I’ve tested dozens of hand creams on my dry (and now aging) hands, and these are my personal thoughts on the ones I actually use. I’ve found that the best ones use plant butters, oils, botanicals and herbs without any fillers or questionable ingredients.

Ingredients to Avoid When Hand Cream Shopping

Everyone has different standards of purity when it comes to clean beauty, but here are some common ingredients found in hand lotions that you might want to avoid.

Parabens: These are man-made chemicals derived from petroleum. They‘re linked to cancer and are a known endocrine disruptor. Common names for parabens include methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, and butylparaben.

Mineral Oil, Petrolatum, Petroleum: These chemicals are byproducts of petroleum refining and can contain trace amounts of contaminants linked to cancer called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

PEGs: These are petroleum-based compounds that may be contaminated with ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane, which are carcinogens.

BHA/BHT: Known endocrine disruptor

DMDM Hydantoim: formaldehyde-releasing preservative linked to contact dermatitis

Triethanolamine: used as an emulsifier, surfactant, and pH adjuster but is a known skin irritant

My Tips to Keep Hands Moisturized

I’m sharing my top tips below to keep dry hands hydrated throughout winter. Most of them are common sense, but there might be a few that surprise you!

• Wash hands with warm water NOT hot water. Repeatedly using hot water seriously dries out hands (and hair and skin)! Check out my favorite natural hand soap.
• When applying skincare, make sure to use some of it on your hands. If it’s good enough for the face, it’s definitely good enough for the hands!
• Wear sunscreen on your hands EVERYDAY. It’s important to protect hands from the damaging effects of UV rays which is the number one cause of skin aging, dryness, uneven texture and wrinkles.
• Don’t wash hands too aggressively
• Don’t overuse hand sanitizer. The alcohol in hand sanitizers is extremely drying.
• After washing hands, always use a non-toxic hand cream that adds back moisture and strengthens the skin barrier daily (keep reading for my faves!)

I Tried 100% Pure Hand Butter Cream

I’m quite partial to 100% Pure’s hand cream because it was one of the first all-natural hand lotions I tried. I just love its creamy, buttery yet still light consistency and the amazing variety of antioxidant-rich superfruit ingredients. The scents are simple but sooo natural and smell amazing with a cocoa butter chocolatey undertone! There’s absolutely no filler or pointless ingredients – literally every ingredient is natural or organic, nourishing and beneficial to the skin. It has a rich base of butters and oils and is fortified with Elderberry, Acai Berry, Green Tea, Red Wine Resveratrol, Mangosteen Peel, Goji Berry, Maqui Berry, Muscadine Grape and so much more! My hands always feel super soft after using this.

Price: $16 for 2 fl oz
Key actives: Shea Butter, Avocado Butter, Cocoa Butter, Argan Oil and tons of super fruits
Scents available (6): Blood Orange, Coconut, French Lavender, Gingerade, Vanilla Bean, Honey Almond
Feels like: super creamy
Packaging: PCR Plastic
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Climate Neutral ✔Gluten free

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use ORGANICBEAUTYLOVER for -20%

I Tried Weleda Skin Food (Ultra rich!)

Weleda Skin Food is the OG of natural hand creams and I’ve used it for well over a decade because I can find it in almost any store. It’s extremely versatile and can be used not just for hands, but on dry areas anywhere on the body, face and hair! I find it to be the richest hand cream I’ve ever tried, so it would be great for the driest skin that’s cracked and screaming SOS. Skin Food is not vegan since it has lanolin and beeswax, which helps lock in moisture and prevents it from escaping. It’s free from synthetic preservatives, synthetic fragrance, parabens and phthalates and is instead infused with Rosemary, Chamomile, Pansy, Sweet Almond Oil and Sunflower Oil. The scent is a light citrus one from essential oils that’s super pleasant and not too strong.

Skin Food feels really really thick and deeply moisturizing – perfect for the harsh winter months! I feel that the ingredients are on the simple side compared to other organic hand creams, but it’s really effective and easily accessible.

