It’s been a properly cold winter here in NYC, but I’m not complaining. I’d much rather wear an oversized wool coat, layer textured knits and rock a watch cap than deal with 90-degree heat. That said, winter comes with its own grooming challenges, and adding the best hand cream to your daily rotation is essential.
“The cold can strip your skin of moisture, leaving it dry and cracked,” says celebrity esthetician Ian Michael Crumm. “Hand creams and salves restore hydration while forming a protective shield. It might sound overly specific, but I rely on various hand creams every winter through early spring, whether that’s a reparative salve at night or a lightweight hydrator during the day.
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This vineyard-rooted skincare line championed by Brad Pitt brings together science, sustainability and luxuryWith no shortage of specialized options on the market, I tested a wide range, narrowing them down to the 11 best hand creams that should earn a spot in your medicine cabinet, Dopp kit or work desk. Plus, answers to common questions and what to look for below.
Best Winter Hand Salves
Best Overall: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hand Cream
Why we love it: Oh, how I dig this exemplary hand cream from grooming go-to La Roche-Posay. It’s an exemplary all-arounder, blending derm-backed clinical science with an approachable formula that hydrates, protects, repairs, works for most skin types and is easy on the wallet. The texture sits between a cream and a salve, delivering an almost armor-like yet immediately comforting feel, while the ingredient lineup hits the trifecta: shea butter to soothe, glycerin to lock-in moisture and niacinamide to help repair and support the skin barrier. The unscented formula absorbs quickly, leaves hands immediately softer sans excess residue and holds up through repeated hand washing, checking every box for a reliable daily driver that belongs in steady winter rotation.
Key Ingredients: niacinamide (supports the skin barrier and evens tone), shea butter (soothes and replenishes), glycerin (hydrates and helps retain moisture)
Best Lightweight Formula: Ursa Major Botanic Buzz Hand Cream
Why we love it: The first thing you’ll notice about Ursa Major’s hand cream is its silky texture. It’s lightweight and smooth rather than thick or salve-heavy, which makes it especially stellar for daytime or year-round use. But don’t let the lighter feel fool you. The formula is packed with good stuff: Shea butter helps soften skin, jojoba oil nourishes and birch sap adds a boost of vitamins and minerals. The scent — a blend of bergamot, lavender and neroli — is citrus-meets-earthy, natural and elevated. Best of all, it absorbs quickly, leaving hands hydrated with minimal residue.
Key Ingredients: jojoba oil (nourishes), shea butter (softens), birch extract (hydrates and nourishes), Alpine forest blend (antioxidant-rich and protective)
Best Smelling: Aesop Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm
Why we love it: Aesop’s Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm has a subtle, warm, woody profile built around Atlas cedar, patchouli and clove that’s so aromatically crave-able, you’ll find yourself reaching for it even when you don’t technically need it. But it’s not all about the scent, as the formula more than holds its own. A blend of botanical butters, including shea, delivers deep hydration, while glycerin helps soften and protect. A little goes a long way, which is a good thing, so go easy on the dollop, as applying too much can slow absorption. And it goes without saying that the instantly-recognizable packaging of this cult favorite adds a dose of style to any sink.
Key Ingredients: shea butter (deeply nourishes and softens), glycerin (hydrates and helps retain moisture), Atlas cedar and patchouli oils (comfort the skin and deliver a warm, woody aroma)
Best Classic Workhorse: Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
Why we love it: Kiehl’s shows up on so many of our lists for good reason. When a grooming product works, it works, and this OG brand is the epitome of tried-and-true. The Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is no exception, a classic, everyday staple that’s especially clutch in the depths of winter. Shea butter does the heavy lifting, while omega fatty acid-rich avocado oil and fast-absorbing sesame oil act as powerful emollients to soften, hydrate and soothe dry skin without feeling greasy. It’s a no-nonsense formula that delivers when temperatures drop and feels familiar in the best way.
