 17 of 18 at Ulta and 20 of 25 at Sephora. 12% say it isn't moisturizing enough.

What buyers praise

  • Lightweight 20%
  • Gentle on sensitive skin 16%
  • Hydration lasts 14%
  • No breakouts 12%
  • Works under makeup 6%

What buyers complain about

  • Too expensive 6%
  • Irritates or stings 4%
  • Breaks skin out 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 17 of 18
  • Sephora 20 of 25
  • Brand site 6 of 6 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Dry8 of 9
  • Combination5 of 5
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light5 of 5
  • Light-medium to medium3 of 3
3 IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream

IT Cosmetics

Confidence in a Cream

22/25 say it kept dry skin comfortable

Nearly all counted reviews come from Ulta, where 21 of 22 said it kept dry skin comfortable. 23% say it absorbs fast and 15% call it good value.

What buyers praise

  • Absorbs fast 23%
  • Good value 15%
  • Works under makeup 15%
  • Hydration lasts 12%
  • Not greasy 12%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 21 of 22
  • Sephora 1 of 3
4 First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

First Aid Beauty

Ultra Repair Cream

40/49 say it kept dry skin comfortable

More reviewers weighed in on this cream than on any other here (49). Those who list dry skin are less sure: 5 of 9 said it kept them comfortable. 22% call it gentle.

What buyers praise

  • Gentle on sensitive skin 22%
  • Not greasy 20%
  • Lightweight 16%
  • No breakouts 12%
  • Absorbs fast 12%

What buyers complain about

  • Irritates or stings 6%
  • Breaks skin out 4%
  • Pills 4%
  • Strong scent 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 21 of 25
  • Sephora 19 of 24
  • Brand site 2 of 2 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Dry5 of 9
  • Combination5 of 6
Acne-prone reviewers
  • Said it worked4 of 6
5 Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base

Bobbi Brown

Vitamin Enriched Face Base

Best for wearing under makeup

21/25 say it kept dry skin comfortable

A moisturizer and primer in one: 50% praise it under makeup. Reviewers who list dry skin were positive too, at 9 of 11. Price is the main complaint at 23%.

What buyers praise

  • Works under makeup 50%
  • Good value 13%

What buyers complain about

  • Too expensive 23%
Where buyers said it
  • Sephora 21 of 25
  • Brand site 4 of 5 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Dry9 of 11
  • Combination5 of 6
By skin tone (Sephora reviewers)
  • Fair to light8 of 9
  • Light-medium to medium2 of 3
6 Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

Clinique

Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

32/43 say it kept dry skin comfortable

19% praise how fast it absorbs and 15% say it didn't break them out, but 11 of 43 reviewers said it didn't keep dry skin comfortable.

What buyers praise

  • Absorbs fast 19%
  • No breakouts 15%
  • Works under makeup 13%
  • Hydration lasts 12%
  • Gentle on sensitive skin 10%

What buyers complain about

  • Irritates or stings 4%
Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 14 of 19
  • Sephora 18 of 24
  • Brand site 1 of 1 shown, not counted
By skin type (Sephora reviewers)
  • Dry8 of 11
  • Combination3 of 6
7 CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

CeraVe

Moisturizing Cream

13/17 say it kept dry skin comfortable

A smaller group weighed in, all at Ulta, and 13 of 17 said it kept dry skin comfortable. CeraVe's own site agrees at 9 of 10, which we show but don't count. 17% call it good value.

What buyers praise

  • Good value 17%
  • Not greasy 11%
  • Gentle on sensitive skin 11%

What buyers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where buyers said it
  • Ulta 13 of 17
  • Brand site 9 of 10 shown, not counted

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 125,337 reviews at Ulta and Sephora. We searched them for dryness and read the newest matching reviews, up to 30 per product and store, posted between Sep 2022 and Oct 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Ulta also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. They run much more positive than store reviews of the same products (across 19 products with both, 76% of brand-site reviewers said the product solved the problem, against 55% of Ulta shoppers), so we show them on product cards but never count them.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

Skin type, skin tone and age splits use what reviewers chose on Sephora's review form (and age on Ulta's when given). We only show a split when enough reviewers fall on each side.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most reviewers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream Ulta and Sephora (36 reviews counted)
  2. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream Ulta and Sephora (49 reviews counted)
  3. IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream Ulta and Sephora (26 reviews counted)
  4. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Ulta and Sephora (51 reviews counted)
  5. Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base Ulta (30 reviews counted)
  6. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion Ulta and Sephora (52 reviews counted)
  7. CeraVe Moisturizing Cream Ulta (18 reviews counted)

People asking about it on Reddit

  1. What is your holy grail moisturizer for dry skin? r/Sephora, Oct 2025, 222 comments
  2. what are your favorite dry skin moisturizers? r/Sephora, Aug 2024, 128 comments
  3. Favorite Moisturizer for Dry Skin? (for someone who can slather coconut oil everywhere and it will be absorbed in 5 min) - more info in comments r/Sephora, Jun 2023, 230 comments

Questions buyers ask

Which moisturizer works for dry skin?

Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Cream has the best record (28 of 31), followed by Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream (37 of 43) and IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Cream (22 of 25).

Does Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion work for dry skin?

Often, but it has the weakest record here at 32 of 43. 21% of its reviews say it isn't moisturizing enough.

Is CeraVe Moisturizing Cream good for dry skin?

Reviewers mostly say yes: 13 of 17 said it kept dry skin comfortable at the stores we count. Fewer reviewers weighed in on it than on the other moisturizers here, so the record is thinner.

Which moisturizer for dry skin works under makeup?

Reviewers keep praising Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base under makeup, at 50% of its reviews, and 9 of 11 reviewers who list dry skin said it kept them comfortable.

Related problems

Face moisturizer Moisturizer for sensitive skin Top pick: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA 410 buyer reports Body lotion Body lotion for very dry skin Top pick: Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil Body Butter 245 buyer reports Tinted moisturizer Tinted moisturizer for dry skin Top pick: Hourglass Veil Hydrating Skin Tint 293 buyer reports Foundation Foundation for dry skin Top pick: MAC Studio Radiance Face and Body 484 buyer reports

HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.