The 8 Best Hand Creams for Smooth, Supple Skin, According to Testers

Best Overall

Aesop Eleos Aromatique Hand Balm

$37 at Amazon

$105

$35 at Dermstore $35 at Bloomingdales

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, castor oil | Size: 2.4 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This hand cream from Aesop truly has it all—a rich, moisturizing formula, beautiful packaging, and a lovely scent that isn’t too overpowering. While it’s on the thicker side, it absorbs quickly and never leaves a greasy or heavy feel behind. The hydration is long-lasting too—our tester noticed that even after washing her hands, they still felt smooth and soft. She also loved that it was able to heal her dry cuticles. The formula is filled with natural, plant-based ingredients, including shea butter, castor oil, rosemary leaf oil, and more to soothe without any irritation. It’s also free of synthetic fragrance, so it’s safe for sensitive skin types. While it’s pricey, you only need a tiny bit of product to adequately hydrate your hands since it’s on the thicker side.

Emily Cieslak, associate editor: “A lot of hand creams are either too heavy and greasy or not moisturizing, but this one strikes the right balance of being restorative but still wearable.”

Best Hand Cream for Dry Hands

L'Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream

$34 at Amazon $34 at Sephora $14 at Ulta

Key Ingredients: Shea butter, glycerin, vitamin E | Size: 5.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: No

Super dry hands need a thick, heavy-duty cream that can provide lasting moisture, and this much-loved option from L’Occitane is just the product for the job. It’s the richest formula on the list—so much so that it squeezes out of the tube in a solid—but it’s exactly what ultra-dry, irritated hands need for comfort. The formula is comprised of 20% organic shea butter, as well as glycerin and vitamin E, for extremely soft, hydrated hands. Our tester deals with itchy, tight hands with eczema, and she loves that it soothes her irritation and dryness without causing any discomfort to her sensitive skin. It can feel a little greasy initially since it’s so creamy, but we love to apply it before bed for ultimate nourishment.

Maddie Barber, writer: “The texture of this hand cream is SO thick. For someone with ultra-dry hands, this type of texture is a must, especially before bed. My hands feel smooth, soft, and hydrated afterward, and it feels super soothing on the extra-dry areas on my knuckle and wrists.”

Best for Brittle Nails

Caudalie Vinotherapist Hand and Nail Cream

$16 at Amazon $16 at Sephora $16 at Nordstrom

Key Ingredients: Grape seed oil, shea butter, vitamin E | Size: 2.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

Applying a restorative hand cream can do wonders for brittle nails, and we especially love this one from Caudalie for stronger and longer nails. It’s formulated with grape seed oil, an antioxidant-rich ingredient that is able to nourish and add deep hydration to the skin and nails. While it has a silky consistency, this hand cream feels lightweight on the hands and soothed our tester’s dryness immediately. It also absorbs fairly quickly, so she didn’t have any greasy residue left over. With consistent use, she noticed an improvement in the appearance of her nail beds. While she personally loved the light floral scent, we did want to note that it can linger for quite a while.

Lauren Pardee, associate editorial director: “This formula is super easy to spread and absorbs really nicely into the skin. This hand cream outperforms others I’ve used because of how lightweight, nongreasy, and fragrant it is.”

Best Drugstore Hand Cream

eos Shea Better Ultra Derm Hand Cream

$5

$4 at Amazon $5 at Target $10 at Walmart

Key Ingredients: Glycerin, shea butter, avocado oil | Size: 2.5 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

You can get soft, hydrated hands for under $5 with this moisturizing hand cream from Eos. Our tester loved the thick, whipped texture, and she noted that it provided long-lasting moisture—no need to reapply throughout the day. With continued use, she found that it had smoothed rough texture on her hands and healed her dry cuticles. Another plus is that it has the brand’s signature vanilla cashmere scent, so it smells heavenly.