Key Ingredients: shea butter (deeply nourishes and protects), avocado oil (softens and conditions), sesame seed oil (smooths and helps lock in moisture)
Best Luxury: Flamingo Estate Manuka Rich Cream
Why we love it: If this wasn’t on the pricier end at $45, we’d have easily considered it best overall. That said, if you’re willing to invest in a top-tier, luxurious, cloud-like texture hand cream, this one from Flamingo Estate is so worth it. Rich and indulgent, the formula draws on the estate’s garden heritage, using various oils alongside lanolin to deeply lock-in hydration and protect. Manuka honey and calendula flower help soothe skin, reduce redness and support repair, while shea butter delivers lasting moisture. It’s excellent for hands but works just as well anywhere on the body. And the intoxicatingly herbaceous aroma is reason enough to keep it within (hand’s) reach.
Key Ingredients: Manuka money (soothes), oils (hydrate and reinforce the barrier), shea butter (softens), calendula flower extract (calms and comforts)
Best for Very Dry, Overworked Hands: Jack Black Industrial Strength Hand Healer
Why we love it: If you have very dry, cracked hands, Jack Black’s Industrial Strength lotion is a formula to reach for. It’s loaded with heavy-hitting hydrators, including macadamia nut oil to soften and hydrate, glycerin to replenish and lock in moisture, and antioxidant-rich vitamins A and E to help strengthen and protect skin. Despite all that skincare superpower, it’s surprisingly non-greasy and absorbs well, making it just as useful on elbows or feet as it is on hands. The name might say industrial strength, but the finish is smooth and straight-up effective.
Key Ingredients: macadamia seed oil (softens and conditions), glycerin (hydrates and helps retain moisture), shea butter (nourishes and protects)
Best Travel Ready: Malin+Goetz Vitamin B5 Hand Treatment
Why we love it: Malin + Goetz is known for those mini, travel-friendly tubes across much of its
lineup, and this hand cream is one I use year-round. Vitamin B5 is the synthesized standout in the formula, acting as a powerful humectant that draws moisture into the skin to soften and support the natural barrier. Shea butter steps in to nourish and condition, while glycerin helps lock-in hydration so hands stay smooth and protected after application. It’s a very effective and quietly chic hand cream that’s easy to toss into a tote, yet polished enough to bring a touch of apothecary-style elegance to your medicine cabinet.
Key Ingredients: vitamin B5 (panthenol) (hydrates and supports the skin barrier), shea butter (nourishes and softens), glycerin (locks in moisture and prevents dryness)
Best Anti-Aging: Beau Domaine The Hand & Nail Cream
Why we love it: Beau Domaine is an elevated, au naturel French skincare brand that’s very much worth the hype. The tightly-curated line is built on science-backed, vineyard-derived actives and a refreshingly no-BS approach to what’s inside and why it works. This cream goes well beyond basic hydration, functioning more like a luxury moisturizer for your hands. Powered by antioxidant-rich grape extracts and nourishing oils, it treats skin with the same long-view care you’d expect from a face cream, making it the elevated pick for signs of hand aging or stress. And as a welcome bonus, it delivers a spa-like hit of moisture to cuticles.
Key Ingredients: grapeseed oil (nourishes and protects), shea butter (deeply hydrates and softens), GSM10® Grape Extract Complex (antioxidant-rich and skin-strengthening)
Best Elevated Botanical Formula: Grown Alchemist Restorative Hand Cream
Why we love it: Grown Alchemist sits at the intersection of apothecary, elevated and effective. The brand offers several hand creams for different needs, and this more restorative formula takes a plant-forward approach, leaning on nourishing oils and antioxidant botanicals rather than heavy occlusives. Camellia, grapeseed and aloe hydrate and condition to keep skin soft without grease, while the scent carries an almost medicinal freshness that’s subtly invigorating. It’s an easy daily go-to, better suited for lightweight maintenance than intensive repair.
