11 Best Water-Based Moisturizers in 2024

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There’s nothing dry, parched skin loves more than a wholesome water-based moisturizer that soaks into the skin to rehydrate and soothe. Like a refreshing ice bath for your senses, water-based lotions, creams, balms, and salves help soothe dry, tired skin.

In a world inundated with self-care treatments, there are two popular types of hydrating products: oil- and water-based moisturizers. Water-based moisturizers are a popular choice because they provide incredible internal hydration and work exceptionally well during those hot, sweaty summer months. They also don’t run the risk of oil-based moisturizers blocking your pores.

Not ready to board the train to water-based moisturizer town just yet? They’re a high-quality addition to your skincare routine and work best for combination, sensitive, acne-prone, and oily skin. Water-based moisturizers are non-greasy, lightweight hydrators packed with moisturizing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and squalane.

Because we think you’re the bee’s knees, we’ve done all the heavy lifting—aka research—to find the 11 best water-based moisturizers in 2024. No more thirsty skin or dry spots, baby! We’re heading straight to Hydration Town.

1. Blu Atlas Body Lotion

Treat your skin to the best water-based moisturizer in 2024, Blu Atlas Body Lotion. Getting your first bottle of Body Lotion is like diving headfirst into the community pool. You’ll get soaking wet skin and attract extreme levels of moisture—and maybe catch the eye of your longtime crush while you’re at it.

Unlike thick, oil-based lotions for the body, Blu Atlas weaves lightweight premium ingredients into a skin-safe formula for every skin type. Skincare lovers can safely use Body Lotion to treat aging, dry, itchy, and even irritated skin. All the brand’s formulas are 100% free from parabens, phthalates, and sulfates and are vegan and cruelty-free.

Allow your skin to soak in all the clean, premium ingredients that nourish your body. Blu Atlas and its medical advisory board use science to find the perfect blend of ingredients. In Body Lotion, you’ll find seriously yummy ingredients.

Hydrating ingredient shea butter provides maximum hydration while introducing rich fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants. Jojoba oil joins the hydrating team to deliver vitamins A, E, and D alongside antioxidants and fatty acids. Jojoba oil is a soothing nature-based ingredient that mimics the skin’s sebum, which allows it to provide extra layers of hydration. Last but certainly not least is seaweed. Packed with intense minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, seaweed boosts the appearance of your skin and enhances your natural glow.

As the best water-based moisturizer in 2024, Blu Atlas Body Lotion can provide satisfaction for your whole body. Want a taste of what it can do? Simply apply it when you step out of the shower and allow it to dry before getting dressed. You’ll notice visibly brighter, healthier skin after just one use. It’s the number one water-based moisturizer in 2024.

2. Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream

We’ve got a lot to say about the second-best water-based moisturizer in 2023. We love this affordable queen for its effectiveness and accessibility. Most folks can afford this beauty that costs about twenty bucks per tub.

Hydro Boost Gel-Cream is an oil-free facial moisturizer for your face and neck. Upon application, it feels like a lightweight jelly that quickly absorbs into the skin and feels super refreshing and cool—making it an excellent cream for hot summers. Working behind the scenes are thirst-quenching ingredients like hyaluronic acid and olive extract to ensure your skin stays perfectly hydrated.

One great thing about the gel-cream is that it’s easy to layer other products on top without causing peeling or debris. With up to 48 hours of hydration, you can layer it with all your skincare and makeup products and never have to worry about dry skin.

While the gel-cream carries a light scent, it’s not overpowering and easy to cover up with other products. Hydro Boost Gel-Cream is the best affordable water-based moisturizer in 2024.

3. Dr. Dennis Gross Hyaluronic Marine Oil-Free Moisture Cushion

Break open that piggy bank because we’re going shopping for high-quality, top-shelf skincare products. Hyaluronic Marine Oil-Free Moisture Cushion from Dr. Dennis Gross is a bougie water-based face moisturizer that puts the ‘eek’ in “EEK it’s eekspensive.”

