How to pick a moisturizer, since they all work in three simple ways

Key takeaways

• Humectants like glycerin and honey pull water in, emollients like shea butter smooth the surface, and occlusives like beeswax hold water in place¹.
• Timing matters: dermatologists advise smoothing moisturizer onto damp skin, ideally within about 3 minutes of a bath or shower³⁴.
• Thicker textures hold more water, so creams and ointments suit dry skin, while light gels and oil-free lotions often suit oily faces⁷¹¹.
• In a Cochrane review of 77 studies with 6,603 people who have eczema, those who used moisturizers had fewer flares and longer stretches of calm skin⁶.
• Drinking enough water and eating healthy fats, from food or supplements, give your daily moisturizer a promising partner from the inside⁵¹⁶.

Your skin makes its own moisturizer. Scientists call it natural moisturizing factor, and about half of it is amino acids made inside skin cells. The rest includes lactate, urea and mineral salts¹.

That built-in system lives in the skin’s outer layer (stratum corneum), where it holds water close to the surface. Soaps and detergents, shifts in temperature and humidity, and the simple passing of years can pull water away faster than skin can replace it²³. The result is the tight, rough or flaky feeling most people know well.

A good moisturizer backs up that system. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests applying it while skin is still damp and choosing creams or ointments over lotions for dry skin⁴. It also names ingredients worth looking for, including shea butter, jojoba oil, glycerin, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid and lanolin⁴.

Here is how those ingredients work, which natural options fit each job, and how to match a moisturizer to your own skin.

Your skin’s outer layer holds water like a brick wall

The whole top layer of skin (epidermis) is only 0.1 to 0.6 millimeters thick, depending on where it sits on your body². Its outermost part works like a brick wall. Flat, protein-rich cells form the bricks, and fats called lipids form the mortar that seals the gaps².

Ceramides are the stars of that mortar. These waxy fats make up 40 to 50 percent of the lipids in the outer layer⁵. Some ceramides carry linoleic acid, a fatty acid your body gets from food. The amount of linoleic acid in skin ceramides tracks closely with how well the barrier keeps water in⁵.

Water is always slowly leaving your body through your skin. Scientists call this transepidermal water loss, or TEWL, and they measure it to see how well the barrier is working². When the wall has gaps, more water slips out and skin feels dry.

Moisturizers help in two main ways. They add substances that attract and hold water, and they fill or cover the gaps so that water stays put¹. The skin barrier and dry skin each have their own articles in this library if you want the full tour.

Three kinds of moisturizing helpers, and the natural ingredients in each

Most moisturizers combine three types of ingredients. Each one does a different job, and they work best as a team¹.

Humectants pull water in

Humectants are water-loving substances that draw water into the outer layer from the air and from deeper layers of skin¹. Examples include glycerin, honey, hyaluronic acid, urea, lactic acid and panthenol, a form of vitamin B5¹.

Some of these will look familiar to your skin. Urea and lactate are part of its own natural moisturizing factor¹. In studies, people with eczema who used a cream with 10 percent urea lost less water through their skin¹.

Glycerin has a good track record too, including one trial of 134 people with eczema in the Cochrane review described below. More of those using a glycerin cream noticed their skin getting better than those using a cream without glycerin⁶. Hyaluronic acid is another favorite, and the AAD notes it is known for intense moisturizing on both face and body⁷⁸.

Lactic acid, an alpha hydroxy acid, attracts water and can also help loosen dry flakes¹⁸. The AAD also notes that alpha hydroxy acids can irritate dry skin⁷. If lactic acid stings, glycerin or honey can fill the humectant role instead.

One smart tip: humectants can draw water up from deeper skin toward the surface, where some of it can escape. That is why they are usually paired with an occlusive, and glycerin plus an occlusive works better than either one alone¹.

Emollients smooth and soften

Emollients are fats and oils that fill the tiny gaps between skin cells. That leaves skin feeling smoother, softer and more flexible¹. Plant butters and oils are classic emollients, and the AAD lists both jojoba oil and shea butter for dry skin⁴.

Shea butter comes from the kernels of the shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii). About 85 to 90 percent of its fat is stearic and oleic acids¹. Squalane, another popular choice, is a stable form of squalene, a natural part of skin’s own oil (sebum). Squalane feels light, has no odor and is unlikely to clog pores¹.

