How to Choose the Best Moisturizer for Your Skin: Which Ingredients to Look For and Which Ones to Avoid

If moisturizing is an integral part of your beauty routine, you’re not alone. A recent report found that moisturizers are the single most popular product category in skincare—and they’re projected to be even more in-demand in the future.¹

But with so many products on the market to choose from, finding your perfect face cream isn’t easy. Not all formulas are made equal, and some may actually do more harm than good.

“Moisturizers can absolutely make skin worse,” says Dr. Peter Elias. “Some products can be incorrectly formulated, not only allowing moisture to escape but literally sucking it out of your skin.”²

So how can you be sure that your moisturizer will do its job? Keep reading to find out which ingredients to look for and which ones to avoid.

What Are Humectants and Occlusives?

The first things you need to look for in your moisturizer are humectants and occlusives. These are the main hydrating ingredients, and both are types of emollients.

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“All the word ‘emollient’ really tells you is that its function is to smooth and soften skin,” says Dr. Leslie Baumann. “It doesn’t give you any clue about how the ingredient achieves this. For this reason, I don’t really like using the word ‘emollient.’ I prefer the more functional descriptive words such as occlusive, humectant, or barrier repair ingredient.”³

We’ll get to barrier-repairing ingredients in a second, but here’s the difference between humectants and occlusives:

✓ Humectants

Humectants are ingredients that draw in moisture from their surrounding environment.⁴ “Humectants are basically ‘water magnets,’” says Dr. Ava Shamban. “They work to help pull moisture from the air into the upper layer of your skin to keep the skin cells hydrated [and] plump with a firmness and bounce.”⁵

Some of the best humectants include:

• Glycerin
• Aloe vera
• Hyaluronic acid
• Panthenol
• Sodium PCA
• Urea
• Propylene glycol

✓ Occlusives

Occlusives are ingredients that form a protective coating on your skin, which keeps moisture trapped inside.⁶ “They put a sealant on your skin by coating the top layer,” says Dr. Elizabeth Tanzi. “This is different from pulling in water and hydrating skin.”⁷

Some of the best occlusives include:

• Jojoba oil
• Shea butter
• Squalane
• Castor oil
• Lanolin
• Beeswax
• Zinc oxide

For best results, look for a moisturizer that contains both humectants and occlusives—not one or the other. “When used on their own, humectants can sometimes cause the skin to become dehydrated,” says Dr. Baumann. “Pairing an occlusive with the humectant can counteract this effect.”⁶ “Occlusives themselves don’t infuse moisture, they just prevent it from evaporating off the skin,” says Dr. Amelia K. Hausauer.⁸

What Are Barrier-Repairing Ingredients?

If you have dry or sensitive skin, a moisturizer with humectants and occlusives may not be enough. “While humectants can provide a temporary plumping, smoothing and hydrating effect, they are unable to repair damage to your skin’s protective barrier, which is the root cause of excessive dryness and flaking,” says Dr. Baumann.⁴

Enter barrier-repairing ingredients, which mimic the natural balance of lipids that are found in a healthy skin barrier.⁹ “The healthiest skin is made up of the correct balance of three key lipids: cholesterol, ceramides and free fatty acids,” says Dr. Mervyn Patterson. “They are skin’s natural protection and ideally, they exist in a ratio of 1:1:1.”¹⁰

“If ceramides are applied with other lipids such as cholesterol in a combination similar to that found in the skin barrier, this further enhances barrier repair,” says Dr. Justine Hextall.¹¹

✓ Ceramides

Ceramides make up approximately 50% of the intercellular lipids in the skin barrier.¹² Examples of ceramides that you’ll see in moisturizers include:

• Ceramide EOS
• Ceramide NS/NG
• Ceramide NP
• Ceramide AP
• Ceramide EOP

✓ Cholesterol

Cholesterol is another component of the skin barrier, accounting for about 25% of its lipid content.¹²

✓ Fatty Acids

Fatty acids represent approximately 15% of the lipid matrix, and may be saturated or unsaturated.¹² In general, saturated fatty acids are the most stable and have a thicker texture that is better for hydration and barrier repair. Unsaturated fatty acids oxidize more quickly, but are more lightweight and less comedogenic.

Some of the best fatty acids for your skin include:

• Stearic acid 
• Palmitic acid 
• Linoleic acid 
• Linolenic acid 

Sometimes, product labels will list the name of the oil that contains the fatty acid instead, such as:

• Shea butter (stearic acid)
• Cocoa butter (stearic and palmitic acids)
• Palm oil (palmitic acid)
• Safflower oil (linoleic acid) 
• Borage oil (linolenic acid)

Are Some Oils and Fatty Acids Bad?

Oils—whether plant-derived or synthetic—are common ingredients in moisturizers. They can soften your skin, lock in moisture (acting as occlusives), and deliver fatty acids that strengthen your skin barrier.

