You’re Using the Wrong Moisturizer in Cold Weather—9 Barrier Creams That Actually Nourish Your Skin
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When the air is crisp and cold, your skin might feel thirstier than usual. With winter right around the corner, the forecast is only getting drier and more frigid, so we’re stocking our shelves with the best skincare for winter dry skin. This includes the best barrier creams to slather onto your complexion when the temps drop below freezing (or—sorry to say it—your skin starts to flake).
The Best Barrier Creams for Winter
- Best Overall: Colorescience Barrier Pro™ Essential Moisturizer, $78
- Best Drugstore Brand: Avene Cicalfate+ Restorative Protective Cream, $19 (was $26)
- Best for Fine Lines: EltaMD Barrier Renewal Complex, $62
- Best for All Skin Types: Farmacy Honey Halo Ultra-Hydrating Ceramide Moisturizer, $37 (was $48)
- Best Budget: BYOMA Barrier Repair Treatment, $19
- Best Lightweight: Skinfix Skin Barrier Restoring + Pore Refining Gel Cream, $54
- Best Long-Lasting: rhode Barrier Restore Cream Comforting Daily Moisturizer, $32
- Best for Daytime: Tower 28 SOS Daily Skin Barrier Redness Recovery Moisturizer, $24
- Best for Nighttime: Drunk Elephant Bora Barrier Repair Cream, $74
As their name suggests, these creams exist to quite literally repair our skin’s moisture barrier with nourishing and deeply hydrating ingredients that can improve moisture levels, improve suppleness, and make the skin feel a little more equipped to handle the frost.
When to Use Barrier Creams
“Barrier creams can be used year-round, but many people find them most beneficial in the winter, because they are particularly good at preventing damage and dryness caused by cold, harsh winter air,” says Dr. Dendy Engelman, MD, FACMS, FAAD, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist and Mohs surgeon at Shafer Clinic in New York City. Since these creams are thicker, heavier formulas, she recommends using them at the end of your skincare routine, either as the last step at night or right before applying sunscreen during the day.
According to Erica Marie Gatt, esthetician and founder of EM Skin Studio, barrier creams can also be applied as a treatment for addressing temporary harsh temperatures. “If you plan on skiing in the mountains this winter, you may want to apply a barrier cream due to the cool temperatures, heaters, and high altitude, which can lead to excessive dryness, eczema, and other skin conditions.”
As Dr. Engelman notes, barrier creams can be used year-round, but it all depends on skin type and climate. If you live somewhere hot and humid, she doesn’t recommend a barrier cream for regular use since they are heavy and occlusive formulas. This means that the cream creates a layer that protects the skin and prevents transepidermal water loss. “While that is a good thing in cold, dry climates, in hot temperatures, it can trap in sweat, oil, and bacteria, thus clogging pores and leading to acne breakouts,” she explains.
What Makes Barrier Creams Special?
When it comes to moisurizing the skin, barrier creams are elite. These formulas contain nourishing ingredients and a thicker consistency that hydrate, protect, and help heal the skin’s barrier. “You need to have a healthy skin barrier to have healthy skin,” says Gatt. Barrier creams also create a layer on top of the skin, which Dr. Engelman says can keep unwanted stressors from coming into contact with your skin and wreaking havoc.
How Often Should I Use a Barrier Cream?
Barrier cream usage will vary depending on your skin type, the climate, and your skin concerns. According to Gatt, you can add it into your routine daily, once a week, or as a spot treatment on dry patches. To get an idea of how often to use a barrier cream, Dr. Engelman says to evaluate your complexion and look for signs of a compromised skin barrier. “Experiencing dryness, redness, and flaking is a strong indicator that your skin barrier is in a vulnerable state and could benefit from a barrier cream,” she explains.
The Best Barrier Creams to Slather Onto Your Skin This Winter
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Key Ingredients: Tri-molecular hyaluronic acid, prickly pear cactus extract, apple fruit extract, snow mushroom extract, goji berry extract, lactobacillus ferment, squalane, Crystalide™, Vital ET™, hydrolyzed pea protein
Key Ingredients: Squalane, ceramides, biotin, tocopherol, Caprooyl Phytosphingosine, Caprooyl Sphingosine
Key Ingredients: C+ Restore, copper, Avene thermal spring water
Key Ingredients: Ceramide blend, buckwheat honey with propolis and royal jelly, fig fruit extract
Key Ingredients: Tri-ceramide complex, avocado oil, ectoin, squalane
Once applied, my skin feels moisturized without appearing greasy. It sinks into my skin quickly, instead of sitting atop my skin like some other moisturizers do (I don’t love it when my complexion looks like it has a dewy layer of product that hasn’t absorbed). Within my first week of using the cream, I could already see clear results. Exhibit A: I had picked at a blemish right before testing the Skinfix gel cream, and I swear the dark spot healed and flaked off faster than usual, without leaving behind a lingering scar. If you have oily skin and are looking for a neutral, no-fuss moisturizer formula, this one’s for you. Its lipid complex, niacinamide, peptides, hyaluronic acid, and saccharide isomerate keep your moisture barrier in tip-top condition and leave behind a healthier overall appearance. I also love the airless pump jar packaging. It feels more hygienic, and you can easily control how much product you use. Overall, this is a winner in my book, and while I don’t always use up every sample I receive from a brand, I know I’ll empty this jar (and maybe even repurchase it).”—Katie Decker-Jacoby, Commerce Editor at StyleCaster
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, fatty acid-rich oils
Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid complex, polyglutamic acid, murumuru butter, ceramide NP
Key Ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid
“Drunk Elephant may not be trending with the teens anymore, but I’ve been an OG user since 2015—my mid-20s. Now, as a 35-year-old, I swear by Bora Barrier’s thick, moisture-locking formula at night as a final step in my night routine. It’s really a triple-whammy formulation that knocks back redness and inflammation (I have slight rosacea, so I need that), plumps skin and makes it look more youthful by morning, and, over time, helps with firmness and wrinkles. I swear it’s the only nighttime moisturizer you really need, especially in the wintertime. I have combo skin that’s prone to blemishes when I’m stressed, and this has never broken me out.”—Gina Vaynshteyn, Editorial Director at StyleCaster
Key Ingredients: 6 butterlipid complex, zinc and copper gluconates, alpha-glucan
Other Barrier Creams to Consider
- Murad Cellular Hydration Barrier Repair Serum, $39
- Dieux Instant Angel Lipid-Rich Firming Moisturizer, $45
- Versed Daily Recovery Rich Barrier Cream, $20
- The Outset Botanical Barrier Rescue Balm, $38
- Skinfix Barrier+ Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream, $54
- Mad Hippie Ultra Rich Barrier Cream, $18
- Glossier After Baume, $34
- Mary Kay Clinical Solutions™ Barrier Restore 1:1:3, $46