If you’ve got the cash to splash on skincare products, then Dr. Dennis Gross’s products are a great place to shop. This water-based moisturizer uses rich ingredients to infuse the skin with extreme nourishment. Japanese marine algae and hyaluronic acid pump oil-free hydration into the skin, while aloe extract supports the skin’s natural barrier and keeps the skin calm.

Hyaluronic Marine Oil-Free Moisturise Cushion feels like a rejuvenating injection of moisture every time you apply it. Use it as your moisturizer in the morning and evening to enjoy the best results. It’s one of the best water-based moisturizers in 2024.

4. Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturizer

Need a break from the hot summer sun? Like your favorite summertime treat of watermelon slices, you can enjoy an extremely hydrating facial moisturizer with the same scent. Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer is a gentle, lightly hydrating liquid.

This pretty pink bottle is also 100% free from oils, so you don’t have to worry about clogged pores. Peeps with combination or oily skin can use this moisturizer with confidence. To keep your skin incredibly hydrated, Glow Recipe brings together botanicals and other nature-based ingredients to satisfy the skin.

Watermelon extract is full of vitamins and amino acids that boost your skin’s health. Hyaluronic acid brings extreme moisture while adding volume and plumpness. Calming botanicals like jasmine and peony extract help soothe the skin. The formula is also free from parabens, sulfates, silicones, drying alcohols, synthetic dyes, and mineral oil.

Splash your face with this juicy moisturizer day and night to get hydrated, dewy skin that lasts all day. Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Oil-Free Moisturizer is one of the best water-based moisturizers in 2024.

5. The Inkey List Omega Water Cream

Kill those dry, flaky patches with a water-based gel moisturizer that gets the job done the first time. Omega Water Cream is a wallet-friendly moisturizer that provides incredible hydration for all skin types. While it works exceptionally well for those with oily, acne-prone, or combination skin, it can also deeply hydrate dry or sensitive skin.

Most folks love the effectiveness of the water-based gel at its affordable price point. For fewer than fifteen dollars, your skin can enjoy ultra-hydrating ingredients that give you a long-lasting, dewy glow. Some skincare gurus even claim Omega Water Cream is the dupe for Tatcha Water Cream.

The Inkey List blend contains ingredients like an omega fatty acid complex, niacinamide, betaine, and glycerin. They team up to beat hydration and ensure your skin stays hydrated all over your face and neck. Omega Water Cream is the best water-based moisturizer in 2024 for folks who want a cheaper alternative to Tatcha’s The Water Cream.

6. Tatcha The Water Cream

When someone says “water-based moisturizer,” this prolific cream is probably the first thing you think of. The Water Cream is the original bad boy on the block when it comes to water-based moisturizers. Tatcha created water-burst technology to provide your skin with the best hydration possible.

Combination and acne-prone or oily skin will rejoice at the lightweight, pore-refining moisturizing treatment. Using powerful Japanese superfoods, the formula helps hydrate the skin while treating issues like aging. Hadasei-3™ uses a blend of green tea, rice, and algae to promote healthier, more youthful skin.

Clarifying botanicals Japanese wild rose and leopard lily help manage excess oil while tightening pores and evening out skin texture. Using the cream is like a religious experience. Dip the gold spatula into The Water Cream and smear it over your entire face and neck.

What starts as a bouncy gel-cream transforms quickly into hydrated, soft skin. The Water Cream is the best water-based moisturizer in 2024 for those who want a luxury skincare product.

7. Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer

It’s the ultimate throwdown. Squalane competes with probiotics to provide your skin with the best benefits and hydration. Biossance Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer is a high-quality product that uses skin-safe ingredients for all skin types.

Accepted by the National Eczema Association, it’s one of the few face moisturizers that helps treat skin conditions like eczema. The lightweight gel-moisturizer penetrates the skin to provide nutrient-dense ingredients that can heal the skin.

