Which is the Best Face Moisturiser in India? (in 2025)

Which is the best moisturiser in India in 2025? To find this out, I thoroughly checked the ingredients of more than 50 moisturisers both online and offline. After carefully going through them, I am convinced that moisturiser is one skincare product which should be chosen according to your own skin type. 

That’s because an oil free moisturiser won’t help a person with dry skin. Similarly, if a person with oily skin uses a thick cream moisturiser, it might cause even more acne. That’s why in this article, I will share with you the best moisturisers for each skin type. So without any further delay, let’s get started.

Moisturiser, as the name implies, its basic purpose is to keep the moisture in the skin intact. Because when there is moisture in the skin, it creates a barrier that protects your skin from irritants and pollutants. 

And if the skin remains protected, its ageing will naturally slow down and as a result it will begin to glow. So only if you use the right moisturiser, it will act as an anti ageing and brightening cream as well. You need not spend extra. And a right moisturiser is that which checks 2 boxes. One, it should be free from harsh chemicals. And second, it should be according to your skin type.

Now basically, there are 4 types of skin types: Dry, Oily, Sensitive and Combination skin. So let us discuss the best moisturisers for each skin type. Of course, like always, this is an unsponsored article, no brand has paid me. I am just like you a person who wants to keep his skin healthy.

Best Moisturisers for Dry Skin

If you have dry skin, look for a thick oil based moisturiser. Pond’s, Nivea creme, vaseline are all examples of common moisturisers for dry skin. Although, the problem with these popular moisturisers is that it fails with the first condition. 

They all have harsh chemicals. If you notice, all these popular moisturising creams have a base of mineral oil or petrolatum. Both are byproducts of the petroleum industry which are cheap but skin damaging.

But don’t worry. It’s 2025 and many new promising moisturisers have come up. Here are some of the best options:

• Nat Habit’s Fresh Whipped Skin Malai Moisturiser
  If you go through its ingredient list, it has all the heavy oils there. Cocoa butter, shea, raw milk, the oils of walnut, almond, coconut, sesame, sesame seeds and olive. This is the reason it is perfect for someone with dry flaky skin. For fragrance they have used natural essential oils. It has a strong chocolaty smell, though it's natural. More importantly, it has not even a single harsh chemical. In fact, every ingredient seems familiar. 200 ml of it will cost you Rs 500. The quantity is good. Once bought, it will easily serve you for 3 months.
• Just Herbs Ultra Moisturising Herbal Cream
  This is a thick moisturiser yet not greasy. Suitable for normal to dry skin. This moisturizer is a nice blend of ayurvedic skin friendly herbs like manjishtha, ashwagandha, chandan, neem, tulsi along with cold pressed coconut oil, sunflower oil, moringa seed oil and shea butter. Again not even a single harsh chemical. No cosmetic colour or artificial fragrance. It smells very mildly. 100 ml of it will cost you Rs 382. Quantity is quite sufficient for one season.
• Bare Necessities Soak It Up Natural Moisturiser for Face and Body
  It's a hemp seed oil based moisturiser along with apricot kernel and jojoba oils. Preservative used is phenoxethanol which is not very harsh. It's comparatively light, suitable well for normal to dry skin. 250 grams of it will cost you Rs 439. Quite reasonable that is.
• Moms Company’s Natural Baby Lotion
  If you want a very economical moisturiser but don't want to compromise even a little with the ingredients, this is a great choice. Yes, it’s marketed for babies but can be used by both men and women. It’s 100% toxin free and 200 ml costs just Rs 294. Plus it can be used both on face and body. Skim through its ingredients, in comparison to other baby lotions, this one has neither mineral oil nor other toxic stuff. Go for it.

Best Ayurvedic Moisturisers for Dry Skin

Many brands claim to be ayurvedic like Biotique, Boro Plus, Himalaya, even Boroline. But either they are mineral oil based or they don’t mention full ingredients on the bottle. Cut the crap. Use any pure oil that you like such as coconut oil, sesame oil or almond oil. It’s Ayurvedic in true sense.

Taking a step forward, check out Santulan’s Radha Face Oil. Made using milk, curd and 30 skin friendly herbs in a base of coconut oil, this face oil is exceptionally good for dry and damaged skin. If you have eczema, I would recommend you this as moisturiser. 50 ml costs Rs 240.

Buying Moisturiser Offline for Dry Skin

If you need a good moisturiser urgently and can’t go online, while buying offline, the main thing to check is that it should be free from mineral oil also called Light liquid paraffin, petrolatum or petroleum jelly. Rest is negotiable.

For example, Cetaphil’s DAM moisturiser is better among others. 30 ml tube is for Rs 210. If you want an economical option, go for Himalaya’s Olive Nourishing Cream. For Rs 210 you will get 200 ml of it. Now it does have some harsh chemicals but then it’s better than Nivea and Vaseline. Even Himalaya’s other creams have mineral oil. Specifically this one is better.

Best Moisturisers for Oily Skin

A person with oily skin should prefer using a water based moisturiser or a very light oil based moisturiser. This is because the skin already has enough oil. Heavy oil based moisturisers as recommended for dry skin will make the face look greasy and might increase the chances of pimples.

