Words: Zak Maoui
Lead image: Mitch Payne
While you once might've started your day with a little splash of water on your cheeks, times have changed. If you aren't using a moisturiser, at the very least, then we really can't help you. A moisturiser is the antidote to dried out, dull-looking skin. It locks in, as you guessed, moisture, leaving you looking more radiant, healthy and, well, handsome. But what're the best moisturisers for men?Luckily for you, we've done a little scouring of the internet and tried out the ones that promise to do best.
When it comes to buying a new moisturiser, we often turn to the below edit of creams and lotions that boost hydration levels, add life to dried-up skin and even out your skin tone. Unlike the exhaustive slew of options available today – many of which have Ambrosia-style consistency or the grease levels of a mechanic’s right hand – these tubes and bottles have the smooth, lightweight qualities of rarefied silk, with properties to not only protect, but also revive and elevate your skin. The best moisturisers are as follows, and in our opinion they really are the cream of the crop...
Horace Mattifying Face Moisturiser
Suffer from a sweaty brow and an overcompensating oil system? Horace has got you covered. Hands down the best moisturiser to tackle shine, Horace's Mattifying Face Moisturiser is suitable for all skin types (it's silicone-free, mineral oil-free and unscented) and harnesses the power of prickly pear and plum to plump your skin.
Aesop Seeking Silence Facial Hydrator
Cult grooming brand Aesop is beloved for its aesthetically-enhanced products, but does the stuff inside actually work? You bet it does. The Australian brand, which promises to keep things as natural as possible, has pumped its everyday moisturiser with squalane, ginger root, bisabolol, to aid and hydrate even the most sensitive skin.
EviDens The Day Moisturiser
The best moisturisers do often come at a price, but it's worth it. EviDens's Day Moisturiser protects the skin from premature signs of ageing, while energising the skin and leaving you looking in top shape. How? It uses a unique blend of triple collagen, La Foux spring water and a secret QAI complex to pump your skin full of the good stuff, day in, day out.
Super Facialist Deep Hydration Moisturiser for Men
That being said, you can also get great skin on a budget. Super Facialist's everyday vegan moisturiser uses niacinamide to reduce the appearance of oiliness and improve skin tone, hyaluronic acid to hydrate the skin, shea butter to lock in moisture and tetrapeptide-21 to boost collagen synthesis to help fight signs of ageing.
Augustinus Bader The Cream
Powered by TFC8, which is Augustinus Bader's patented creation to help fix burn victims' skin, The Cream is one of the best moisturisers on the planet. In the same way that it mends scorched skin, it works to repair the sun-damaged and ageing dermis, whilst also hydrating and renewing.
You're Looking Well The Day Cream
By nourishing your microbome, You're Looking Well's Day Cream works to give you a brighter and less irritated complexion. What's more, You're Looking Well works on a subscription model, so you can guarantee that once you run out of this cream, a new one will be on your door step.
Heath Moisturiser
Easy on the wallet, easy on the eyes when placed on the bathroom shelf, easy to use, this fuss-free bottle is a workhorse, with a pump-action offering powered by Soliberine (which protects against UV rays), hyaluronic acid (a promoter of hydration) and vitamin E (an antioxidant).
Dr Sebagh Extreme Maintenance Cream
Arriving in a weighty tub, the Extreme Maintenance Cream has the feel of a considered, high-grade item, and what’s inside – a does-all product that centres on ‘ageing-maintenance’ – is one of the most premium products on this list, delivering a heavy whack of hydration and leaving the face with a dough-soft feel.
Laneige Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Acid Cream Moisturiser
Laneige's Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Acid Cream Moisturiser is the ultimate fine line remover. It uses blue hyaluronic acid, which combines double-fermented hyaluronic acid with fucoidan, to deliver deep, long-lasting hydration for up to 100 hours. Meanwhile Laneige's Pepta-Panthenol Complex uses cholesterol and fatty acids to further hydrate the skin.
Eighth Day Reparative Moisturiser
Another item whose packaging is noted for its style creds, Eighth Day’s octagonal dispenser is replete with a patent-pending peptide-rich plasma that imparts amino acids and ‘growth factors’ to both minimise the appearance of uneven skin texture and buff out its appearance.
Floris No.89 Facial Moisturiser
Floris has been serving the Great and Good ever since its founding, in 1730, and its No.89 moisturiser brings together lavender, neroli, orange and bergamot for a lovely citrus-forward mix, something that’ll tease the wearer with the feel of summertime brightness.
Patricks SL1 Superleggera Moisturizer
Though best known for its hair-boosting products, Patricks also has a deft hand in other grooming departments, and its SL1 Superleggera Moisturizer sits somewhere between a cream and a gel, a hybrid mix that facilitates a hydrated yet matte finish.
Perricone MD High Potency Classics Face Finishing & Firming Tinted Moisturizer
This fast-absorbing, oil-free, tinted moisturiser with SPF delivers powerful antioxidant benefits to diminish wrinkles and imperfections. Slightly tinted, it'll iron out blemishes and leave you with a healthy glow, too.
Want more grooming content? Check out the best grooming products released this week
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Further reading
Nick Wakeman, founder of Studio Nicholson, on kickstarting her brand as a one woman show
Filippo Pignatti, founder of Gentleman's Gram, shares his secret style codes
