The Best Moisturizers For Rosacea To Replenish Skin Without Irritation

Moisturizing is one of the most important steps even in a very basic skincare routine. But when you have rosacea, it gains a whole new level of importance. The good thing is moisturizers are helpful for rosacea. When you find the right one for your skin, you can calm your rosacea flare-ups while actually moisturizing your skin.

Among the essential skincare products for rosacea, moisturizers are right there on top. Because nothing compares to them when it comes to redness relief on a day-to-day basis. As I’m personally dealing with rosacea myself, I have my own tried and true favorites. Find below the best moisturizers for rosacea.

Best Moisturizers For Rosacea

1. Clinique Moisture Surge Intense 72H Lipid-Replenishing Hydrator

Most of us know about the gel version of this moisturizer. But actually, this creamier option is much, much more replenishing but it’s equally light on the skin. It absorbs fast and has zero after-feel on the skin. This is for people with normal, combination, and dry skin.

But because it’s oil-free, it’s non-comedogenic. So it’s very unlikely to break you out even if you’re prone to acne. The hydrating moisturizer packs hyaluronic acid squalane as well as soothing aloe, and Centella Asaitca, which is great for redness.

Ingredients: Squalane, Centella Asiatica, aloe
Base: Cream
Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, oil-free
Size: 1.7 oz/50 ml

2. First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration

Rosacea causes dryness and dryness triggers rosacea. And if your skin is already prone to dryness, an intense cream like this one can be skin-saving. It’s packed with anti-inflammatory goodies like oatmeal, which calms inflammation and reduces irritation.

This moisturizer also helps rosacea with other skin-soothing extracts like allantoin and feverfew. They reduce redness while shea butter provides long-lasting moisture. The moisturizer is fragrance-free and absorbs easily.

Ingredients: 0.50% colloidal oatmeal, green tea
Base: Rich cream
Skin Type: Normal, dry, combination/dry
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, vegan
Size: 6 oz/170.1 gr

3. La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermallergo Ultra Soothing Repair Moisturizer

If your skin is very sensitive, maybe more than the average rosacea sufferer, you need to pay extra attention to your skincare ingredients. Hydration and moisture are important, but you might want to avoid poking the bears, so to speak. And this moisturizer right here is one of the best ones for very sensitive, reactive skin. It’s alcohol-free, paraben-free, and fragrance-free.

So if you’re dealing with sudden flare-ups, pimples, bumps, and itchy skin, this will instantly soothe. It’s super gentle and minimal. It hydrates with glycerin and squalane, moisturizes with shea butter, and calms with peptides and thermal spring water. And it’s so lightweight that I even use it for my under-eye area.

Quick Tip: If you have very dry skin, like flaky skin, or you’re looking for something calming for summer weather, I can swear by La Roche Posay Cicaplast Balm B5. It’s very thick but it’s amazing for a quick remedy to calm irritations and rosacea flare-ups.

Ingredients: Thermal spring water, squalane, shea butter
Base: Light cream
Skin Type: All
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, non-comedogenic
Size: 1.35 oz/40 ml

4. CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

If you have oily/combination skin and are prone to acne on top of rosacea, cheer up. Because the things that aggravate rosacea are also the things that aggravate acne. So avoiding them will help both your rosacea and acne. And this right here is one of the most affordable, fool-proof, and gentle drugstore moisturizers you can use for rosacea!

It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, and super light on the skin. The lotion form hydrates without clogging your pores or causing acne. It packs hyaluronic acid and ceramides and practically disappears into the skin. It replenishes the skin, provides day-long moisture, and leaves the skin soft, smooth, supple, and shine-free.

RELATED: Best Sunscreens for Rosacea

Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, ceramides, glycerin
Base: Light lotion
Skin Type: All
Good To Know: Oil-free, fragrance-free
Size: 8 oz/327 ml

5. The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA

There are amazing rosacea-friendly products from The Ordinary that rival high-end products. This one basically mimics your skin’s composition. It hydrates and moisturizes with goodies that are already part of your skin’s protective barrier, which are commonly known as natural moisturizing factors.

The oil-free cream is also fragrance-free. And it hydrates with glycerin, hyaluronic acid, and amino acids to thoroughly replenish the skin and also help restore the skin barrier. It softens the skin texture, reduces dryness, revives dehydrated skin, and leaves the complexion supple and calm.

