Can Moisturizers Combat Visible Signs of Aging? Let Me Reveal 5 Top Moisturizers I’ve Personally Tested Myself
One of These 5 Top Moisturizers Actually Delivered the Best Visible Results I’ve Ever Experienced
Which moisturizers are actually worth buying? Ever bought a moisturizer on impulse that didn’t live up to your expectations?
I’m here to tell you it’s officially not your fault! There’s so many brands out there — Olay, Lancôme, Estée Lauder, the list goes on and on…I’ve been a dermatologist for over a decade and I can tell you from my personal experience: Not all of them work wonders!
Ideally, you should look for one that’s capable of keeping your skin barrier moisturized so it looks healthy and free from pesky wrinkles. But that’s easier said than done!
Moisturizers & face creams are one of the most popular kinds of skincare products in the world. Whether you're a skincare newbie or you’ve got a multi-step routine already, chances are you’ve used a few (or maybe more than a few!) and you want one that’s perfect for your skin type!
The ideal face cream should…
- Moisturize for visibly plump & firm skin
- Fight the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines
- Help revitalize dull-looking skin
But let’s get real for a moment.
There’ are plenty of super-expensive moisturizers out there, but not everyone can afford them —so finding one that delivers visible results for a price that’s not crazy is every person's dream!
Ever wondered if it’s even possible to find the perfect moisturizer that doesn't break the bank?
Fortunately, being a dermatologist means I’m also an obsessed skincare addict — I’ve tested at least 100 moisturizers over my career, so you don’t have to waste time and money to look and feel your best!
Recently, I’ve been updating my list of top 5 moisturizers with some new favorites that I want to share with you! So, here are 5 of my favorites of 2025…
#1 Restore Ultra-Rich Night Cream by Naked & Thriving
So, this is the absolute truth — I can't even tell you how grateful I am to have found this ultra-effective age-defying moisturizer!
This is honestly how I feel about my top pick, Restore Ultra-Rich Night Cream by Naked & Thriving! This all-star is made by Naked & Thriving — it’s a well-loved brand that I’ve championed for a long time now.
I used it on a recent ski trip with my family - usually a nightmare for my skin because I’m so used to sunny Florida skies. I applied this cream at night after zooming down slopes all day and I woke up every morning with dewy skin that felt and looked gorgeous!
So what sets this cream apart? It’s just so chock-full of incredible, well-studied ingredients and I honestly feel like it’s having multiple, easy-to-use products in one.
Firstly, you’ve got triple-weight Hyaluronic Acid. So many average drugstore skincare formulations with Hyaluronic Acid formulations are unimpressive for 1 single reason: because they contain just 1 form of Hyaluronic Acid.
Studies show a single-weight Hyaluronic Acid formulation can struggle to squeeze into our teeny-weeny pores & visibly draw in water.1 So, if you want more visibly hydrated skin that looks more youthful and radiant, you’ll want something that works deep…deep…down; a moisturizer formulated with triple-weight Hyaluronic Acid.2
Next, you’ve got Bakuchiol. What’s Bakuchiol? It’s an ingredient that’s emerged in the skincare industry as a groundbreaking & potent retinol-alternative antioxidant that can help nourish your skin’s appearance effectively.3
Studies have shown that Bakuchiol and Retinol are both equally effective at combating visible wrinkles and fine lines… However, studies show that Bakuchiol is far more tolerable & far less irritable compared to Retinol in hundreds of over-the-counter products.4
Plus, Restore has just got this amazing consistency and texture! I have dry, sensitive skin, so I have to be careful with certain products, but I’d consider Restore to be suitable for almost all skin types.
Finally, it’s got little-to-no fragrance. It can be super tempting to use a moisturizer that smells really perfume-y, but a moisturizer with a super rosy smell could spell trouble! That’s why I was super excited to find out that Restore has little-to-no fragrance. It might seem like a small thing, but it’s ultra-important!
I could just apply it gently over my face and then move right onto my sunscreen.
It’s not every day you find a skincare product that does it all, and when you find one that does, you hold onto it! And that’s honestly how I feel about Restore.
It’s one of my favorite skincare products right now and I imagine I’ll be using it for years to come.
So, if you want to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, look visibly younger, and start to love how much firmer your face feels — all at an amazing price — then you should give Restore a try!
#2 Regenerist Night Recovery Cream by Olay
Next up is the Regenerist Night Cream Moisturizer by ultra-popular brand Olay.
This is a relatively solid cream that’s available at many over-the-counter stores like Target and Walgreens. In my opinion, you’re getting a simple product that’s mostly going to moisturize and help skin feel firmer at a decent price. I like that this one felt lightweight on my skin and absorbed quickly — always a plus for me.
