The Best Moisturisers for Men, From Spot-Prone to Dry or Oily (2024)

The Best Moisturisers for Men, From Spot-Prone to Dry or Oily (1)

You know you need a moisturiser, but do you know which one is best for your skin? Considering the overwhelming number of options on the shelves, we’d be impressed if you did.

Finding the best men’s moisturiser can involve a lengthy game of trial and error – some can be too greasy, while others are too dense. Then there’s the ‘mattifying’ creams that promise to tackle oily skin (yet many only make things worse).

In short, buying a moisturiser can be a right agg, which is why the Men's Health Lab has stepped in to do the hard graft for you. Here are our new go-tos at a glance, but scroll on for the fuller reviews.

The best men's moisturiser's with SPF for protecting against sun damage

Why Men Should Moisturise

Male skin is 10-20% thicker than female skin and contains more collagen and elastin. However, although the signs of ageing may appear more slowly than on women, male skin tends to be rougher and more oily.

A good moisturiser will prevent skin from getting dull and dry and keep it looking healthy. Your razor can also cause irritation, so it's especially important to condition your skin after shaving. That's why many moisturisers for men contain soothing ingredients, such as aloe vera, to reduce itching and redness.

How To Choose A Moisturiser

The first step to finding your best moisturiser match is to ascertain your skin type.

Normal skin: Choose water-based moisturisers that offer hydration without leaving you feeling too heavy.

Dry skin: Try thicker, oil-based creams with nourishing emollients, such as shea butter.

Oily skin: Opt for matte-finish moisturisers that contain ingredients designed to tackle excess sebum (the oil our skin naturally produces).

Sensitive skin: Seek out calming creams containing chamomile or aloe.

Mature skin: Look for anti-ageing ingredients, such as retinol.

Can Men Use Women's Moisturiser?

You can but it's not going to as targeted. Beyond the obvious differences in design and the range of fragrances on offer, men’s products often contain a higher concentration of active ingredients. That’s because they are specially designed for thicker skin with more oil-producing pores, meaning they can address male-specific skin issues more effectively.

How We Test Moisturisers

We've tried each of these market-leading moisturisers for at least four weeks, assessing how easy they were to apply, how hydrating they were, and their overall effect on skin.

In the Men’s Health Lab, we also used our Multi Skin Test Center device to measure how well the moisturisers hydrated skin, both immediately after application and six hours later.

15 Best Moisturisers For Every Skin Type

Best for hydration

NIP + FAB Hyaluronic Fix Extreme4 Hybrid Gel Cream

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If you’re in need of little extra hydration, consider a moisturiser that contains hyaluronic acid. This one from Nip + Fab is a lightweight, fragrance-free cream that hydrates and plumps up the skin throughout the day, without leaving a greasy feel.

Hyaluronic acid is water based and non-comedogenic (meaning it won’t block your pores), making it a good choice for anyone with acne-prone or oily skin.

Best balancing moisturiser

Elemis Superfood Day Cream

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Made with omega-rich ingredients such as broccoli and ginger, this cream acts like a breakfast smoothie for your skin, leaving you looking good on the outside, too. We loved the moisture boost it gave, which lasted throughout the day, and it absorbed super-quickly, helping to remove any post-run redness.

The prebiotics in this formulation also work to balance your microbiome by feeding the skin's good bacteria — just like ingested prebiotics do for our gut. So, if you're prone to bacteria-borne breakouts, this one could be for you.

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Best for sensitive skin

CeraVe Moisturising Cream

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Suitable for both the face and body, we found this cream was a saviour for sensitive skin. The texture is pretty thick, so it’s probably better suited to dry skin, rather than oily, but it did ace our lab tests when it came to hydration.

Best scent

BAZ & CO Skin Food Moisturiser

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Made from a unique blend of essential oils and plant actives, we found the scent of this moisturiser was like nothing we'd tried before – in the best possible way. It may not be to everyone's taste, but we enjoyed the refreshing combination of basil, frankincense and juniper. It also lived up to its claims of being non-greasy. We found it absorbed quickly and left skin feeling hydrated and soft.

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Best men's moisturiser overall

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo+ Moisturiser

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Find pesky pimples pop up every time you visit the gym? This could be down to excess sweating or touching your face a lot after using the machines — so make sure you wash your hands!

This gel helped tackled the issue though, leaving skin feeling immediately more hydrated. It also helped with tightness and irritation, meaning less overall redness and inflammation for those prone to it.