However, not all oils and fatty acids are beneficial. Here are three problem ingredients:

✗ Oils High in Oleic Acid

Oleic acid is a type of monounsaturated fatty acid that has been found to disrupt the function of the skin barrier.¹³ Another four-week study, on olive oil (which is high in oleic acid) found that it significantly weakened the integrity of the skin barrier and induced redness—even in people with no history of dermatitis.¹⁴ “Oleic acid, the fatty acid found in olive oil, can cause tiny holes in the skin barrier,” says Dr. Baumann.⁹  

For this reason, moisturizers with the following ingredients are not ideal:

• Oleic acid
• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Marula oil
• Macadamia oil
• Camellia oil
• Almond oil

✗ Oils High in Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs)

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are readily susceptible to oxidation, so they’re the most unstable types of fatty acids.¹⁵ PUFAs “have limited stability,” says Dr. Sharyn Laughlin. “This can affect the shelf life of skincare products containing them.”¹⁶

Once PUFAs oxidize (go rancid), they release free radicals, which are dangerous molecules that can cause cellular damage. “A rancid oil on the skin, no matter how anti-aging it was when stable, will have the opposite effect on your skin,” says esthetician Abigail James.¹⁷

If your moisturizer does contain PUFAs, be sure to use it up quickly, before it goes rancid. Personally, I look for formulas that are either PUFA-free or without PUFAs in the first five ingredients (which typically represent about 80% of the product). These are some of the most common PUFA-based oils that you’ll see in moisturizers:

• Sunflower oil
• Safflower oil
• Grape seed oil
• Rosehip oil
• Evening primrose oil
• Soybean oil

✗ Mineral Oil

Mineral oil is derived from petroleum, and has occlusive properties on the skin. In fact, it is so occlusive that long-term use may actually cause more dryness. “It can ‘over hydrate’ the skin,” says Dr. Jetske Ultee. “Sounds strange, but mineral oils can retain moisture so effectively that the skin will become too moist. Your skin will look good at first (because the lines are stretched out), but in the long run various cellular processes will work somewhat less efficiently. Eventually this will lead to your skin not being able to protect itself and you find yourself in a vicious circle; your skin quickly dries out if you don’t put any cream on and so you keep applying it.”¹⁸

“It more suffocates the skin than anything else,” says Dr. Shamban. “The molecular structure is simply too large, so it can both clog pores, cause a disruption or even damage to the skin barrier, and ultimately increase transepidermal water loss.”¹⁹

For these reasons, you may want to avoid moisturizers with the following ingredients:

• Mineral oil
• Petrolatum
• Paraffin
• Paraffinum liquidum

Is Fragrance in Moisturizer Bad?

Even though it’s a common cause of skin irritation, fragrance is present in most moisturizers.²⁰ In fact, one study found it in 83% of drugstore face creams.²¹ It’s not just synthetic fragrance that is a problem—so are essential oils and their components (like geraniol, linalool and limonene). 

If you can’t avoid them altogether, at least make sure these ingredients are near the end of the ingredients list, in low concentrations. Also be aware that “fragrance-free” doesn’t guarantee there’s no fragrance—it just means the product doesn’t have a noticeable odour. Masking agents may be present, and they can be just as problematic as fragrance chemicals.

Is Silicone in Moisturizer Bad?

Silicones have long been used in moisturizers because they create a velvety texture and instantly smooth out the skin’s surface. But they don’t actually moisturize—and they can be especially problematic for acne-prone skin.²²

“The issue is that silicone coats whatever it is applied to, leaving skin unable to breathe and accept or excrete natural oils, humidity and bacteria,” says Dr. Gary Goldfaden. “This can cause allergic reactions, dry skin and clogged pores.”²³

“They can increase the penetration of some other ingredients, which could lead to clogged pores,” says esthetician Renée Rouleau. “If there are ingredients in a formula that aren’t compatible with oily, breakout-prone skin types, the silicone ingredients may facilitate a blockage in the pore lining. This is what can potentially lead to clogged pores and blemishes, but it’s not the silicone itself.”²⁴

If you’re prone to clogged pores or breakouts, look for moisturizers without the following ingredients:

• Dimethicone
• Methicone
• Dimethiconol

What Are Comedogenic Ingredients?

Along with silicones, you’ll want to avoid moisturizers with comedogenic ingredients if you have acne-prone skin. “Comedogenic means acne-causing,” says Dr. Loretta Ciraldo. “It isn’t easy to find products labeled as non-comedogenic these days. Generally speaking, thicker, creamier products are those that are more likely to clog your pores.”²⁵

Since there are dozens of potentially comedogenic ingredients, I recommend pasting your moisturizer’s ingredients list into a “pore clogger checker”—I like the ones by estheticians Biba de Sousa and Sofie Pavitt.

Conclusion + Further Reading

Now you know what to look for in a moisturizer, and which ingredients can help (or harm) your skin.

With these guidelines, you’ll be better equipped to select the right product, and avoid the wrong ones for your skin type.

Still struggling with dryness? Check out this tutorial on what causes dry skin. Something else that you’re using in your routine could very well be the culprit!

Learn More From These Related Articles

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