10 Super Hydrating Moisturizers That Live Up to the Hype

Let's be honest: Most moisturizers are nothing more than a jar full of disappointment. I really don't understand it. I mean, there are so many of them out there (829 at Sephora alone! 17 pages worth at Target!), yet somehow, almost none seem to get the job done.

Here’s how it usually works: I slather on a new moisturizer with a braggy label (Ultra Hydrating! Advanced Moisture!). My skin sucks it up for 15 minutes or so. Then, one hour, maybe two hours later, it feels no more hydrated than if I’d done nothing.

But … there are a few super hydrators that aren’t all talk. In fact, the 10 ahead have proven time and time again just how skilled they are at reviving scratchy, flaky, or dried out skin — and they’ve got the 4-star reviews to prove it. Each and every one of these moisturizers actually does the job and keeps skin soft and glowy, no matter what skin-parching weather autumn blows your way.