All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Moisturizer is the cornerstone of any skincare regimen, but there is no such thing as the single best moisturizer for men. Sure, there can be a winner that satisfies most skin types and needs, but every guy should do himself a favor and build a skincare routine around his own specific skin needs. What works on oily skin may not be great for dry skin. Ditto for acne-prone skin versus sensitive skin—and what about people with sensitive and acne-prone concerns? Well, clearly there's a lot to consider.
Don’t let that complicate your search for the right product, though. Instead, scroll through the picks below to see if something feels like it’s missing from your routine. What exactly should you expect from a moisturizer, though?
“The role of a moisturizer can be multi-faceted,” explains board-certified dermatologist Kunal Malik, MD, of Spring Street Dermatology in NYC. “Its primary role is hydrating and replenishing moisture lost throughout the day. It should also help strengthen the skin’s barrier function, protecting it, and sealing in active ingredients.” (Active ingredients are the part of a product that's actively working to better your skin—such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, Vitamin C) Dr. Malik points out that, because of these functions, moisturizer plays both defensive and proactive roles—in building barrier reinforcements and actively moisturizing and containing treatment-focused ingredients.
So, which is the best men’s moisturizer for you? Read on for my tried-and-true picks and advice for finding the right one for your specific skin needs.
The Best Men’s Moisturizers At a Glance
- The Best Moisturizer for Men Overall: PrettyBoy Revival Recovery Gel Moisturizer
- The Best Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin Men: Jackfir The Classic Daily Facial Moisturizer
- The Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin Men: Cardon Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
- The Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin Men: Marin Soothing Hydration Cream
- The Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin Men: Cetaphil Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Lotion
- The Best Moisturizer for Normal Skin Men: Thayers Soak it Up 80Hr Liquid Moisturizer
- The Best Men's Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream
- The Best Moisturizer for Treating Inflammation: Tata Harper Calming Crème
- The Best SPF Moisturizer for Men: Supergoop Triple Prep Weightless Multitasking Moisturizer SPF 40
- The Best Night Moisturizer for Men: Protocol Water Lock
The Best Moisturizer for Sensitive Skin Men: Jackfir The Classic Daily Facial Moisturizer
Why we love it: If you have sensitive skin, may I suggest building an entire regimen out of Jackfir products? Let this moisturizer be your centerpiece since its aloe-powered formula will keep skin cool, calm, and hydrated. It’s also a terrific moisturizer for dry skin (which is how my partner relies on it), whereas my oily and acne-prone self will use it in wintertime or overnight when the dermis-drying heater is cranked up. Jackfir’s premise is that their products clear almost every bar regarding sensitivity concerns, with certifications from EWG and Leaping Bunny.
The Best Moisturizer for Men Overall: PrettyBoy Revival Recovery Gel Moisturizer
Why we love it: If only I could give each and every one of you this moisturizer, I would in a heartbeat. And I’m certain you would all love it too: The high concentration of active ingredients in this one will benefit your skin rather than serve as a marketing ploy. As someone who overuses skincare products as part of my job, I look to PrettyBoy’s hydrator to center my skin—with its soothing and barrier-reinforcing recipe. But on top of that, this one can be pretty much anything you need it to be (and all of those things at once), from lightweight day cream to high-powered recovery night cream. It suits every single skin type. It can nourish your facial hair and prevent flaking beneath the beard. It can cushion skin and shield it after a shave and even neutralize your need for an eye cream. PrettyBoy is the first men-centric brand to earn the National Eczema Association’s Seal of Acceptance, so with that foundation, it’s universally friendly for all skin types. Seriously, it’s so good.
The Best Moisturizer for Oily Skin Men: Cardon Hydro Boost Gel Moisturizer
Why we love it: In terms of grooming products, we should mark time as “BC” and “AC”—Before Cardon and After Cardon. I can’t fathom how I ever got by without their core products, including this stellar lightweight gel. It’s perfect on my oily skin, no matter the time of day or night, and even my dry-skinned partner will use it as his go-to morning moisturizer (he will wear something denser at bedtime, though). It’s brilliant at controlling the redness I am prone to around my nose and cheeks, too, and layers beautifully underneath a daily SPF. Seriously, if you ever want me to wax poetic about a favorite all-time brand, here’s my frontrunner and one of their best products. (The Clay Cleanser and SPF 30 Moisturizer are to die for, too. In fact, that’s a nearly perfect regimen right there. It really can be that easy.)
