If you suffer from rosacea, you know how frustrating it can be to battle red, blotchy, and inflamed skin.
According to nationally board-certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick, the skin condition is most commonly characterized by redness, red bumps, and even pustules, but there are a variety of causes, including excessive sun exposure, heat, and spicy foods.
“Often [rosacea] is characterized by increased skin sensitivity,” Dr. Garshick adds. If you have increased sensitivity, you should avoid certain products. While this applies to products like chemical sunscreens,
it’s definitely not for moisturizers.
“With rosacea, moisturizing is even more important because dry skin is a disaster for rosacea-prone skin,” explains Dr. Rachel Nazarian, a board-certified dermatologist in New York. “You already have a sensitive skin barrier. If you weaken that by damaging the moisture barrier, you’re more likely to be irritated by random environmental factors, whereas when you have an intact, healthy, moist skin barrier, you’re protected from those environmental irritants.”
Whether you need a new cream that’s better suited to your skin type or you’re looking for more creams to add to your product collection, here are the 14 best moisturizers for rosacea, according to experts.
1. Vanicream Daily Face Moisturizer with Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid
Both doctors recommend Vanicream’s Daily Face Moisturizer for people with sensitive skin. It’s free of fragrance, parabens, and sulfates, making it a good choice overall. “It contains hyaluronic acid and ceramides,” says Dr. Garshick. “So it helps hydrate and support the skin barrier while being very gentle on the skin.”
2. La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer: Designed to repair the skin’s natural protective barrier, this ultra-light cream contains key ingredients like ceramides, niacinamide, and glycerin.
“Niacinamide is particularly effective for rosacea because it has soothing properties that help calm the skin,” says Dr. Gashik. “While it’s great for sensitive skin, it’s also oil-free and won’t clog pores. So it may be helpful for people with acne and rosacea.”
3. Skinfix Barrier+ Skin Barrier Niacinamide Replenishing Regenerating Gel-Cream: This non-comedogenic gel-cream is great for oily skin and hydrates the skin without clogging pores.
It contains niacinamide and antimicrobial peptides, which are great for acne-prone skin because they support a healthy skin barrier. It also treats fine lines, wrinkles, and improves skin elasticity.
4. Eau Thermale Avène Cicalfate+ Repairing Protective Cream: This product is designed to repair, hydrate, and protect the skin. Since this cream has a rich and thick texture, it’s a good choice for anyone with irritated skin.
“It helps reduce redness and inflammation,” says Dr. Garshick. “Skin doesn’t feel greasy, but it does look thicker. That’s why it’s great, especially for people with rosacea and dry skin.” By the way, it can also be used to treat burns, cuts, and scrapes.
5. Topical Products Like Butter Moisturizer: This moisturizer is named after her. It contains hyaluronic acid to treat dry, red skin. The rich texture is perfect for anyone with eczema or itchy skin, and the packaging is super stylish, too.
6. Aveeno Calm + Redness Restoring Moisturizer: This cream contains oatmeal, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Ceramides and vitamin B5 also help restore the skin’s moisture barrier and relieve redness and dryness. If you’re sensitive to fragrance, you’ll also be happy to know that this cream is fragrance-free and hypoallergenic.
7. CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizing Lotion: “It contains ceramides and hyaluronic acid to support the skin barrier,” says Dr. Garshick. “It’s also non-greasy and absorbs very quickly, which is great.”
She adds that this affordable moisturizer is ideal for people with oily skin who want to hydrate their skin without leaving a greasy or sticky look.
8. Cetaphil Redness Relief Daily Facial Moisturizer
Another cream with SPF benefits is Cetaphil Redness Relief Daily Facial Moisturizer. This cream is lighter in color and is great for those who want to hide redness. Dr. Nazarian points out that it’s also a physical sunblocker (also known as a mineral sunscreen), which is gentler on the skin than chemical sunscreens.
It also contains caffeine, which constricts blood vessels in the skin, a process that reduces blood flow to the skin.
9. Acure Soothing Day Cream: If you’re looking for a strong moisturizer, you’ll love this day cream because it’s free of parabens, sulfates, and mineral oil.
It also contains other ready-to-use ingredients that work wonders for rosacea. “It contains rosehip oil, a fatty anti-inflammatory oil,” says Dr. Nazarian. “It seals the skin barrier, which is an important part of healthy skin for rosacea.”
10. DR.JART+ Cicapair Tiger Grass Complexion Correcting Treatment Earn bonus points for every product with extra SPF. Dr. Garshick notes that this treatment uses mineral filters like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which can be helpful for rosacea sufferers who are sensitive to certain sunscreens. “The main ingredient here is something called Centella asiatica, which is known for its calming effects on the skin and for reducing redness,” she says. “It helps hide and cover redness while providing all-day protection.”
11. Paula’s Choice CALM Rescue & Repair Moisturizer for Sensitive, Oily, and Combination Skin If your skin is somewhere in between, this moisturizer from Paula’s Choice is perfect for you. It strengthens the skin barrier while fighting wrinkles, fine lines, redness, and eczema.This cream is fragrance- and paraben-free, but it does contain mushroom extract, squalane, and prebiotic sugars.
12. Tower 28 Beauty SOS Daily Skin Barrier Redness Restoring Moisturizer This vegan, cruelty-free moisturizer is packed with skin-plumping ingredients like hyaluronic acid and ceramides. It also contains allantoin to lock in moisture and soothe irritation while regenerating the skin barrier. It’s great for sensitive skin, and the packaging is super cute!
13. Proactiv Moisturizer with Green Tea and Hyaluronic Acid for Dry Skin This cream contains moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalene, and allantoin. But green tea is what sets it apart from the rest. “Green tea is a powerful antioxidant,” says Dr. Nazarian. “The fact that there’s something that can neutralize free radicals and help protect the skin from this level of environmental damage is so important.”
14. Clinique Redness Solutions Daily Soothing Cream This cream may be a little pricey, but it’s worth it. The oil-free formula uses lactobacillus extract to soothe redness and blemishes. It also contains other great ingredients like
caffeine, green tea, and shea butter. How We Chose the Best Moisturizers for Redness We consulted two board-certified dermatologists and compiled their product recommendations into one list. We have
checked customer reviews, ingredients, and more to find the best picks.
