Ceramides first. Creams for dry skin, lotions and gels for everyone else.
Pick your answers and the shelf shows only what fits.
Three ceramides, cholesterol, hyaluronic acid and petrolatum in a thick cream for face and body. The plain standard for dry skin, developed with dermatologists according to the maker.
Skip it if you are oily and it is humid
Three ceramides and hyaluronic acid in a light, oil-free lotion for face and body. Long-time users complain that recent bottles are not the lotion they knew.
Skip it if your skin is very dry in winter
Niacinamide, three ceramides and hyaluronic acid in a thin, oil-free night lotion. The maker marks it PM only, and some owners want more moisture from it.
Skip it if your skin is dry; owners call this too light
A thick, plain cream built on petrolatum and sorbitol, with no fragrance or botanical extracts, dermatologist tested according to the maker. No ceramides and no glycerin, and some owners find it sticky.
Skip it if you want ceramides or any other active
Ceramide, niacinamide, glycerin and squalane in a light cream, fragrance free and dermatologist tested according to the maker. Pilling under makeup and through the day is the complaint that keeps coming back.
Skip it if you wear makeup over it; owners report pilling
A light water gel built on dimethicone and glycerin, with hyaluronic acid low on the list, plus fragrance and blue dye. The maker aims it at normal, oily and combination skin, and scent is the repeat complaint.
Skip it if you react to fragrance; the maker's gel cream is the fragrance-free version
A thick cream with 0.5% colloidal oatmeal, labeled by the maker as a skin protectant, plus shea and a ceramide. It also has eucalyptus oil, and long-time users say the current jar is greasier.
Skip it if you react to eucalyptus; it is on the list
A thick balm of sunflower oil, lanolin and beeswax for the driest patches: elbows, hands, heels. Too heavy for most whole faces, and the smell is not for everyone.
Skip it if you avoid lanolin or want it vegan
A plush cream with rice ferment, squalane and a silicone that leaves a dewy shine. The texture and the jar are most of what you pay for, and oily skin can look greasy within hours.
Skip it if you break out easily; owners report it within days
The most expensive cream on the shelf: plant oils, squalane and a blend of amino acids and peptides the brand calls TFC8, a name you will not find on the list. Owners who love it talk about feel.
Skip it if you expect a result the drugstore cannot match for less than $315 MSRP