Index / What Works / Mad About Skin on dry skin

Mad About Skin's Dry Skin Guide: His Picks, His Passes, and More Than 10 Winners

He reviewed more than 130 dry skin products, named more than 10 outright winners, and did not hold back on the ones that overpromise or hide what is in them.

Mad About Skin · 130 products reviewed · 440 mentions analyzed · Last reviewed 14 October 2026
79%Approval rate
103 Yay8 Mixed19 Nay

Mad About Skin has reviewed more than 130 dry skin products. His approval rate sits at 79%, which means he approves more than he skips. But he is not someone who passes a product just because it is popular or expensive. A big brand name and a high price tag will not save a formula he thinks is not good enough.

What does Mad About Skin recommend for dry skin?

His approvals lean toward formulas that actively repair the skin's barrier, its protective outer layer, rather than just sitting on the surface. He also likes products that combine several useful ingredients into one formula, things like panthenol, niacinamide, and collagen, so dry skin gets more done in fewer steps. He is also drawn to ranges that offer both a lighter and a richer version. That gives someone the flexibility to pick what their skin needs on a given day. He named more than 10 category winners across his dry skin reviews. For some of them, like the Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence, he says he genuinely loves them.

In his words

"It comes as a little ball of PDRN suspended in a hydrating serum that you shake to activate, and it gives you the nicest plumping, [...] my skin drinks it up. [...] It's the plump, it's the hydration, it's the long-term anti-aging, it's just the most beautiful beautiful product. I went through the last one in about a month because I was so lavish with it, I loved it so much. There's no stickiness, it sinks in and gives all that anti-aging goodness, [...] plumping and hydration."
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"So you have to use really good quality humectants to avoid that. Medicate have done that. [...] One pump will do the whole face and neck. [...] This is great. [...] I've been using it all year, and I would say one of these will last me three months. Genuinely, one of the best cleansers I have ever used, bar none. Especially if you've got dryness prone skin type, and I think that's a good thing to bear in mind as we're coming into the cooler winter months."
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"The blend of different hydrating agents in here is unmatched. [...] This is quite honestly the nicest serum when it comes to lightweight yet meaningful hydration, it's a gel [...] that leaves the nicest finish, not sticky, not tacky, [...] and you can even keep it in the fridge for extra cooling. [...] I've fallen in love with it."
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"This is a stabilized vitamin C, so it doesn't oxidize and has a super long shelf life, with centella asiatica, and using vitamin C and centella together gives you four times the additional collagen versus using vitamin C on its own. If you are using vitamin C for its anti-aging, this is the one that you should be using, it's a one and done, really potent. It's somewhere in the region of about £13, it doesn't get more affordable than this."
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"In here you've got collagen, panthenol, vitamin E, and a little retinoid which will over time naturally increase collagen, plus niacinamide too, so it's quite a nice comprehensive formulation. You use this as a rich moisturizer in your evening skincare routine, you put this on the skin and you'll wake up with the juiciest bouncy skin of your life, which I love. [...] If you look at the ingredients, collagen is sky high on it, which is why I think it works so well."
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"This is the Haruharu Wonder Black Rice Probiotics Barrier Essence. This has been around for years and [...] has been on many a top 10 list and for good reason. I love it. Everyone else seems to love it. [...] It comes in a glass bottle, which I like. It's not super expensive, but it feels bougie. [...] It will work for all skin types. [...] It just adds a nice little lift to the skin, a bit of plumpness, a little anti-aging, calming and soothing. It's just a nice allrounder."
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How many products has Mad About Skin reviewed for dry skin?

Mad About Skin has reviewed 130 products for dry skin, for an approval rate of 79%. 103 approved, 8 mixed, and 19 skipped.

What has Mad About Skin skipped for dry skin?

Roughly one in six got a skip from him. One clear reason he gives is when a brand will not say what percentage of an active ingredient it is using. He was direct about this with the Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturizer. Without knowing the concentration, he said, you cannot match a product to your skin's sensitivity level. He called that kind of secrecy shady. He also considered the La Mer Crème de la Mer Moisturizing Cream overpriced and not worth switching to. He flagged that the US and EU versions are not the same formula, with the European one performing significantly better.

What should you take from Mad About Skin's picks?

Mad About Skin is a generous reviewer on dry skin products, but his generosity has conditions. The formula has to earn its price, and the brand has to be open about what is in it. His category winners are a good starting point for anyone building or refining a dry skin routine. If a brand will not tell you the concentration of its key active, he considers that a reason to look elsewhere. His track record on this category makes that worth keeping in mind.

Watch Mad About 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.

About this expert

Mad About Skin

See everything Mad About Skin has reviewed

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This guide reflects what Mad About Skin said across his videos about 130 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.