Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed a lot of dry-skin products, and his record is one of the more generous ones out there. Of the more than 30 he looked at, he approved the large majority, gave a few mixed takes, and skipped only a few. Even so, he is not someone who hands out praise for a nice texture. The products he rated highest earn it on ingredients, not feel.
What does Dr. Somji Skin recommend for dry skin?
What he keeps coming back to is barrier support. He praised CeraVe Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Healing Ointment for their ceramide-led formulas. Ceramides help skin hold onto moisture and repair itself. He was just as positive about La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, pointing to clinical study results showing 55% less dryness and a 98% drop in tightness over four weeks. He called it especially useful for sensitive or compromised skin. He also approved of lactic acid for dry and sensitive skin, naming The Ordinary Lactic Acid 10% + Hyaluronic Acid as a good pick. Among the products that earned his top pick are The Ordinary Squalane and Eucerin Aquaphor healing balm.
Dr. Somji Skin's dry skin picks, in his words
"The CeraVe hydrating cleanser is quite nice. It's a creamy cleanser that just moisturizes even whilst cleansing."
"The CeraVe Healing Ointment is like an inclusive dressing that you can apply to the skin when you want that little bit of repair. It can be put on dry, cracked areas, so [...] if you've got dry, cracked skin, especially if you're someone like me that washes your hands like 50, 60 times a day, [...] it's really really useful for those rough kind of areas. It's [...] formulated with petrolatum, which is basically very similar to petroleum jelly or Vaseline."
"I think it's got some decent ingredients in there, nothing really too strong. If you've got male or female pattern hair loss, this product is good. [...] Stick to what you're using that's FDA proof for hair loss, and you can use it as an add-on just to improve the health of your hair, that's how you should be using this product."
"A lot of my patients actually like the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm. They say it helps really remove makeup. [...] The Clinique cleansing balm has got some interesting ingredients: you've got safflower seed oil, caprylic triglycerides which are great for the skin barrier, and some vitamin E as well. [...] So essentially it's just a fatty acid cleanser that helps with the skin barrier. It's amazing that it was able to take off a lot of heavy makeup."
"I like Aquaphor as a lip gloss. It's got a petroleum jelly base but then it's also got some great essential oils in there and it's great for slugging. [...] It's very natural. I use it post laser resurfacing as well and it's actually pretty good for the lips."
"There's many different formulations but a lot of celebrity skincare brands have got lip products, and I'm assuming this has got peptides to help nourish the lips as well as helping the skin barrier with nice essential oils as well. And this is the Salted Caramel scent and it's so yummy smelling."
How many products has Dr. Somji Skin reviewed for dry skin?
Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed 38 products for dry skin, for an approval rate of 76%. 29 approved, 6 mixed, and 3 skipped.
What has Dr. Somji Skin skipped for dry skin?
Each product he skipped had a reason behind it. He passed on Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream, saying it felt pleasant but the ingredients were unlikely to actually change the skin, and that the price was hard to justify. Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Serum got the same verdict: too thin, with the added B5 so low on the ingredient list that he did not think it would make a real difference, and better hyaluronic acid serums available elsewhere. La Roche-Posay Retinol B3 Serum was another skip. The sticking point was the format: he called it a hybrid fail, explaining that he does not rate products that try to be both a serum and a cream at once. He also noted the retinol concentration was low.
"It feels nice as a product but there's nothing in these ingredients that are going to do anything for your skin. [...] The ingredients are probably not going to change your skin. [...] It's all about the price you're paying. If you're going to be paying like kind of High Street prices, these are great formulations but these are the same prices as some of the things that I stock in my clinics and my patients would kill me because they'd say look, my skin hasn't done anything."
"La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, which is really popular, some people put this on like nappy rash, all sorts of things, is a soothing repairing cream but if you layer this, if you layer anything too thick, it's going to be comedogenic. So there's a word of warning and cautiousness. I wouldn't put it in any products now because there's so many other things that you can add, you've got olive oil derived ceramides to help with the barrier, for instance."
"There are better other better hyaluronic acids on the market. [...] Yes, there's some addition of B5, but it's so low down the list that it's not really going to make a difference. [...] The actual amount of active ingredients is quite low, so it's not going to really change your skin that much. I think there are other things on the market that can do probably much the same job if not better. So I personally don't think that this product's worth it."
What should you take from Dr. Somji Skin's picks?
Dr. Somji Skin's dry-skin record is one of the warmest around, but what he really rewards is a formula built around barrier ingredients and honest pricing. If ceramides, petrolatum, or squalane are on the label, he tends to be on board. Where he pushes back is on products with a fine texture but thin ingredient lists, or formats he thinks are trying to be two things at once. His top picks, including The Ordinary Squalane and Eucerin Aquaphor healing balm, are straightforward, barrier-focused options. That tells you most of what you need to know about where he stands.
Watch Dr. Somji Skin say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream Rescue & Recovery MoisturizerSkipped itWatch at 17:34
- La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5Skipped itWatch at 6:16
- Drunk Elephant B-Hydra Intensive Hydration SerumSkipped itWatch at 3:18
- CeraVe Hydrating Facial CleanserRated itWatch at 1:47
- CeraVe Healing OintmentRated itWatch at 8:28
- Rogaine Minoxidil 5% FoamRated itWatch at 8:05
- Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing BalmRated itWatch at 1:47
- Aquaphor Healing Ointment Advanced TherapyRated itWatch at 13:28
- Rhode Peptide Lip TreatmentRated itWatch at 9:20
- Rhode Barrier Restore CreamRated itWatch at 7:33
- The INKEY List Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing & Plumping Moisturizer + Barrier StrengtheningRated itWatch at 2:36
- The INKEY List Hyaluronic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 1:53
- Cetaphil Rich Hydrating CreamRated itWatch at 4:57
- Cetaphil Daily Facial MoisturizerRated itWatch at 4:51
- Drunk Elephant Lippe BalmRated itWatch at 22:21
- Laneige Cream Skin Milk Oil CleanserRated itWatch at 1:16
- Bio-Essence Squalane OilRated itWatch at 3:53
- Revolution 2% Hyaluronic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 6:55
- The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HARated itWatch at 2:26
- Clinique Moisture Surge 100H Auto-Replenishing HydratorRated itWatch at 10:02
- CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid SerumRated itWatch at 12:48
- Cetaphil Hydrating Foaming Cream CleanserRated itWatch at 5:48
- SkinCeuticals C E FerulicRated itWatch at 5:43
- CeraVe Skin Renewing Retinol SerumRated itWatch at 18:05
About this expert
See everything Dr. Somji Skin has reviewed
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This guide reflects what Dr. Somji Skin said across his videos about 38 products for dry skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.