The 16 Best Drugstore Skin-Care Products of 2025
Luscious formula for face and body: CeraVe Moisturizing Cream
This rich cream is a top pick in both our body moisturizer and facial moisturizer guides. Although it’s fragrance-free, it still imparts a faint, slightly medicinal scent.
The frosting-thick CeraVe Moisturizing Cream is loaded with hardworking hydrators including glycerin, ceramides, and petrolatum — and the icing on the cake is that it’s a pick in both our guide to the best moisturizers and our guide to the best body lotions. Admittedly, we were at first skeptical that something could both soften alligator elbows and look chic under makeup. But CeraVe’s Moisturizing Cream surprised us by absorbing quickly, leaving no greasy residue, and sitting well even under a full face of foundation. That said, figuring out exactly how little your face needs may take some practice. “It didn’t absorb if I accidentally put on too much,” a tester pointed out.
Moisture-infusing whip: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Gel Cream Fragrance Free
The bouncy gel formula goes on sheer and plumps up skin. It smells slightly medicinal, though.
We couldn’t get enough of Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Gel Cream Fragrance Free’s compelling, ASMR-ish texture, which has a gel-like whip that gets its water-binding bounce from glycerin and sodium hyaluronate. Granted, for the testers for our moisturizer guide, the slippery consistency was polarizing at first: While one loved that it spread effortlessly like a serum, another found the slickness less appealing. All of our testers agreed, though, that it dried down completely, leaving behind only smooth skin and no stickiness. And not to be too superficial, but testers loved that the cerulean glass jar looked chic and high-end. While the formula is fragrance-free — meaning, no perfumes were added — some folks still noted a mildly medicinal smell.
Shine-tamping moisturizer for oily skin: La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer
Hyaluronic acid and ceramides soften skin, and oil-absorbers such as silica and starch keep excess shine at bay. Plus, a little goes a long way.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Matte Face Moisturizer has just 16 ingredients, but what ingredients they are! The light, oil-free formula contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid, as well as a trio of oil-absorbing particles: silica, starch, and perlite. Right out of the tube, it almost looks greasy, but if you rub it in and wait a few seconds, the cream immediately dries and leaves skin soft, fresh, and impressively matte. (Testers with both oily and combination skin called out this benefit.) Panelists for our guide to the best moisturizers loved how it stayed sheer and smooth, never pill-y, under sunscreen and foundation. As a bonus — especially for people in hotter climates — testers felt a pleasant cooling sensation after application.
A light lotion for acne-prone complexions: Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer
This light, gauzy lotion has just a hint of salicylic acid, a proven acne fighter. It’s thick at first, but it dries down without any shine or irritation.
People with acne may fear that moisturizer will clog pores and trigger flare-ups — yet they may also be using blemish treatments that leave skin parched and flaking. Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer offers a perfect balance: It’s a lightweight, mattifying lotion enhanced with a low concentration of blemish-fighting salicylic acid. While over-the-counter acne treatments often contain up to 2% salicylic acid, this sheer formula has 0.5% — just enough to keep breakouts at bay without irritation. “I’m super impressed,” noted a tester with acne-prone skin. “My skin tolerated it without any burning, and no redness.” Plus, it contains a zinc compound that helps curb inflammatory acne. For editor Hannah Morrill, who experiences minor hormonal outbreaks each month, swapping in Cetaphil Gentle Clear Mattifying Acne Moisturizer for just a few days prevented a few small pimples from erupting at all.
A no-frills skin-quencher: Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer
Housed in a ho-hum tube, this formula containing a range of deeply effective moisturizing ingredients delivers daily hydration without frills or irritants.
Vanicream Daily Facial Moisturizer is a go-to for dermatologists and people with sensitive skin types alike, thanks to its no-nonsense ingredients. Whereas many contenders in our guide to the best moisturizers had more than 50 ingredients, This Vanicream moisturizer’s lean-and-mean list of 19 includes derm-anointed all-stars such as squalane, glycerin, glycol, hyaluronic acid, and five different ceramides. What’s more, it notably lacks common chemical irritants such as fragrances, dyes, lanolin, parabens, and formaldehyde releasers. It absorbs readily, leaves skin plumped, and even softens the appearance of fine lines temporarily. The plastic-tube packaging isn’t charming — our aesthetically minded gift editor admitted that she considered decanting it into a more luxe container — but none of our testers could deny its efficacy.