Best for normal skin

L'Oréal Men Expert Hydra Energetic Moisturiser

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Brightening tired-looking faces, this moisturiser is packed with vitamin C to revive dull skin and protect against environmental aggressors.

The soft texture soaked in almost instantly, with testers noting their skin looked healthier after use, and it left a great smell in its wake.

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Best budget moisturiser

Bulldog Sensitive Moisturiser

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You don't have to spend a fortune to get a good daily moisturiser. We found this formula successfully smoothed skin without leaving any annoying residue behind. Although it wasn’t the most hydrating number on our list, it did absorb quickly.

Best moisturiser with SPF

No7 Future Renew Day Cream SPF 40

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Now 10% Off

Found your skin showing tell-tale signs of too much summer sun? Fear not, for this smart formula uses unique peptide technology to not only shield against future damage, but also help to reverse visible signs of ageing (such as dryness and loss of elasticity) by providing a heady boost of hydration.

Did it live up to its lofty claims? The majority of our panel found it improved texture, brightness, and absorbed quickly, with one tester adding: ‘I looked like I had just been on holiday.’ The rich texture won’t be for everyone – especially if you’re headed out on a long run or ride – but it does ensure you’re suitably protected from the elements this winter, and it also means a little goes a long way, delivering real value for money.

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For daily sun protection

The Grey Daily Face Protect SPF 50

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No skincare routine is complete without some form of sun protection. This daily face moisturiser from The Grey packs SPF 50 for shielding your skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays, while doubling as a daily hydrating cream thanks to the inclusion of hyaluronic acid, which helps prevent moisture loss throughout the day. In terms of texture, it's light, non-greasy, and, importantly, it didn't irritate the skin.

Best value

ManCave Original Moisturiser 100ml

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Now 35% Off

If hydrated skin without a greasy finish is your aim, then look no further than Mancave's Original Moisturiser. Designed to deliver quick hydration with a natural, matte finish, it's infused with borage oil and shea butter, which not only smells great but also helps to leave your skin feeling soft and supple.

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Best for oily skin

Aesop Mandarin Facial Hydrating Cream

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We found this cream managed to prevent oily T-zones, while still scoring well in our hydration lab test. With a lightweight texture it left our panel's faces feeling fresh and oil-free, so you can be sure you won't end up looking sweaty before you’ve even set foot in the gym.

Best for post-shaving

MALIN + GOETZ Vitamin E Face Moisturizer

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Nothing makes it into the Malin + Goetz roster unless it's suitable for the most sensitive of skin types — this cult moisturiser included. Vitamin E protects easily irritated skin, while fatty acids derived from chamomile calm and soothe. It's ideal for post-shaving, and the massive bottle will last you months.

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Lumin Daily Face Moisturizer

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Waking up for early morning gym sessions is nobody's idea of fun, which is why an energising daily moisturiser like this one from Lumin is an essential addition to your wash bag. Popular with Men's Health editors, it helps to deliver long-lasting hydration and fight environmental stressors thanks to Lumin's unique blend of botanical ingredients.

Best for dry skin

Harry's Men's Face Lotion SPF15

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Suffering from scaly dry patches? We found this formula, packed with shea butter and refreshing peppermint, helped soothe and clear up dehydrated skin. The lightweight texture absorbed quickly too, leaving skin feeling instantly softer.

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Horace Mattifying Face Moisturiser

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This lightweight moisturiser managed to provide skin with some much-needed hydration, without leaving foreheads looking as greasy as a bowl of chips. Our testers liked the refreshing feel it provided too, leaving skin silky-soft.

Best mattifying moisturiser

Clinique For Men Oil Control Moisturizer

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This is one of the pricier products on our list but for a solid reason. It helped control oil on shiny areas of the face, without causing any irritation.

Although it felt hydrating on skin, our lab test didn’t back this up — only scoring it 3/10 — but overall, it left faces feeling softer and mattified.

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Tested byMaria Kumar

Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager

Maria is our Beauty and Grooming Testing Manager, and since joining in mid-2022, she has managed the testing for mutiple categories including scalp scrubs, collagen supplements and retinol serums. In addition to her master's degree in chemical engineering and a diploma in cosmetic science, she recently received her MBA from the London College of Fashion, focusing on case studies within the beauty industry. Prior to joining the company, she worked within the global technical team at the Estee Lauder Companies for over six years, collaborating with the chemists and engineers to launch luxury beauty products at scale and to quality. She has also worked as a formulation scientist within the pharmaceutical industry and takes this evidence based approach into all her product testing.

The Best Moisturisers for Men, From Spot-Prone to Dry or Oily (2024)
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