Do your barrier a favor and add this dermatologist-beloved, moisture-replenishing ingredient to your skin-care routine, stat. Then, welcome a calmer, less reactive, and plumper complexion.
As far as skin-care ingredients are concerned, ceramides are among the most worthy of opponents when it comes to battling dry skin — which, with colder weather rearing its head, may be something that you’re all too familiar with. Thankfully, ceramide-based products are not only a favorite among dermatologists but are widely available at every price point, from drugstore (The Inkey List and Byoma) to luxury brands (Drunk Elephant and SkinCeuticals).
“Ceramides are fatty acids in the skin that help to maintain the skin barrier and retain moisture and hydration,” Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, tells Allure. “Extreme cold-weather temperatures, exposure to hot water, and dry heat can all deplete the ceramides stored in your skin,” which is why Dr. Idriss says it’s critical to introduce ceramide-fortified products to lock in moisture and restore your skin’s barrier function. They’re also a key ingredient to look out for when treating skin conditions like eczema or moisturizing your skin after a laser treatment.
It helps to think of ceramides as the building blocks of your skin. In addition to possessing hydration-boosting properties, they’re especially key for maintaining long-term hydration and strengthening the skin’s surface against environmental stressors. When scanning your ingredient lists, look out for ceramide NP, AP, EOP, NG, NP, NS, as well as phytosphingosine and sphingosine.
“Ceramides are found in high concentrations within cell membranes,” NYC-based board-certified dermatologist Ellen Marmur, MD, says. “They hold skin cells together on the top layer of the skin, forming a protective layer that plumps the skin and retains moisture.” As such, barrier-fortifying products are as popular and commonplace as ever.
With that being said, here are 15 of the best ceramide products — rich moisturizers, retinol-spiked serum, and more — for healthy skin this season (and all year round).
Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum
Former Allure contributing editor Marci Robin was impressed with the way the Glow Recipe Avocado Ceramide Recovery Serum toned down the redness and soothed her reactive skin. A potent blend of five ceramides works hard to mimic your skin barrier to maintain moisture levels and prevent water loss, while other calming ingredients like avocado, rice milk, and allantoin play important (and hydrating) supporting roles. Plus, anti-inflammatory niacinamide and turmeric help even out your skin tone with regular use.
Dermalogica Stabilizing Repair Cream
Dryness is one thing, but redness is a whole other beast to tackle. That’s where Dermalogica’s Stabilizing Repair Cream steps in. This cushiony moisturizer, of course, features a proprietary ceramide-building complex to support your skin’s natural ceramide production levels — but there’s so much more goodness. A lineup of irritation-soothing ingredients, including but not limited to resurrection plant, Tasmania lanceolata, and boerhavia diffusa root work overtime to calm skin and restore a redness-free complextion.
Skinceuticals Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2
SkinCeuticals’ Triple Lipid Restore 2:4:2 won a coveted Best of Beauty Breakthrough Award back in 2016, and it’s easy to see why. The nourishing cream moisturizes, repairs skin, and gives a plumping effect thanks to a formula that includes 2% ceramides, 4% cholesterol, and 2% fatty acids. (Get it? 2:4:2?) Claire Chang, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Union Derm in NYC gives her stamp of approval for this magical, patented ratio of skin-replenishing goodness.
If that wasn’t enough, Dr. Ansell says that this is her “favorite thick, ceramide-containing face moisturizer,” adding that it’s lovely for winter and those who deal with eczema or very dry skin.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer
For good reason, Drunk Elephant’s Lala Retro Whipped Moisturizer is a Best of Beauty winner. While its thick formula doesn’t contain parabens, phthalates, mineral oil, or petrolatum, it does have a nourishing trifecta of ceramides AP, EOP, and NP to ensure skin is hydrated deeply without feeling clogged. Need more reasons to love this refillable cream? Sodium hyaluronate crosspolymer and antioxidant-rich fermented green tea provide even more hydration because you deserve the dewy skin of your dreams.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5
“This is one of the originals and the best in my opinion,” Leah Ansell, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at Treiber Dermatology Associates and assistant professor of dermatology at Columbia based in New York City, says of La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5. “It also contains shea butter and glycerin, making your skin feel hydrated and nourished with application.” If that wasn’t enough to convince you, dimethicone (a silicone-based polymer) protects your skin against chapping, cracking, and chafing — a godsend during the colder months.
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
What’s better than one ceramide? A blend of five ceramides to intensely nourish and strengthen skin. Leave it to Korean skin-care giant Dr. Jart+ to gift us with this velvety Ceramidin Cream that leaves your complexion feeling oh-so-supple and hydrated. Combined with hyaluronic acid and shea butter, this ceramide-rich moisturizer will make your skin feel and look healthier with each coming day. Our rosacea-prone tester said that she saw results (a.k.a. more hydration and less irritation) in just three days.
