Finding The Best Winter Moisturiser for Your Skin

If there’s one thing that we can’t get through winter without, it’s a face moisturiser (followed by hot chocolate in second place). Without it, the skin feels tight, dry, and just straight-up uncomfortable. If you’re pulling a funny face right about now as this sounds all too familiar and yet you haven’t skipped a single day of moisturising your face, it’s because your current moisturiser isn’t cut out for the cold. 

There comes a day every winter season when our skin demands more moisture from us and it’s time to invest in a thicker, richer formula oozing with hydration. And that day my friends, is today. We’ve rounded up our go-to winter-winning moisturisers that meet your moisture needs and then some. 

For Sensitive Skin: ETUDE HOUSE Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream (60ml) - £19.50 

If winter is the least wonderful time of the year for your sensitive skin, try ETUDE HOUSE Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream. The 93% naturally derived, hydrating formula is rich in ingredients that’ll shield your skin from irritation, including sunflower seed oil and green tea leaf extract for antioxidant and antimicrobial protection, madecassoside (extracted from the leaves of the centella asiatica plant) to reinforce the skin’s barrier, and a form of vitamin B5 for skin cell repair. A match made in heaven for sensitive souls. 

For Anti-Ageing: 23 YEARS OLD Bakuchiol A Cream (50ml) - £25.00 

Retinol is the gold-standard ingredient when it comes to anti-ageing, but it can be harsh on the skin, and when combined with cold weather, it can irritate even the toughest of skin types. Featuring the natural alternative to retinol, this anti-ageing face moisturiser for winter contains 0.5% bakuchiol to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, stimulate skin cell renewal, and restore volume and elasticity. Houttuynia cordata extract adds moisture and helps to regulate sebum production (because oily skin types never get a day off) while panthenol works to strengthen the skin’s barrier and lighten dark spots. 

For Redness: PURITO Centella Unscented Recovery Cream (50ml) - £17.50

Red face who? PURITO Centella Unscented Recovery Cream features a high concentration of centella asiatica extract with powerful healing properties to instantly relieve inflamed skin and calm redness, all whilst rebuilding the skin’s barrier to keep future irritants out preventing flushed skin today, tomorrow, and every other day after that. Plus, niacinamide increases hydration, evens out skin tone, and brightens the overall complexion for results that’ll make you (not your face) light up for a total bargain of £17.50. 

For Dry Skin: ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Concentreate Cream (200ml) - £21.50

The struggle is real for dry skin types during colder months as dryness weakens the skin’s barrier, meaning impurities and environmental stressors can slip right through the cracks and send your skin into chaos. Say no to nonsense and try ILLIYOON Ceramide Ato Concentreate Cream with award-winning, fast-absorbing ceramide capsules that burst when applied to renew your skin’s barrier and enhance its ability to retain moisture to prevent dry, flaky skin. To top it off, ginseng root and perilla seed extracts make it a frosty-time favourite with their anti-inflammatory and soothing properties. 

For Oily/Combo Skin: PYUNKANG YUL Nutrition Cream (100ml) - £26.00

This face moisturiser by PYUNKANG YUL is ideal for the winter season as it provides deep hydration to parched oily/combo skin types without pilling or leaving behind a thick, greasy film on the skin. Enriched with a ton of beeswax for nutrients (it’s all in the name), macadamia integrifolia seed oil for calmness, and astragalus membranaceus extract for antioxidant protection and collagen production, it’s like a warm, health-boosting hug for the skin. 

For Brightening: COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream - £26.50

Beat winter blues with this brightening moisturiser formulated with 92% snail mucin to revitalise tired, dull-looking skin. In addition to the hyaluronic acid found naturally in snail mucin, COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All in One Cream also features sodium hyaluronate. This is a smaller form of hyaluronic acid that can penetrate deeper into the skin for longer-lasting moisture, keeping it plump and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.