Ingredients: Amino acids, hyaluronic acid
Base: Cream
Skin Type: All
Good To Know: Oil-free, silicone-free, fragrance-free
Size: 3.3 oz/100 ml

6. Dr. Jart Ceramidin Skin Barrier Moisturizing Cream

When you have dry skin, it doesn’t end with moisturizing. Because dry skin lacks the necessary lipids to prevent transepidermal water loss. That’s why people with dry skin tend to reapply moisturizers every couple of hours. This moisturizer is rich in ceramides, which are lipids that help retain moisture.

By forming a layer on the skin, they repair the skin barrier and protect the skin from external damage. It has a little thick consistency, but it applies like a face primer. And it has a nice, herbal scent to it too. The Korean cream also contains shea butter and vitamin B5 to make dry skin more resilient, making it one of the best soothing moisturizers for rosacea.

Ingredients: Ceramides, vitamin B5, shea butter
Base: Cream
Skin Type: Normal, dry
Good To Know: Contains fragrance
Size: 1.69 oz/50 ml

7. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream

All skin types have trouble retaining moisture in the face of harsh winter weather. That’s why a tiny bit thicker moisturizer is useful for all skin types during the winter. As the concentration is thicker and heavier, you’ll be able to reverse the irritating and drying effects of the wind and cold.

With squalane and several plant extracts, this one repairs the skin’s barrier function and makes sure it remains intact and healthy. It’s fragrance-free too! It’s a great moisturizer for rosacea, no matter your skin type, to use in the winter to avoid tight and irritated skin.

Ingredients: Squalane, glycerin, avocado oil, almond oil
Base: Cream
Skin Type: All except for blemish-prone
Good To Know: Fragrance-free
Size: 1.7 oz/50 ml

8. Embryolisse Cicalisse Creme

If you’re not familiar, Embryolisse is known for its daily moisturizer Lait Creme Concentrate which practically works for all skin types and doubles as a face primer. And that moisturizer does live up to the hype. However, this particular formula shocked me when I used it to calm my skin after a day under the sun! It’s made with acexamic acid which the brand claims to be restorative.

It also has soothing aloe and hydrating hyaluronic acid. And unlike many of their products, this one does not contain fragrance. It’s light and comfortable and it reduced my redness in as short as 15 minutes! I’ve been hooked ever since. Whatever your skin type is, I can swear by this French gem if you’re dealing with redness.

Ingredients: Acexamic acid, aloe, hyaluronic acid
Base: Cream
Skin Type: All
Good To Know: Fragrance-free, vegan
Size: 1.35 oz/40 ml

So these are some of the best moisturizers for people with rosacea to gently moisturize and manage redness. Personally, I’d recommend going for Cerave’s moisturizer for basic, everyday skincare if you don’t experience a lot of redness. It’s budget-friendly so you can use it generously. And it’s super replenishing too.

And if you frequently deal with flare-ups, irritation, and overall sensitive skin, I can swear by Dr. Jart’s Ceramidin Cream. It is super moisturizing and not only hydrates the skin but also repairs the compromised skin barrier and reduces irritation.

If you haven’t found what you’re looking for here, keep reading to learn more about moisturizers for rosacea.

How to Choose Moisturizers For Rosacea

Ingredients To Look For

Look for hydrating and anti-inflammatory ingredients in a moisturizer for rosacea. For example, your moisturizer should contain at least one humectant like hyaluronic acid or glycerin.

Additionally, if you actually want to calm your skin, it should contain at least one calming ingredient such as aloe, oatmeal, Centella Asiatica, or green tea.

The Texture of The Moisturizer

The texture is also important because you want to make sure your moisturizer is gentle enough for rosacea but also suitable for your skin type.

A good starting point would be using gel-based, non-comedogenic formulations for oily and acne-prone skin. And for people with dry skin and rosacea, try a gentle, oil-based moisturizer that’s more emollient.

Ingredients To Avoid

As a general rule of thumb, and this is what the National Rosacea Society recommends too, it’s better to avoid using a moisturizer with fragrance. They’re very likely to irritate. But hey, this isn’t something I always follow.

I love a scented moisturizer. As long as it doesn’t cause any redness, I don’t see any problem. Neither does my dermatologist. But know that fragrance is a common trigger for rosacea.

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