CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream is jam-packed with restorative ingredients.
After almost three years of living in COVID times, we are no strangers to frequent hand washing and sanitizing. Unfortunately, excessive hand washing can dry out your skin fast. Thankfully rich, emollient hand creams can help alleviate and soothe dry, irritated hands with minimal effort.
Anyone and everyone can use a hand cream, but people who work in labor-intensive jobs, such as construction or as an ER nurse, may reach for hand creams more often than not. Additionally, cold temperatures or dry climates might irritate the skin on your hands, resulting in a greater need for moisturizing hand creams.
When hunting for a great hand cream, there are multiple factors to consider. If you have super sensitive skin, you’ll want to avoid any formulas with added fragrance. For those with atopic dermatitis, you want to look for soothing ingredients like colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, and shea butter. If you’re looking for an anti-aging cream, antioxidants are your best bet.
Choosing our winners involved researching and testing some of the best hand creams on the market. We looked for formulas that help with specific skin concerns, including sensitive skin, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and anti-aging. We tested over a dozen hand creams for two weeks and evaluated each product for its texture, scent, moisturizing benefits, and overall feeling and then rated them based on consistency, absorbency, moisturizing properties, and fragrance. We are continuously researching and testing the most popular hand creams on the market and will keep updating you with our top recommendations as we go along.
Best Overall: Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Touch Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It’s incredibly lightweight and doubles as a cuticle cream as well.
It’s Worth Noting: While the scent is heavenly, we do find it fades fairly quickly.
After testing Sol De Janiero’s Brazilian Touch Hand Cream, it was clear this vegan, made without mineral oils, phthalates, or parabens, hand cream is the Best Cruelty Free Hand Cream.
With a soft and subtle warm and spicy vanilla scent, Sol De Janiero’s Brazilian Touch Hand Cream left our hands feeling supple, moisturized, hydrated, and amazingly soft. This hand lotion is created with cupuaçu butter which is rich in fatty acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants that benefit your skin’s natural oil barrier and aids in plumping up the skin, giving a younger, more youthful appearance, brazil nut selenium which helps the skin protect itself against dryness and squalene which replenishes the skin’s moisture when your hands have gotten dry.
We found that this concealer was extremely lightweight and absorbs almost instantly without feeling greasy. It immediately left our hands feeling hydrated and moisturized. A pea sized amount went a very long way and after initial application we didn’t feel the need to reapply for hours. There was no post-application film after either.
You can use this hand cream as a cuticle cream as well, and the bottle is completely recyclable.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Cupuaçu Butter, Brazil Nut Selenium, Squalan
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 1.7 oz.
Best Budget: eos Shea Better Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It’s inexpensive and comes in several different scented options.
It’s Worth Noting: This product may not be best if you have severely dry skin.
We highly recommend Eos Shea Better 24HR Moisture Hand Cream as our best budget lotion to keep hands from drying out due to the thick texture, high absorbency, and wonderful scent and of course, it’s high value at a more affordable price.
Upon testing, we saw that even though it’s a thicker cream, it absorbed incredibly quickly. Our hands felt softer and smoother which is due to the combination of shea oil and shea butter in this product. For the value that comes with this product (and the several scent combinations) we think this is a great option for people with average skin dryness. If you have severely dry, cracked hands, this may not be the best product for you. That, and there was a slight residue after using the lotion but it did not last long.
It comes in different scents such as coconut, eucalyptus, pomegranate raspberry, vanilla cashmere, and lavender. We tested the coconut and it was noticeable enough that people around us could smell it, but we received nothing but compliments.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Shea Butter, Shea Oil
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 2.5 oz.
Best Natural: Eczema Honey Oatmeal Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It has the Seal of Acceptance by the National Eczema Association and contains natural, non-irritating ingredients.
It’s Worth Noting: It’s on the pricier side for a hand cream.
An award-winning hand cream with natural, good-for-your-skin ingredients, the Eczema Honey Oatmeal Hand Cream will keep flare-ups at bay and deeply moisturize your skin. The hydrating ingredients like vitamin E oil, avocado oil, sunflower seed oil, and shea butter work to soften hands, while the soothing ingredients like aloe vera juice, honey, and colloidal oatmeal work to calm, treat, and prevent eczema.