Ginger extract diminishes redness and irritation while red seaweed helps soothe stressed-out skin. Probiotics purify the face while improving the complexion, and squalane injects hydration and nourishment.

Squalane + Probiotic Gel Moisturizer is the best water-based moisturizer in 2024 for men and women dealing with eczema.

8. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream

Get some oil-free moisture from one of the industry’s best skincare brands. Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream is a cooling moisturizer that works best for oily, combination, and normal skin types. Revitalize your skin with the gel cream for up to 24 hours of hydration.

Non-comedogenic, fast-absorbing, and seriously moisturizing, the moisturizer dives into your skin to keep it balanced and healthy. Not to mention, this bad boy helps reduce shine which is exactly what folks with oily foreheads and chins need.

Free from parabens, alcohol, fragrances, minerals, dyes, and TEA, it’s a safe-for-skin formula that keeps your face hydrated all day. Kiehl’s creates effective, safe self-care products that skincare lovers can use all over their bodies.

Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream is one of the best water-based moisturizers in 2024.

9. e.l.f. Superhydrate Gel Moisturizer

Want a product you can toss in your cart while grocery shopping? Wander down the self-care aisle and get your hands on a gorgeously purple bottle of e.l.f. Superhydrate Gel Moisturizer. Most people overlook this grocery store underdog, but you won’t be one of ‘em.

Get incredible, effective ingredients for less than $15! When you consider other water-based moisturizers start at ridiculous prices like $80 and up, it’s a steal. What will less than $15 get you? Superhydrate Gel Moisturizer uses squalane to improve hydration and elasticity and niacinamide to help refine the skin. Other ingredients like snow mushroom, Centella Asiatica, and vitamin E provide nourishment and extra hydration for the skin.

Quench your skin with this plumping, hydrating blend. It works for all skin types and provides lightweight moisture 24/7.

10. Soft Services Speed Soak Skin Rehydrating Gel

Speed Soak Skin Rehydrating Gel aims to be the fastest-drying full-body lotion. Consider how long your cheap drugstore lotion takes to dry, then consider how great it would be to hop out of the shower, apply this gel moisturizer, and then slip into your clothes with almost no wait time in between.

As a soothing gel cream, this sleek bottle is formulated to hydrate dry skin quickly and efficiently. When applied to the skin, the gel absorbs rapidly and reinforces the skin’s natural barrier. If your skin has been feeling parched, then give it a blasting splash of water with the Skin Rehydrating Gel.

Many body lotions are formulated with oil-based moisturizing ingredients that can clog pores and cause irritation to the skin. This water-based formula allows your skin to interact with the ingredients safely while slurping in all the skin-loving ingredients.

11. Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Oil-Free Gel Cream Moisturizer

Relax into the pillow-soft texture of Cloud Dew Gel Cream Moisturizer from Summer Fridays. As a lightweight gel cream, it seamlessly blends into the skin to turn dry, thirsty skin into healthy, hydrated, plump skin. Ideal for those with combination or oily skin, the cream works hard to provide the best moisture for your skin.

With its award-winning formula, the moisturizer helps boost the skin’s moisture barrier while providing brightening and toning benefits. Three types of hyaluronic acid inject the skin with plumping, intense hydration that won’t stress it out. Pineapple enzymes and powerful antioxidants also provide soothing, healing benefits to the skin.

For best use, apply the gel-cream in the morning after your skincare routine but before applying SPF or makeup. With daily usage, it gives your skin a dewy finish, even under makeup. It’s one of the best water-based moisturizers in 2024 for folks who want dewy fresh skin.

Everything you need to know about water-based moisturizers

Are water-based moisturizers a mystery to you? We’ll fill you in on how to choose the right water-based moisturizer, what ingredients to look for, and how to use it properly. You’ll be an expert in no time.

