Moisturisers and sunscreens work hard to keep our skin healthy, happy and hydrated. These have all been picked by the experts, and are deserving of a coveted woman&home clever skincare award.
When thinking of your skin essentials, you'll likely think of both your best face moisturizer and your best facial sunscreen. Both are absolutely crucial in any skincare routine. They help keep your complexion hydrated, protected and youthfully plump.
All 13 of the buys below have impressed our experts and are worthy of a place in your skincare routines.
13 award-winning moisturisers & sunscreens
RRP: £54
Promising to do all the hard work while you sleep, this overnight brightening formula is packed with a blend of vitamins and minerals to boost radiance and reduce pigmentation.
RRP: £30
Harnessing the power of the fatty acids extracted from apricots, this day cream nourishes while providing a flattering dewy glow. Apply each morning for a radiant start to your day.
RRP: £67
This rich day cream will quickly come to the rescue if you have parched skin. Made using antioxidant Japanese purple rice, this produces a dewy, healthy complexion.
RRP: £45
Light as a cloud, this is a powerful plumping cream that deeply hydrates, nourishes and plumps. It's a brilliant all-rounder for ageing skin.
RRP: £22.95
Blemish-prone skin will drink up this soothing formula. Designed to control inflammation, excess oil and uneven skin tone, this hydrates without clogging pores.
RRP: £44
Give your neck some attention with this award-winning face and neck cream. Your skin will feel smoother after just one use.
RRP: £79
Coming to the aid of dehydrated skin, let this lightweight gel face cream drench your skin with some much-needed moisture. The formula is refreshing, hydrating and plumping.
RRP: £34
This fragrance-free balm helps heal redness and sore complexions. Gentle enough for even the most sensitive skin, this is like a hug for your face.
RRP: £160
An investment well worth making, this face cream is infused with real diamond extracts to give you a radiant and plump complexion. It doesn't get much more luxurious than this!
RRP: £48
Face oils are such a great way to inject moisture into dehydrated skin. This one is rich in nutrients, antioxidants and polyphenols to soothe and calm your complexion.
RRP: £65
This quick-absorbing formula is more than just sun protection; it's a powerful anti-ageing moisturiser in a lightweight, hydrating formula that sits well under makeup.
RRP: £35
Offering sun protection, a tinted base as well as a luminous glow, this SPF does it all. It's also enriched with a hydrating cocktail of hyaluronic acid, vitamin B5 and sea lavender.
RRP: £13.99
Suited to those with even the most sensitive skin, this SPF50+ suncream keeps your body protected and hydrated from head to toe, without irritation.
13 award-winning Moisturisers and sunscreens, picked by the experts
Best night-time moisturiser
Not only does this revitalise your skin while you sleep but it also delivers a dose of hydration, too. The brightening complex contains a blend of natural acids that work in harmony to shed dead skin to reveal a glowing complexion and improve pigmentation.
Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson, loved this hardworking buy. "First of all, I loved the packaging and formula-wise, I found a little went a long way," she raves. "Just one pump was enough to cover my entire face and it felt very hydrating and rich on the skin. By the morning, my skin looked brighter and more radiant after every use."
Medical Aesthetic Doctor, Sophie Shotter was also impressed "I liked this product. It was very easy to use and my skin felt hydrated as I went to bed and looked much brighter when I woke up."
Best brightening moisturiser
Velvety and bright, just like a ripe apricot, this fruit-infused day cream is such a treat for parched complexions. The intensive cream offers deep nourishment but without a heavy or sticky finish, absorbing instantly into the skin. The vitamins and fatty acids from apricot kernel oil work to revitalise skin, leaving it feeling plump and refreshed.
Our judges loved this nourishing day cream, awarding it the best brightening moisturiser. Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi said, "A little goes a long way with this cream, it spreads beautifully and I found it left my skin feeling smooth and firmer. It offers instant hydration that really lasts but doesn’t feel sticky or heavy on the skin."
Use this cream after cleansing, applying serum and as your final skincare step before SPF. The delicately scented Apricot cream works as the perfect base for makeup as it never pills, and offers a gorgeous fresh glow that lasts all day long.
Best hydrating moisturiser
A rich, moisturising cream with plumping hydration and antioxidant-packed Japanese purple rice for a dewy, healthy glow. This face cream has had people raving and it's clear to see why.
