10 Amazing Drugstore Moisturizers For All Skin Types In 2024
If you’re looking for a great moisturizer that won’t break the bank, a drugstore moisturizer is the way to go. Luxury skincare products may be all the rage, but you don’t need to spend a fortune to get the same results.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of the best drugstore moisturizers for all skin types, so you can get soft, hydrated, and nourished skin without spending a fortune.
Our Top Picks
Best for Sensitive Skin: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
Best Hydrating: Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturizer
Best for Acne: Neutrogena Refreshingly Clear Moisturiser
Best Budget: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
Best SPF: CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF
Best for Mature Skin: Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream
Best for Dry Skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer
Best Body Moisturizer: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
Best Dermatologist-Approved: La Roche Posay Double Repair
Best for Aging Skin: The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer
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Best for Sensitive Skin: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Glycolic Acid
- Key Features: Non-comedogenic, dermatologist-tested, for face & hands, ideal for dry skin conditions, not oily
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
Vanicream Moisturizing Cream is the best drugstore moisturizer for sensitive skin due to its gentle, yet hydrating ingredients.
This may be a basic moisturizer, but that’s exactly what makes it so effective! It’s perfect for skin that struggles to retain moisture, like aging or dry skin, but works well for all skin types. Extremely gentle, its primary function is to deeply hydrate and restore moisture.
It’s also great for soothing irritated or itchy skin, making it ideal for those with conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or ichthyosis. If you’ve been breaking out from other creams, I highly recommend trying this one!
Suitable for both day and night use, the texture is thick but non-greasy, absorbing easily into the skin without leaving an oily residue.
Best Hydrating: Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturizer
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Pro-vitamin B5, vitamin E and bisabolol
- Key Features: For sensitive skin, lightweight, hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturizer is amazing for sensitive skin. Hydrating, yet lightweight, it has the ideal balance.
Get soft, hydrated skin with this moisturizer. It’s lightweight, non-greasy, and doesn’t clog pores, making it comfortable to wear all day. It’s affordable and effective, proving that good skincare doesn’t have to be expensive!
The fast-absorbing formula, enriched with vitamin B5 and vitamin E, delivers essential hydration without the wait making it ideal for all skin types!
Best for Acne: Neutrogena Refreshingly Clear Moisturiser
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: No
- Main Ingredients: Active salicylic acid
- Key Features: Ideal for acne-prone skin, oil-free, absorbs easily
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Neutrogena Refreshingly Clear Moisturizer is ideal for all skin types, in particular, acne-prone skin.
Neutrogena Refreshingly Clear Moisturizer comes in a tinted moisturizer and a regular one. Both contain active salicylic acid to eradicate acne. This moisturiser does wonders for pimples by balancing your oils.
Both versions are comfortable on the skin and not cakey or heavy. Easy to apply and blend, I love how my skin feels clean after using it .
Although its claim to fame is helping acne-prone skin, it actually works on all skin types including combination and dry.
Read more about oil-free moisturizers.
Best Budget: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Amino acids, dermal lipids, and hyaluronic acid
- Key Features: Protects the skin barrier, lightweight, non-greasy
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors is great for an affordable drugstore moisturizer.
Like all good moisturizers, The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors is formulated with ingredients that help protect the skin barrier as well as, hydrate the skin.
Made for all skin types, including dry, sensitive and rosacea-prone skin. I love how the moisturizer is lightweight and comfortable to wear. It doesn’t leave any tacky on the skin, that’s all too common with moisturizers.
Intrigued by The Ordinary? Check out my favourite skincare products by The Ordinary here!
Best SPF: CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Ceramides, hyaluronic acid, niacinamide
- Key Features: Oil-free, non-comedogenic, helps restore the skin’s protective barrier, absorbs quickly
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizing Lotion is the best moisturizer with SPF. Made for all skin types, everyone can benefit from this gentle, non-irritating moisturizer, including those with sensitive skin as well as dry skin, oily skin and acne-prone skin.
This moisturizer keeps my skin soft and smooth all day, thanks to its skin-friendly ingredients. It also helps repair the skin barrier and locks in moisture.
With broad-spectrum SPF 30, it protects against UVA and UVB rays, making it ideal for morning use. My favorite part is that, despite the SPF, it feels like a regular moisturizer and not sunscreen.
This moisturizer is:
- Accepted by the National Eczema Association
- Recommended for daily use by the Skin Cancer Foundation
- Developed with dermatologists
If you’re looking for a higher SPF count, check out my post on The Best Sunscreens for Sensitive Skin.
Best for Mature Skin: Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Both options are available
- Main Ingredients: Vitamin B3, hyaluronic acid, amino peptides
- Key Features: Firms, hydrates and plumps the skin, reduces wrinkles
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Olay Regenerist Micro-sculpting Cream is the best drugstore moisturizer for those with mature skin. It helps reduce visible signs of aging and improves the skin over time.
Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream is designed to reduce wrinkles, hydrate, improve elasticity, and plump the skin. Packed with powerful ingredients that strengthen the skin barrier, add moisture and boost collagen, it’s no wonder this cream is a bestseller.
