Best ingredients for dry skin

Allantoin

Soothes irritation, softens rough or flaky skin, and supports healing of the outer barrier.

Aloe Vera

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

Calms irritation, hydrates the skin surface, and supports minor wound healing.

Argan Oil

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Softens skin and supplies antioxidants that support elasticity and barrier function.

Beta-Glucan

Forms a lightweight, breathable film that calms irritation and helps skin hold on to water.

Betaine

An osmoprotectant humectant, derived from sugar beet, that hydrates skin and supports its resilience to dryness and stress.

Bifida Ferment Lysate

Strengthens the skin barrier and calms sensitivity using fermented probiotic filtrate.

Bisabolol

A chamomile-derived terpene alcohol used to calm irritation and support a more comfortable skin barrier.

Calendula

Calendula Officinalis Extract

A marigold-derived botanical extract traditionally used to soothe irritated skin and support wound healing.

Centella Asiatica

Centella Asiatica Extract

Calms redness and inflammation while supporting collagen synthesis and wound healing.

Ceramides

Ceramide NP

Replenishes the lipids that hold the skin barrier together, locking in moisture and blocking irritants.

Chamomile

Chamomilla Recutita Extract

A classic calming botanical extract that reduces redness and supports comfort in irritated skin.

Cholesterol

A key lipid that, alongside ceramides and fatty acids, rebuilds and reinforces the skin barrier.

Collagen

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Hydrolyzed collagen peptides that hydrate the surface and support the skin's own structural proteins.

Colloidal Oatmeal

Avena Sativa Kernel Flour

Calms itching, redness, and irritation while reinforcing the skin barrier.

Ectoin

Protects skin cells from environmental stress and locks in moisture at a cellular level.

Glycerin

Draws water into the outer skin layer and reinforces the barrier that keeps it there.

Gotu Kola

Centella Asiatica Extract

Calms redness and irritation while supporting collagen synthesis and wound healing.

Grapeseed Oil

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil

Provides lightweight moisture and antioxidant polyphenols that help protect the skin barrier.

Honey

Mel

A natural humectant with mild antimicrobial and soothing properties, historically used for wound care and dry skin.

Hyaluronic Acid

Sodium Hyaluronate

Draws water into the skin's surface for an immediate, visible plumping effect.

Jojoba Oil

Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Mimics the skin's natural sebum to moisturize without a heavy feel.

Lactobacillus Ferment

A probiotic-derived ferment filtrate that supports barrier function and skin microbiome balance.

Linoleic Acid

An essential omega-6 fatty acid that reinforces the skin barrier and helps normalize sebum composition.

Madecassoside

A purified Centella asiatica compound that calms inflammation and accelerates visible healing of compromised skin.

Marula Oil

Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil

Provides fast-absorbing emollient hydration with a high antioxidant fatty acid content.

Moringa Oil

Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil

An unusually stable seed oil, high in oleic acid, valued for shelf life and slip rather than for any single active.

Mugwort

Artemisia Vulgaris Extract

Soothes redness and calms reactive skin with traditional Korean herbal antioxidants.

Panthenol

Hydrates, soothes irritation, and supports barrier repair by converting to vitamin B5 in the skin.

Phytosphingosine

A skin-identical lipid that rebuilds the barrier and calms acne-related inflammation.

Polyglutamic Acid

A fermentation-derived humectant that holds up to four times more water than hyaluronic acid and forms a smoothing surface film.

Pro-Xylane

Hydroxypropyl Tetrahydropyrantriol

A small molecule made from the plant sugar xylose, formulated to support glycosaminoglycan synthesis in the layer that joins epidermis to dermis.

Propanediol

A lightweight humectant and solvent, often plant-fermentation-derived, used to hydrate skin and improve texture and absorption of other ingredients.

Rice Ferment Filtrate

Oryza Sativa (Rice) Ferment Filtrate

A fermented rice liquid carrying amino acids, sugars and ferulic acid, used as a lightweight hydrating and mildly brightening base.

Rosehip Oil

Rosa Canina Fruit Oil

Nourishes dry skin and supplies antioxidants and essential fatty acids that support the barrier.

Sea Buckthorn

Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil

A carotenoid- and fatty-acid-rich oil that supports antioxidant defense and skin barrier repair.

Sea Buckthorn Oil

Hippophae Rhamnoides Oil

A carotenoid-rich plant oil that comes in two very different forms — fruit and seed — with different fatty acids and very different colour.

Shea Butter

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Delivers intense emollient moisture and helps calm dry, irritated skin.