Paula’s Choice Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer
Vitamin C, retinol, and ceramides team up in Paula’s Choice Clinical Ceramide-Enriched Firming Moisturizer to turn up the glow in your complexion, in addition to providing long-lasting hydrating and firming benefits. While vitamin C and retinol should typically be applied 30 minutes apart (in that order) or alternated between morning (vitamin C) and night (0.1% retinol), Paula’s Choice has clearly nailed down a formula that lets you apply both powerhouse ingredients at the same time. As always, follow up with SPF in the daytime.
Cocokind Ceramide Barrier Serum
Believe it or not, dryness and congestion can coexist. Thankfully, Cocokind’s Ceramide Barrier Serum is an impactful (and affordable) treatment that keeps your skin hydrated and baby-soft. To tackle dryness, there’s a deeply-penetrating blend of five ceramides (NP, NS, AP, EOS, and EOP) to minimize moisture loss, as well as ceramide precursors (caprooyl phytosphingosine and caprooyl sphingosine) — a fancy term for molecules that encourage ceramide production.
For a dose of gentle exfoliation, there’s lactic acid to remove dead skin cells, smooth unwanted texture, and help the aforementioned hydrating goodness sink in more deeply.
The Inkey List Ceramide Hydrating Night Treatment
For only $16, The Inkey List Ceramide Hydrating Night Treatment is a true steal. Way goodbye to dryness and dullness after you apply this multi-ceramide complex to clean skin and start snoozing away. This lightweight hydrator plumps skin and prevents moisture loss by forming a protective layer and attracting moisture to the skin, thanks to a multi-molecular concentration of hyaluronic acid. Talk about a multitasker.
Elizabeth Arden Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night Serum
Packaged in adorable rose gold capsules to preserve the potency of one of the hero ingredients, retinol (which is sensitive to light and air), Elizabeth Arden’s fragrance-free Retinol Ceramide Capsules Line Erasing Night Serum targets and diminishes the appearance of fine lines with ease and grace. To help combat any potential dryness and irritation associated with using retinol, each single-dose capsule is spiked with three types of ceramides (NP, NS, and phytosphingosine) to replenish your skin’s natural ceramides and restore your barrier.
TonyMoly Wonder Ceramide Mocchi Toner
Hydrate and nourish skin with TonyMoly’s Wonder Ceramide Mocchi Toner. This milky, alcohol-free toner is formulated with reparative ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol (vitamin B5) to ensure your skin has all of the hydration it needs. Not to mention, there’s even Centella asiatica to soothe any potential irritation you’re experiencing.
There are plenty of ways to apply this liquid as well. While you can dispense a few drops into your palms and pat the formula into your skin, you can also soak a few cotton pads and create a makeshift sheet mask, but one that targets your driest areas. The choice is yours.
KraveBeauty Great Barrier Relief
All of KraveBeauty’s products are formulated to address a damaged, weakened skin barrier, but Great Barrier Relief is one of the crowd favorites from this Korean skin care-inspired brand. An Allure contributor whose reactive skin is prone to redness said that it’s “one of the best soothing skin-care treatments” she’s ever tried — a statement she specified she does not take lightly.
Spiked with an ultra-nourishing blend of ceramides, niacinamide, glycerin, squalane, and nourishing oils (including safflower seed and tamanu), this creamy yet lightweight serum calms and brightens the skin without causing further irritation. And, like the rest of Krave Beauty’s offerings, this treatment is vegan, cruelty-free, and fragrance-free.
EltaMD PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer
EltaMD’s PM Therapy Facial Moisturizer goes above and beyond as far as moisturizers go. Among other dermatologists, Dr. Chang is a fan of this “oil-free, fragrance-free, and non-comedogenic moisturizer that contains ceramides to strengthen the skin’s natural protective barrier, as well as niacinamide and antioxidants to improve skin tone and complexion” and notes that it’s particularly great for sensitive and acne-prone skin types.
One such antioxidant in question is vitamin E, which is great for cellular restoration and speeding up your skin’s natural repair processes. Rice protein peptides also work on the side to promote collagen production, so you can go to dreamland knowing your skin is being fully taken care of.
Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser
Meet the 2022 Best of Beauty winner for best cream cleanser, Byoma Creamy Jelly Cleanser. Upon contact with water, the bouncy jelly transforms into a deliciously silky cream and melts away the day’s makeup and grime in one fell swoop—err, rinse. This lightweight face wash is enriched with barrier-strengthening ceramides to restore moisture levels, as well as a soothing duo of licorice root (which also promotes even skin tone) and green tea, to leave your skin feeling happy and balanced.
Bioderma Atoderm Intensive Balm
As always, don’t forget to moisturize the rest of your skin below the neck. After hopping out of the shower, Dr. Chang vouches for slathering on Bioderma’s Atoderm Intensive Balm. She says the soothing, rich balm contains “an exclusive Lipigenium complex composed of bio lipids and ceramides” designed by France-based NAOS Research. It works wonders on extremely dry, irritated, or eczema-prone skin and can be used on the entire family (aside from premature babies, as the website states).