Don’t be deceived by the relatively thin formula—this hand cream leaves your hands feeling like you just applied a thick, luxe cream, but without that heavy feeling. This is a great option for anyone who prefers a thinner, almost gel-like consistency to their daily hand cream.
And while we love the formula, the price tag won’t be for everyone. Coming in at $25 per bottle, the Eczema Honey Oatmeal Hand Cream is a higher-end skincare product.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Vitamin E oil, avocado oil, shea butter, honey
- Scented: No
- Size: 4 oz.
Best for Super Dry Skin: Fenty Skin Hydra’Reset Intensive Recovery Glycerin Hand Mask
Why We Like It: It’s an overnight hand mask and is designed to naturally absorb moisture throughout the air.
It’s Worth Noting: The packaging can make this product difficult to dispense for some.
We were impressed after testing this Fenty hand mask. We give Fenty Skin Hydra’Reset Intensive Recovery Glycerin Hand Mask the best lotion to keep your hands from drying out for super dry hands because it’s a super hydrating luxurious feeling product that works overnight to give beautiful, radiant, soft skin that doesn’t dry out.
When testing this lotion, the lightweight gel-like cream spread around our hands like butter, and after about two minutes the gel was completely absorbed into the hand with no residue or oily feeling after. Our hands felt extremely moisturized post application, which we’re attributing to the glycerin which is a humectant (something that binds and locks in moisture found in the external environment), panthenol which is what penetrated the skin, conditioning and soothing it, and the murumuru & mango butters which hydrated, nourished, and soften it. This is an overnight hand mask that soaks in the skin while you’re resting or sleeping, so you don’t need to reapply throughout the day. This is great for people with super dry skin because it penetrates the skin deeper while moisturizing throughout the day due to the humectants.
There’s a very faint tropical fruit and floral scent, but it wasn’t super noticeable for us. It also comes in two sizes as well, a standard size and a smaller one best suited for travel or small spaces.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Glycerin, panthenol, murumuru and mango butters
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 1 oz., 2.5 oz.
Best Luxury: Chanel La Crème Main
Why We Like It: It’s rich, lightweight, and leaves our hands feeling moisturized without any “slick” feeling after.
It’s Worth Noting: It’s a small amount of product for the price.
Leave it to Fresh Beauty to create a truly sensorial moment—even when moisturizing your hands. This pick feels incredibly luxurious on the skin while doing a great job of adding moisture back into your hands.
Ingredients like squalane, biotin, niacinamide, and vitamin E work overtime to hydrate hands, while Centella milk, linseed milk, and rice milk help ease and relieve any itching or irritation. Although we love that this pick is small enough to fit into your purse, it’s not a lot of product for the high price.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Iris Pallida, rose wax
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 1.7 oz.
Best Fragrance-Free: EltaMD So Silky Hand Creme
Why We Like It: It works towards repairing the skin’s natural barrier.
It’s Worth Noting: Takes a moment to fully absorb.
We tested EltaMD So Silky Hand Crème and unanimously agreed that it was the best fragrance-free hand cream to keep your hands from drying out. There was no fragrance and the formula was so gentle and sensitive that we didn’t feel any skin irritation.
Scented formulas can cause sensory and skin based irritation for the user and the people around the user. While some scented lotions and hand creams have gentler fragrances, it can still aggravate the people around them. EltaMD’s So Silky Hand Crème not only has no added fragrances, but the natural smell was still very neutral. This hand crème targets pigmentation while repairing the skin’s natural barrier using ceramides and sclareolide. We could tell this hand crème also uses jojoba esthers which extends skin hydration because we feel this product really saved our hands, especially in harsher winter months. Our skin was severely dry, with our cuticles appearing and feeling flakey and crusty. After use they felt softer with the typical clammy, dry, and cracked skin feeling we’re used to in the winter disappearing.
It’s also oil-free, and lasts for up to 12 hours even with hand washing.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Sclareolide, ceramides, vitamin e, Jojoba Esters
- Scented: No
- Size: 3 oz.
