The beauty of a balm, be it for cleansing or moisturizing, is that it’s designed with comfort in mind. And the best moisturizing face balms are a prime example of that, whether your skin is naturally sensitive, suffering from winter dryness, or recovering from an in-office procedure.
While face moisturizers can offer TLC in their own right, balms have unique advantages. “Balms are more occlusive on the skin than lightweight moisturizers,” says Arash Akhavan, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. “They seal the surface of the skin and prevent transepidermal water loss—the loss of water through the surface of the skin.” That makes them uniquely beneficial for those with severe dryness or compromised skin, as well as conditions like eczema.
Vogue’s Favorite Moisturizing Face Balms
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5+ Soothing Therapeutic Multi-Purpose Cream
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SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm Moisturizer Ointment
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Another perk is that balms are often (but not always) anhydrous, meaning they’re formulated without water. Unlike water-based formulas, which naturally create an environment for bacterial growth, “balms may also be better tolerated because they have fewer potentially irritating ingredients like preservatives,” says Heather Woolery-Lloyd, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Miami. As a result, they can be better suited for those with sensitive skin. Intrigued? Scroll ahead for the best face balms worth adding to your moisture-boosting arsenal.
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Best Overall: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Balm B5+
- Why We Love It: This versatile, fragrance-free balm offers comfort, relief, and protection wherever you need it—be it elbows, face, hands, and everywhere in between. But unlike many balms, “this product is formulated with water as an ingredient, allowing for a smoother and lighter application,” says Dr. Akhavan. “But it is still a great occlusive-barrier product, with the great skin protectant dimethicone as its main active ingredient.” In addition to dimethicone, the formula’s prebiotics offer anti-inflammatory benefits, he says. And Dr. Woolery-Lloyd, for her part, likes that it also contains panthenol, “which is known for its skin-soothing properties,” she says.
- Key Ingredients: Shea butter, panthenol, Centella asiatica
- Type: Thick cream
- Size: 40 ml
Best Drugstore: Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick
- Why We Love It: When it comes to balms, it’s hard to beat Aquaphor, which is “just about every board-certified dermatologist’s go-to skin-barrier balm,” says Dr. Akhavan, who credits panthenol and glycerin for its especially soothing nature. While the original ointment is excellent, Dr. Woolery-Lloyd is a fan of this balm stick, since it layers especially well under makeup. “When it’s applied before concealer under the eyes, this product is great at preventing creasing,” she says. “I use it under my eyes or anywhere on my face before applying concealer for a smooth finish.”
- Key Ingredients: Petrolatum, panthenol, glycerin, avocado oil, shea butter
- Type: Solid stick
- Size: 0.65 oz.
Best for Compromised Skin: SkinCeuticals Hydra Balm Moisturizer Ointment
- Why We Love It: A little of this ultra-gentle formula goes a long way, thanks to a blend of petrolatum (which creates a barrier on the skin) and soothing aloe and bisabolol. For that reason, “this occlusive ointment provides an excellent barrier for severely compromised skin,” says Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. In fact, she says, it’s a good option for post-procedure healing (like after laser skin resurfacing or peels); treating very dry, cracked skin; or even to nourish skin following retinol.
- Key Ingredients: Petrolatum, aloe, bisabolol
- Type: Ointment
- Size: 50 ml
Best Multipurpose: The Outset Botanical Barrier Rescue Balm
- Why We Love It: So thick that it comes with a small metal spatula for scooping, this rich balm relies on a base of jojoba, rosehip, marula, and camellia oils, which deliver nourishing, barrier-supporting fatty acids to skin without clogging pores—plus, the brand’s Hyaluroset Complex, an ingredient derived from the cassia flower that provides plumping benefits comparable to hyaluronic acid. You can use it on your lips and face as well as anywhere on the body—not to mention on hair to smooth flyaways. However, keep in mind that it does contain some essential oils, so if you have a sensitivity, you may want to do a patch test first.
- Key Ingredients: Jojoba seed oil, rose hip oil, marula oil, camellia oil, Cassia angustifolia seed polysaccharide
- Type: Balm
- Size: 1.5 oz.
