Best moisturiser for men: The best men’s moisturiser for dry, oily, acne-prone and dull skin
In our best moisturiser for men list there is something to suit all budgets, skin types, and needs including dry, dull, and oily skin, plus the best men’s moisturiser with SPF
S kin’s skin right? Well..not quite. As you can read in our Men’s skin vs women’s skin guide, when it comes to male and female complexions there are actually a few differences between them.
Men’s skin is 20% thicker than women’s, for instance, and it has a tougher texture. Both of which are down to having higher levels of testosterone. Other differences include:
- Thicker skin: As mentioned, men’s skin is thicker due to testosterone.
- Collagen: Men have a higher collagen content compared to women. Studies have even equated women’s skin as being 15 years older than a man’s, even if the two are the same age.
- Sebum: Men have more oil glands than women and can produce twice as much sebum (oil). This – coupled with the higher collagen levels – means men show signs of ageing later in live, but it also means they longer-lasting acne because of this.
- Pores: Men have more pores than women which means men’s pores are more prominent. This also exacerbates the acne.
What’s more, men’s skin needs extra care because shaving is essentially exfoliating the skin. Each time you shave, it can expose a new layer of skin or rub against the top layer, both of which can make your face feel irritated and sensitive. This can lead to dry, tired-looking skin.
One of the best ways to protect the skin is to use the best moisturiser for men. Not only will it protect your skin from damage, but it can also make it look brighter, firmer, and more youthful.
Best Moisturiser for Men
1. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30 – £26
2. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors +HA – £4.90
3. Elemis Men’s Hydrate & Revitalise Duo – £45
4. CeraVe AM Facial Moisturising Lotion– £13
5. The Fellowship Advanced Moisturiser – £25
6. The Inkey List Peptide Moisturiser – £14.99
7. Typology 9-Ingredient Face Moisturiser – £17.80
8. Indeed Labs Vitamin C24 – £24.99
1. Editor’s Pick: Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream SPF 30
£26 | Buy now from Feelunique
Kiehl's
This moisturiser is an all-in-one. It contains SPF 30 to give you sunscreen protection. It’s suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, and we love that it gives the skin great hydration without feeling greasy.
What’s more, it doesn’t clog up pores, which can often lead to spots. You can read more about this in our sister site’s guide to non-comedogenic products.
It also leaves the skin looking balanced and healthy, even in harsh weather conditions.
It really is the best face moisturiser for men, and works well for women, too!
2. Budget Buy: The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors +HA
£4.90 | Buy now from Boots
The Ordinary
The Ordinary is a world-renowned, highly related skincare brand that is super cheap while being highly effective, which makes it a firm favourite for many. We’ve listed some of the best The Ordinary products here, but this time we’re focusing on its Natural Moisturizing Factors+HA moisturiser.
Made up of amino acids, fatty acids, triglycerides, urea, ceramides, glycerin and hyaluronic acid, it gets its name from the fact it contains ingredients found naturally in your skin. The HA stands for hyaluronic acid which is a sugar found in the skin that helps retain high levels of moisture.
This affordable moisturiser protects and hydrates the skin’s outer layer without you even knowing it. It’s so popular The Ordinary, offer a 100ml size for just £6.80!
3. Luxury Buy: Elemis Men’s Hydrate & Revitalise Duo
£45 (worth £77) | Buy now from Elemis
Elemis
Elemis London started off as a luxury spa and has more than 30 years experience of in skincare.
As a result, its price range can be a little higher but we think this particular duo of products is worth it. Worth £77, if you were to buy the two separately, this set contains a daily moisturiser and an eye cream. They both contain cactus flower extract to soothe the skin. The moisturiser is lightweight and instantly nourishes, protects and soothes post-shave skin.
Meanwhile, the eye cream is a fantastic anti-ageing cream that can help reduce wrinkles by up to 30%. The skin around your eyes can be super sensitive because it’s thinner, but this lightweight cream doesn’t overload the eye or feel heavy, it’s fresh and hydrating.
