13 Best Eczema Creams for Itchy Skin in 2025, Per Dermatologists

On a very good day, your pores and skin could be calm and glowy—however in case you’re coping with an eczema flare-up, you could be scuffling with itchy, crimson, dry patches that simply gained’t give up. Additionally known as atopic dermatitis, eczema is a persistent pores and skin situation wherein your pores and skin barrier can’t keep sufficient moisture to dam allergens or environmental stressors.

“[Eczema] additionally entails irritation, as our pores and skin performs an enormous position 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 might result in “itchy pores and skin that may be dry and flaky,” she says. “Lighter pores and skin tones might be crimson and irritated, and darker pores and skin tones might be grayish purple or seem like a darker brown discoloration.”

When your pores and skin is wired, it’s a good suggestion to achieve for light, hydrating merchandise—that’s the place one of the best eczema lotions are available. “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 Medication, tells SELF. Store our favorites under, together with professional suggestions, editor-favorites, and some SELF Wholesome Magnificence Award winners.

Our high picks

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

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

Store one of the best eczema lotions

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

Finest 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 probably irritating elements, like perfume, dyes, parabens, and lanolin. So what’s in it? Nourishing petrolatum and different light elements 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.

Finest Funds: Vaseline Intensive Care Physique Lotion

Execs

• Funds-friendly
• Helps with flakiness

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it feels sticky

This lotion comprises petrolatum, an expert-favored ingredient for shielding the pores and skin barrier. “The sunshine method is simple 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. For those who use it usually, Dr. Gohara says it must also assist clean over flaky areas.

Finest In a single day Remedy: CeraVe Therapeutic Ointment

Execs

• Multi-purpose method
• Good for in a single day remedies
• 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 offers long-lasting hydration and repairs the pores and skin barrier,” Dr. Gohara says. “It’s nice for individuals with extreme dryness or those that desire an ointment over a cream for in a single day use.”

Finest Gel: Eucerin Eczema Aid Hydrogel

Execs

• Very light-weight
• Cooling impact
• Absorbs rapidly

Cons

• May not be moisturizing sufficient for some

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

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

Execs

• Very simple to use
• Nice for on-the-go
• Funds-friendly

Cons

• May be too greasy for some

For those who’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 arms 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 in the course of the winter months.”

Finest for Itchiness: Exederm Flare Management Cream

Execs

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

Cons

• Can’t be used long-term

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

One caveat: Hydrocortisone is nice for addressing flare-ups, however shouldn’t be used every day for lengthy durations of time, as it might probably ultimately 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 reduction
• 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 usually. “It’ll final you all through the day.” It’s on the thicker facet, so she likes it extra as a physique cream than a face moisturizer.

Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream

Execs

• Light-weight
• Works rapidly
• 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 may anticipate to see calmer pores and skin in a single week (the dream!). “It’s nice for individuals 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 might discover it too heavy

When you’ve got 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
• Comprises 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 embrace 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 reduction.

Tatcha Indigo Calming Cream

Execs

• Calms redness
• Layers properly with different skincare

Cons

It’s a splurge, however this Wholesome Magnificence Award–profitable cream is value skipping a couple of lattes for. “Any time I felt like my face was trying dry and crimson, I’d slather these things 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 plenty of oils to nourish. Bonus: “It additionally performed good with varied serums, layered properly with different lotions, and didn’t get all bizarre beneath my sunscreen.”

Gladskin Eczemact Eczema Cream

Execs

• Helps stability pores and skin microbiome
• Works rapidly

Cons

Gladskin has an entire line devoted to eczema reduction—Dr. Weinstein Velez beforehand beneficial the physique wash to SELF—and this cream could be what your pores and skin wants to relax 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 possibly can 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 measurement, so you may carry it with you to make use of every time your pores and skin feels irritated.”

Sarna Delicate Anti-Itch Lotion

Execs

• Numbs pores and skin to alleviate itchiness
• Funds-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 scratch. It additionally packs moisturizing elements like jojoba seed oil and squalane into its light-weight method.

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