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Just because the weather gets chillier, that doesn't mean your skin has to suffer. A hydrating hand cream can reverse even winter's worst effects — like cracking and scaliness — and it can even help prevent signs of aging and reduce the appearance of sun spots. But with hundreds of hand cream options out there, how do you know which one to choose?
To make it easier for you, we asked our editors to share their favorite formulas for hand creams — from hyaluronic acid-infused to SPF-packed — that'll help transform dry skin to smooth and supple any time of the year. We also included other noteworthy options we’ve tried over the years, and think you’ll really enjoy using.
First evolvetogether perfected disposable and KN95 face masks, and now they created a nourishing hand cream in four scents for anyone who's fragrance-obsessed. Whatever you choose, they're all made with superstar skincare ingredients, like panthenol, glycerin, vitamin C, and vitamin E, to hydrate and smooth your hands.
The packaging is also on point! The container is made from a combo of aluminum and post-consumer recycled plastic. Instead of a wasteful cardboard box, they ship your hand creams in a plant-based biodegradable bag. Also, the hand creams are made in the USA at a socially and environmentally responsible factory and the brand donates 1% of the cost to various nonprofits.
“The fast-absorbing and non-sticky formula is incredible. Plus, the Provence hand cream smells sublime thanks to a blend of lavender, chamomile, vanilla, and soft green wood. I feel like I’m transported to a French getaway — even if I’m just chilling at home.” — Nicole Saunders, beauty editor
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 5-star average from 5 evolvetogether reviews |
Best Ingredient | Glycerin |
It's easy to forget how much our hands are exposed to the sun, but just like our faces, they need sunscreen, too. Supergoop's hand cream makes it easy to nourish and protect at the same time, thanks to its broad-spectrum SPF 40 coverage.
This mineral sunscreen uses avobenzone, octisalate, and octocrylene to help deflect sunlight from damaging your skin. Plus, it’s made with a trio of moisturizing ingredients: argan oil, meadowfoam seed oil, and seabuckthorn fruit extract.
Key Specs
Size | 1.0 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.6-star average from 750 Amazon reviews |
Best Ingredient | Avobenzone |
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This best-selling balm from L’Occitane will help save your skin from unnecessary dryness. A soothing blend of honey and almond extracts, coconut oil, and shea butter, this correction cream leaves hands feeling supple and smelling fresh.
“I love this hand cream because it’s small enough to toss into my bag. It smells amazing, and it’s super thick and moisturizing — not greasy.” — Danielle St. Pierre, tester
This hand cream from Burt's Bees is a fast-absorbing, cruelty-free option that uses 99% natural ingredients, including shea butter, baobab oil, and pumpkin seed oil. Plus, it's affordable enough that you can keep one at home, one in the car, and one at your desk.
“I use it frequently, and I am really impressed by how quickly it absorbs into the skin. The smell is also incredible.” — Stefan Vazharov, senior technology editor
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We love Grown Alchemist’s hand cream because it’s one of the most moisturizing hand lotions on the market, and you can thank its star ingredient for that. It's packed with hyaluronic acid to intensely moisturize every inch of your hands for a smooth, soft, and velvety feel. This cream is perfect, in particular, for extremely parched hands.
Key Specs
Size | 2.19 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.2-star average from 120 Amazon reviews 120 |
Best Ingredient | Hyaluronic acid |
With AHAVA's hand cream, you'll harness the benefits of the Dead Sea to hydrate your dry, windburned hands. The formula is rich in minerals, witch hazel, and allantoin, and it's also great for softening cuticles.
“When my hands or feet need some TLC — or if my legs need it after shaving — I’ll reach for this hand cream and apply it liberally to enjoy its soft feel and scent!” — Melanie Yates, senior home decor editor
Key Specs
Size | 3.4 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.7-star average from 3,860 Amazon reviews |
Best Ingredients | Allantoin |
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If you want a cream that feels truly luxurious and helps treat signs of aging, then this is your best pick. The silky cream seeps right into your hands without leaving a greasy feel on your palms and fingers.
It uses wrinkle-fighting TCF8, along with natural ingredients like honey and white peony extract to moisturize and repair any damage.
"Think of this one as the Rolls Royce of hand creams: Once you try it, you’ll never turn back." — Jennifer Hussein, tester
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 5-star average from 13 reviews on Augustinus Bader |
Best Ingredient | TCF8 |
This Instagram favorite not only looks good, but it feels good too. The rich hand cream from Chanel uses a nourishing combination of shea butter, glycerin, and iris pallida to moisturize and brighten, while rose wax leaves behind a light floral scent that you’ll love to get a whiff off all day long.
