Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed more than 40 moisturizers, and her 91% approval rate says it all: she finds a lot to like. La Mer is the one she skipped. What she keeps coming back to is moisturizers that repair the skin barrier, soothe irritation, and work for more than one person or purpose.
What does Dr. Sam Ellis recommend in moisturizers?
Dr. Sam Ellis reaches for moisturizers built around ceramides, oatmeal, and hyaluronic acid. She says these ingredients actually repair a disrupted skin barrier instead of just sitting on top of it. She praised CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion for packing hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides into one lightweight lotion you can use morning or night. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream won her over with its oatmeal base, which she says calms irritation, and the fact that it works on both face and body. She also has a soft spot for versatile formulas. La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Moisturizing Cream gets her nod partly because she says it is safe for babies and adults alike. For oily skin, she singles out Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing Moisturizer. It feels rich, she says, but dries down weightless and works brilliantly under makeup.
In her words
"The texture is amazing, your skin is going to be so moisturized after that. And I love it because it has oatmeal so it is very soothing. I'm a big oatmeal gal. It can help with irritation and it can help with a disrupted skin barrier. I'm just a huge fan of this moisturizer all around. I recommend it to so many people. You can use it on your face and your body, which I also like because it's a multi-purpose type of product."
"The Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturizer will always hold a very special place in my heart because I pretty much exclusively used this moisturizer during the winter when I lived in Colorado during my interim year. This Ultra Facial Cream falls in the category of could be used day or night or both because it is a quite light texture while still being very rich and moisturizing."
"One of my all-time favorite moisturizers for sensitive skin and one of the most popular moisturizers among my patients is the Avène Tolerance Extreme Cream. This moisturizer is quite a thick cream, but one of the things I love about it is that it is great for post procedures. For my patients who just had microneedling or they had a laser done and their skin is going to be ultra sensitive, I can feel very confident recommending this."
"Over the past few years, I have been really lucky to work with a lot of celebrity makeup artists, and so many carry the Tatcha Water Cream in their kit. For years, it has been one of my go-to recommendations if someone with oily skin wants a moisturizer because it feels luxurious and kind of rich on the skin, yet dries down in such a weightless, hydrating way. It's perfect and it does so well under makeup."
"This is a super rich nourishing moisturizer and I just find that so many people love it. This is just a very effective moisturizer, it's kind of cosmetically elegant so it's a joy to put on. You could use it in little babies, you can use it in adults, so it's also incredibly versatile."
"The CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion [...] is a cult favorite and it's a great facial moisturizer. You could use it in the morning under sunscreen or in the evening over the top of your other skincare products, or as the only skincare product that you use that night after you cleanse your face. This has hyaluronic acid and niacinamide and ceramide, so all things that help support a stronger, healthier skin barrier."
How many moisturizers has Dr. Sam Ellis reviewed?
Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed 44 moisturizers, for an approval rate of 91%. 40 approved, 3 mixed, and 1 skipped.
What has Dr. Sam Ellis skipped in moisturizers?
She skipped almost nothing across more than 40 reviews. La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream is the skip on record, and her reasoning is worth knowing. She said it is a good moisturizer if you like a rich, enveloping feel, but when she looked past the brand's signature broth, the ingredient list was comparable to a drugstore formula. Lots of oils, lots of waxes. Not harmful, she said, just not worth the price gap.
"While it is a great moisturizer, especially if you like the feel of a richer, more enveloping cream, when I look at the ingredient list, aside from having this miracle broth, it's pretty similar to what you would see in a drugstore moisturizer. There's a lot of oils, including mineral oil. There's a lot of waxes, which are not bad ingredients by any means."
What should you take from Dr. Sam Ellis's picks?
Dr. Sam Ellis is one of the more generous voices on moisturizers, and she has named Avène Tolerance Extreme Cream her winner in this category. She reaches for it especially after procedures like microneedling or laser, when skin is at its most sensitive. Her broader pattern is clear: she values barrier-supporting ingredients, gentle formulas that work across skin types, and products that pull double duty. If a moisturizer ticks those boxes, she is very likely to approve it.
Watch Dr. Sam Ellis say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Avène Tolerance Extreme CreamNamed a winnerWatch at 3:20
- La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing CreamSkipped itWatch at 3:51
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair CreamRated itWatch at 9:31
- Kiehl's Ultra Facial CreamRated itWatch at 6:56
- Tatcha Water Cream Oil-Free Pore Minimizing MoisturizerRated itWatch at 3:33
- La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP+ Intense Repair Moisturizing CreamRated itWatch at 8:56
- CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing LotionRated itWatch at 12:08
- Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel MoisturizerRated itWatch at 11:13
- Aestura Atobarrier 365 CreamRated itWatch at 4:25
- Purito Deep Sea Pure Water CreamRated itWatch at 11:42
- OneSkin OS-01 Face Topical SupplementRated itWatch at 14:25
- Olay Micro-Sculpting CreamRated itWatch at 7:37
- Rhode Barrier Butter Intensive Moisture BalmRated itWatch at 9:21
- Naturium Multi-Peptide MoisturizerRated itWatch at 5:39
- DRMTLGY Peptide Night CreamRated itWatch at 6:17
- Lancôme Cream SkinRated itWatch at 2:12
- L'Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Midnight CreamRated itWatch at 12:12
- Caudalie Resveratrol Lift Lightweight Firming Cashmere MoisturizerRated itWatch at 9:08
- Isntree Mugwort Calming CreamRated itWatch at 12:49
- Aveeno Colloidal Oatmeal Body MoisturizerRated itWatch at 8:18
- The INKEY List Extreme CreamRated itWatch at 14:39
- Bepanthen CreamRated itWatch at 7:43
- Dieux Instant Angel Lipid-Rich Firming MoisturizerRated itWatch at 15:10
- SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight CreamRated itWatch at 5:34
About this expert
See everything Dr. Sam Ellis has reviewed
Related guides
This guide reflects what Dr. Sam Ellis said across her videos about 44 products in moisturizers, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products she approved. It is general information, not medical advice.