Snail Secretion Filtrate

A filtered snail mucin rich in glycoproteins, glycosaminoglycans and allantoin that hydrates and supports repair.

Sodium Lactate

A natural moisturizing factor (NMF) component and humectant that attracts water to the skin and adjusts formula pH.

Sodium PCA

A natural moisturizing factor component that attracts and holds water in the outer skin layers.

Squalane

A stable, lightweight emollient that mimics skin's natural sebum to soften and protect the barrier without greasiness.

Urea

Draws water into the stratum corneum and, at higher concentrations, softens and lifts excess keratin.

Lactic Acid

Exfoliates dead skin cells while pulling moisture into the skin at the same time.

Propolis

Propolis Extract

Calms irritation and supports the skin barrier with natural antibacterial resin from bees.

Snail Mucin

Snail Secretion Filtrate

Hydrates, soothes, and supports barrier repair with a mix of glycoproteins and hyaluronic acid.

Vitamin E (Tocopherol)

Tocopherol

A fat-soluble antioxidant that protects skin lipids from oxidative damage and works best paired with vitamin C.

Royal Jelly

Royal Jelly Extract

A bee secretion containing 10-HDA, proteins and vitamins, with a documented record of serious allergic reactions.

1,2-Hexanediol

A multitasking glycol that hydrates lightly, dissolves ingredients that resist water, and makes the environment less hospitable to microbes. That last property lets formulators lean less on classic preservatives, which is why it shows up so often.

Apricot Kernel Oil

Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil

A soft, moderately light plant oil rich in oleic and linoleic acids that softens and conditions skin with a pleasant, non-greasy finish. It is popular in facial and massage oils.

Arginine

An amino acid that serves as a skin-conditioning humectant and is also used to neutralize (raise the pH of) acidic formulas. It contributes to the skin's natural moisturizing factors.

Avocado Oil

Persea Gratissima Oil

A rich, oleic-acid-heavy plant oil that deeply softens skin and helps seal in moisture. It is high in fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins.

Bamboo Extract

Bambusa Vulgaris Extract

A silica-rich plant extract used to condition, soften and support the look of smooth, comfortable skin, with mild soothing and hydrating benefits. It is a common natural conditioning ingredient.

Baobab Oil

Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil

A nourishing plant oil from the baobab tree seed, rich in fatty acids and vitamins, that softens skin and reinforces the moisture barrier. It absorbs moderately quickly.

Beeswax

Cera Alba

A natural wax from honeybees used to thicken formulas and form a breathable protective film that helps seal in moisture. It gives structure to balms and salves.

Behenyl Alcohol

A long-chain fatty alcohol, waxy and solid at room temperature, used to thicken creams and hold oil and water together. Despite the word alcohol it behaves nothing like ethanol: it softens rather than dries, in the same family as cetyl and stearyl alcohol.

Black Cumin Seed Oil

Nigella Sativa Seed Oil

A traditional plant oil rich in fatty acids and thymoquinone that conditions skin and is used to calm the look of blemished, reactive skin. It has antioxidant properties.

Borage Seed Oil

Borago Officinalis Seed Oil

A plant oil with one of the highest natural concentrations of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), used to support the barrier and comfort dry, irritated skin. It replenishes essential fatty acids.

Butylene Glycol

A small synthetic diol used as a humectant, solvent and viscosity modifier — it holds water and dissolves other ingredients so they disperse evenly through a formula.

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

An ester emollient built from benzoic acid and medium-chain fatty alcohols. It is unusually good at dissolving other ingredients, so besides softening skin it often serves as the solvent that keeps a sunscreen's filters or a foundation's pigments evenly dispersed.

Camellia Oil

Camellia Japonica Seed Oil

A silky plant oil, traditional in Japanese skincare, that is high in oleic acid and antioxidants and absorbs relatively quickly to soften skin. It leaves a light, conditioned finish.

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

A lightweight emollient derived from coconut or palm oil and glycerin that softens skin and gives formulas a silky, fast-absorbing slip. It is widely used as a stable, non-greasy oil base.

Caprylyl Glycol

A multifunctional glycol that hydrates and conditions skin while also enhancing a formula's preservative efficacy. It contributes a light, smooth skin feel.

Castor Oil

Ricinus Communis Seed Oil

A thick, sticky plant oil high in ricinoleic acid used as an emollient and film-former that gives slip and shine in balms and cleansers. It is strongly occlusive.

Ceramide AP

A ceramide built from an alpha-hydroxy fatty acid on a phytosphingosine base, used in barrier-repair blends to help rebuild the stratum corneum's lipid bilayers.