I also enjoyed the inclusion of Peptides. You’ll find these in a lot of skincare ingredients. Essentially, Peptides are chains of Amino Acids, and the hope is that they will help skin look a little smoother, feel a little firmer, and maybe even look plumper.5
Why second place?
Well, truth be told, it’s just falling short — and I will admit that part of me feels that placing it in second place is a little generous. However, it’s an accessible cream that’s common enough to be found in a lot of stores across the country.
So for this reason, I feel it’s important to include for those who are eager to start their skincare journey. And I feel it wouldn’t be right to exclude those who aren’t really “skin savvy.” But if you want to really fight the look of wrinkles in the most effective way — and if you were to ask me for my opinion — you’ll probably want to buy/use other products in your routine to see the kind of results you want and wave goodbye to those visible wrinkles.
#3 Advanced Génifique Repairing Night Cream by Lancôme
This has got to be one of the most popular face creams out there and it’s often a hot topic around my clinic. Overall, I would say that it’s a solid product from an established brand that’s capable of delivering results! While it does have some really captivating ingredients, it’s likely out of reach for a lot of skincare fanatics because the price point is p.d.h. (pretty darn high!) — sometimes more than $100 a jar depending where you shop!
That being said, I do feel that the formula left my skin looking and feeling healthy after usage. I always love seeing ceramides and prebiotics in skincare products. Dermatologists like me love to sing the praises of ceramides. Studies show ceramides have the ability to support the skin barrier’s lipid function.6 This is a very common ingredient found in a lot of popular skincare goods — even in drugstore products like Cetaphil (just without that pricy, department store branding).
Unfortunately though, I found this product had a bit of a pungent, floral scent — not overpowering, but still very noticeable. So there’s a potential for irritation here — which could be a very costly mistake to make if you’re just buying this one on a whim. Also, it felt quite greasy on my skin. For me, it didn’t nail that sweet spot between “easy to use” and “thick enough you can feel it working.” For this reason, it’s really hard for me to recommend this cream for a broad range of skin types.
#4 Smart Clinical™ MD Multi-Dimensional Age Transformer Duo Resculpt + Revolumize by Clinique
The first thing that stands out to me about my next pick is the dual-chamber packaging — it’s pretty innovative! It allows you to mix two creams in the ratio you want. Is it gimmicky? Maybe to some. I found it neat — it gives you control over the quantity you use.
Inside, you’ve got some of the ideal ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid and Neuropeptides. Just like I discussed before — there’s research out there that shows Neuropeptides can support firmer-feeling skin. I also felt that this cream absorbed fairly quickly and had a nice, light texture.
So, why’s it further down on my list?
At this price point, I would prefer to see a true retinol or retinol-like ingredient (if it had that, then I’d feel more inclined to place it higher on this list) — but right now though, it feels like a product that’s using brand recognition to push the price point higher.
Something else that breaks my heart a little is the long ingredient list. Granted, I’m not an industrial chemist but this list is wild to me – I can’t completely understand what’s listed! I always like to know what I'm putting on my skin so that’s something to consider.
In skincare, there’s a general rule: Less doesn’t always mean more. But you should also remember that too many ingredients just multiplies the chances something won’t agree with your skin.
More than anything, I feel like it just didn’t deliver the same results as other creams on this list.
#5 Protini™ Polypeptide Cream by Drunk Elephant
Finally, it’s time to talk about the Protini™ Polypeptide Cream by Drunk Elephant.
Drunk Elephant is a somewhat new & innovative company that typically uses great ingredients in their formulations. They also have an enthusiastic following in the skincare world.
As the name suggests, this is a very Peptide-forward cream. Peptides are well-represented on this list of moisturizing creams, and for good reason! By now you know I love to see Hyaluronic Acid in a moisturizing cream, plus this cream contains Soybean Folic Acid Ferment Extract. This innovative ingredient has gained a bit of a reputation as a potential contributor to healthy-looking, firm-feeling skin.7 And that’s part of why it landed on my list!
Why’s it all the way down here then?
This one just didn’t hit the sweet spot for me — the thickness, absorption, and “feel” were a little more off kilter than I’d like. I’m not ashamed to admit I have mature skin (I’m 47) and for me, this felt too thin. Maybe this was my mistake though. One look at the brand's marketing — the bright colors, the hip models — it all feels a bit “young,” so it’s possible it’s formulated with a younger crowd in mind (and not me anymore, unfortunately). That being said, I have respect for the formulation of this one, and the brand is relatively new so I’m eager to see what they’ll put out in the future that’s more tailored for my skin specifically. Right now though, my top pick is still Restore by Naked & Thriving.
But this is still one to consider though, especially if you’re a little younger!