The search for the best face cream for dry skin ends here. Browse our round-up of the best luxury moisturisers on the market right now, and follow our steps to finding the best face cream for your skin type…

The Country & Town House Responsible Buyers’ Guide

The Best Face Creams for Dry Skin

Is your skin struggling to keep up with the changing British weather? Now is the time to invest in a hydrating face cream. But how do you find one that’s right for your skin?

The first thing you need to do is to diagnose your skin’s needs. A trip to your dermatologist is a good idea so that they can identify any specialist needs or problem areas. Face mapping will break down exactly where your skin needs extra hydration, has excess sebum production or where you’re suffering from congestion.

Face Cream For Dry Skin

While many face creams rely on oils to hydrate skin, there are a couple of other ingredients to keep an eye out for in your moisturiser. Hyaluronic acid occurs naturally in the human body, but depletes as we age. It works by drawing moisture to the outer layers of the skin, and can hold up to 1,000 its weight in water. Added glycerin in your face cream absorbs and retains water and helps to maintain the skin’s outer barrier (epidermis), preventing dryness and flaking.

Dr Om Prawarisa, founder of OM skincare says: ‘Oil, butter and glycerine are basic ingredients to look for as moisturising ingredients.

‘Biotechnology yeast is a more advanced ingredient. It has the capacity to intensely reactivate the synthesis of missing epidermal lipids, especially ceramides (ceramides are specifically deficient in the case of dry skin) and cholesterol. Larch tree extract (Galactoarabinan) works to enhance the skin’s barrier properties. Clinical testing has shown its effectiveness for reducing TEWL (water loss from skin).’

Ingredients To Avoid

‘Alcohol, salicylic acid based and targeted acne products – these can dry out your skin,’ warns Dr Om Prawarisa. ‘Especially for those who have very dry skin, Salicylic acid breaks down fats compounds in the skin. This could make your skin even drier and lead to flaking.’

Three-Step Skincare Regime

Simply finding the best face cream for dry skin won’t banish your skincare issues. It’s important that you take care of your skin with a regular cleanse, tone and moisturise routine (or a routine that works for you). Cleansing regularly with a treatment cleanser such as Liz Earle’s Cleanse & Polish, or Eve Lom’s hero Cleanser helps keep your complexion hydrated, as well as banishing daily dirt and grime.

Noella Gabriel, Co-Founder and Creator or ELEMIS Therapies also recommends adding a serum or oil into your routine. ‘It is important to choose a hydrating moisturiser as hydration and moisturisation are key. But dry skin cannot be overcome by a moisturiser alone.

‘After cleansing and toning, introduce a serum or facial oil into your routine like the Elemis Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss Capsules to nourish the skin daily and use a moisture boosting mask twice weekly.

‘When it comes to your moisturiser, make sure it hydrates but also gives you good protection such as Pro-Collagen Marine Cream Ultra Rich. This has been proven to increase moisture levels in the skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. This will plump up the skin and take away immediate dryness. I also suggest having a night cream in your routine. This is because while your skin is resting it’s also peak time for cell renewal replenishing vitamins lost during the day.

‘It is important for someone with dry skin to avoid soap, high alkaline products and products with alcohol. All of these deplete the body of any natural oils and feed into skin irritations and dehydration.’

Face Creams To Shop Now

Armed with advice from the experts, now’s the time to indulge in some retail therapy. Shop the edit below…