Ceramide AS

A ceramide pairing an alpha-hydroxy fatty acid with a sphingosine base rather than the phytosphingosine used in NP or AP, contributing to the barrier's lamellar lipid bilayers.

Ceramide EOP

The ester-linked ceramide species: an esterified omega-hydroxy fatty acid on a phytosphingosine base, used in barrier blends to help rebuild stratum corneum lipids.

Ceramide NP

The most widely used cosmetic ceramide: a non-hydroxy fatty acid joined to a phytosphingosine base, used to replenish the lipid bilayers of the skin barrier.

Cetearyl Alcohol

A blend of fatty alcohols that thickens and stabilizes creams while acting as an emollient that softens and smooths skin. It is a workhorse of lotion and cream formulation.

Cetyl Alcohol

A fatty alcohol used as an emollient and thickener that softens skin and gives creams a smooth, stable body. Despite the name it is non-drying, unlike simple alcohols.

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate

A light plant-derived ester made from coconut alcohol and short-chain fatty acids. It spreads thinly, leaves a dry, non-greasy finish and is the usual choice when a brand wants a silicone-like slip without silicones or mineral oil.

Cocoa Butter

Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter

A rich plant butter from the cocoa bean that melts at skin temperature to form a softening, occlusive layer that reduces moisture loss. It is high in fatty acids and firms up at room temperature.

Coconut Oil

Cocos Nucifera Oil

A plant oil rich in saturated fatty acids that softens skin and forms an occlusive film limiting water loss. It is solid at cool temperatures and melts on contact with skin.

Cornflower Extract

Centaurea Cyanus Flower Extract

A floral extract traditionally used in eye and face care to calm and refresh the look of tired, sensitive skin. It offers mild soothing and hydrating benefits.

Cucumber Extract

Cucumis Sativus Fruit Extract

A watery botanical extract traditionally used to cool, hydrate and calm the look of tired or irritated skin. It provides mild humectant and soothing benefits.

Cupuacu Butter

Theobroma Grandiflorum Seed Butter

A plant butter from the Amazonian cupuacu fruit noted for its high fatty-acid content and its ability to hold water, giving both softening and hydrating effects. It leaves a cushiony, conditioned feel.

Cyclopentasiloxane

A volatile silicone that gives a weightless, silky glide and then evaporates, leaving a smooth non-greasy finish. It is used to improve spreadability and skin feel.

Dicaprylyl Carbonate

A very light, dry-feeling emollient ester that thins out heavy oils and makes creams spread easily. It is also a good solvent for oil-soluble UV filters, so it turns up constantly in sunscreens where texture is the hardest problem to solve.

Dimethicone

A silicone that forms a breathable, water-resistant film giving skin a smooth, silky feel while reducing water loss and softening rough texture. It also improves product slip and blurs the look of pores.

Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate

A water-soluble salt derived from licorice root, used because it disperses easily into watery formulas where the oil-soluble licorice fractions will not go. It is a long-standing choice in products aimed at visible redness and general reactivity.

Erythritol

A sugar alcohol used as a humectant that attracts and holds moisture while giving a light, non-sticky finish. It also helps improve product texture.

Ethylhexyl Palmitate

A light synthetic ester used as an emollient and as a carrier for oil-soluble ingredients. It spreads quickly and leaves a dry, silky finish rather than the weight of a plant oil, which is why it appears in sunscreens and primers as well as creams.

Ethylhexylglycerin

A preservative booster: it disrupts microbial cell membranes so a formula's main preservative works harder, letting formulators use less of it overall.

Evening Primrose Oil

Oenothera Biennis Oil

A plant oil notable for its gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) content, an omega-6 fatty acid that supports the skin barrier and soothes dryness. It is often used in products for reactive, dry skin.

Glyceryl Glucoside

A sugar-and-glycerin derived osmolyte that acts as a humectant to support the skin's water balance and moisture-retention. It is often used in deep-hydration and moisture-barrier products.

Glyceryl Stearate

A widely used emulsifier and emollient that binds oil and water into stable creams while softening and conditioning skin. It contributes a smooth, cushiony texture.

Glycyrrhetinic Acid

A purified compound derived from licorice root used to calm the look of redness and irritation and comfort sensitive skin. It is a concentrated soothing counterpart to whole licorice extract.

Hemp Seed Oil

Cannabis Sativa Seed Oil

A light plant oil with a balanced omega-3 and omega-6 fatty-acid profile that supports the skin barrier without a heavy feel. It contains no cannabinoids of note.