Here are some of the best moisturisers for oily skin:

• Aroma Magic’s Juniper Berry Oil Free Moisturiser
  Check out its ingredients: vegetable glycerin and aloe vera based, it has very light oils like jojoba, patchouli and lemon. This makes it a genuine toxin free vitamin C based moisturiser in the Indian market. Much better than Mamaearth’s since it has artificial fragrance and some harsh chemicals as well. Even price wise it’s more economical. 200 ml of it will cost you Rs 356. It comes in a nice user friendly bottle and even its natural fragrance is calming.
• Indus Valley’s Brightening Dipigmentation Gel
  If you have oily skin with dark spots, this natural gel based moisturiser with rose, grape seed, cow yogurt and tea tree oil based moisturiser is a fine option. I have already shared this with you in the last moisturiser video and it has worked for many. Price wise 50 grams of this gel will cost you Rs 259.
• Rustic Art’s Aloe Vera Neem Basil Gel
  The combination of aloe vera, tulsi and neem along with vegetable glycerin, salicylic acid and vitamin E works very well to get rid of pimples. If your skin is acne prone, I would suggest you to try this oil free moisturiser. 100 grams of it will cost you Rs 320.

Offline Options for Oily Skin

All these are great for someone with very oily skin but you will have to buy them online. While buying offline, prefer a gel based moisturiser but reject all such products that have ingredients like cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone or cyclomethicone. Actually most brands use silicones to give that oil free look. However, even dermatologists believe that silicones do damage the skin.

For example the popular Minimalist’s B5 10% oil free moisturiser is silicone based. Even Neutrogena’s oil free moisturiser is silicone based.

Even Himalaya’s oil free radiance gel cream is silicone based. Lotus Alpha Moist oil free moisturiser is mineral oil based. Pond’s light moisturiser is a bunch of harsh chemicals. Avoid all these.

Instead try:

• Deconstruct’s Oil Free Moisturiser
  It is light weight and non greasy. More importantly, it’s neither mineral oil nor silicone based. 50 grams is priced at Rs 325.
• Plum’s Green Tea Moisturiser
  Another good option to buy offline.
• Seba Med Care Free Gel
• Dot and Key’s Cica Niacinamide Moisturiser

Offline these are the best you can get. If you have very oily skin, then you can even try using a basic aloe vera gel. Aloe vera gel by Wow Skin Sciences is 100% natural. It doesn’t have any cosmetic colour or artificial fragrance.

Green Worth Aloe Vera Gel recommended in the last video have now changed their formulation. So avoid that. Reject Kapiva as well.

If you want to keep it very simple, Badam Rogan Shirin that is pure almond oil is a light weight oil rich in linoleic acid making it suitable for oilier skin types.

Aloe vera gel and Badam Rogan oil are the true ayurvedic moisturisers for someone with very oily to just oily skin. Overall a light gel based moisturiser suits the best in providing that non greasy look to people with oily skin.

Best Moisturisers for Combination Skin

Combination skin people have oily skin around the T zone that is the forehead and nose while dry skin on the other parts of the face. Generally people with normal skin or combination skin have dry skin during winters while oily skin during summers.

Which is why in winters they should apply cream based moisturisers while during summers they should prefer a light water gel based moisturiser. The moisturisers that we have discussed for dry skin will work for someone with combination skin in the winter season. And the moisturisers that we have discussed for oily skin will work for combination skin in the summer season.

After bathing don’t allow the face to get too dry before applying a moisturiser. A moisturiser works the best when applied on a damp skin. This way, it is able to lock in more water.

Also Read: Which is the Best Hair Oil in India? (in 2025)

Best Moisturisers for Sensitive Skin

If your skin gets red very easily when you go out in the sun or very few skin products suit you then most probably you have a sensitive skin. Basically the skin is very reactive. Ayurvedically speaking, there is excess body heat that has led to sensitive skin.

For such a skin, its best to keep skin products to minimal. Ayurvedic scriptures recommend that if one applies a gond katira face mask on the skin, the sensitive nature of skin can be neutralised. You can try it.

When it comes to moisturising, the traditional way of using a cold pressed oil on the face works the best. Sensitive skin can be dry or oily.

• If dry, use something like cold pressed sesame oil or cold pressed virgin coconut oil, whatever suits better.
• If oily sensitive, use plain aloe vera gel for very oily skin or badam rogan oil for normal oily skin.

All these can be easily found online as well as offline. Ayurveda’s classic Kumkumadi Tailam can also work for people with sensitive skin. Still a patch test is recommended.

If nothing suits you, Ayurveda’s another formulation Shat Dhaut Ghee which translates to 100 times washed ghee is my best bet for a very sensitive skin. Basically, the ghee is washed hundred times making it light and even more cooling for skin. It’s especially formulated to soothe any underlying inflammation.

A few brands make it. Svarasya’s Shat Dhaut Ghee is a good option in the Indian market. Along with 100 times washed ghee it has saffron and licorice that will help the skin glow even more. The process of making is elaborate which is why 50 grams of it is priced at Rs 700.