Ideal for those with dry skin, this buttery moisturiser sinks into the skin and deeply nourishes. It absorbs immediately, making it a perfect pre-makeup product which provides a natural all-day glow.
Expert judge and Skincare Expert Fiona Brackenbury couldn't have loved this product more. "It’s hard not to fall in love with this moisturiser. The skin glows instantly, the cream melts into the skin and leaves the skin comforted, intensively moisturised and hydrated." She continues, "Skin instantly looks radiant, healthy, and glowing. The formula is pure skin health in a jar, full of moisture magnets, antioxidants and barrier strengtheners."
Best peptide moisturiser
Boasting a daily dose of vital ingredients that deplete as we age, this face cream is suited to those looking to bring some youthful radiance back. Packed full of skin rejuvenating Tripeptides, Ceramides and Hyaluronic Acid, this powerful, lightweight formula promises to address the key signs of ageing – loss of collagen and elasticity, dehydration, fine lines and wrinkles - all in one go.
Group Beauty Director Sarah Cooper-White loved using this formula. "'Not only does this cream smell amazing, it's packed with a trio of ingredients that work like magic on menopausal skin to smooth, plump and hydrate."
"The texture is nourishing and soothing but won't leave your complexion feeling overloaded and I loved using it at night and as a base before make-up in the morning. This was a firm favourite for me and one that's staying in my skincare stash."
Best moisturiser for oily skin
It's a common misconception that oily or spot-prone skin needs to be 'dried out'. In fact, keeping your complexion hydrated is one of the best things you can do to keep your skin healthy, happy and content. You can soothe & hydrate oily, blemish-prone skin with this moisturiser dedicated to helping troubled complexions.
Our skin's health is impacted by many different triggers, such as our hormones, stress, and lack of sleep, which sometimes can be shown in imperfections like blemishes and inflammation. Luckily, this lightweight, oil-control cream comes to the aid of stressed complexions, without feeling heavy or greasy.
Fiona Brackenbury thought this was a worthy award-winner. "This has the most incredible texture that melts and absorbs instantly into the skin. Cleverly formulated to bring everything an oily, blemish-prone skin needs whilst still delivering the essentials – hydration and a healthy skin barrier. It's a wonderful moisturiser."
Best neck cream
Clinically proven to leave you with a sculpted and firmed appearance around the neck and décolleté, this neck & dec cream works hard to smooth out fine lines and wrinkles on your face, neck and chest. Using a clever complex; Dermosculpt™, this gives skin a lifted appearance that's noticeable almost immediately. Packed with a blend of collagen-boosting peptides, this cream helps to support your natural collagen levels, which makes your skin plumper and tighter.
Sarah Cooper-White is a huge fan of this formula "I really liked this product," she says. "I've noticed a difference in just a short space of time. My skin is smoother and less wrinkled and my decollete looks better too."
Add this to your beauty routine each evening and apply in upward motions from your chest up to your face. Use twice a day and you'll notice results in as little as two weeks.
Best day-time moisturiser
The iconic Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream has a lighter little sister. Offering a dewy, glass-skin-like finish, this lightweight lotion sinks into the skin immediately and leaves it looking plump and full of moisture. Helping to balance thirsty, dehydrated skin, this fragrance-free formula drenches your complexion with hydration after just the first use.
Beauty Writer Annie Milroy loves this face cream, "I adore gel face creams and this is refreshing, hydrating and plumping," she says. "It works really well under makeup and left my skin looking glowy and feeling plump. It's an investment but totally worth making in my opinion as it's so lovely and luxe. Your skin will be left looking its best."
Ideal for warm summer days when you need a refreshing hit of moisture, pop this face cream in the fridge for an extra hit of cooling goodness. It also comes in a refillable pot to save money and plastic waste.
Best healing moisturiser
Those with sensitive and redness-prone complexions will love this soothing cream. The fragrance-free and non-comedogenic formula is enriched with sunflower shoot extract which fuels your skin cell battery, Centella Asiatic which fights UV damage and inflammation, plus, lactobacillus which bolsters the skin's microbiome.