Hydrogenated Polyisobutene

A synthetic hydrocarbon liquid often used where mineral oil once was. It sits on the surface, slows water loss and gives a cushioned, glossy slip, and it does not oxidise or go rancid the way many plant oils eventually do.

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid broken into shorter chains so it penetrates further into the epidermis rather than sitting as a film on the surface.

Hydroxyethyl Urea

A urea-derived humectant that holds water in the skin's surface layers, offering hydration similar to urea but with a milder, non-exfoliating profile. It helps keep skin supple.

Inositol

A sugar-like compound that functions as a humectant and skin-conditioning agent, helping to hydrate and smooth the surface. It is sometimes grouped with the B-vitamin family.

Isododecane

A volatile branched hydrocarbon that spreads a product thinly and then evaporates, leaving whatever it carried behind. That behaviour is why it is the backbone of long-wear makeup and of sunscreens that need to lay down an even film without feeling wet.

Isopropyl Myristate

A synthetic ester used as a lightweight emollient that reduces greasiness and improves the spread and absorption of formulas. It gives a dry, silky after-feel.

Lactobionic Acid

A polyhydroxy acid formed by oxidising lactose — a large molecule that exfoliates slowly and gently, with documented antioxidant and metal-chelating activity alongside.

Laminaria (Kelp) Extract

Laminaria Digitata Extract

A brown-seaweed extract used as a mineral-rich humectant and skin-conditioning agent that helps hydrate and soften the surface. It also supplies antioxidant polysaccharides.

Lanolin

A waxy substance from sheep's wool that is a powerful emollient and occlusive, closely mimicking the skin's own surface lipids to soften and seal in moisture. It is a mainstay of very dry-skin and lip care.

Lauric Acid

A saturated twelve-carbon fatty acid, most abundant in coconut and palm kernel oil, used as an emollient and as the feedstock for a great many surfactants and soaps. It has drawn research interest for activity against Cutibacterium acnes in laboratory conditions.

Lecithin

A phospholipid, often from soy or sunflower, that acts as an emollient and natural emulsifier and supplies barrier-supporting lipids. It also helps deliver other ingredients.

Macadamia Oil

Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil

A rich plant oil high in oleic and palmitoleic acids that cushions and softens skin, mimicking some of the skin's own surface lipids. It has a nourishing, velvety feel.

Madecassic Acid

One of the active triterpenes isolated from Centella asiatica (cica), used to calm the look of redness and support the skin barrier. It is a purified counterpart to whole centella extract.

Mango Butter

Mangifera Indica Seed Butter

A soft plant butter pressed from mango seeds that conditions and softens skin while helping limit water loss. It has a lighter feel than many other butters.

Marshmallow Root Extract

Althaea Officinalis Root Extract

A mucilage-rich root extract that forms a soft, hydrating film to calm and comfort dry, irritated skin. It is a traditional demulcent soothing ingredient.

Meadowfoam Seed Oil

Limnanthes Alba Seed Oil

A remarkably stable plant oil with long-chain fatty acids that form a light protective film and lock in moisture. Its stability makes it resistant to going rancid.

Methylpropanediol

A light glycol used mostly as a solvent and texture-thinner, and partly as a humectant. It dissolves actives such as salicylic acid and is described by suppliers as helping them spread and absorb, which is why serums often feel fast-sinking.

Mineral Oil

Paraffinum Liquidum

A refined, inert occlusive and emollient oil that softens skin and slows water loss without penetrating deeply. Cosmetic grades are highly purified and non-comedogenic in testing.

N-Acetyl Glucosamine

Acetyl Glucosamine

An amino-sugar that helps even skin tone and supports hydration, and is often paired with niacinamide to enhance the look of a brighter, smoother complexion. It is a building block of skin's natural moisturizing components.

Neem Oil

Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil

A plant oil from the neem tree, long used in traditional care, valued as an emollient with soothing properties for blemish-prone and irritated skin. It has a distinctive strong odor.

Oat Kernel Extract

Avena Sativa Kernel Extract

A liquid extract of oat kernel carrying oat's soothing chemistry — beta-glucans and avenanthramides — used to calm irritation and support a compromised barrier.

Octyldodecanol

A branched fatty alcohol that is liquid at room temperature, unlike the waxy cetyl and stearyl alcohols. It behaves as a light oil: softening skin, thinning heavy waxes and dissolving oil-soluble ingredients.