Melody, tester: “I found this hand cream to be very effective for the price. It also has a nice fragrance, and it leaves my hands feeling soft and moisturized.”

Best Hand Cream for Aging Hands

Gold Bond Age Renew Crepe Corrector Hand Cream

$7

$6 at Amazon $7 at CVS

$19

$6 at Walmart

Key Ingredients: Peptides, omega fatty acids, aloe | Size: 3 oz  | Cruelty-Free: Yes

This formula is rich in peptides and omega fatty acids to visibly firm crepey hands and smooth rough texture. It has a fairly rich consistency, which can initially leave a bit of a residue, but our tester noted that her hands felt fully dry after about five minutes. She has cracked, super dry skin, and this cream made a noticeable improvement—leaving her hands smooth and moisturized all day long. We especially recommend this pick if you’re worried about wrinkled hands, as the antioxidant-rich formula can prevent dryness that leads to aging skin.

Kailey, tester: “I do notice improvement in my skin texture—it has really helped with dryness! This cream helped well with improving the cracked skin I have on my knuckles. My hands improved between applications.”

Best Luxury Hand Cream

Soft Services Theraplush Hold Retinol Hand Cream

$62 at Amazon $62 at Sephora $62 at Softservices.com

Key Ingredients: Retinol, colloidal oatmeal, panthenol | Size: 1.7 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you’re looking for a chic hand cream to add to your nightly bedtime ritual, this beautifully packaged option from Soft Services is the perfect choice. The pink, pearlescent pump container doesn’t really resemble a standard hand cream, so it’ll look stylish and elegant on your nightstand. The formula itself has retinol to treat signs of aging and firm loose, wrinkled skin, and colloidal oatmeal and panthenol soothe and add hydration. Our tester noted that the mid-weight consistency left her hands and cuticles feeling soft and moisturized, and she loved the subtle, musky scent. It does ring in at $62 for less than two ounces of product, so it’s not the best value compared to other products on this list. But it is a great pick if you’re wanting to add a touch of luxury to your everyday life.

Anna, tester:  “I did wake up with smooth, soft hands after sleeping with it on. This worked well to moisturize my hands and cuticles, and I think with more time, it would help with skin texture since it includes retinol in the formula.”

Best-Smelling Hand Cream

CYKLAR Sacred Santal Urea Hand Cream

$22 at Sephora $22 at Cyklar.com

Key Ingredients: Urea, ectoin, squalane | Size: 2.2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

A nice-smelling hand cream is one of my favorite little luxuries, and I recommend this santal-scented option from Cyklar if you’re in search of a new favorite. With notes of cashmere wood, vanilla, bergamot, and cardamom, it has a warm, woodsy scent that’s perfect for fall. When it comes to the cream itself, it’s on the richer side and leaves the skin smooth and hydrated—so it’s a great pick for dry, rough hands. While it feels a bit heavy upon application, it dries down after a few minutes.

Best Lightweight Hand Cream

Glossier Hand Cream

$20 at Sephora $20 at Glossier $20 at Kohls.com

Key Ingredients: Meadowfoam seed oil, coconut fruit extract, glycerin | Size: 2 oz | Cruelty-Free: Yes

If you’re dealing with dry hands but hate the feeling of a heavy lotion, this lightweight pick from Glossier is the hand cream for you. It doesn’t leave a slippery or greasy residue on the fingers like some richer creams can, and it sinks into the skin pretty much instantly. Our tester has dry, sensitive hands with eczema, and this formula never caused any irritation or redness. We love that instead of the standard tube packaging, it comes in a conveniently palm-sized container that you can directly squeeze into your hands. Our tester wasn’t a fan of the Sandstone scent, but it does come in two other scents that we’d recommend more.

Dominique Hobdy, senior editor: “This was easy to spread and absorbed well into the skin—it penetrated fully and left no film behind. Because it has a traditionally lotion-like texture, it didn’t take long for my hands to feel fully dry.”