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 5-star average from 5 Ulta reivews |
Best Ingredient | Shea butter |
It’s OK to be a clean freak, especially with your beauty routine. That's why we love this clean-beauty hand cream from Nécessaire: It ditches all of the synthetic fragrances and red-flag ingredients to bring you a formula that you can trust.
This hand cream is hypoallergenic and fragrance-free. It comes in recyclable packaging, so you and your hands can feel clean and good.
Key Specs
Size | 2.2 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.2-star average rating from 105 Sephora reviews |
Best Ingredient | Niacinamide |
Soften and smooth tired hands in a breeze with this light and fast-absorbing Glossier hand cream that's made with antioxidant-rich rosemary leaf and sunflower extracts, as well as ultra hydrating meadowfoam extract.
There’s also fermented coconut fruit extract to help seal in moisture and glycofilm pollustop, which forms a barrier around your hands to help protect against sun damage and pollution.
You'll also enjoy the faint fragrance that will make your hands smell fresh and clean.
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 3.6-star average from 664 Glossier reviews |
Best Ingredient | Meadowfoam seed oil |
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This clean fragrance has one simple task: to make your hands feel and smell great. This gently hydrating cream is perfect for touching up lightly dried hands from washing and sanitizing.
Plus, it smells like one of Byredo's best-selling fragrances: Blanche, a delicious blend of peonies, musk, and sandalwood.
Key Specs
Size | 1 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.3-star average from 15 Nordstrom reviews |
Best Ingredient | Shea butter |
This smooth, silky, and quick-absorbing hand cream deserves a spot on your vanity for its lightweight formula that packs a punch.
It's filled with skin-softening ingredients like squalane and the brand's signature cupuaçu butter to create an airy veil that immediately seeps into skin for a grease-free feel. Plus, it smells just like a trip to the beach!
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.9 star-average from 684 Sol de Janerio reviews |
Best Ingredients | Squalane and cupuacu butter |
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This hand cream takes treating dry skin seriously. It's made with the brand's signature ingredient, lanolin, an oil secreted by sheep to condition their wool, and it's excellent at helping skin retain its moisture.
It's beloved because the silky texture absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue behind, and the moisturizing effect is long-lasting.
Key Specs
Size | 1.69 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.4-star average from 62 Ulta reviews |
Best Ingredients | Lanolin and shea and cocoa butters |
The packaging isn't the only amazing thing about this hand cream: Its silky, fast-absorbing formula is made with a blend of shea, jojoba, and argan oils that leave your hands feeling like you just got a paraffin treatment.
"The minute this cream touched my skin, I knew it was special. It glides on like no other and absorbs almost immediately. Plus, the citron verbena scent is truly addicting." — Erica Murphy, director, SEO & content
Key Specs
Size | 1.7 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 5-star average from 3 Amazon reviews |
Best Ingredients | Shea, jojoba, and argan oils |
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While pretty much any hand cream can be used to soften cuticles, but this one actually strengthens nails, too. Along with adding moisture back to dry hands, this cream from Clarins contains sesame oil and Japanese mulberry, which together act like a shield to protect hands from the elements.
Key Specs
Size | 3.5 fl. oz. |
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Rating | 4.3-star average from 253 Sephora reviews |
Best Ingredients | Sesame oil and Japanese mulberry |
Nicole Saunders
Beauty Editor
Nicole Saunders is the beauty editor at Best Products with over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing lifestyle content. She specializes in breaking down complicated topics, like high-frequency wands and microcurrent devices, into easy-to-understand guides. Saunders takes great pride in heavily researching and testing featured beauty products, — such as hairdryers and foundations — on our site, and spotlights her all-time seasonal favorites in her quarterly column Best New Beauty. And she tests quite literally thousands of launches for our Best New Beauty Awards package. You can follow her on Instagram to stay in the loop on her product testing adventures.
Jennifer Hussein
Beauty Editor
Jennifer is the former beauty editor for BestProducts.com, where she’s testing out everything from the latest lip gloss to the craziest skincare trend sweeping the online beauty-verse. Her work has been featured in Allure, Byrdie, HelloGiggles, and more. When she’s not swatching eyeshadow all over her arms, you can find the NYC-based editor scouring for hours on end for vintage finds, eating pad thai, and hanging out with her cat, Chunks.