4. CeraVe AM Facial Moisturising Lotion
£13 | Buy now from Mankind
CeraVe
This is the perfect moisturiser for anyone who doesn’t want any frills and fuss. CeraVe is developed with dermatologists and every product contains three essential ceramides to help protect the skin’s natural barrier.
It gives the skin all-day hydration and we especially like that it contains SPF 25 to protect the skin from UVA and UVB. If you’re not using SPF on the daily, get ready for wrinkles, fine lines and dark spots – not to mention the fact you’re increasing your risk of skin cancer.
This is suitable for all skin types but it’s particularly great for dry skin that borderlines on sensitive, or for skin easily irritated by shaving.
5. The Fellowship Advanced Moisturiser
£25 | Buy now from The Fellowship
The Fellowship
The Fellowship is a relatively new male grooming brand, certainly compared to others in our best men’s moisturiser list, but its Advanced Moisturiser more than holds its own against products that have been doing the rounds for decades.
Not only is the formulation super lightweight, which means it doesn’t feel like it’s clogging up our pores and it doesn’t take long to absorb, but it also minimises shine. It’s suitable for all skin types, including people with sensitive skin, and helps target signs of ageing with ingredients that include extracts of Glasswort, Acmella Flower and Astragalus.
These sit alongside calming Organic Shea Butter and Sea Buckthorn, as well as Prickly Pear and Borage Oil, both of which are packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
The entire brand’s ethos is to make skincare more accessible; to cut through the jargon and “fake news” and create vegan, cruelty-free products that work as promised. All of its products are made in Britain and they contain as many natural ingredients as possible. We’re big fans!
Buy now from The Fellowship
6. The Inkey List Peptide Moisturiser
£14.99 | Buy now from Mankind
The Inkey List
The Inkey List is an affordable skincare brand formed because the founders – Colette Laxton and Mark Curry – felt that the skincare market is unnecessarily confusing. They wanted to help people understand more about skin, and this came from a belief that better knowledge powers better decisions.
This daily moisturiser might be small but it is very mighty. Firstly, it’s great for slowing the signs of ageing. It contains amino acids that “tell” the skin to be firmer and stay hydrated. It also helps boost the collagen in your skin to make you look less tired, younger and fresh.
7. Typology 9-Ingredient Face Moisturiser
£17.80 | Buy now from Typology Paris
Typology
Typology originated in France and the founder, Ning Li, launched the brand to take skincare “back to basics.” As a result, Typology is a fantastic skincare range defined by the quality of ingredients rather than fancy packaging or marketing bullshit.
Every product includes single, raw, natural, and often edible ingredients, such as avocado oil or cranberry powder.
This minimalist, fragrance-free face moisturiser has a lightweight and non-greasy texture. With nine potent ingredients including hyaluronic acid, organic coconut oil, purified water, and vegetable glycerin, this face moisturiser will leave skin feeling nourished, cared and hydrated.
It’s been dermatologically tested and this makes it suitable for sensitive skin, but it’s not suitable for all skin types.
For instance, men with overly oily skin may find this makes the situation worse. Instead, this moisturiser best suits normal to combination skin, and will benefit dry skin as well.
8. Indeed Labs Vitamin C24
£16.59 | Buy now from Boots
Indeed Labs
Vitamin C is a wonder ingredient. It helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, brightens the skin to even out your skin tone, it gives a youthful and fresh appearance, and helps protect it from wind, pollution, and harsh weather conditions.
This makes it perfect if you work outside.
What’s more, this product from Indeed Labs is not only a moisturiser, but it’s a serum, too.
Inside is a high concentration (22%) of Vitamin C, plus 2% hyaluronic acid which helps your skin retain water and moisture.
Because it has such high levels of Vitamin C, we suggest using this entry in our list of the best moisturiser for men a couple of times a week to give your skin time to get used to it.
