Dermatologists Swear By These Hand Creams For Baby Soft Skin (2024)

Has incessant hand washing and use of sanitizer dried out your hands? If so, you're definitely not alone. The pandemic has left all of our hands (including my own!) in dire need of repair. But with so many hand creams and lotions on the market, it might be difficult to gauge what works and what doesn’t.

That’s precisely why I spoke with a few experts who told me which hand creams and lotions are the best, and what exactly makes them so good. Dermatologist and author of Beyond Soap, Sandy Skotnicki, MD, explains that a good moisturizer, whether for the hands or full body, needs humectants or emollients to be hydrated. If you're not super familiar with those terms, humectants and emollients include ingredients you're probably already super familiar with, like honey, aloe vera, shea butter, and squalane, just to name a few.

Basically, reading ingredients labels carefully is the key to finding an ideal hand cream, explains Rachna Bhandari, MD. She emphasizes that ingredients like glycerin and hyaluronic acid are great at hydrating the skin, while petrolatum and oils lock in that moisture. After you find the right hand lotion, Bhandari's biggest tip to maintain soft hands is to always keep some cream on you—ideally, you're using it after every hand wash.

All of the products below tick the boxes for the ingredient must-haves stressed by both Dr. Skotnicki and Dr. Bhandari. See below for the best doctor-approved hand creams and lotions—welcome to the baby-soft hands of your dreams!

Though Dr. Bhandari did say it's important to moisturize after every time you wash your hands, La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast hand cream claims to actually be resistant to washing, providing 48 hours of hydration thanks to shea butter and glycerin (those humectant and emollient ingredients that Dr. Skotnicki loves!).

Avène's products have gained a serious cult following in France for featuring gentle, effective ingredients, and the Cicalfate hand cream is no exception. Designed to heal irritated skin, it features nourishing beeswax, which is both a humectant and emollient.

According to Dr. Bhandari, the glycerin in this hand cream immediately hydrates the skin and continues to work throughout the day. Dr. Skotnicki recommends this to those with eczema, too.

Made with a blend of healing botanicals, rich butters, and emollient oils, this one's great for locking in moisture on extra dry skin. It's also fragrance-free, making it great for sensitive types.

Those with sensitive noses (and hearts!) will seriously appreciate this cruelty-free hand cream by evolvetogether. Blended with cardamom, violet, vetiver, and cedwarwood oils, the minimal scent is just enough to smell nice without being overpowering.

In a world in which instant gratification is a thing, I'm super grateful for how quickly and efficiently Uriage's hand cream absorbs in to my skin, leaving cracked skin moisturized in a pinch. One of Dr. Skotnicki's recommendations, it's even water-resistant and made with polymers that work to protect the skin from environmental aggressors.

Grown Alchemist has a huge following in Australia, but its positive impact on the hands is global. This super lightweight, non-greasy formula has five different light scents, each of which features antibacterial cedarwood.

Made with shea butter, acacia honey, and rose water, this hand cream feels and smells just as rich as it sounds. It's the luxury lotion you'll want to keep in your "special occasion" purse.

O'Keefee's Hand Cream features over 20,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, mostly from weight-lifters and those who do regular manual labor. Dr. Bhandari recommends this to anyone with extremely dry and cracked hands due to the soothing paraffin in it.

The lightweight consistency of vitamin E, omega fatty acids, and antioxidants all work together in this squalane hand cream to comfort hands that aren't too dry or cracked. It has a near-watery texture that melted super quickly into WH associate news editor, Charlotte Walsh's hands. "The squalene immediately replaced any dryness in my hands, and it left me feeling hydrated (without grease or shine) for a few hours," Walsh says. "There's also a lot of product in this bottle, so it definitely feels like I'm getting a bang for my buck!

Ok, so these technically isn't a hand cream. But, if your hands are looking for a little extra TLC, slip them in to these shea butter and collagen-infused gloves.