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

On a good day, your skin might be calm and glowy—but if you’re dealing with an eczema flare-up, you might be struggling with itchy, red, dry patches that just won’t quit. Also called atopic dermatitis, eczema is a chronic skin condition in which your skin barrier can’t maintain enough moisture to block allergens or environmental stressors.

“[Eczema] also involves inflammation, as our skin plays a huge role in terms of our immune system,” Ivy Lee-Keltner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and the medical director of Direct Dermatology in California, tells SELF. This inflammation may lead to “itchy skin that can be dry and flaky,” she says. “Lighter skin tones can be red and irritated, and darker skin tones can be grayish purple or look like a darker brown discoloration.”

When your skin is stressed out, it’s a good idea to reach for gentle, hydrating products—that’s where the best eczema creams come in. “Choosing the right moisturizer can help prevent flare-ups and treat eczema,” Shari Lipner, MD, PhD, an associate professor of clinical dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells SELF. Shop our favorites below, including expert recommendations, editor-favorites, and a few SELF Healthy Beauty Award winners.

Our top picks

1. Best Overall: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream
2. Best Budget: Vaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion
3. Best Overnight Treatment: CeraVe Healing Ointment
4. Best Gel: Eucerin Eczema Relief Hydrogel
5. Best for On-The-Go: Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick
6. Best for Itchiness: Exederm Flare Control Cream

What should you look for in an eczema cream?

Shop the best eczema creams

Red, itchy, rough skin is about to be a thing of your past.

Best Overall: Vanicream Moisturizing Cream

Pros

• Short ingredient list
• Not greasy
• Good for your face and body

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it’s too thick

Vanicream is a superhero for sensitive skin because it leaves out a bunch of potentially irritating ingredients, like fragrance, dyes, parabens, and lanolin. So, what’s in it? Nourishing petrolatum and other gentle ingredients that “deeply hydrate without feeling greasy,” Dr. Gohara says. It also comes in a large jar with a pump—no need to stick your fingers inside.

Best Budget: Vaseline Intensive Care Body Lotion

Pros

• Budget-friendly
• Helps with flakiness

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers say it feels sticky

This lotion contains petrolatum, an expert-favored ingredient for protecting the skin barrier. “The light formula is easy to spread across large surface areas and won’t leave the skin feeling heavy or greasy,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, board-certified dermatologist and director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tells SELF. If you use it regularly, Dr. Gohara says it should also help smooth over flaky areas.

Best Overnight Treatment: CeraVe Healing Ointment

Pros

• Multi-purpose formula
• Good for overnight treatments
• Helps heal cracked skin

Cons

• A little greasy

There are so many reasons to keep this CeraVe ointment in your medicine cabinet: It can hydrate chapped lips, prevent chafing, and—you guessed it—alleviate eczema. Using hyaluronic acid and ceramides, “it provides long-lasting hydration and repairs the skin barrier,” Dr. Gohara says. “It’s great for people with severe dryness or those who prefer an ointment over a cream for overnight use.”

Best Gel: Eucerin Eczema Relief Hydrogel

Pros

• Very lightweight
• Cooling effect
• Absorbs quickly

Cons

• Might not be moisturizing enough for some

If you want something super lightweight, this gel reminds me of rubbing aloe on a fresh sunburn—its thin formula feels refreshingly cool. And it doesn’t skimp on the key ingredients our experts recommend for eczema, like ceramides and glycerin. It also contains licorice root extract, which has also been proven to help treat eczema.

Best for On-The-Go: Aquaphor Healing Balm Stick

Pros

• Very easy to apply
• Great for on-the-go
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Might be too greasy for some

If you’re not keen on slathering on an ultra-thick lotion, you need this SELF Healthy Beauty Award-winner. It transforms the Aquaphor ointment you know and love into a stick that can easily glide across dry patches.

“I am a lifelong Aquaphor groupie, particularly because I get awful eczema on the backs of my hands in the winter. The balm stick is a game-changer; it’s mess-free and it couldn’t be easier to apply after every hand wash,” one tester said. “I will not go anywhere without this during the winter months.”

Best for Itchiness: Exederm Flare Control Cream

Pros

• Good for occasional, mild flare-ups
• Relives itchiness
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Can’t be used long-term

Overwhelmed by complicated ingredient lists? This cream only contains hydrocortisone, which Dr. Weinstein Velez calls “tried and true” for soothing itchy skin. “This one consistently heals my flare ups and stops the itching and discomfort while also drying down comfortably,” one SELF tester says. “It’s done the job better than any other cream or lotion I’ve tried.”

