The 13 Best Hand Creams to Keep Your Hands From Drying Out

Best Overall

Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Touch Hand Cream

5

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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.

Price at time of publication: $21

Best Budget

eos Shea Better Hand Cream

4.2

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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.

Price at time of publication: $4

Best Natural

Eczema Honey Oatmeal Hand Cream

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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.

Price at time of publication: $25

Best for Super Dry Skin

Fenty Skin Hydra’Reset Intensive Recovery Glycerin Hand Mask

5

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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.

Price at time of publication: $25

Best Luxury

Chanel La Crème Main

4.8

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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.

Price at time of publication: $55

Best Fragrance-Free

EltaMD So Silky Hand Creme

4.8

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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.

Price at time of publication: $25

Best Men’s

Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer

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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.

Price at time of publication: $15

Best for Sensitive Skin

Vichy Ultra Nourishing Hand Cream

4.3

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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.

Price at time of publication: $6

Best for Atopic Dermatitis

Skinfix Eczema Hand Repair Cream

5

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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.

Price at time of publication: $20

Best for Psoriasis

CeraVe Therapeutic Hand Cream

4.2

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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.

Price at time of publication: $13

Best-Scent

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

5

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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.

Price at time of publication: $30

Best for Anti-Aging

Benton Shea Butter and Olive Hand Cream

5

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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.

Price at time of publication: $11