Best Hand Creams for Dry Skin

In the winter, our skin (especially hands) gets really dry. Among moisturizers, I find hand creams to be the most effective for moisturizing hands and feet, compared to lotions.

A good hand cream absorbs into your skin immediately after applying and does not wash away when you wash your hands. My biggest pet peeve is applying hand creams and having greasy hands that do not let me close the cap of the hand cream!

In this post, I have curated a list of hand creams that moisturize your hands, giving you a luxurious feeling, without greasing up your hands. The only downside is that good hand creams are often expensive. But in my opinion, they are worth the hefty price tag, giving you a luxurious experience. 

1) Grown Alchemist 🌿

Grown Alchemist is one of my favorite brands for hand washes and hand creams. Their formulas leave my skin feeling like velvet; soft, smooth, and completely free of greasiness.

The full-size version of the Restorative Hand Cream (65 ml / 2.1 fl oz) costs $26, but if you opt for auto-replenish on the Dermstore website, it’s $22.10, which is a great deal!

Another reason I love this brand is that their products come in metal tubes, which makes it so much easier to squeeze out every last bit.

Fun Fact: Grown Alchemist products are stocked in business-class washrooms on several U.S. airlines: Talk about a first-class hand cream experience!

2) L’Occitane 🇫🇷

L’Occitane is a French brand. Its hand creams are so thick that they defy gravity when you squeeze them out of the tube! They have a very thick consistency but do not leave your skin oily at all, which always blows my mind!

Their creams used to come in metal tubes (like Grown Alchemist), but now they have switched to plastic tubes (at least the travel-size ones), which is a downgrade in my opinion. Although the quality of plastic is not very bad and it is not very difficult to squeeze the last bit of cream out.

This company has some amazing scents. The most popular one is Shea Butter. The biggest available size (150 ml or 5.2 fl oz) costs $32, which is an excellent value for how long it lasts.

Fun Fact: L’Occitance makes notoriously bad Advent calendars. Their most famous one is a 24-day advent calendar, which costs $210, in which you get 24 tiny samples of their hand creams and shower gels. Normally, advent calendars are a great way of trying out different products, but in the case of L’Occitane, you are way better off buying a full-size product rather than wasting your money on a bunch of tiny samples!

3) Origins 🌱

Origins has one of the most pleasant hand cream formulas I’ve tried. Their products deeply moisturize and leave your skin feeling soft and smooth, with zero greasiness! 

Surprisingly, these are the most affordable among the brands in this list. The full-size hand cream (75 ml / 2.5 fl oz) costs $20, and their matching hand soaps and body lotions are equally lovely.

4) Philosophy 💐

This brand is most famous for its beautiful scents (most popular being Amazing Grace) in perfume and skincare products. They have very catchy names for different lines. For example, their hand cream line is called In Good Hands.

These hand creams moisturize beautifully without making your skin oily, and their scents linger for hours. The 2.5 oz tube costs $28, while the 4 oz version costs $32. You can also save 15% through their Subscribe & Save offer.

Also worth mentioning: Philosophy’s Purity facial cleanser. Though it’s marketed as a simple face wash, it’s actually a fantastic makeup remover. It takes off stubborn mascara and foundation effortlessly — far better than many makeup-removing balms that sting the eyes.

5) KIEHL's 🧴

KIEHL’s is a very nice brand that makes amazing hand creams and lotions. It is the only brand whose lotions I enjoy just as much as the hand creams. Normally, the lotions are more moist and leave the hands oily and greasy. But KIEHL's lotion is an exception.​​

The lotion comes in various sizes, from 75ml or 2.5 fl oz priced at $18 to 1L or 33.8 fl oz priced at $100 ($0.10/ml).

Every time I use this lotion, it brings me immense joy. The scent is very luxurious and leaves the skin very soft and moisturized. 

6) The Body Shop 🌸

The Body Shop has amazing skincare and body care products. I remember the first time using its Moringa hand cream on my feet, and it healed my cracked heels after the first use. I have since recommended it to many people in my family, and it has worked equally well for all of them.

Their hand creams come only in the travel size (1oz or 30ml), which costs $12. Their body washes are also very nice, but their body butters and body yogurts do leave the skin very greasy. 

7) Caudalie 🍇

Caudalie makes beautiful hand and nail creams that not only hydrate your hands but also nourish your nails and cuticles, leaving your enamel soft and smooth.

The 75 ml (2.5 oz) version retails for $16 and comes in a plastic tube. The texture is light, the scent elegant, and the finish completely non-greasy.

💭 Final Thoughts

Every cream and lotion mentioned above delivers what dry skin truly needs, i.e., deep hydration, softness, and zero greasiness.

Yes, they’re on the pricier side, but the experience is worth it. During the holiday season, you can often find great deals, gift sets, or mini versions to test before committing to a full-size.

I always recommend buying the full-size tubes rather than the mini gift packs as the cost per ounce is far better, and you get a more luxurious experience overall.

You can also discover some of these brands (like Grown Alchemist, The Body Shop, Kiehl’s, or Caudalie) through subscription boxes like Ipsy, Macy’s Beauty Box, or Allure Beauty Box.

Occasionally, you’ll even find discounted Philosophy or Origins gift boxes at Marshalls or T.J. Maxx; a budget-friendly way to treat your hands to luxury skincare.