How to choose a water-based moisturizer

Finding the right self-care product is a mix of art, science, and lots of trial and error. To help you save money we’ve gathered the key features to be aware of as you shop for your next water-based moisturizer.

Know your skin type

When it comes to skincare products and routines, your skin type reigns supreme. Think of your skin type as the guiding light that will help you build the ultimate routine and have the best skin of your life.

Water-based moisturizers work best for three skin types: sensitive, combination, and oily or acne-prone. Due to their lightweight, non-greasy moisture, they manage to hydrate your skin without causing irritation or clogging your pores.

Unsure of your skin type? Here’s a quick description of each type to help you pinpoint yours.

Combination skin: Does your skin feel dry or itchy some weeks and greasy or oily a few weeks later? You might have combination skin. This skin type typically experiences a lot of changes and different issues. Water-based moisturizers work well for combination skin when they’re experiencing more oil.

Oily or acne-prone skin: Skin with excess sebum—a fancy way of saying oil—typically overproduces oil and causes oily or acne-prone skin. Excess oil clogs pores and causes problems like zits, bumps, and blemishes. Water-based lotions and moisturizers are the best for oily skin because they don’t clog pores and cause further issues.

Sensitive skin: Lads and ladies with sensitive skin often experience dryness, itchiness, inflammation, redness, bumps, rough patches, and more. Those with sensitive skin often have to be careful with their products as they can easily stress out the skin. Water-based moisturizers work well for this skin type because they are gentle and soothing and don’t disrupt the skin’s natural moisture balance.

Best ingredients in water-based moisturizers

Your best bet—where skincare products are concerned—is to use clean, premium products made with organic, natural ingredients. It’s the best way to ensure your skin stays healthy, happy, and hydrated while also preventing irritation-related issues.

Some of the best ingredients in water-based moisturizers are:

Hyaluronic acid. She is the reigning Queen of water-based moisturizers. Hyaluronic acid is an incredible moisturizer that gets people begging for more after one use. With the ability to attract up to 1,000 times its weight in water, it’s no surprise that hyaluronic acid is an incredible hydrator for your skin.

Squalane. Often compared to hyaluronic acid, squalane offers similar hydrating benefits for your skin. Squalane also contains anti-inflammatory properties that help heal acne and eczema.

Niacinamide. Also known a Vitamin B3, this is a champion for your skin, niacinamide helps support your skin’s natural barrier. Helping with hydration and preventing dehydration, it’s an important ingredient in water-based products. It also contains antioxidant properties and can help soothe the skin.

Green tea. Working as a strong antibacterial, green tea helps treat and prevent acne and unclogs pores. Bacteria cause all sorts of problems for your skin, and green tea can calm and soothe irritation. Greentea is also a potent anti-oxidant that fight free radicals causing oxidative damage so you reap anti-aging properties as well.

Ingredients to run away from

One way to protect your skin is to ditch toxic chemicals commonly found in cheap self-care products. Lining the aisles at your local grocery store are rows of beauty and hygiene products that come chock-full of harsh chemicals that irritate and stress your skin.

The best thing you can do? Ditch them all together and start using safe, premium products. Want to know what ingredients you should avoid? Avoid parabens, sulfates, phthalates, mineral oil, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, PEGs, synthetic fragrances, and lanolin as some of these have been noticed to be endocrine disruptors as well as carcinogens .

Know your skincare budget

It doesn’t matter what your yearly salary or hourly wage is; you should have an idea of what you’d like to spend on skincare each year. Young, old, rich, poor—everyone should have a budget.

Budget is not a dirty word anymore, or “only for poor people.” A budget helps guide your spending so you can spend a predetermined amount in each category. For example, your monthly grocery budget may be $400 to $500.

So consider how much of your yearly income you’d like to go to self-care products. Most people spend about $50 to $100 monthly on self-care items without even noticing it. And some skincare items can get really pricey, so knowing your budget will help you save money and spend the amount you feel comfortable with.

