Best overall
CeraVe
Moisturizing Cream
8.8Excellent
A fragrance-free ceramide and petrolatum cream that remains the default barrier moisturizer for dry face and body skin at a drugstore price.
Cream5$19.99
Hydrate · Barrier
Barrier repair
13 products we review are built for barrier repair — 38% of them moisturizers. The ingredients doing most of the work: glycerin, niacinamide and ceramides. Most are made for dry skin, sensitive skin and normal skin.
Water in, water kept: humectants, plumping and barrier repair for skin that feels comfortable all day.
Top rated
The barrier repair podium.
The ingredients behind it
Key actives in the products that deliver barrier repair — tap one for what it does and how strong the evidence is.
Often paired with
Benefits that tend to come along for the ride.
13 products
Every barrier repair pick.
13 products
Best overall
CeraVe
Hydrating Facial Cleanser
8.6Excellent
A fragrance-free, non-foaming ceramide cleanser that cleans without tightness — the default pick for normal to dry and sensitive skin.
Cleanser4$15.99
Community favorite Trending
Aestura
Atobarrier 365 Cream
8.4Great
A ceramide-dense Korean barrier cream with visible capsules that has become a Reddit favorite for dry, sensitive and retinoid-stressed skin.
Cream5$32.00
Sensitive-skin pick
La Roche-Posay
Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
8.4Great
A light, oil-free ceramide and niacinamide face cream that Reddit routinely recommends for sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Cream4$24.99
Community favorite
La Roche-Posay
Toleriane Hydrating Gentle Facial Cleanser
8.4Great
A fragrance-free, sulfate-free cream cleanser with ceramide-3 and niacinamide that dermatologists keep recommending for dry, sensitive skin.
Cleanser4$19.99
Derm favorite
CeraVe
SA Cream for Rough & Bumpy Skin
8.3Great
A fragrance-free salicylic and lactic acid cream with ceramides that reliably softens rough, bumpy skin for a drugstore price.
Cream4$25.99
Derm favorite
CeraVe
Acne Foaming Cream Cleanser
8.2Great
A 4% benzoyl peroxide wash cushioned with ceramides, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid — an easier-to-tolerate BPO cleanser for breakouts.
Cleanser4$17.99
Cult favorite Trending
COSRX
Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence
7.9Good
The K-beauty hydration staple: 96% snail mucin in a lightweight, fragrance-free essence that most skin types tolerate, at a fair price.
Essence5$25.00
Budget pick
Cetaphil
Gentle Skin Cleanser
7.8Good
The classic milky, fragrance-free cleanser, now sulfate-free with niacinamide and panthenol — basic, gentle and easy to find anywhere.
Cleanser4$12.99
Cult favorite Trending
Kiehl's
Ultra Facial Cream with Squalane
7.8Good
A fragrance-free 4.5% squalane cream that delivers dependable everyday hydration for most skin types at a premium per-ounce cost.
Cream5$39.00
ILIA
Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40
7.6Good
A dewy serum skin tint with 12% zinc oxide SPF 40 in 30 shades, made with sensitive skin in mind; coverage is light.
SPF 405$48.00
Nécessaire
The Body Wash
7.6Good
A gentle, niacinamide-and-oil gel wash that cleans without stripping, with spa-like scents and a premium price per ounce.
Body wash4$28.00
Splurge
Tatcha
The Dewy Skin Cream
7.2Good
A rich, scented line-plumping cream loved for its dewy finish and makeup prep, but costly and not for fragrance-sensitive skin.
Cream4$74.00