The Best Moisturizer for Dry Skin Men: Marin Soothing Hydration Cream
Why we love it: This cult-favorite cream out of Lobsterville, Maine (aka Portland) is one of my favorite products I got acquainted with this past year. It’s a multitasking hydrator, as replenishing for your cracked knuckles, hangnails, and ashy elbows as it is for your dry mug. (For that reason, I suggest you opt for the larger tube.) My partner’s praises are like mine but multiplied since this nourishing cream salvaged his itchy, flaky skin after we moved and adapted to different water and air qualities in a new city. As someone whose hands are constantly parched from testing cleansing products (and from too-hot showers), this is a great last-step product before bed, to ensure I wake with supple skin—and fall asleep faster since I’m not agitated by how dry things feel. It’s like an instant quenching of thirst. It is a bit too dense for my oily skin on most days but serves as a brilliant recovery cream when I need that extra assurance from a moisture-trapping product.
The Best Moisturizer for Combination Skin Men: Cetaphil Daily Oil-Free Hydrating Lotion
Why we love it: Your dermatologist’s favorite drugstore brand has a roster of products that are perfect for every skin type. This one satisfies a vast majority of us: it wears light enough like a gel to never suffocate the oilier patches of skin, while also doubling down on hydration to center the more dryer skin types. Whether you have a combination of both, or are on a specific side of the oil-level spectrum, this gentle moisturizer will keep your skin soft and satisfied. It’s especially useful as a post-shave moisturizer, since it is replenishing and gentle on freshly compromised skin, too.
The Best Moisturizer for Normal Skin Men: Thayers Soak it Up 80Hr Liquid Moisturizer
Why we love it: Thayers is rounding out its reputation as a regimen-focused label (as opposed to its notoriety as just being the best toner in the game). And among its roster of moisturizers that target different skin types, this one will satisfy the most users. Its consistency is dense enough to benefit dry skin types, but light enough to never throw balanced skin out of whack. Personally, I can’t vouch for its claims to last 80 hours (since in that timeframe, I’ve probably washed my face a dozen times and tested 30 different products), but I can stand by its ability to revive tired skin from the brinks of dullness to keep things as “normal” and regulated as possible.
The Best Men's Moisturizer for Acne-Prone Skin: COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream
.png)
Why we love it: The fever and adoration for COSRX’s cream is real. And yes, it really is fueled by snail secretions (ethically sourced at that!). I’d endorse this stuff for pretty much every skin type, which is why I’m logging it here under “acne prone”—since they have some fairly specific needs beyond other types. I’m the kind to use serums, treatments, and cleansers to target my own blemishes and to layer a dense-but-not-occlusive barrier over the top of those serums and treatments (you know, something to trap the actives inside the skin while nourishing from the outside). While the craze around “slugging” suggests occlusive and skin-blanketing protection from moisture loss, this snail-mucin moisturizer is far more lightweight to never suffocate pores and yield more blemishes. Quite the opposite, especially when I’ve layered retinol or salicylic acid beneath.
The Best Moisturizer for Treating Inflammation: Tata Harper Calming Crème
Why we love it: This one is an investment, but if you are looking for a remedial, eczema-neutralizing recipe, then tada: Tata Harper’s new cooling and calming cream is it. This highly active formula even has the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association and works wonders as a makeshift night mask when your skin is especially in need of repair and rejuvenation (perhaps post-shave, post-razor burn, or post-binge drink). Use it exactly as that if the investment feels too steep for everyday moisturizing. It’s a brilliant bullpen ringer.
The Best SPF Moisturizer for Men: Supergoop Triple Prep Weightless Multitasking Moisturizer SPF 40
- Tested by Adam Hurly, Reviewed by Adam Hurly
Why we love it: This could just as well be the “best overall” winner on this roster, given that I largely encourage guys to combine moisturizer and SPF into one daytime step. Supergoop’s formula is pillow light—almost impossibly invisible in terms of skin feel, and yet extremely shielding in terms of UV defenses. My partner and I have actually fought over “whose moisturizer this is” whenever we get down to the last application, even though there are dozens of terrific backup options ready to deploy. Supergoop, I adore you and all of your suncare assortment—but this product most of all.
