Sennen Prickett
If your skin is on the reactive side, be it a sensitive skin type or simply prone to the odd bout of sensitivity, you'll know from experience that using gentle skincare products is key. As such, the best moisturisers for sensitive skin are those formulas that will keep skin moisturised and happy without the inclusion of ingredients that will potentially trigger irritation.
While both need gentle formulas in their skincare routine that will support and restore the skin barrier, there is a difference between the two. "Sensitised skin is essentially skin that, for all intents and purposes, is 'normal' but has become irritated by external agents, for example, acids,” says consultant dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto, founder of Self London. “Sensitive skin, however, is an underlying skin type whereby blood vessels and nerve endings are overly responsive."
So what's the difference? “With sensitised skin, once the products causing the issue are stopped and the barrier function of the skin is restored, the irritation, sensitivity and any other changes go away,” explains Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme, aesthetic doctor, medical director and founder of the Adonia Medical Clinic.
Armed with these skin experts' insights and drawing on our experience testing these dozens of similar products over the years, ahead we've shared reviews of six of the very best moisturisers for sensitive skin for soothing fuss-free nourishment...
The best moisturisers for sensitive skin, reviewed by our experts
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
RRP: £23.50 for 40ml | Key ingredients: Thermal spring water, glycerin, neurosensine | Fragranced: No
Though we know from experience that the entire brand is formulated with sensitivity in mind, this is of the best La Roche Posay products for sensitive skin. The newer version contains probiotics to support the skin's microbiome and a calming complex, making it a great match for reactive skin prone to redness and stinging. It also contains hero skincare ingredient glycerin to lock in moisture, plus neurosensine to help soothe any itchiness, plus it work to hydrates skin for up to 48 hours. Our skin definitely felt soft after using this one – and it has the backing of our experts.
"This ultra-gentle skincare is soothing, anti-inflammatory, and hydrating; tolerated by even the most sensitive skin," says Dr Justine Hextall, consultant dermatologist at the Tarrant Street Clinic and La Roche-Posay ambassador. "With the prebiotic addition, I cannot imagine any skin type that wouldn’t benefit from this formulation.” Dr Mahto also recommends the Toleriane Sensitive Fluide (formerly Ultra Fluide) for unhappy complexions.
Reasons to buy: Brand comes with the backing of dermatologists worldwide
Reasons to avoid: You want something with chicer packaging
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
RRP: £21.95 for 40ml | Key ingredients: Thermal spring water, D-sensinose™ | Fragranced: No
Avène is another French pharmacy brand that is synonymous with the best moisturisers for sensitive skin category and another that you’ll find recommended by dermatologists up and down the country. Designed specifically for reactive and allergic complexions, the Tolérance Control Soothing Skin Recovery Cream has been proven in trials to calm the skin within 30 seconds and help to restore the skin barrier within 48 hours. (If you've ever wondered what is barrier cream, this is a great example).
We found it has a nice, reasonably thick texture that nourishes the skin without feeling greasy, providing deep comfort and hydration to help keep reactive skin calmer for longer – we can definitely attest to its calming qualities. It also contains a patented post-biotic called D-Sensinose to soothe rebalance the skin barrier. All this means it's also earnt Allergy UK's official seal of approval.
Reasons to buy: Soothes angry skin quickly
Reasons to avoid: You need a really rich cream for dry skin (though this is available in a thicker Balm version)
Reviewed by: Sennen Prickett
RRP: £16.50 for 88ml | Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, bisabolol, niacinamide | Fragranced: No
Another affordable skincare brand that's loved by the fuss-free skincare crowd, this is a favourite of our Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett. "I love Cetaphil as a brand, thanks to their gentle formulas that are designed with sensitive skin in mind, and this fragrance-free moisturiser is no different. Its lightweight lotion formula effortlessly glides onto the skin and quickly absorbs, helping to immediately soothe the complexion while also encouraging long-lasting hydration.
"As it’s packed full of hyaluronic acid, you don’t need a lot of product to intensely moisturise the entire complexion," she continues. "It’s also worth noting that I have typically blemish-prone skin, however, I found this weightless moisturiser doesn’t clog my pores as other heavier-duty buys would."
Reasons to buy: Very hydrating, good for blemish-prone skin
Reasons to avoid:
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
RRP: £22.50 for 40ml | Key ingredients: Ceramides | Fragranced: No
Curél is the number one skincare brand for sensitive skin in Japan, which is a pretty major endorsement, and all of the products are formulated with dehydrated skin and sensitivity in mind. Although it offers intensive moisture as its name suggests, this formula doesn’t feel heavy and coccoons your skin with moisture; we loved its silky texture that sits comfortably on the skin.
To help support and repair a compromised skin barrier, the formula contains unique Ceramide Care Technology to help boost your skin’s ceramide levels and lock in moisture; it's also (unsurprisingly) free from fragrance, alcohol and colorants. If, on the other hand, you prefer something lighter for your daily moisturiser, you could reach for the brand’s Moisture Facial Lotion instead, which we .
Reasons to buy: You need to hydrate and nourish dry sensitive skin
Reasons to avoid: Your skin is very oily; this is better suited to drier skin types
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
RRP: £72 for 50ml | Key ingredients: Ceramides, peptide complex | Fragranced: No
Kate Somerville is Hollywood’s go-to aesthetician, so you can trust that her products are top quality (even Meghan Markle said she was a fan before she became a royal). The DeliKate Recovery Cream was once only used on Kate’s clients after an in-clinic peel to "put out the fire" in post-tweakment skin, but it’s so good that she decided to release it to the masses.