Price: $19.99 for 2.5 fl oz
Key actives: Sunflower seed oil, Lanolin, Sweet Almond Oil, Beeswax, Chamomile, Pansy
Scents available: 1
Feels like: thick butter
Packaging: PCR Plastic
✔  Certified Natural per NATRUE standard ✔ Cruelty-free

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I Tried Beekman 1802 Goat Milk Hand Cream

I love how hydrating goat milk can be in skincare, so it only makes sense that it would be great in a hand cream! I looove how silky and light Beekman 1802’s hand cream feels and how it instantly sinks in without feeling greasy, heavy or leaving any residue. I began testing just the Pure unscented hand cream but also had to get the Coconut Cream thanks to one of my readers passionately recommending it to me (thanks Ally!). The Coconut Cream has more of a sweet coconut scent that’s noticeably present but not overly strong.

It’s the fastest absorbing natural hand cream ever and goat milk is amaaazing for dry, irritated hands. Goat milk has 17 amino acids, 17 different vitamins and minerals as well as lactic acid, fatty acids, proteins and probiotics! The rest of the ingredients are relatively simple like hydrating shea butter, jojoba oil and glycerin. They offer an insane number of scents, 13 total, but if you’re looking for the cleanest one I would go for the Pure unscented hand cream since they use synthetic fragrance in their other ones.

Price: $24 for 3.4 fl oz
Key actives: Goat Milk, Shea Butter, Glycern
Scents available (13): Unscented, Almond Honey Cookie, Vanilla Absolute, Fig Leaf, Coconut Cream, Lavender, Glacial Mint & Eucalyptus, Ylang Ylang & Tuberose, Lilac Dream, Fresh Air, Honeyed Grapefruit, Sunshine Lemon, Honey & Orange Blossom
Feels like: silky, hydrating and lightweight gel-cream
✔ Leaping Bunny Certified Cruelty-free ✔ Sensitive Skin-Safe ✔ Microbiome friendly

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I Tried Necessaire The Hand Cream

When I first tried Necessaire’s hand cream I found it pleasant, soooo creamy and moisturizing but it didn’t exactly knock my socks off. But after it fully absorbed I was amazed at how soft my hands felt. See it’s actually a hand *mask*. When I digged deeper into the ingredients I was blown away by all the skincare actives it had. This has got the most peptides and ceramides I’ve ever seen in a hand cream! There’s five Ceramides, five Peptides, even Niacinamide and Marula Butter and Oil.

The focus of this fragrance-free hand cream slash treatment mask is to strengthen the skin barrier so it’s better equipped to protect itself from dryness and harsh environmental aggressors. There’s a tiny bit of residue I detect after it fully absorbs but I don’t mind it at all and I feel like it works longer than other creams. I find it great for anti-aging as well since peptides boost the skin’s natural collagen production. I also find the thickness of the cream just right, not too light and not too heavy. It’s a great consistency that’s light while creamy enough to be impactful!

Price: $25 for 2.2 fl oz
Key actives: Ceramides, Peptides, Niacinamide and Marula Butter 
Scents available: None
Feels like: a very creamy lotion
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ The National Eczema Association Seal of Approval ✔ Hypoallergenic

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I Tried Fitglow Beauty Cloud Hand Cream

I love how creamy this hand lotion is and since it’s a Fitglow product you betcha it’s going to be packed with high-performance skincare actives. It’s got Shea butter, Cloudberry Extract, cucumber extract and even Vitamin C to repair and protect hands. I find this to be great at softening hands! It’s got a really lovely creamy consistency. Once the cream sinks in and fully absorbs my skin texture feels so soft and velvety. It doesn’t have my favorite scent – cloudberry gives off a bit of a sickly sweet scent to me, to be brutally honest, but I know some people really like it.

Price: $28 for 2.8 fl oz
Key actives: Sweet Almond Oil, Cloudberry Extract, Vitamins C & E
Scents available: 1
Feels like: light creamy lotion
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Gluten free

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use OBL15 for -15%

I Tried Derma E Shea Hand Repair Cream (Budget friendly!)