Beauty Editor, Stephanie Maylor, was seriously impressed by this sensitive formula. "This is a powerhouse moisturiser. It may be ’intense’ but melts into the skin and doesn’t feel at all heavy or greasy. The combination of NAD+ technology and other barrier-boosting ingredients has really rescued my complexion. It sits beautifully under makeup - no pilling - and a little goes a long way."
Rescue dry or irritated skin from the inside out with this restorative formula. Use daily in your skincare routine or for when your skin needs a little extra TLC.
Best anti-wrinkle moisturiser
Crafted with Black Diamond Truffle Extract from Southwest France, this screams luxury. Blended with patented Sirtivity-LP™ technology and harnessing 15 years of brilliant research this reverses the appearance of ageing. Helping to enhance and maintain the skin's youthful look, this brings back vitality and plumpness to your complexion. There's no denying that this product is an investment, but it's a worthy one if your budget permits.
Skincare expert, Diane Ackers raves about this luxury face cream. "I love a cream-gel texture that delivers!" she says. "The consistency of this cream is sublime, the fragrance is mild and clean, and it feels like you’re putting a beautiful cashmere jumper on your skin! It felt as if it was smoothing fine lines and both firmness and radiance appeared improved. This one is staying in the bathroom!"
Best facial oil
Ticking all the skincare boxes, this facial oil has a multitude of benefits. Working to reduce redness, increase brightness, banish breakouts, smooth skin and refresh, this does it all. Producing benefits in just 5 days, this lightweight oil is rich in nutrients and antioxidants to keep skin looking happy and healthy.
Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar loved using this oil. "This has a lovely light scent to it. It sinks into the skin quickly and isn't tacky or wet, unlike other oils, but it still leaves skin nourished and soft. I also found this was a good accompaniment to a facial massage."
Suitable for all skin types, anyone can add this to their skincare routines each week. As your last step in your evening regime load up your hands with some of the oil and rub together, massaging into your face and any other areas of dryness.
Best SPF for face
Thanks to a cocktail of skin-loving ingredients like probiotic cultures, niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, this intelligent, lightweight formula works to strengthen and restore your skin barrier while protecting it with SPF50.
Senior Beauty Editor, Rhiannon Derbyshire sings its praises. "I am quite fussy about SPFs but this is now a real favourite," she enthuses. "I absolutely loved this formula - it felt really light and sunk in quickly. It also gave my skin a bit of a glow which looked great under make-up. I’ve only tried a few things from this brand but I’ve loved them all. I'm a big, big fan."
The Hydrate & Protect Anti-Ageing SPF50 Moisturiser is more than just sun protection. It's a powerful anti-ageing moisturiser in a lightweight, hydrating formula, making this the ultimate multitasker for any routine.
Best tinted SPF
This formula offers so many skincare benefits including SPF protection, hydration and a gorgeous glowy finish. This broad-spectrum sunscreen-primer hybrid works on all skin types and tones, and is available in four shades. It's also packed with a hydrating cocktail of plumping hyaluronic acid, moisturising vitamin B5 and antioxidant-rich sea lavender.
Judges thought this formula was a real winner, too. Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha is a fan. "It's pleasant to use and has a really nice texture," she says. "It goes on smoothly and doesn’t pill. It's comfortable to wear all day and sat under makeup well. I particularly love that it leaves skin looking nice and glowy."
Aesthetic facialist Shane Cooper also enjoyed testing this sunscreen. "You get an instant glow to your skin," he says. "I love the fact that it’s noncarcinogenic and a lightweight SPF. It did not irritate my skin at all."
Best SPF for body
If you have sensitive skin or even suffer from eczema, finding a formula that's gentle enough can be a minefield but look no further than this gentle formula, suitable for all skin types. This fragrance-free, dermatologically tested SPF50+ for the body is suitable for eczema-prone skin and offers a gentle and hydrating formula. The non-greasy and fast-absorbing lotion leaves limbs feeling soft, protected and nourished.
Senior Beauty Editor, Rhiannon Derbyshire enjoyed this lightweight option. "It's great that it's been specially formula for sensitive and eczema-prone skin," she says. "You can trust that it won't cause soreness or irritation while keeping your skin protected with SPF50+. It applies really well, and leaves skin feeling soft and nourished."
Offering both UVA and UVB protection, this is ideal for use on the whole family on holiday or sunny days. The formula is sweat and water-resistant too which is a great bonus.