Best Overnight: Rhode Barrier Butter
- Why We Love It: Rhode’s Barrier Butter already has an enviable pedigree: It’s led to the rise of butter skin and impressed supermodel Claudia Schiffer—enough that she’s the face of it. Designed for overnight use, the formula (which works for face and body) helps boost hydration, replenish and protect the skin barrier, and even reduce fine lines and dullness. That’s thanks in part to the combination of humectants (hyaluronic acid, in five molecular weights, and polyglutamic acid) and moisture-sealing lipids (murumuru butter and ceramides). Better yet, it’s gentle enough for all to use, having earned a seal of acceptance from the National Eczema Association—meaning it’s been vetted by a panel of experts and analyzed for safety.
- Key Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid, murumuru butter, ceramides
- Type: Rich butter
- Size: 100 ml
Best for Dry Skin: Oak Essentials Moisture Rich Balm
- Why We Love It: To give skin the laid-back, West Coast–inspired look perfected by fashion and interior designer Jenni Kayne, this dense, translucent face balm relies on a lineup of nutrient-rich oils—among them sea buckthorn, borage seed, and coconut—to thoroughly nourish skin and reduce sensitivity. It leaves skin gleaming but not greasy, and the addition of essential oils—like rose, geranium, and lavender—lends it a soothing scent (although again, a patch test is a good idea for those with very sensitive skin).
- Key Ingredients: Sea buckthorn oil, borage seed oil, coconut oil
- Type: Balm
- Size: 1.4 oz.
Best for Mature Skin: Bonjout Beauty Le Balm Skin Savior Solid Serum
- Why We Love It: French pharmacies are a treasure trove of efficacious skin-care finds, so it’s little surprise that this thick balm—formulated by a French pharmacist herself—is equal parts luxurious and potent. Featuring antioxidant-rich vitamin E, it harnesses plant-based stem cells, peptides, and other actives to target fine lines, wrinkles, and other antiaging concerns, as well as repair the skin barrier. Its innate nourishing properties make it an eye cream, lip balm, and overnight mask, depending on how and where you apply it.
- Key Ingredients: Hibiscus stem cells, prickly pear stem cells, ceramides, peptides, hyaluronic acid
- Type: Salve
- Size: 1.05 oz.
Best for Eczema-Prone Skin: Topicals Like Butter Moisturizer
- Why We Love It: Formerly a hydrating mask, this reformulated balm is more of a rich daily moisturizer designed to coddle very sensitive, compromised, or otherwise inflamed skin. To do so, it relies on 1% colloidal oatmeal—known for its ability to soothe itchy, eczema-prone skin—as well as madecassoside, an active form of Centella asiatica. It can make quick work of eczema flares, red patches, and seasonal dryness alike. And considering its rich lotion texture, this is a great option for oily skin types too.
- Key Ingredients: Colloidal oatmeal, madecassoside, green tea
- Type: Rich cream
- Size: 50 ml
Everything You Need to Know
What’s the Difference Between a Face Moisturizer and a Face Balm?
The difference is primarily in the formulation. Traditional moisturizers are usually emulsions, meaning they combine water (and water-based ingredients) with oils. “They typically hydrate the skin with their water-based components and lightly seal it,” says Dr. Akhavan. Meanwhile, face balms are typically water-free formulas with a thicker consistency. “They are usually used as occlusive barriers to seal moisture in the skin,” he says.
Because of that, there’s a natural difference in their textures. “Balms can sometimes feel waxy or greasy compared to a cream, but this is the trade-off for superior barrier function,” says Dr. Woolery-Lloyd, noting that this is why face balms are preferable for those with dry or very dry skin—or for mature patients dealing with signs of aging.
How to Use Moisturizing Balms
It ultimately comes down to your skin type and preferences, but it’s best to use moisturizing face balms at night as the final step in your skin-care routine. Apply a thin layer to “trap in moisture overnight and aid in restoration of the skin barrier,” says Dr. Akhavan. “It can also just be spot applied to problem areas.”
Also, consider applying face balms in the morning as a preemptive protective measure “when the skin is going to be exposed to extreme elements, such as when skiing or hiking outdoors in dry and windy conditions,” he says.
When we test and review a product, we take a holistic approach to deliver well-rounded product recommendations. First, we lean on Vogue’s vast network of experts—from board-certified dermatologists to celebrity estheticians—to gain professional acumen on the industry’s standout products, ones these specialists would actually use on their clients. We pair their expertise with our editorial best practices to curate the thoughtful edits you read on our site.
As it relates to moisturizing face balms, we selected the best based on the following characteristics: ingredients, texture, packaging, finish, and the skin-care concerns they address. To do this, we paired our own personal tests of each formula with expert guidance and reviewer insights to determine which we would recommend to you.
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