Ceramides belong in this group too, and dermatology researchers often favor ceramide moisturizers for eczema-prone skin¹. Research on barrier creams points to a mix of ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids in a 3 to 1 to 1 ratio¹. Plant oils and aloe vera each have their own articles in this library.

Occlusives seal water in

Occlusives form a thin, water-repelling layer on top of the skin. That layer slows the water that would otherwise drift away¹. Natural options include beeswax, lanolin (a wax from sheep’s wool) and plant waxes such as candelilla and carnauba¹.

Shea butter straddles two groups. It is an emollient fat, and its main fatty acid, stearic acid, also appears on the list of occlusives¹.

Petroleum jelly is the benchmark for a strong seal. At a concentration of at least 5 percent, it can cut water loss through the skin by more than 98 percent¹. Lanolin, mineral oil and silicones slow water loss by about 20 to 30 percent, a lighter seal¹.

Type	How it works	Natural examples	Best for
Humectants	Pull water into the outer layer	Glycerin, honey, hyaluronic acid, urea, lactic acid, panthenol	Tight, dull skin; layering under a richer cream
Emollients	Fill gaps between skin cells	Shea butter, squalane, jojoba oil, ceramides	Rough or flaky patches on face and body
Occlusives	Form a seal that slows water loss	Beeswax, lanolin, candelilla and carnauba waxes	Very dry hands, heels and lips; sealing in water after a bath

Sources:¹⁴⁹

What research shows about moisturizers and calm, comfortable skin

The strongest evidence comes from people with eczema (atopic dermatitis), whose skin barrier lets water slip out easily. In 2017, Cochrane, an independent network known for careful research reviews, reviewed 77 studies with 6,603 people aged 4 months to 84 years⁶.

The findings were encouraging. Doctors rated eczema as milder in people using moisturizers, and the reviewers judged this to be high-certainty evidence⁶. People who used moisturizers were less than half as likely to have a flare. In one comparison, the typical time before the next flare stretched to 180 days with a moisturizer, compared with 30 days without one⁶.

Moisturizers also shone as a partner to medical care. People who used them needed less steroid cream, and pairing a moisturizer with a prescribed treatment gave better results than the treatment alone⁶. Think of a moisturizer as a daily teammate for any plan your dermatologist gives you.

The review did not find one moisturizer that clearly beat the others⁶. That is freeing news, because you can choose by texture, feel and price, then focus on using it every day.

Researchers are also looking at older skin, which turns thinner and loses water more easily with age³. One care home study followed 984 residents. Those whose routine added a twice-daily moisturizer had about half as many skin tears as those on usual care¹⁰. The reviewers called for larger studies to build on these results¹⁰.

Ointment, cream, lotion or gel: matching texture to your skin

Texture tells you a lot. Gels are often water-based and the lightest, and lotions are thinner than creams. Creams carry more oil, so they hydrate more, and ointments are the thickest and do the most for dry skin⁷.

The AAD’s skin-type guide makes choosing simple. For normal skin, a lotion is often enough for younger adults with seasonal dryness. People in perimenopause and everyone 50 and older usually do better with a cream⁷.

If your skin is dry, skip lotion and start with a cream or ointment. If it is oily, a light gel is a good fit⁷. Oily skin still needs moisture, so look for labels that say oil-free and noncomedogenic, meaning unlikely to clog pores¹¹. With combination skin, moisturize the dry areas and go light on the oily T-zone (forehead, nose and chin)⁷.

Face and body need different things

Facial skin is thinner and more sensitive than skin on the body. That is why face moisturizers tend to be lighter and less likely to cause breakouts⁸. A daytime face moisturizer with broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher can cover two steps at once¹¹. Sunscreen has its own article in this library.

For the body, the AAD suggests creams and ointments sold in tubes or tubs rather than pump bottles, because thicker formulas hold more moisture⁸.

A few spots need extra care. For hands, choose a fragrance-free hand cream that combines ceramides, a humectant such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid, and an occlusive. Reapply after every wash⁹. For overnight care, soak your hands in warm water and apply a cream or ointment. Then slip on cotton gloves and run a humidifier while you sleep⁹.

For lips, dermatologists suggest balms with castor seed oil, shea butter, hemp seed oil or ceramides. Skip flavorings such as cinnamon, citrus and mint, and switch balms if one stings or tingles¹². For heels, look for a cream with 10 to 25 percent urea and moisturize within 5 minutes of bathing. Socks at night keep a bedtime layer of petroleum jelly off your sheets¹³.