A good water-based moisturizer usually costs around $20 to $50.

Top tips and tricks with water-based moisturizers

Want to look and feel your best with your water-based products? Follow our top tips and tricks to get the most from your lotions and creams.

How often to apply a water-based moisturizer

In an ideal world, you’ll follow a twice-daily skincare routine, applying once in the morning and once in the evening. Apply a water-based moisturizer during both grooming rituals. Face moisturizer is the last product you’ll apply—except for SPF—and ensures other serums soak into the skin.

Water-based body lotions can be applied to the skin at any time, but the best time is when you’ve just stepped out of the shower. Use your body lotion once a day from your neck to your feet.

When to use water-based moisturizers

Folks with combination, acne-prone, or oily skin should use water-based lotions all year round. Those with normal, sensitive, or dry skin, on the other hand, may prefer to use them in warmer months like summer.

Water-based moisturizers are the ideal summertime hydrator because they are non-greasy, absorb quickly, and won’t clog your pores. During those hot summer months, your pores may already be dealing with lots of sweat, grime, and other debris.

That said, you can really use water-based creams or lotions whenever you’d like. A lot of folks’ skin really fancies these types of moisturizers, and they work well for them all every day.

Avoid heat

Nothing dries out your skin faster or steals precious natural oils quicker than hot water and heat in general. Avoid boiling hot showers if you’re trying to keep your skin looking dewy and fresh. Also, keep in mind that hot summer months can steal moisture from your skin—while simultaneously making you hot and sweaty—which may affect how often you need to apply your lotion or cream.

Frequently asked questions

Are water-based skincare products better than oil-based products?

This depends on your skin type and concerns. For many people, water-based skincare products work better for their skin due to the fast-drying nature of the water-based products and their ability to hydrate without clogging the user’s pores. But those with dry skin may have better luck with oil-based moisturizers that really dive into the skin and provide intense moisture.

Is it safe to use a water-based body lotion on my face?

Probably not, and here’s why. Like other hydrating self-care products, items are formulated for specific areas of the body. Face moisturizers should be used on the face and body lotions should be used on the body. Why is this? Well, it’s because most body lotions have ingredients that are potentially too intense or harsh for delicate facial skin. The ingredients and formula are typically thicker and may clog the pores and cause bumps and blemishes. If you’re visiting family or friends and your only option is to use a water-based body lotion on your face, it won’t kill ya, just look out for acne spots or bumps.

Can I use water-based moisturizers all year round?

Yes, absolutely. We’ve mentioned a few times that water-based moisturizers work incredibly well in the summer months because they provide fast-absorbing, lightweight hydration. But you can also use them in cooler seasons if you don’t need the thicker oil-based moisturizers to lock in moisture. Keep your eye open for dry spots or patches if you use a water-based moisturizer. You may need to touch up dry areas with an oil-based lotion or cream.

Do water-based moisturizers expire?

Yes, all water-based moisturizers expire. You should see a stamped expiration date on the bottom or side of the bottle or packaging. If you don’t see one, you can check for signs that it’s gone bad. Changes in color, texture, consistency, odor, and effectiveness indicate that your water-based moisturizer is expired and should be tossed out. If you’re on the fence and can’t decide, just chuck it out and buy a new one. Expired products start growing fungi and bacteria, which you definitely want to avoid.

What’s the best water-based moisturizer in 2024?

Blu Atlas Body Lotion is the best water-based moisturizer in 2024. Give your skin a big splash of hydration with a skin-loving and boosting body lotion. Body Lotion uses a clean formula to penetrate your skin with extreme hydration and nourishment from within. Rich ingredients like jojoba oil, seaweed, and shea butter provide smooth, supple skin after each application. Ready to have the softest skin of your life? Body Lotion from Blu Atlas will nourish and moisturize the skin without feeling greasy or too heavy.