And we are so glad she did because this is brilliant. It's a redness-reducing, tightness-ridding, skin-calming cream containing hero ingredients peptides and ceramides. There's also ginger root and Tasmanian pepper berry to help support the barrier. The texture is lovely, with a thick, cloud-like texture that doesn’t feel at all heavy or greasy on the skin. We found it really does plump and hydrate the skin without a hint of irritation. If any moisturiser should be described as comforting, it’s this one.
Reasons to buy: You want something thick – but not greasy – and comforting, with chic packaging
Reasons to avoid: You're working with a smaller budget; this is expensive for its size and to repurchase
Reviewed by: Lucy Abbersteen
RRP: £19 for 50ml | Key ingredients: SymSitive, glycerin | Fragranced: No
Eucerin is a longstanding go-to drugstore brand for those who seek the best moisturisers for sensitive skin as well as dry skin types with conditions like eczema. It might not be housed in the sexiest packaging around, but in our experience this moisturiser is excellent for uncomfortable, dry and hypersensitive skin.
It’s not too heavy and is free from any potentially irritating fragrance and alcohols, which would make it a particularly good choice for rosacea-prone skin. We found the texture to be a "just right" light cream; in other words, silky enough to sink in but rich enough to feel comforting when applied over tight and/or dry skin. Containing a unique active known as SymSitive, it helps to improve both sensitivity and reactivity in the skin for lasting relief.
Reasons to buy: Your skin is both dry and sensitive/irritated
Reasons to avoid: You don't want clinical-looking packaging
How we tested the best moisturisers for sensitive skin
To put these creams to the test, we drew upon our years of experience in the beauty industry testing creams and tested some new favourites. We also sought the opinion of dermatologists and skin experts to get their recommendations for those formulas that suit sensitive skin while testing. Though no two sensitive complexions are the same, testers had either sensitive skin by type or a complexion that is prone to periods of senstivity. All of the following factors were taken into account when making our selection and writing our reviews.
- Price: The cost of a product isn't necessarily an indication of how "good" it is, so we looked at value for money here – if a product was expensive for the size, it needed to really show in the formula and results.
- Packaging: Needed to be functional and easy from a user experience perspective, but chic designs and luxurious feels got bonus points.
- Ingredients: The inclusion of kin-barrier loving ingredients, such as ceramides,
- Fragrance: It's not always the case but, generally, sensitive skin types don't get on too well with fragrance. Ideally products would be free from this, as well as drying alcohols which can irritate sensitive skin, to make it into our best moisturiser for sensitive skin edit.
- How it felt on the application: Was the cream comfortable and soothing, or greasy and irritating? Getting on with sensitive skin as soon as the product applied was key.
- How skin felt through the day: The same applies here; skin needed to feel comfortable and, hopefully, somewhat soothed with wear.
How to choose the best moisturiser for sensitive skin
If your skin is sensitive, you’ve no doubt experienced the fun of buying a new moisturizer in the hopes that it’ll improve your complexion, only for your face to freak out. When it comes to finding the best moisturizers for sensitive skin (and the best face moisturizer in general) ingredients like ceramides and glycerin tick the right boxes – but which ingredients should you avoid on the label?
“The key with choosing moisturisers for sensitive skin is to look for a moisturizer which is ideally fragrance and essential oil-free,” explains Dr Mahto. “Opt for a product with a short or minimal ingredients list and, depending on whether the skin is dry or not, choose something high in emollients or humectants.” The other form of moisturizer, occlusives, can often be too heavy or rich as they are designed to trap moisture within the skin (skincare trend slugging works on this principle, so if you were wondering what is slugging, now you know)
"I would also advise avoiding heavily alcohol-based products or heavily perfumed products, and products shouldn’t be too exfoliant on the skin," adds consultant dermatologist and La Roche-Posay expert Dr Justine Hextall. "If you constantly exfoliate the skin you will start to disrupt the skin barrier. So you’re really looking for products that are going to hydrate the skin and calm the skin. That will start to improve your symptoms."
Our expert panel
Lucy Abbersteen is a freelance beauty editor and one of woman&home's contributing beauty editors. With close to a decade of experience in the industry, she's tested a lot of moisturisers in her time, and while her skin isn't sensitive by type, it does experience periods of sensitivity. That said, she does have eczema which tends to flare up on her neck during summer, so non-irritating moisturisers are a must in her routine.
Sennen is Digital Beauty Writer at woman&home, where she shares the latest beauty launches, trending buys and personal product recommendations, from makeup and hair to skincare and nails. She has sensitive combination skin that's also prone to the odd blemish, so one of the best moisturisers for sensitive skin is a mainstay of her routine.
Dr Anjali Mahto is a consultant dermatologist and the founder of the Self London clinic. A leading expert in the field, with a particular interest in acne, she treats sensitive skin (and the conditions that can make it so) on a daily basis. She is also the author of
Dr Ifeoma Ejikeme is an experienced aesthetic doctor, skin expert and founder & Medical Director of the Adonia Medical Clinic, where she sees a lot of patients with sensitive skin. She was also voted Best Aesthetic Doctor in the UK for 2023.
Dr Justine Hextall is a consultant dermatologist and the medical director of the Tarrant Street Clinic in Arundel, West Sussex. She also works closely with leading skincare brand La Roche-Posay. As a dermatologist, she also treats sensitive skin and related conditions on a daily basis.