On darker skin tones, dryness can show up as a whitish or grayish look. Dermatologists suggest a ceramide moisturizer applied right after you towel off¹⁴.

Sensitive and older skin

If your skin reacts easily, choose products labeled fragrance-free. Products labeled “unscented” can still contain chemicals that mask odors, and these can bother dry skin⁴. Fragrance-free products have their own article in this library. So does patch testing, an easy way to check a new product on a small area first. Lanolin is a good one to patch test if your skin is reactive, since some people are sensitive to it¹.

Skin gets thinner and loses water more easily as the years go by³. For people in their 60s and 70s, the AAD suggests a creamy, fragrance-free moisturizer made for dry skin. When skin feels very dry, an ointment holds water in better³. It also suggests gentle washes with moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin, hyaluronic acid or lanolin³. A practical safety note: skip bath oils, which raise the risk of slipping in the tub³.

How to apply moisturizer so it works harder

When you apply moisturizer matters, too. Water left on the skin gives humectants something to hold and gives occlusives something to seal in. Thick creams and ointments also spread more easily on damp skin⁷.

The AAD’s routine for dry skin is easy to follow⁴:

1. Keep baths and showers to 5 to 10 minutes in warm water, and close the bathroom door to hold in the steam.

2. Pat your skin gently with a clean towel instead of rubbing, leaving it a little damp.

3. Apply moisturizer right away. For older adults and for children with eczema, the AAD puts a number on it: within 3 minutes of bathing³¹⁵.

4. Reapply through the day, including after each hand wash and whenever skin feels dry.

Soak and seal for very dry skin

For very dry skin, a routine often nicknamed soak and seal is worth learning. The AAD’s version for children with eczema reads: “Soak in a bath and smear on ointment.” After a lukewarm soak, smear a thick layer of moisturizing ointment over all the skin¹⁵.

For children with dry, itchy skin, the AAD also suggests adding colloidal oatmeal to lukewarm bath water and soaking for 10 to 15 minutes¹⁵. Colloidal oatmeal is oats ground fine enough to mix into water. It makes the tub very slippery, so help little ones in and out carefully¹⁵.

Small habits that add up

Technique helps too, so warm the product between your palms, then smooth it on lightly in the direction your body hair grows. Hard rubbing can irritate hair follicles¹. Most people do well with 1 to 3 applications a day, depending on how dry their skin is¹. For very dry skin, the AAD suggests at least twice a day⁷.

Skip scrubbing dry, peeling skin in winter and moisturize instead⁷. A humidifier in the bedroom adds moisture to the air while you sleep, and cleaning it often keeps mold away⁴. Gloves for dishes, gardening and cold weather keep hands from drying out⁴.

A quick checklist for choosing your moisturizer

Keep this list handy the next time you compare labels.

• Match the texture to your skin: gel for oily, cream for dry, ointment for very dry spots.

• Look for at least one humectant, such as glycerin, honey, hyaluronic acid or urea.

• Look for an emollient or barrier fat, such as shea butter, squalane, jojoba oil or ceramides.

• For dry skin, check for an occlusive, such as beeswax, lanolin or a plant wax.

• Choose “fragrance-free” rather than “unscented,” and pass on products heavy in alcohol if your skin is dry.

• For your face, look for “noncomedogenic,” and consider a daytime formula with SPF 30 or higher.

• For dry body skin, pick a tube or tub over a pump bottle.

• Choose one you enjoy enough to use every single day.

Sources:¹⁴⁷⁸¹¹

Inside-out support: water, healthy fats and smart supplement use

Moisturizer works from the outside, while what you drink and eat supports your skin from the inside. Early research on that inner side is encouraging.

Start with water: in a small one-month study, 49 healthy young women added about 2 liters of water a day to their usual intake. Their skin showed better hydration in both the surface and deeper layers¹⁶. The researchers measured the face, arms and legs, and women who usually drank the least saw the biggest change¹⁶.

Healthy fats come next. Your skin needs essential fatty acids from food to build its barrier, and the omega-6 fat linoleic acid is built right into skin ceramides⁵. In a U.S. nutrition survey of women aged 40 to 74, those who ate more linoleic acid were less likely to have dry skin⁵.

Omega-3 fats matter too. A shortage of omega-3s can cause rough, scaly skin, though that is very rare in the United States¹⁷. Good food sources include salmon, sardines, herring, flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts¹⁷. Adult women need about 1.1 grams a day of the plant omega-3 called ALA, and adult men about 1.6 grams¹⁷.