I looove how affordable Derma E’s Hand Repair Cream is, the generous amount of skincare ingredients and its lightweight silky texture! A lot of natural hand creams on the market these days easily cost over $20, but Derma E remains under $10 and has fantastic ingredients like Sodium Hyaluronate, Cranberry Seed Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Pycnogenol (improves skin elasticity), Chamomile, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Shea Butter and Allantoin. They really didn’t skimp on the actives! It’s lightweight and feels somewhere between a gel and cream. It sinks right in and absorbs super fast.

Price: $8.50 for 2 fl oz
Key actives: Organic Aloe Leaf Juice, Cranberry Seed Oil, Vitamin E, Jojoba Seed Oil, Pycnogenol (improves skin elasticity), Chamomile, Green Tea Leaf Extract, Shea Butter
Scents available: Lavender & Neroli, Fragrance Free
Feels like: hydrating gel-cream
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free

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I Tried Homecourt Cece Hand Cream

For a large bottle of hand cream that you can keep on the bathroom counter for the entire family, my top recommendation is Homecourt’s hand cream. I find the lotion consistency to be perfect, not too light and not too heavy with just enough thickness to make an impact. It feels so soft and pleasant, absorbs well and Cece is simply the most exquisite, non-basic scent made from sustainably-sourced Guatemalan cardamom, dried mate absolute leaves, Sri Lankan cinnamon, Indonesian patchouli oil and carrot seeds. What I end up smelling is a woodsy, sweet almost sacred scent that both men and women would fall in love with. It’s also got shea butter, fermented micro algae oil and Australian hibiscus flower extract.

During my testing, I found the scent is strong at first, lasting hours and lingers beautifully as it fades. It might sound on the expensive side at first glance, but when a lot of non-toxic hand creams come in 2 oz tubes, Homecourt’s 12 oz bottle offers better value for money when you do the math.

Price: $45 for 12 fl oz
Key actives: shea butter, fermented micro algae oil and Australian hibiscus flower extract
Scents available (5): Steeped Rose, Cece, Neroli Leaf, Cipres Mint, Mandarine Basile
Feels like: soft, velvety hydrating lotion
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ No Synthetic Preservatives

I Tried Salt & Stone Hand Cream

I want to point out Salt & Stone has the least clean formula out of all the natural hand creams I tested due to the chemical preservative content. I absolutely love a hinoki hand cream and the scent Bergamot & Hinoki is actually really good (as I usually find with any Salt & Stone product I test). It’s luxurious and present without being overpowering. My hands feel hydrated and softer and I don’t detect any greasiness, waxiness or residue. I find Salt & Stone is creamier than most other organic hand creams. I also appreciate that there’s skincare actives like niacinamide, snow mushroom (yay!), olive-derived squalane and seaweed extracts (yay!).

Price: $20 for 2 fl oz
Key actives: Niacinamide, snow mushroom, squalane and seaweed extracts
Scents available (3): Santal & Vetiver, Bergamot & Hinoki, Black Rose & Oud
Feels like: thick whipped cream
Packaging: Aluminum
✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free ✔ Climate Neutral

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I Tried Neals Yard Remedies Hand Treatment Serum (anti-aging)

If you’re looking for a targeted anti-aging hand treatment, my top pick is Neals Yard Remedies Frankincense Intense Hand Treatment Serum! This is an intensive luxurious serum that feels like a juicy burst of lightweight hydration for the hands. It helps with signs of aging on the hands like age spots, loss of elasticity, lines and wrinkles. I like to use this an overnight mask for my hands right before bed. Since it’s a serum it’s a lot thinner and more fluid than hand lotions. Mine look and feel instantly hydrated and firmer after using their serum. It also has their signature frankincense that smells blissfully grounding. I looove that it’s full of certified organic ingredients that are higher in quality and makes my skin feel so silky smooth!

Price: $44 for 1.69 fl oz
Key actives: Ribose, Narcissus Extract, Rosehip Seed Oil, Borage Seed Oil
Scents available: Frankincense Intense
Feels like: light juicy serum
✔ Certified Organic ✔ Vegan ✔ Cruelty-free

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