One caveat: Hydrocortisone is good for addressing flare-ups, but shouldn’t be used daily for long periods of time, as it can eventually cause the skin to thin, Dr. Weinstein Velez says.

More great eczema creams

Still haven’t found a cream you like? Dermatologists and SELF testers also stand by the options below for hydrating and soothing eczema-prone skin.

Cetaphil Eczema Restoraderm Flare-Up Relief Cream

Pros

• Lasts on skin, for all-day relief
• Thick, creamy texture
• Relieves itchiness

Cons

• Too thick to use on your face

In this cream, ceramides, glycerin, and shea butter get to work to restore your skin’s moisture barrier. Plus, colloidal oatmeal will soothe itchy areas before you’re tempted to scratch. “You’re going to feel the effect for a long time,” Dr. Weinstein Velez says, adding that she reaches for it often. “It’ll last you throughout the day.” It’s on the thicker side, so she likes it more as a body cream than a face moisturizer.

Avène XeraCalm A.D Lipid-Replenishing Cream

Pros

• Lightweight
• Works quickly
• Soothes redness and itching

Cons

• Pricey

This Avène cream is rich in postbiotics that Dr. Gohara says can soothe redness, itching, and irritation. You usually need to play the long game when it comes to skin care, but Dr. Gohara says you can expect to see calmer skin in one week (the dream!). “It’s great for people with extremely sensitive skin or those who prefer a lightweight, soothing cream,” she adds.

La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5

Pros

• Great for face and body
• Improves skin texture
• Soothes itchiness

Cons

• Some may find it too heavy

If you have mild eczema, you might like this multi-purpose balm that can soften rough patches on your face or body. Its ingredient lineup includes panthenol and madecassoside (a derivative from the centella asitica plant), which together hydrate and repair the skin, Dr. Gohara says.

The results? “Relief from itching and noticeable improvement in skin texture,” she explains.

Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream

Pros

• Rich, creamy consistency
• Contains peptides to support skin structure
• More sanitary packaging compared to other jarred creams

Cons

• Pricey

This face cream is all about improving your skin barrier. Its star players include peptides and lipids—two things eczema-prone skin is deficient in, Dr. Weinstein Velez says. Plus, peptides can help build collagen, a protein that maintains your skin’s structure and elasticity. Dr. Weinstein Velez says this moisturizer “sinks right in” and immediately hydrates for long-lasting relief.

Tatcha Indigo Calming Cream

Pros

• Calms redness
• Layers well with other skin care

Cons

• Very pricey

It’s a splurge, but this Healthy Beauty Award–winning cream is worth skipping a few lattes for. “Any time I felt like my face was looking dry and red, I’d slather this stuff on and wake up with skin that felt hydrated and balanced,” one tester said. It has colloidal oatmeal to soothe irritation, glycerin to hydrate, and a number of oils to nourish. Bonus: “It also played nice with various serums, layered well with other creams, and didn’t get all weird under my sunscreen.”

Gladskin Eczemact Eczema Cream

Pros

• Helps balance skin microbiome
• Works quickly

Cons

• Pricey

Gladskin has a whole line dedicated to eczema relief—Dr. Weinstein Velez previously recommended the body wash to SELF—and this cream might be what your skin needs to chill out. It uses a proprietary protein that helps rebalance your skin’s microbiome, along with colloidal oatmeal and petrolatum to calm and nourish rough patches. “You can feel this thick lotion working as soon as you apply it,” one Healthy Beauty Award tester said. “It’s super hydrating and comes in a travel-friendly size, so you can carry it with you to use whenever your skin feels irritated.”

Sarna Sensitive Anti-Itch Lotion

Pros

• Numbs skin to relieve itchiness
• Budget-friendly

Cons

• Some Amazon reviewers had issues with the pump

If the itchiness from your eczema is driving you crazy, Sarna’s lotion has an ingredient that can make a big difference. Instead of typical skin-soothers, like colloidal oatmeal, it uses pramoxine hydrochloride, which Dr. Weinstein Velez says will numb your skin so you don’t feel as tempted to scatch. It also packs moisturizing ingredients like jojoba seed oil and squalane into its lightweight formula.

Related:

• 17 Hydrating Body Lotions and Creams for Your Softest Skin Ever
• 10 Gentle, Rosacea-Friendly Moisturizers Your Skin Will Love
• 15 Hydrating Lip Balms That’ll Actually Get the Job Done

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