Best Men’s: Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer
Why We Like It: It has a nice scent and would benefit any man who works with his hands.
It’s Worth Noting: Because this pick has fragrance, it’s probably not ideal for anyone with sensitive skin.
For the man (or anyone who prefers a masculine scent) who works outdoors or frequently uses his hands, the Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer will save his skin from cracks, dryness, and uncomfortable roughness. Featuring ingredients like vitamin A, vitamin E, macadamia nut oil, and glycerin, this pick helps treat rough calluses and dry cuticles.
The added fragrance in this cream will be a pro for some and a negative for others. The eucalyptus scent smells strong and masculine but could potentially be irritating to those sensitive to fragrance.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Vitamin A, vitamin E, macadamia nut oil, glycerin
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 3 oz.
Best for Sensitive Skin: Vichy Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It soothed and repaired sensitive skin while moisturizing it from within.
It’s Worth Noting: While it wasn’t very noticeable, there is added fragrance to this product.
We tested Vichy’s Ultra-Nourishing Hand Cream to see how it fared against sensitive skin. We’re happy to report that due to noticeably softer and more moisturized hands with no negative reactions, that Vichy Ultra-Nourishing Hand Cream is the best hand cream to keep your hands from drying out.
This vegan hand cream uses shea butter, allantoin which provides calming relief, and volcanic water to deeply penetrate and protect the skin, strengthening the skin’s barrier from environmental factors (UB and UV rays for example). We noticed that our hands were less damaged than before with no irritation, and able to withstand the harsh winter weather so the cream is incredibly effective for its intended use and to keep the hands from drying out.
There is a slight fragrance but it wasn’t harsh, super noticeable, or irritating to the senses. We highly recommend this product for all the sensitive, dry hands out there that need some relief.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Shea butter, Volcanic Water, Allantoin
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 1.69 oz.
Best for Atopic Dermatitis: Skinfix Eczema Hand Repair Cream
Why We Like It: It’s specifically formulated for those with eczema.
It’s Worth Noting: It might not last through a hand wash.
We highly recommend this multi-award-winning hand cream as it works wonders for those with atopic dermatitis. When applying this formula to your skin, you don’t have to worry about any added fragrance or other irritating ingredients. The list of soothing and hydrating ingredients is impressive—think colloidal oatmeal, sweet almond oil, shea butter, jojoba seed oil, allantoin, and more which was evident when we tested it. Sometimes with lotions and hand creams, lotions can moisturize but still leave our hands and skin looking taut and matte. Not only did we feel moisturized, but our skin looked it too giving a beautiful radiant glow.
This formula absorbs into the skin incredibly fast and doesn’t leave any sort of greasy feeling. Because of this, you might find that this pick doesn’t feel as moisturizing as others on the list. You will probably have to reapply after every hand wash.
That being said, some dermatologists do recommend applying lotion throughout the day if you’re struggling with atopic dermatitis, and this product is great for that. We struggle with eczema, and this cream gave us wondrous relief immediately. Also the oat smell was both common (IYKYK) and calming without irritating the skin.
“I recommend using a hand cream at least once a day if you deal with psoriasis or eczema and bump it up to twice a day in the cooler months if needed,” explains Dr. Hartman. “If your hands are not keeping the moisture or if you experience discomfort or pain, speak with your dermatologist.”
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal, sweet almond oil, shea butter, allantoin
- Scented: No
- Size: 3 oz.
Best for Psoriasis: CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It’s not too thick and not too thin, fragrance-free, and features protective dimethicone.
It’s Worth Noting: If you have an aversion to dimethicone, you might not like this pick.
We love this hand cream from CeraVe for many reasons—the texture is delightful, the formula is jam-packed with restorative ingredients, and it’s easily available at most drugstores nationwide. Plus, CeraVe is recommended by most dermatologists and is safe to use on sensitive skin. The product boasts the Seal of Acceptance from the National Eczema Association.