Additional Ayurvedic Moisturiser Tips

Ghee is a natural moisturiser that lubricates the skin from the inside. Try Auric’s A2 Desi Cow Ghee which has been made from A2 milk’s curd using the traditional bilona method and is among the best in the market.

The commercial ghee which is sold by the label pure cow ghee is neither made with our indigenous cows which have A2 milk protein nor do they follow the traditional bilona method where the ghee is procured by churning the curd and not butter. This is why it’s cheap and not a health food.

On the other hand Auric’s A2 desi cow ghee is made with the milk of three indigenous breeds of cows Gir, Sahiwal and Tharparker. What sets apart Auric from other brands is that they even do the gene testing for their cows and every batch of their ghee is tested in a NABL accredited lab so that you get unadulterated ghee. This has been transparently mentioned on their website and Amazon.

This ghee if you add on top of your food will give you the best results. Eat just 2 spoons but eat this ghee.

To buy Auric’s A2 desi cow ghee, click on the link in the description box. Auric is providing a discount of 25% for Fit Tuber Community. Go for it.

Summary Table of Best Moisturisers by Skin Type

Skin Type	Top Online Moisturisers	Top Offline Moisturisers	Additional Tips
Dry Skin	Nat Habit Fresh Whipped Skin Malai Moisturiser Just Herbs Ultra Moisturising Herbal Cream Bare Necessities Soak It Up Natural Moisturiser The Moms Company Natural Baby Lotion	Himalaya Olive Nourishing Cream Cetaphil DAM Moisturiser	Use pure oils like coconut, sesame, or almond oil; try Santulan Radha Face Oil for eczema
Oily Skin	Aroma Magic Juniper Berry Oil Free Moisturiser Indus Valley Dipigmentation Gel Rustic Art Aloe Vera Neem Basil Gel	Deconstruct Oil Free Moisturiser Plum Green Tea Moisturiser Seba Med Care Gel Dot and Key Cica Niacinamide Moisturiser	Use aloe vera gel or Badam Rogan oil for a simple ayurvedic option; avoid silicones and mineral oil
Combination Skin	Use dry skin moisturisers in winters and oily skin moisturisers in summers. Moisturiser works best on damp skin.		Adjust based on season; combination skin is oily in T-zone and dry elsewhere
Sensitive Skin	Use cold pressed oils like sesame or coconut oil for dry sensitive skin Use aloe vera gel or Badam Rogan oil for oily sensitive skin Kumkumadi Tailam and Svarasya Shat Dhaut Ghee for soothing and brightening		Patch test recommended; minimal skincare products; try gond katira face mask

Conclusion

Choosing the right moisturiser in India in 2025 depends heavily on your skin type. Dry skin requires thick, oil-based moisturisers with natural heavy oils and no harsh chemicals. Oily skin benefits from light, water-based or gel moisturisers that avoid silicones and mineral oils. Combination skin needs a flexible approach depending on the season, while sensitive skin demands minimal, gentle, and natural products.

Remember, always check the ingredients list carefully. Avoid harsh chemicals, mineral oils, and silicones where possible. Ayurvedic oils and formulations like Kumkumadi Tailam and Shat Dhaut Ghee offer excellent natural options, especially for sensitive skin.

For those looking for natural and effective moisturisers, brands like Nat Habit, Just Herbs, Aroma Magic, Indus Valley, Rustic Art, and Auric provide trustworthy options. Economical choices like The Moms Company’s baby lotion and Wow Aloe Vera gel are also available for budget-conscious buyers.

Taking care of your skin with the right moisturiser not only protects it from pollutants and irritants but also slows ageing and brings out a natural glow. So choose wisely and enjoy healthy, radiant skin in 2025 and beyond!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I use a baby lotion as a moisturiser for my dry skin?

A: Yes, The Moms Company’s Natural Baby Lotion is 100% toxin free and suitable for both face and body. It’s economical and does not contain mineral oil or other harmful ingredients.

Q: Are silicones harmful in moisturisers?

A: While silicones like cyclopentasiloxane and dimethicone give a smooth, oil-free look, many dermatologists believe they can damage the skin in the long run. It is better to avoid moisturisers with these ingredients if you want healthy skin.

Q: What is the best way to apply moisturiser for maximum benefit?

A: Apply moisturiser on damp skin right after bathing. This helps lock in more moisture, making the moisturiser more effective.

Q: Is ghee really good for skin moisturising?

A: Yes, especially Ayurveda’s Shat Dhaut Ghee which is washed 100 times to make it light and cooling. It helps soothe inflammation and moisturises skin from inside. Auric’s A2 Desi Cow Ghee is a high-quality option for consumption that supports skin health.

Q: How should I choose a moisturiser if I have combination skin?

A: Use cream-based moisturisers suited for dry skin during winters and light, gel-based moisturisers for oily skin during summers. Adjust according to the season and skin’s needs.

Q: Are natural oils really effective as moisturisers?

A: Yes, pure oils like coconut oil, sesame oil and almond oil work very well, especially for dry and sensitive skin. They are natural, free from harsh chemicals, and deeply nourishing.