13 Greatest Eczema Lotions for Itchy Pores and skin in 2025, Per Dermatologists

On a superb day, your pores and skin may be calm and glowy—however should you’re coping with an eczema flare-up, you may be scuffling with itchy, crimson, dry patches that simply gained’t stop. Additionally referred to as atopic dermatitis, eczema is a continual pores and skin situation during which your pores and skin barrier can’t preserve sufficient moisture to dam allergens or environmental stressors.

“[Eczema] additionally includes irritation, as our pores and skin performs an enormous function by way of our immune system,” Ivy Lee-Keltner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Direct Dermatology in California, tells SELF. This irritation could result in “itchy pores and skin that may be dry and flaky,” she says. “Lighter pores and skin tones will be crimson and irritated, and darker pores and skin tones will be grayish purple or appear like a darker brown discoloration.”

When your pores and skin is stressed, it’s a good suggestion to succeed in for mild, hydrating merchandise—that’s the place the very best eczema lotions are available in. “Selecting the best moisturizer will help forestall flare-ups and deal with eczema,” Shari Lipner, MD, PhD, an affiliate professor of scientific dermatology at Weill Cornell Drugs, tells SELF. Store our favorites under, together with knowledgeable suggestions, editor-favorites, and some SELF Wholesome Magnificence Award winners.

Our high picks

1. Greatest Total: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
2. Greatest Price range: Vaseline Intensive Care Physique Lotion
3. Greatest In a single day Remedy: CeraVe Therapeutic Ointment
4. Greatest Gel: Eucerin Eczema Aid Hydrogel
5. Greatest for On-The-Go: Aquaphor Therapeutic Balm Stick
6. Greatest for Itchiness: Exederm Flare Management Cream

What do you have to search for in an eczema cream?

Store the very best eczema lotions

Purple, itchy, tough pores and skin is about to be a factor of your previous.

Greatest Total: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream

Execs

• Brief ingredient listing
• Not greasy
• Good to your face and physique

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it’s too thick

Vanicream is a superhero for delicate pores and skin as a result of it leaves out a bunch of doubtless irritating components, like perfume, dyes, parabens, and lanolin. So, what’s in it? Nourishing petrolatum and different mild components that “deeply hydrate with out feeling greasy,” Dr. Gohara says. It additionally is available in a big jar with a pump—no want to stay your fingers inside.

Greatest Price range: Vaseline Intensive Care Physique Lotion

Execs

• Price range-friendly
• Helps with flakiness

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it feels sticky

This lotion accommodates petrolatum, an expert-favored ingredient for shielding the pores and skin barrier. “The sunshine components is straightforward to unfold throughout massive floor areas and gained’t go away the pores and skin feeling heavy or greasy,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, board-certified dermatologist and director of beauty and scientific analysis in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York Metropolis, tells SELF. In the event you use it commonly, Dr. Gohara says it must also assist easy over flaky areas.

Greatest In a single day Remedy: CeraVe Therapeutic Ointment

Execs

• Multi-purpose components
• Good for in a single day therapies
• Helps heal cracked pores and skin

Cons

There are such a lot of causes to maintain this CeraVe ointment in your drugs cupboard: It might hydrate chapped lips, forestall chafing, and—you guessed it—alleviate eczema. Utilizing hyaluronic acid and ceramides, “it gives long-lasting hydration and repairs the pores and skin barrier,” Dr. Gohara says. “It’s nice for folks with extreme dryness or those that desire an ointment over a cream for in a single day use.”

Greatest Gel: Eucerin Eczema Aid Hydrogel

Execs

• Very light-weight
• Cooling impact
• Absorbs shortly

Cons

• Won’t be moisturizing sufficient for some

If you need one thing tremendous light-weight, this gel jogs my memory of rubbing aloe on a contemporary sunburn—its skinny components feels refreshingly cool. And it doesn’t skimp on the important thing components our specialists suggest for eczema, like ceramides and glycerin. It additionally accommodates licorice root extract, which has additionally been confirmed to assist deal with eczema.

Greatest for On-The-Go: Aquaphor Therapeutic Balm Stick

Execs

• Very straightforward to use
• Nice for on-the-go
• Price range-friendly

Cons

• Is perhaps too greasy for some

In the event you’re not eager on slathering on an ultra-thick lotion, you want this SELF Wholesome Magnificence Award-winner. It transforms the Aquaphor ointment you realize and love right into a stick that may simply glide throughout dry patches.

“I’m a lifelong Aquaphor groupie, significantly as a result of I get terrible eczema on the backs of my fingers within the winter. The balm stick is a game-changer; it’s mess-free and it couldn’t be simpler to use after each hand wash,” one tester stated. “I can’t go wherever with out this through the winter months.”

