This guide will walk you through exactly how to choose the right moisturiser with the right ingredients. Whether it’s creams, lotions, or balms, you can stop using random ones and avoid dry skin all day and over time.
What Does Dry Skin Actually Need?
Dry skin needs a moisturiser that adds water to the skin by hydrating it, prevents water loss with sealing ingredients by creating a protective layer on top of your skin, and repairs the skin barrier with strengthening protection. You need a lotion that does all three.
Hydration (Humectants)
This involves increasing the water content on your skin, so humectants, which are good moisturisers, pull water from the environment and deeper layers of the skin into the outer layer (stratum corneum). Examples of Humectants include:
Key Ingredients:
- Glycerin – attracts water to keep your skin soft.
- Hyaluronic acid – Binds up to 1,000 times its weight in water, improving plumpness and reducing tightness.
Barrier Repair (Skin Strengthening Ingredients)
When your skin barrier is weakened, as a result of over-exfoliation, harsh skincare products (high alcohol/acids), long hot showers, dry/cold weather, UV damage, etc, it loses water.
One of the main functions of the barrier is to protect itself against water loss and environmental irritation.
Key Ingredients:
- Ceramides – Restore the protective lipid layer, which helps to reduce moisture loss and avoid skin dryness.
- Fatty acids – Rebuilds your skin’s natural oil structure to retain moisture and prevent water loss from your skin.
- Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) – Supports ceramide production and reduces inflammation.
Moisture Sealing (Occlusives)
Sealing ingredients, such as occlusives, create a protective layer on the skin to prevent water from evaporating.
Key Ingredients:
- Shea butter – Provides both nourishment and sealing benefits.
- Petrolatum – Highly effective at preventing moisture loss.
- Natural oils (e.g., jojoba, almond, argan oil) – Form a light protective barrier while softening skin.
How to Identify Your Type of Dry Skin
People experience different types of skin dryness; you might experience different types than others. Knowing the type of dryness you experience helps determine the right moisturiser to use.
- Mild dryness (tightness after washing): This is early-stage dryness, and the skin barrier isn’t damaged.
- Flaky dryness: This shows physical dryness; the outer layer of the skin is shedding unevenly due to moisture loss.
- Sensitive, dry skin: The skin barrier is weakened, making it dry and easily irritated.
- Mature dry skin: This happens as we age, natural oil production decreases, and your skin loses elasticity.
Ingredients to Look for in a Moisturiser for Dry Skin
Look for a moisturiser that supports hydration, barrier repair, and retains moisture. These ingredients include:
- Glycerin: attracts water to the skin and keeps it soft.
- Hyaluronic acid: keeps water on the skin’s surface, but works best when used with a cream.
- Ceramides: strengthen the skin barrier and reduce water loss.
- Shea butter: softens patches on your skin and hydrates it.
- Squalane: an oil that prevents moisture loss.
- Panthenol: Soothes irritation, improves barrier repair, and supports long-term hydration.
Avoid If You’re Very Dry or Sensitive:
- High alcohol content
- Strong fragrance
- Over-exfoliating acids
Cream, Lotion or Gel — Which Texture Is Best?
- Very dry skin means your skin loses water too quickly, so it needs more oils and occlusive ingredients to reduce water loss. So you need a cream or balm.
- Mild dryness – Lotion helps your skin attract and retain water. And doesn’t need much moisture to seal the water in the skin. Lotions contain more water than oils.
- Oily but dehydrated – Gel-cream is good because it’s a humectant that provides the skin with water without making it oily.
Why Cleansing Affects How Your Moisturiser Works
Cleansers can make it hard for moisturisers to keep your skin dry. Because when they are harsh, they strip away oil and weaken the skin barrier.
So moisture escapes faster, and your moisturiser has to work twice as hard.
For dry or sensitive skin, use a mild, non-stripping formula that cleanses the skin and removes dirt without stripping away natural oil.
Examples include:
- Acu-Klenz (60ml) – ideal for travel or trial size
- Acu-Klenz (180ml) – suitable for consistent daily use
Step-by-Step: How to Apply Moisturiser Correctly
Morning:
- Cleanse
- Apply moisturiser to damp skin
- Use sunscreen
Night:
- Gentle cleanse (Acu-Klenz mentioned again, naturally)
- Apply a richer moisturiser
- Optional: occlusive layer if very dry
Common Mistakes That Make Dry Skin Worse
- Using foaming cleansers
- Skipping moisturiser at night
- Over-exfoliating
- Not applying to damp skin
- Switching products too frequently
How Long Before You See Results?
- 1–3 days – hydration improvement
- 2–4 weeks – barrier repair
- 6–8 weeks – visible skin texture improvement
Conclusion – Choosing Smarter, Not Just Thicker
First step to choosing the right lotion to combat dry skin is to:
- Understand the type of skin dryness you experience.
- Choose a moisturiser with the right ingredients that add water to your skin, prevent water loss by forming a thin layer on your skin, and strengthen your skin barrier.
- Use the right texture based on the type of skin dryness you have.
- Always use a gentle cleanser when cleansing to maintain the effectiveness of the lotion and prevent our skin from drying.
