The Style and Beauty Doctor has reviewed 37 dry-skin products and landed at a Guru Score of 73%. She named one category winner across all of them: O'Keeffe's Working Hands. She tends to favour simple ingredients that seal moisture in, and she does not hold back when a product looks good on paper but fails in practice.
What does The Style and Beauty Doctor recommend for dry skin?
She keeps coming back to ingredients that seal moisture in rather than just add water. Vaseline Original Healing Jelly is her standout example. She explains that petrolatum does not clog pores because the molecule is too large to get inside one. That makes it a safe pick even for those who worry about breakouts. On the face, she prefers radiant finishes over matte ones. Mattifying formulas, she says, settle into fine lines and draw attention to them. IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer earned her approval on exactly that basis, praised for covering well while leaving a radiant, non-flattening finish.
In their words
"These IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealers, oh my god, I love them. I got shade deep warm as my normal under eye shade, and then to highlight, I have rich warm. [...] These are so good, they cover well, they have a nice radiant finish, because if you're covering under eye after 40, you probably don't want something mattifying, because that will settle into your [...] lines and whatnot, and who needs something clocking you like that."
"I freaking love this Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm. This particular shade is [...] vanilla beige. I've tried others because they've sent me a gazillion of these in PR, and the others don't seem as moisturizing and as nice and thick as this one is. It's shea butter, and it's got vegan waxes in it. It's $24 for 0.5 oz."
"I keep Vaseline petroleum jelly on me after 40. People think Vaseline is going to break you out, but the only way it could is if you're allergic to petrolatum, and most people aren't, it's not comedogenic in the way people think because the molecule is too big to penetrate the pore. I like it because the skin barrier can get impaired back and forth after 40, and it really helps repair the skin barrier. When my skin feels particularly sensitive I'll put it on top of everything, or some nights I'll just wash my face, let it air dry a bit, and put it on. By the time I wake up in the morning my skin feels so much better."
"You can also use the [Aquaphor] Healing Ointment you know whatever your preference is apply a thin layer to the area before you put the item on"
"This has a very creamy texture but it's very lightweight it feels like there's nothing on it leaves a natural finish on the skin"
"Also, the Naturium BioLipid Body Lotion. I've tried it. I like that."
How many products has The Style and Beauty Doctor reviewed for dry skin?
The Style and Beauty Doctor has reviewed 37 products for dry skin, for a Guru Score of 73%. 27 approved, 5 mixed, and 5 skipped.
What has The Style and Beauty Doctor skipped for dry skin?
She skipped five products across her dry-skin reviews, a small share of her total here. CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 was one skip. The white cast is so strong that people end up applying less than the right amount, which defeats the purpose entirely. The INKEY List Oat Cleansing Balm came down to personal preference on smell and texture, though she acknowledged it does remove makeup.
"My opinion still remains with this Oat Cleansing Balm: I do not like the smell and I do not like the texture. But as you can see it is melting that makeup off."
"The Milky Jelly Cleanser has a low lather, and that's going to depend on user preference. My skin is more of an oily type and I do tend to wear makeup, and I feel like that just wouldn't cut it for me. Out of all of these, that's the only one I probably wouldn't use."
"We got some dove products here"
"The CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is nice and hydrating and it's non-greasy, it sprays nicely on the skin. However, the white cast on this is wild. I don't even think CeraVe had white people in mind when they made this sunscreen. The problem with this mineral sunscreen is that because the white cast is so horrific, sometimes people don't put on as much as they should, and that defeats the purpose since sunscreen is not a little bit goes a long way type of product. Even after you've applied it in thin layers and massaged it in, you still might want to wait a couple minutes just to let the white cast calm down."
What should you take from The Style and Beauty Doctor's picks?
Her dry-skin takes are practical and grounded. She cares more about ingredients that work than ones that just look impressive. She rates simple picks as highly as premium ones, and her one named category winner across 37 reviews is O'Keeffe's Working Hands. Those with very dry or sensitive skin may find her focus on sealing the skin barrier, rather than just moisturising it, a useful way to think about their own shopping.
Watch The Style and Beauty Doctor say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- O'Keeffe's Working HandsNamed a winnerWatch at 33:59
- The INKEY List Oat Cleansing BalmSkipped itWatch at 11:44
- BYOMA Milky Jelly CleanserSkipped itWatch at 33:04
- Dove Deep Moisture Body WashSkipped itWatch at 6:00
- CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50Skipped itWatch at 1:43
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5Skipped itWatch at 3:12
- IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye ConcealerRated itWatch at 11:22
- Summer Fridays Lip Butter BalmRated itWatch at 22:44
- Vaseline Original Healing JellyRated itWatch at 16:49
- Aquaphor Healing OintmentRated itWatch at 6:36
- COSRX Hydrium Watery TonerRated itWatch at 2:34
- Naturium Biolipid Restoring Body LotionRated itWatch at 7:20
- Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night MoisturizerRated itWatch at 2:30
- CeraVe Moisturizing CreamRated itWatch at 10:41
- L'Oreal Revital Lift moisturizerRated itWatch at 5:45
- Aquaphor Healing Ointment Body SprayRated itWatch at 83:54
- SkinFix Barrier+ Triple Lipid & Peptide CreamRated itWatch at 16:39
- Eucerin MoisturizerRated itWatch at 2:12
- First Aid Beauty Hydrating Sunscreen MilkRated itWatch at 9:15
- Eucerin Eczema Relief CreamRated itWatch at 6:36
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair CreamRated itWatch at 15:54
- Aveeno Skin Relief Body WashRated itWatch at 6:44
- Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night OilRated itWatch at 14:55
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer SPF 50Rated itWatch at 5:32
About this expert
See everything The Style and Beauty Doctor has reviewed
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This guide reflects what The Style and Beauty Doctor said across their videos about 37 products for dry skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The Guru Score is our read on how warmly they talk about them. It is general information, not medical advice.