The Best Night Moisturizer for Men: Protocol Water Lock
Why we love it: If I want to go to bed without any concern for how the bedroom air (be it humid or dry) will impact my skin as I sleep, then I wear Water Lock over top of my serums and retinol. It’s the perfect night cream, especially for anyone whose bedtime regimen has additional steps that need to be trapped inside the skin in order to perform their best. And so, pretty much every single night, I’m layering on Protocol’s product as a final step in my regimen unless it’s so egregiously humid and hot that I need just a lightweight gel. This terrific balm is the epitome of “slugging,” a generous (but never suffocating) occlusive that ensures I wake up looking rested and radiant. And despite my skin being on the more oil and acne-prone side, I have had zero issues with the weight of this balm, of which I currently have three tubes.
What to Know About Different Skin Types
Remember, no two people have the same needs from a skincare product; typically, you should factor in your skin’s oil levels (including a lack of oil), as well as conditions like acne, sensitivity, loss of resilience over time, and more. Here are the key qualities to look for in a moisturizer based on key skin conditions and demands.
Dr. Malik says to choose light, oil-free, water-based formulas, and bonus points if they promise to have non-comedogenic ingredients (meaning their formulas are proven to not clog pores). For this same reason, you’ll want to avoid hefty suffocating creams and oil-heavy products, he notes. (Hey, your skin makes enough sebum as it is!)
Read More: How to Deal with Oily Skin
Look for moisture-drawing ingredients, known as humectants (hyaluronic acid, glycerin, urea), says Dr. Malik—as well as skin-softening emollients (urea doubles as this, plus squalene and shea butter). Many dry-skin moisturizers have a richer feeling texture than other options, he adds. Also, avoid formulas heavy on alcohol as well as added (artificial) fragrance.
Read More: 5 Ways to Get Rid of Dry Skin
With sensitive skin, you don’t want many bells and whistles. Formulas should be fragrance-free, paraben-free, lanolin-free, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, and alcohol-free. Ideally, the brand will signal as much with its messaging, too, noting that the product is safe for the most sensitive skin types. Dr. Malik says to look for soothing ingredients such as colloidal oatmeal, as well as skin-barrier-boosting ones like ceramides.
If you are prone to pimples, you have to balance this with other skin variables (like dryness, oiliness, sensitivity, etc). So your search for the best product becomes one of balance and priorities. But universally, be sure your products are non-comedogenic, with oil-free formulas, says Dr. Malik. Ideally, your regimen will include acne-fighting ingredients somewhere, though it doesn’t have to be your moisturizer that pulls all that weight. (Those pore-clearing ingredients include salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and niacinamide.) Make sure any moisturizer wears light and isn’t occlusive—as in, it won’t totally seal off the skin.
Read More: 8 Habits to Prevent Acne
If your skin is oily in some parts (like the T zone), and dry in others (often the cheeks), then you could be classified as having combination skin. For this, Dr. Malik says you want to choose products similar to oily skin (as outlined above)—“but consider balanced formulas with a blend of hydrating and oil-controlling ingredients,” he says.
If you can’t log any complaints about being overly oily or overly dry, then lucky you. For this kind of “normalcy” (which isn’t so normal as it is rare), Dr. Malik says to prioritize lightweight formulas with hydrating ingredients (think hyaluronic acid, squalene, and glycerin).
For skin that has lost buoyancy, softness, and resilience over time, you want to prioritize hydrating ingredients to help with dryness—“since dryness makes fine lines look worse,” notes Dr. Malik). He advises using anti-aging ingredients such as retinols, peptides, vitamin C, and niacinamide. “Some [optimal] moisturizers may include exfoliating actives such as alpha hydroxy acids (glycolic and lactic acids), too.” Lastly, be sure your daytime moisturizer includes SPF (though we hope most skin types heed this advice through all their years).