Olay recommends using it as the final step in your nighttime routine, though it can also be used as a day cream. The rich, soft white cream feels moisturizing without being heavy or greasy. It quickly blurs fine lines, especially around the eyes, and dries to a smooth, demi-matte finish. Over time, you’ll notice reduced lines and firmer, more supple skin.
Initially, your skin may feel drier—this is just the vitamin B3 working to regenerate and remove dead skin cells. While it’s a bit pricey for drugstore skincare, the visible results make it worth the investment!
Read more on the best moisturizers for mature skin here.
Best for Dry Skin: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Hyaluronic Gel Matrix
- Key Features: Oil-free, water-based, non-comedogenic, absorbs quickly, calming
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer is the best drugstore moisturizer for dry skin due to its intensely hydrating ingredients and how it keeps moisture in the skin.
The Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Moisturizer is one of the top-selling budget moisturizers, and it’s clear why. Its unique Hyaluronic Gel Matrix locks in moisture all day, continuously releasing hydration to keep your skin soft and fresh. This makes it ideal for dry skin, as it helps prevent patchiness and dryness throughout the day.
Not only is it great as a moisturizer, but it also doubles as a primer under makeup. Expect your skin to feel instantly refreshed, hydrated, and ready for the day with this lightweight yet effective moisturizer!
Best Body Moisturizer: Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Glycerin, vitamin B5 and E, niacinamide
- Key Features: Fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, dermatologist recommended, lightweight, non-greasy
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream is the best drugstore moisturizer for the body, but it can also be used for the face. Ideal for sensitive and irritated skin, this cream reverses it, giving you soft and relieved skin.
Simple and straightforward, this cream gets the job done! Don’t be put off by its no-frills appearance—it repairs the skin barrier in just one week.
By restoring your skin’s barrier, it offers lasting benefits, including better moisture retention and overall skin improvement. It’s especially soothing for itchy, irritated skin, making it perfect for sensitive skin.
The lightweight, non-greasy texture is ideal for extra dry areas that only get worse over time. It helps with dryness, irritation, roughness, and tightness, while strengthening the skin barrier for healthier skin overall.
Sold as a body cream, it works well on the face too. Read more on the best body creams for dry skin here.
Best Dermatologist-Approved: La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Niacinamide, ceramide and glycerin
- Key Features: All-day hydration, fixes skin barrier, non-comedogenic, dermatologists and allergy-tested, safe for sensitive skin, SPF 30
- Cruelty-free: No
Is it for you?
La Roche Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer is the best dermatologist-recommended drugstore moisturizer. It’s ideal for anyone with sensitive skin that’s dry and needs some intense nourishment.
La Roche Posay is a drugstore brand, but you can easily mistake it for a luxury one! Yep, their skincare products are that good!
Loved by dermatologists worldwide, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer gives all-day hydration and skin barrier support. The brand claims it can replenish the skin’s barrier in just one hour after application.
It’s gentle enough for sensitive skin, yet powerful enough to soothe dry, irritated, and flaky skin. A little goes a long way, applying smoothly without feeling greasy and absorbing quickly. With SPF 30, it’s perfect for daytime use. No wonder it’s a favorite for so many!
Best for Aging Skin: The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer
IN A NUTSHELL
- Fragrance-Free: Yes
- Main Ingredients: Royal Epigen P5, Hydrating Peptide Solution
- Key Features: Repairs skin, lightweight, fast absorbing, non-sticky
- Cruelty-free: Yes
Is it for you?
The Inkey List Peptide Moisturizer drugstore moisturizer for aging skin. Its ingredients target damaged and aging skin, but really, all skin types can benefit from this affordable moisturizer!
The Inkey List has some fabulous skincare and the Peptide Moisturizer is no exception. Designed to promote cell renewal, it protects and repairs damaged and aging skin.
Lightweight and fast-absorbing, it offers deep hydration and anti-aging benefits without feeling sticky. Suitable for all skin types, it’s also safe for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, which is a rare and valued feature.
Common Moisturizer FAQs
How often should you apply moisturizer?
The general rule of thumb is to apply moisturizer every morning and evening before you go to bed. That being said, everyone needs to assess their own skin and figure out the correct balance. Some need to apply moisturizer more, and some less, depending on how dry and irritated the skin is.
What step in the skincare routine is applying moisturizer?
Moisturizer is always the last step in your skincare routine before SPF. Obviously, in the evening, it’s the last step because you don’t need SPF. Apply your serums, retinol and any other creams before moisturising and wait a minute or two for them to absorb properly.
My Thoughts
Don’t be discouraged if your first moisturizer isn’t perfect—finding the right one for your skin can take some trial and error, as everyone’s skin reacts differently.
With a variety of affordable drugstore moisturizers available for all skin types and concerns, you’re sure to find one that works for you. Many drugstore options can even outperform expensive luxury brands. Remember, high price doesn’t always mean better quality or results.
Don’t forget to explore drugstore concealers and drugstore foundations for budget-friendly, high-quality makeup!
UP NEXT: The Best Moisturizer For Mature Skin In 2024
Hollie xx
About Hollie
Hi, I’m Hollie, and I’m passionate about everything beauty. Over the last decade and a half, I’ve tested thousands of products to bring you the best of the best! I also love bringing you fun and creative beauty looks. Learn more.
Beauty profile – 35, dry, aging skin, focused on aging well with a healthy glow and natural makeup look ✨
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