Greatest for Itchiness: Exederm Flare Management Cream

Execs

• Good for infrequent, gentle flare-ups
• Relives itchiness
• Price range-friendly

Cons

• Can’t be used long-term

Overwhelmed by difficult ingredient lists? This cream solely accommodates hydrocortisone, which Dr. Weinstein Velez calls “tried and true” for soothing itchy pores and skin. “This one persistently heals my flare ups and stops the itching and discomfort whereas additionally drying down comfortably,” one SELF tester says. “It’s performed the job higher than some other cream or lotion I’ve tried.”

One caveat: Hydrocortisone is sweet for addressing flare-ups, however shouldn’t be used each day for lengthy durations of time, as it may finally trigger the pores and skin to skinny, Dr. Weinstein Velez says.

Extra nice eczema lotions

Nonetheless haven’t discovered a cream you want? Dermatologists and SELF testers additionally stand by the choices under for hydrating and soothing eczema-prone pores and skin.

Cetaphil Eczema Restoraderm Flare-Up Aid Cream

Execs

• Lasts on pores and skin, for all-day aid
• Thick, creamy texture
• Relieves itchiness

Cons

• Too thick to make use of in your face

On this cream, ceramides, glycerin, and shea butter get to work to revive your pores and skin’s moisture barrier. Plus, colloidal oatmeal will soothe itchy areas earlier than you’re tempted to scratch. “You’re going to really feel the impact for a very long time,” Dr. Weinstein Velez says, including that she reaches for it typically. “It’ll final you all through the day.” It’s on the thicker aspect, so she likes it extra as a physique cream than a face moisturizer.

Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream

Execs

• Light-weight
• Works shortly
• Soothes redness and itching

Cons

This Avène cream is wealthy in postbiotics that Dr. Gohara says can soothe redness, itching, and irritation. You normally have to play the lengthy sport in the case of skincare, however Dr. Gohara says you’ll be able to anticipate to see calmer pores and skin in a single week (the dream!). “It’s nice for folks with extraordinarily delicate pores and skin or those that desire a light-weight, soothing cream,” she provides.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5

Execs

• Nice for face and physique
• Improves pores and skin texture
• Soothes itchiness

Cons

• Some could discover it too heavy

When you have gentle eczema, you may like this multi-purpose balm that may soften tough patches in your face or physique. Its ingredient lineup contains panthenol and madecassoside (a by-product from the centella asitica plant), which collectively hydrate and restore the pores and skin, Dr. Gohara says.

The outcomes? “Aid from itching and noticeable enchancment in pores and skin texture,” she explains.

Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream

Execs

• Wealthy, creamy consistency
• Accommodates peptides to help pores and skin construction
• Extra sanitary packaging in comparison with different jarred lotions

Cons

This face cream is all about enhancing your pores and skin barrier. Its star gamers embody peptides and lipids—two issues eczema-prone pores and skin is poor in, Dr. Weinstein Velez says. Plus, peptides will help construct collagen, a protein that maintains your pores and skin’s construction and elasticity. Dr. Weinstein Velez says this moisturizer “sinks proper in” and instantly hydrates for long-lasting aid.

Tatcha Indigo Calming Cream

Execs

• Calms redness
• Layers properly with different skincare

Cons

It’s a splurge, however this Wholesome Magnificence Award–successful cream is price skipping just a few lattes for. “Any time I felt like my face was wanting dry and crimson, I’d slather these items on and get up with pores and skin that felt hydrated and balanced,” one tester stated. It has colloidal oatmeal to appease irritation, glycerin to hydrate, and various oils to nourish. Bonus: “It additionally performed good with varied serums, layered properly with different lotions, and didn’t get all bizarre underneath my sunscreen.”

Gladskin Eczemact Eczema Cream

Execs

• Helps stability pores and skin microbiome
• Works shortly

Cons

Gladskin has a complete line devoted to eczema aid—Dr. Weinstein Velez beforehand advisable the physique wash to SELF—and this cream may be what your pores and skin wants to sit back out. It makes use of a proprietary protein that helps rebalance your pores and skin’s microbiome, together with colloidal oatmeal and petrolatum to calm and nourish tough patches. “You’ll be able to really feel this thick lotion working as quickly as you apply it,” one Wholesome Magnificence Award tester stated. “It’s tremendous hydrating and is available in a travel-friendly dimension, so you’ll be able to carry it with you to make use of at any time when your pores and skin feels irritated.”

Sarna Delicate Anti-Itch Lotion

Execs

• Numbs pores and skin to alleviate itchiness
• Price range-friendly

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers had points with the pump

If the itchiness out of your eczema is driving you loopy, Sarna’s lotion has an ingredient that may make a giant distinction. As a substitute of typical skin-soothers, like colloidal oatmeal, it makes use of pramoxine hydrochloride, which Dr. Weinstein Velez says will numb your pores and skin so that you don’t really feel as tempted to scatch. It additionally packs moisturizing components like jojoba seed oil and squalane into its light-weight components.

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