Psoriasis is a condition that causes dead skin cells to build up on one another instead of falling out, which can create dry, itchy, and even painful patches of skin. When you live with psoriasis, it’s important to find products that soothes and deeply moisturizes achy skin. We believe this is the best hand lotion for people with psoriasis because the CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream uses moisturizing and calming ingredients, like ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and niacinamide, to relieve pre-existing dry irritated hands and keep your hands from drying out. The active ingredient, dimethicone 1%, protects your skin from environmental and everyday aggressors, like freezing weather, dry climates, and excessive hand-washing. When testing it, even though it was a much thinner formula than we’re used to for hand creams, we found that our hands felt very moisturized with no lingering residue afterwards. It was also very lightweight and non-greasy with all the product absorbing quickly into our hands.
Dimethicone has a distinct texture and feel on the skin, and some folks might not like the silky formula. If you’re not a huge fan of dimethicone, consider opting for another hand cream on this list.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Ceramides, Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid
- Scented: No
- Size: 3 oz.
Best-Scent: L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It smells wonderful.
It’s Worth Noting: It contains tree nuts, so be cautious if you have a nut allergy
If you want a hand cream that smells divine that keeps your hands from drying out, we can’t recommend L’Occtaine’s Shea Butter Hand Cream enough. We tested this hand cream after experiencing dry hands, especially between the fingers. The consistency is perfect for us because it’s not too thick and/or sticky but is still super rich and creamy. It absorbed super well and still felt incredibly light without being watery.
Infused with shea butter, honey, almond extracts, and coconut oil, this non-greasy, long-lasting hand cream moisturizes dry hands and restores moisture to the skin, which is why we chose it as our top pick. We were enamored with the subtle natural cherry blossom scent. It made the experience feel more natural and good for the skin. It has a subtle, powdery fragrance and is quickly absorbed into the skin, which makes it pleasant to use in addition to being effective at moisturizing dry, cracked hands. While it’s not a cheap option, only a little of the lotion is needed for long-lasting relief, and that little bit goes a long way. We found that consistent use made our hands feel more moisturized and soft even when we weren’t using the cream. Our skin’s appearance also improved. Dry flakey textures reduced, softened up, and became smoother. We highly recommend this product.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Shea butter, Honey, Almond extracts, and Coconut oil
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 5.2 oz.
Best for Anti-Aging: Benton Shea Butter and Olive Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It features key anti-aging ingredients to reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and sunspots.
It’s Worth Noting: Some folks may not be fans of the scent.
After testing Benton Shea Butter, our hands felt nourished, hydrated, and healthy for long periods of time. This dermatologically tested product is full of hyaluronic acid which hydrates the skin, but more importantly for our purposes it keeps the skin supple, flexible, stretchy, and it reduces fine lines and wrinkles. That’s why Benton Shea Butter is our pick for best anti-aging hand cream to keep your hands from drying out.
“Hand creams can help with dry, rough skin through hydration,” explains Dr. Nicole Hayre, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Cosmetic Dermatology Center in McLean, VA. “Some creams with active ingredients such as retinol and antioxidants can help with rejuvenation, smoothening, and collagen regeneration.”
It also has 10% shea butter and 2% olive oil which moisturizes, prevents dryness, and locks in moisture which was evident since our hands felt less “crusty” even though we continued our lifting and working out. We felt that the lotion was lightweight. It did take a while to dry down (1-2 minutes) but it still wasn’t too overwhelming, even with the immediate post greasy feeling that immediately went away. A little goes a long way. We coated our entire hands with only a dime size amount.
The consistency was perfect without it being too thin or too thick and at no point did our hands feel sticky. We also didn’t notice any discernible scent, and it was very gentle.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: 10% shea butter, 2% olive oil
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 2 oz.
Best Non-Greasy: Aveeno Skin Relief Intense Moisture Hand Cream
Why We Like It: It absorbs quickly while leaving your hands soft and moisturized.
It’s Worth Noting: You might have to reapply often.
We tested Soap & Glory’s Original Pink Hand Food and it’s our pick for best non-greasy lotion to keep your hands from drying out. We found that this lotion was thick, creamy, rich, and moisturizing without being greasy.
