The best luxury hand creams for over-scrubbed skin
Extra hand-washing calls for extra moisturiser. Give your skin a hydration hit with one of these nourishing creams
All products are chosen independently by our editors. Luxury London may earn commission on items purchased.
Winter is always tough on skin but, combine cold weather with now-engrained constant hand washing and hand sanitiser use, and it’s likely your hands are feeling dryer than a desert right now. But help is at, ahem, hand. Foreseeing the wake of cracked, weather-beaten skin on the horizon, skincare brands have been souping up their hand creams, offering powerful hydration which will have your hands smooth and soothed in no time.
Dior Prestige La Crème Mains de Rose
Dior’s first-ever hand cream combines Rose de Granville micro-nutrients with rose fibre extract, rose wax and rose oil for ultimate flower power which will restore your hands’ supple softness. Without any sticky residue, its silky formula nourishes the hands, cuticles and nails. It can also be used as a reparative balm on other dry areas such as elbows and feet.
Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Hand Cream
The Ultimune Power Infusing hand cream is formulated with Shiseido’s anti-ageing ingredients to protect hands from external aggressors — such as weather and UV light — all while promoting circulation for healthier-looking hands. Pop it in your handbag so you can dose up hydration levels on the go.
Beauty Pie Super Retinol anti-aging hand cream
Miracle anti-aging active retinol is at the core of Beauty Pie’s overnight hand cream. The encapsulated retinol is supported by biotech pseudo-collagen and shea butter to deeply moisturise and nourish the skin while helping brighten sun spots and boosting elasticity. Make sure to test the product before using it consistently and follow up with sunscreen the next day. The Swiss hand cream is sure to be a nightstand staple.
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Hand Cream
From the brand behind Britain’s best-loved candles comes an equally luxurious line of handcare. Jo Malone’s new Pomegranate Noir hand cream is enriched with pomegranate, apricot kernel oil, clary sage extract, shea butter and vitamin E to help nourish chapped skin.
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturising Hand Treatment
A cult classic in the world of hand creams, Elizabeth Arden’s ultra-nourishing lotion moisturises for up to eight hours to smooth rough, weather-exposed skin and reverse signs of dryness.
Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
As its name suggests, this Kiehl’s wonder product means business. It’s not the most attractive, nor the most fragrant, but it certainly works. Avocado oil, eucalyptus oil and sesame seed oil combine to make a deeply rich formula that targets severe dryness — perfect for those getting trigger happy with the hand sanitiser.
Aesop Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm
You can count on Aesop to create the prettiest hand cream on the market. Sealed in a handbag-friendly blush-pink tube, the brand’s signature Resurrection Aromatique balm is packed with a blend of fragrant botanicals and skin-softening emollients to rescue labour-weary hands. A woody, citrus scent seals the deal.
Susanne Kaufmann Hand Cream
From her spa in Austria’s Bregenz Forest, Susanne Kaufmann creates expert organic skincare themed around the Alpine tradition of natural healing remedies. This nourishing hand cream contains active calming ingredients such as witch hazel, broccoli oil, walnut leaf extract and vitamin E, which work together to hydrate, protect and renew skin.
Byredo Tulipmania Hand Cream
Chanelling the same scent as its La Tulipe perfume, released in 2010, Byredo’s Tulipmania is a new hand care fragrance inspired by ‘tulip fever’ — a frenzy over tulip bulbs. An ode to spring, welcome the new season with this fresh scent comprising cashmeran and freesia.
Floris Hand Treatment Cream
Fans of Floris London will be pleased to hear the perfumer has packed three of its scents into a trio of hand creams. Rose Centifolia, Cefiro and Chypress are reimagined as nourishing balms, enriched with vitamins and natural oils to combat signs of ageing and protect against environmental damage. Wear with your favourite Floris London scent for extra olfactory points.
Austin Austin Palmarosa & Vetiver Hand Cream
There’s no better time to support British brands. Austin Austin is an independent father-and-daughter business based in Norfolk, where the duo produce all their organic beauty products. With top notes of marjoram, middle notes of palmarosa and rosemary and base notes of vetiver and lavender, this all-natural hand cream is free from silicones, parabens and any artificial colours or fragrances.
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