Supplement research adds to the picture, starting with a 12-week trial of 45 women aged 18 to 65 with dry, sensitive skin. Each took flaxseed oil (rich in the omega-3 ALA), borage oil (rich in the omega-6 GLA) or a placebo⁵. Both oil groups saw better results than placebo on every skin measure, including less water loss, roughness and scaling⁵.

Another 12-week trial included 40 healthy adults aged 32 to 56. Those taking 1.5 grams of evening primrose oil a day had better skin moisture, firmness and elasticity than the placebo group⁵. Because these oils contain a mix of fatty acids, researchers are still working out which ones do the most⁵.

Smart use if you add a skin-support supplement

The flaxseed and borage oil trial used four capsules a day, 2.2 grams in all. The evening primrose oil trial used 1.5 grams a day⁵. Both ran for 12 weeks, so give a new routine about that long before you judge it⁵.

Look for a seal from an independent tester such as U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International or ConsumerLab.com. These seals show a product was properly made and contains what the label lists¹⁸.

Share your full supplement list with your doctor and pharmacist so everything works together¹⁸. If you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, your care team can fit omega-3s into your plan¹⁷.

The bottom line

Moisturizing is one of the simplest habits in natural skin care. Choose a texture that fits your skin, look for a humectant, an emollient and, for dry skin, an occlusive. Then smooth it onto damp skin within a few minutes of bathing.

Nature supplies every part of that recipe. Honey and glycerin draw water in, shea butter, squalane and jojoba soften, and beeswax and lanolin seal. Add steady water and omega-3 rich foods, and you are caring for your skin from both sides.

If dryness lingers or turns painful, cracked, bleeding or stinging, see a board-certified dermatologist. Dryness that will not ease can signal eczema, psoriasis or another condition worth checking⁴⁷.

Keep exploring: acne and diet.

Sources

1. Purnamawati S, Indrastuti N, Danarti R, Saefudin T. The role of moisturizers in addressing various kinds of dermatitis: a review. Clinical Medicine and Research. 2017. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

2. Michels AJ. Skin health. Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center, Oregon State University. 2011. lpi.oregonstate.edu

3. American Academy of Dermatology. How to care for your skin in your 60s and 70s. AAD.org. 2021. aad.org

4. American Academy of Dermatology. Dermatologists’ top tips for relieving dry skin. AAD.org. 2026. aad.org

5. Angelo G. Essential fatty acids and skin health. Linus Pauling Institute Micronutrient Information Center, Oregon State University. 2012. lpi.oregonstate.edu

6. van Zuuren EJ, Fedorowicz Z, Christensen R, Lavrijsen APM, Arents BWM. Emollients and moisturisers for eczema. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2017. cochranelibrary.com

7. American Academy of Dermatology. How to pick the right moisturizer for your skin. AAD.org. 2022. aad.org

8. American Academy of Dermatology. Your winter skin survival kit. AAD.org. 2021. aad.org

9. American Academy of Dermatology. 4 skin care tips for your hands. AAD.org. 2021. aad.org

10. Cowdell F, Jadotte YT, Ersser SJ, Danby S, Lawton S, Roberts A, Dyson J. Hygiene and emollient interventions for maintaining skin integrity in older people in hospital and residential care settings. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2020. cochrane.org

11. American Academy of Dermatology. How to control oily skin. AAD.org. 2024. aad.org

12. American Academy of Dermatology. 7 dermatologists’ tips for healing dry, chapped lips. AAD.org. 2026. aad.org

13. American Academy of Dermatology. How to care for dry, cracked heels. AAD.org. 2022. aad.org

14. American Academy of Dermatology. Dry skin remedies for darker skin tones. AAD.org. 2022. aad.org

15. American Academy of Dermatology. Home remedies: What can relieve itchy eczema? AAD.org. 2026. aad.org

16. Palma L, Tavares Marques L, Bujan J, Monteiro Rodrigues L. Dietary water affects human skin hydration and biomechanics. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology. 2015. dovepress.com

17. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Omega-3 fatty acids: fact sheet for consumers. National Institutes of Health. 2022. ods.od.nih.gov

18. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary supplements: what you need to know. National Institutes of Health. 2023. ods.od.nih.gov

This article is for general education and is not medical advice. Talk with your healthcare professional about your own health, especially before starting a new supplement if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medicine, or managing a health condition. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Reviewed October 2026.