The best hand creams to soothe dry, cracked skin
A hand cream is essential when the temperature plummets, as it's often our skin which bears the brunt. Dry, cracked, sore skin is a common bugbear.
In a bid to combat this, we've created the ultimate shopping guide to the best hand creams to soothe our skincare woes.
It's a diverse marketplace too, with budget-friendly formulas to keep in the car, to luxuriously indulgent creams to store by your bedside.
Scented or fragrance-free, balm textures or gel-cream hybrids, our roundup has an extensive mix of products to leave hands feeling hydrated and happy all year-round.
We’ve handpicked the best of the bunch with products from CeraVe, Byredo, Chanel and more.
The best hand creams to sooth dry, cracked skin
Nursem Caring Hand Cream | £9.99 from Boots
For hardworking hands, pop a tube of this in your bag for on the go hydration. It's fast-absorbing and made with sensitive skin in mind, with a rich blend of allantoin, plant oils, glycerin and pro vitamin BF to provide instant relief.
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm | £25 from Sephora UK
When it comes to luxury hand creams, Australian brand Aesop immediately springs to mind. It boasts a blend of botanicals for its hydrating formula to sooth skin without leaving them feeling greasy.
CeraVe Reparative Hand Cream | £6.50 from Boots
For sensitive skin in need of some TLC, CeraVe is a reliable option. Its hand cream is intensely moisturising and packed with ceramides which prevent water loss and strengthen the cinema. For less than £7, it's well worth a spot in your shopping basket.
L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream | £8 from Sephora UK
Shea butter is one of the most effective ingredients at tackling dry skin, so it's no wonder L'Occitane's well-loved hand cream is worth stocking up on. It's rich, subtly scented and absorbs quickly, with a little going a long way.
Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Fast Absorbing Hand Cream | £6.49 from Superdrug
Basic but not boring, this is a great everyday formula when you want something simple. It's lightweight with a non-greasy texture that leaves skin immediately more supple.
Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Balm | £25.50 from Boots
Clarins hand and nail treatment balm is hard to beat in the luxury body care aisle, and we think it's worth every penny. It comes in a generous 100ml tube and is fortified with Fair Trade shea butter, organic sesame oil, baobab oil and white mulberry extract.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Mains Repairing Hand Cream | £7.49 from Superdrug
Sensitive skin experts La Roche-Posay have poured their knowledge into this affordable hand cream for everyday use. Particularly good if you have a hands-on job, it contains niacinamide – which has anti-inflammatory properties – plus shea butter for suppleness and glycerine for comfort.
Hand Cream Carrot Kick | £8 from Haan
This handbag friendly cream from Haan comes in three unique scents; carrot, fig and coconut. The slimline packaging is perfect for applying on the go, and the formula is lightweight while leaving skin silky smooth.
Byredo Suede Hand Cream | £44 from Space NK
For fragrance fanatics, Byredo's suede hand cream is unlike any other. It's decadent, luxurious and decidedly a treat. It's make a gorgeous gift for the beauty obsessive in your life and a little goes a long way, so this chic tube will last ages.
Plantastic™ Nourishing Shea Butter Hand Cream | £10 from Beauty Pie
According to a happy Beauty Pie customer, this hydrating cream is "a drink of water to my wrinkled up hands. Restores the youthful look and brightness. Hydrates those pesky wrinkles." What more could you want?
Chanel N°5 L'Eau On Hand Cream | £52 from John Lewis
A Chanel hand cream is the ultimate indulgence. The oval shaped bottle is a chic as it gets and the lightweight creamy formula is fast absorbing and can be used on the hands and body.
Le Labo Basil Hand Lotion | £29 from John Lewis
This uniquely basil scented cream by luxury fragrance brand Le Labo is vegan and made with sweet almond to moisturise and safflower oil to smooth dry sky, cracked skin. One satisfied John Lewis shopper said: "Excellent quality. Adds a great classy touch to the bathroom."