Key Ingredients: camellia seed oil (nourishes and softens), grapeseed oil (protects and supports the skin barrier), aloe leaf juice (soothes and hydrates)
Best Mineral-Rich Repair Cream: Blue Lagoon Hand Cream
Why we love it: This mineral-rich repair cream from the Icelandic scientists at Blue Lagoon could easily be a contender for best overall, and it’s so damn nourishing that it more than earns its cost. The brand’s MO centers on mineral-rich geothermal seawater, and this formula puts the powerhouse, proprietary ingredient to work supporting skin repair and resilience. Housed in a cool blue tube, the cream feels like a treatment, delivering a calming, slightly clinical effect (in a good way). Rich without being greasy, it left my hands feeling healthier and deeply hydrated, finished with a clean, spa-like scent that seals the deal.
Key Ingredients: Blue Lagoon seawater (mineral-rich and barrier-supporting), shea butter (deeply nourishes and softens), glycerin (hydrates and helps retain moisture)
Best Drugstore Pick: Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream
Why we love it: There are plenty of great, accessible hand creams out there, but I really dig Neutrogena’s Norwegian Formula. It’s less a traditional cream and more of a salve, with an almost Vaseline-like texture that creates an armor-like barrier and delivers instant relief, thanks to its high concentration of glycerin. You only need a small dab, and while it doesn’t leave hands as non-greasy as I’d like, that tradeoff is worth it for the hydration. The unscented formula works well for sensitive skin, and the thicker consistency makes it especially effective as an overnight treatment.
Key Ingredients: glycerin (hydrates and relieves dryness), petrolatum (forms a protective moisture barrier), dimethicone (smooths and helps prevent moisture loss)
What to Look for in the Best Hand Cream
Off the bat, it seems simple. It says “hand cream,” so it should soothe and repair dry, cracked hands, right? In theory, yes, but in practice, there’s variation in how different formulas feel and perform. Some absorb quickly, others lean richer and more occlusive. Some have subtle aromas, while others are unscented for sensitive skin. The key is matching the formula to how and when you’ll use it. If you’re applying throughout the day, a fast-absorbing, non-greasy cream is best. If your hands are cracked or seriously dry, a richer cream or salve works better at night. In winter, that often means a daily go-to paired with something more reparative in the evening, while in warmer months, a lightweight cream is usually enough. Generally, look for humectants like glycerin to pull in moisture, emollients like shea butter or plant oils to soften skin, and occlusives to help seal everything, especially when temperatures drop. Below, we break down a few common hand cream questions with insight from Ian Michael Crumm.
Q&A
Why does hydration matter so much in a men’s hand cream?
Hydration isn’t just about comfort, it’s about keeping skin functional. “Hydrated skin retains flexibility, helping prevent the discomfort of extreme dryness and making it less prone to cracking and irritation in winter weather,” Crumm says. Staying consistent with a quality cream or salve, even when your hands aren’t visibly dry, helps maintain elasticity and keeps skin protected and healthy all season long.
What are some key ingredients to look for?
The best hand creams focus on hydration, repair and resilience or some thoughtful variation thereof. Crumm points to shea butter as “a powerhouse ingredient that works wonders for dry, parched skin,” thanks to its nourishing texture. Glycerin is another key player, “a moisture magnet that draws water into the skin,” while jojoba or plant oils help improve skin flexibility and seal it all in. Vitamins like B5 support faster healing, and aloe vera adds a soothing effect that helps ease irritation. If frequent hand washing, cold weather or time outdoors is part of your routine, formulas that balance humectants, emollients and occlusives work best.
How do you avoid a greasy hand cream feel, especially during the day?
This is especially important for anyone who’s typing all day, driving or constantly shaking hands. Greasiness usually comes down to imbalance, too many heavy occlusives without enough fast-absorbing hydrators. Look for formulas built around ingredients like glycerin, aloe and shea butter rather than relying solely on oils or waxes. A well-formulated cream should sink in quickly, leaving hands soft and flexible, not slippery or shiny.
How important is consistency?
Think of it like a facial moisturizer. While one application will give instant relief, the best hand creams work best when used consistently. “Regularity matters even more in winter, when skin needs extra support to maintain hydration and elasticity,” Crumm says. Applying a cream after hand-washing or before bed helps reinforce the skin barrier daily, preventing damage before it starts rather than playing catch-up.
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