Using shea butter and natural oils, Soap & Glory’s Original Pink Hand Food is easy to spread and keeps your hands from drying out with a formula that locks in moisture, which is pivotal. While there aren’t many listed ingredients, it’s designed and derm-tested for all skin types, including people with very sensitive and even temperamental skin. We found ourselves using this product multiple times a day because we were obsessed with how moisturized and nourished our hands felt after, with no greasy feeling after application. Also after two weeks of use, we still had a substantial amount in the tube which shows a little goes a long way.
Product Details:
- Key ingredients: Shea Butter
- Scented: Yes
- Size: 4.2 oz.
Our Testing Process
We researched and tested dozens of options before narrowing down the best hand creams on the market.
During our two-week at-home testing, we followed the manufacturer’s directions on some of the top hand creams to see how they held up in our everyday life. We selected a range of formulations, from lotions to balms, and ones that can treat a variety of conditions, including conditions like diabetes and eczema. We also considered products based on their ingredients, dosage, and whether or not they were formulated specifically for hands.
Before using the hand creams, we made sure our hands were completely clean and free of any grit, grime, or other substance that would shift the results of our test. We followed this routine for two weeks to come back with personal, genuine results so you can have options for great hand creams that we personally love and would use.
Within this time period, we noted how quickly the hand cream spread, how thick it was, how the hand cream fared against the elements, how moisturized our hands felt compared to how our hands felt before, any notable fragrances or scents, and how restorative or healing the hand cream was.
In addition to our tests, we consulted with dermatologists to get their professional opinions on what ingredients and formulas are most effective when shopping for a hand cream. Dermatologists we spoke to included:
Corey L. Hartman, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama.
Michelle Henry, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Skin & Aesthetics Surgery of Manhattan
Nicole Hayre, MD, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Cosmetic Dermatology Center in McLean, Virginia.
What to Know About Hand Creams
How Often Should You Apply Hand Cream
According to Dr. Hayre, hands are difficult to treat because they are subject to many environmental factors throughout the day. In addition, washing your hands strips them of moisture and any cream you may have applied. “This is why re-applying creams throughout the day is important—I recommend using a cream or lotion with ceramides in it for daytime application,” she says. “These mimic the natural ceramides in your skin and help to hydrate.”
If you invest in a hand cream with active ingredients such as retinol or antioxidants, Dr. Hayre suggests applying it at bedtime so that it has longer to work since you’re not washing your hands overnight. “I like thick creams for bedtime moisturizing,” she explains. “A thick cream can even be applied or layered over a lotion with more active ingredients to get the best of both worlds.”
Who Shouldn’t Use Hand Cream
Everyone can benefit from using hand cream. However, if the skin on your hands does not improve with moisturizing or is painful or itchy, this may be a sign of hand dermatitis, according to Dr. Hayre. If eczema or psoriasis does not improve with at-home hand cream use, consider getting examined by a board-certified dermatologist.
What Ingredients to Look for When Shopping For Hand Cream
When searching for a hand cream, look for products that contain emollient and humectant ingredients. “These are hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin, and urea,” suggests Dr. Henry. “These ingredients will help your skin retain its moisture while also soothing the external layer and providing nourishment.” Other ingredients that have shown positive results for treating dry skin are glycerin and vitamin E.
Because the skin on our hands tends to lose moisture quickly, especially in the winter between frequent hand washing and cooler, less humid weather, you want to look for a hand cream with a higher concentration of oil than a typical body lotion or moisturizing cream. “This is because the skin on your hands is thicker than other body parts,” explains Dr. Hartman. “A higher oil concentration is needed to get through the thicker skin to truly moisturize.”
What Ingredients to Avoid When Shopping For Hand Cream
According to Dr. Henry, avoiding fragrance-heavy hand creams is best, as fragrances and excess alcohol can exacerbate skin dryness.
Your Questions, Answered
What is the best hand cream brand?
According to our research and testing, CeraVe is the best hand cream brand to help moisturize dry skin and avoid irritation.
How much does a hand cream cost?
Hand creams can cost anywhere from $4—$40. According to Dr. Hayre, a high price tag doesn’t always mean the formula is better. “Many [higher-priced hand creams] contain fragrance, which can irritate the skin.”