Oleic Acid

The dominant monounsaturated fatty acid in olive, avocado, marula and many other plant oils, and the reason those oils feel rich and sink in slowly. It softens and conditions, and it loosens the packing of the skin's own lipids enough to help other ingredients pass through.

Olive Oil

Olea Europaea Fruit Oil

A classic emollient plant oil high in oleic acid that softens skin and limits water loss. It has a long history of use in soaps and body care.

Pentylene Glycol

A multifunctional glycol that acts as a humectant and solvent while also boosting the efficacy of a formula's preservative system. It helps dissolve other ingredients and adds light hydration.

Petrolatum

A refined semi-solid occlusive that forms a protective barrier reducing transepidermal water loss by a large margin. It is one of the most effective and inert moisturizing barrier agents.

Phytosterols

Plant-derived sterols from the same structural family as cholesterol, the sterol the skin's own barrier lipids are built on. In cosmetics they are added to soften, to help emulsions hold together, and for a calming effect on skin that looks irritated.

Pomegranate Seed Oil

Punica Granatum Seed Oil

A plant oil distinctive for its punicic-acid content, an omega-5 fatty acid, that conditions skin and provides antioxidant support. It helps replenish the barrier.

Prickly Pear Seed Oil

Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil

A lightweight, linoleic-acid-rich plant oil high in vitamin E that conditions skin and provides antioxidant support with a fast-absorbing feel. It is prized in luxury facial oils.

Propylene Glycol

A widely used humectant and solvent that attracts moisture and improves the penetration and texture of formulas. It has a long history of safe cosmetic use.

Saccharide Isomerate

A plant-derived carbohydrate complex that binds to the skin surface to provide long-lasting, water-retaining hydration. It is often described as a moisture-anchoring humectant.

Safflower Oil

Carthamus Tinctorius Seed Oil

A linoleic-acid-rich plant oil that conditions skin and supports the moisture barrier with a light, non-greasy texture. It is chemically similar to sunflower oil.

Sesame Oil

Sesamum Indicum Seed Oil

A traditional emollient plant oil, prominent in Ayurvedic body care, that softens skin and offers antioxidant support from natural lignans. It has a medium-weight, conditioning feel.

Sodium Hyaluronate

The sodium salt of hyaluronic acid and the form most cosmetics actually use — more water-soluble and more stable than the free acid, and a highly efficient humectant.

Sorbitol

A sugar alcohol used as a humectant and mild texture agent that helps skin retain water and gives products a smooth slip. It is also valued for stabilizing formulas and improving spreadability.

Squalene

The unstable natural precursor of squalane: a lipid your own sebaceous glands make, also found in olives and, historically, shark liver oil.

Stearic Acid

A fatty acid used as an emollient, thickener and emulsifier that gives creams body and a soft after-feel. It occurs naturally in many plant and animal fats.

Stearyl Alcohol

A fatty alcohol that works as an emollient and thickener, giving formulas a rich, stable texture and helping soften the skin surface. It is non-drying.

Sunflower Seed Oil

Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil

A light plant oil high in linoleic acid that reinforces the skin barrier and softens without a heavy finish. Its fatty-acid profile makes it a popular gentle facial oil.

Sweet Almond Oil

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil

A nourishing plant oil rich in oleic acid and vitamin E that softens and soothes skin while reducing surface dryness. It has a moderately rich, cushiony feel.

Tamanu Oil

Calophyllum Inophyllum Seed Oil

A thick, dark plant oil traditionally used to soothe and condition skin and support the appearance of blemished or scarred areas. It is rich in fatty acids and natural antioxidants.

Tocotrienols

The second branch of the vitamin E family, sitting alongside the far more familiar tocopherols and usually extracted from annatto, palm or rice bran. Their shorter, unsaturated tail moves more freely through lipid layers than tocopherol does.

Trehalose

A naturally occurring sugar that acts as a humectant and helps protect cell structures against dehydration stress. It supports moisture retention and formula stability.

Tremella Fuciformis Extract

Tremella Fuciformis (Mushroom) Extract

An extract from the snow mushroom prized as a botanical humectant that holds a large amount of water for its weight. It is often positioned as a plant-based alternative to hyaluronic acid.

Wheat Germ Oil

Triticum Vulgare Germ Oil

A rich plant oil that is one of the highest natural sources of vitamin E, used to nourish dry skin and add antioxidant protection to formulas. It also helps stabilize other oils.

Xylitol

A plant-derived sugar alcohol that works as a humectant to support the skin's surface hydration and moisture balance. It is often paired with other sugars in hydrating complexes.