Robert Welsh has looked at more than 30 products aimed at dry skin, and his record is striking. He approved the vast majority of them, with only a handful getting a skip. That kind of approval rate tells you something: he is not hard to please here, but when a product falls short for dry skin, he says so plainly.
What does Robert Welsh recommend for dry skin?
The pattern in his approving takes is clear: he responds to products that deliver real, lasting moisture without feeling greasy or heavy. He praised the Naturium Biolipid Restoring Body Lotion for leaving skin soft with no sticky residue, and he loved that the Skin Rocks Rich Moisturizer Face Cream absorbs quickly without feeling thick. For lips, he named the Aquaphor Lip Repair Stick his outright winner, calling it simply the best for rehydrating. He also comes back to the CeraVe Moisturizing Cream as a personal staple for barrier repair, describing it as the one thing he reaches for after washing his face. What runs through all of this is a preference for products that do what they promise and feel comfortable to wear.
Robert Welsh's dry skin picks, in his words
"It sits really nicely on top of texture on my face, especially around my nose. On my skin it's beautiful and [...] really, really nice. It's [...] very very easy to blend, and it just has this really beautiful finish. It claims to be 12-hour wearing, [...] but to be honest with you, I think I can kind of see it lasting longer. It's not overly creamy and not overly liquidy. [...] This is a 100% keep, and I might even get a shade a few shades darker for my actual face as well."
"I made my own with blue cream soda and sweet [...] candy and it's just so amazing. [...] It's such a cool opportunity to be able to mix your own and make your own, and they last a really really long time and they really help hydrate your lips. These are absolutely beautiful, [...] it's a really fun experience and the balms themselves are stunning."
"If you have oily skin, this is stunning. [...] When it goes on the skin you rub it in like a moisturizer but then it almost feels like it turns into this watery kind of feel, really lightweight, quickly absorbed into the skin so you can go ahead and put your makeup right on top. [...] I've been using this on days where I'm not wearing makeup and just been wearing this and an SPF. It hasn't felt too heavy, it hasn't felt too thick. It's been absolutely stunning."
"But this actually has no residue, there's no greasy feeling, there's no sticky feeling. It has a formulation with omega fatty acids, shea butter, and B vitamins. When I put this on my elbows, which are [...] always a little bit dry, and [...] left it on for a few minutes, I could just [...] touch my elbow and think, oh my god, my elbow feels really soft and smooth. [...] It doesn't feel greasy or slippy, it just feels like I have really nice skin."
"Aquaphor for the lips, because it's literally the best and rehydrates everything."
"There was a product that fixed it from CeraVe, it's a great barrier relief, which I use. I don't use anything else. I'll wash my face and then I'll just pop that on top and it fixes it."
How many products has Robert Welsh reviewed for dry skin?
Robert Welsh has reviewed 27 products for dry skin, for an approval rate of 85%. 23 approved, 0 mixed, and 4 skipped.
What has Robert Welsh skipped for dry skin?
The skips are instructive. Robert Welsh found that the Garnier Oil-Infused Cleansing Water actually dried his skin out over time, including his eyelids, and his skin went back to normal as soon as he stopped using it. He was genuinely disappointed in the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base, saying it absorbed so fast it had no time to hydrate and left his skin feeling dry despite the rich ingredients listed. The Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream got a blunt verdict too, with him describing its texture as closer to a barrier jelly than the luxurious cream it promises to be. His skips are not about price or packaging; they are about products that simply did not moisturise.
"I do not know why it has become the trend to pop face mist products in hand sanitizer packaging. Those spitty little ones. No, I don't like it. I don't like Too Faced anyway. I think this looks cheap. I think it looks tacky. This gives Revolution vibes. This is giving me Revolution."
"It did break down my makeup really well, to be fair, but after using it for about a day to a week I realized that my skin was becoming incredibly dry. [...] It was the only thing I changed, and as soon as I cut it out my skin went back to normal. Everywhere was drying, my eyelids were dry, under eyes are dry, and you know when you get dry under eyes and it starts to get a bit red. [...] These lids were dry because they just love to be dry, it was horrendous, it was so crusty and dry."
"Vaseline has no staying power. It's not a product that's made to hold anything, keep anything. It's slippery. It slips. You put Vaseline on your lips and it ends up down here eventually. Especially under mascara, this is a recipe for disaster. It is going to be so messy. [...] Vaseline doesn't act differently on your lashes than it does your skin. It isn't a different formula. It just [...] sits on top of stuff."
"I do like Tatcha's lip mask. Their regular one, the pink one. The gold thing I find a bit gimmicky. Do you remember when everyone was selling those, like, gold under eye patches? It was like four karat gold under eye patch, and it's like, okay, so? It's cute. It's cute. And I think it's good for Christmas. Is it interesting to me? Actually, no, not at all. [...] I like the product, but if we're talking about the new release in general, this isn't very interesting to me."
What should you take from Robert Welsh's picks?
Robert Welsh's record on dry skin products is one of the more generous you will find, with an approval rate of 85%. His approvals are grounded in real wear and genuine texture notes, and his skips are specific and honest. For anyone with dry skin looking for a reliable steer, his reviews are worth a close read.
Watch Robert Welsh say it
Every verdict here comes from a video. These are the moments themselves, each one jumping straight to the bit about that product.
- Aquaphor Lip Repair StickNamed a winnerWatch at 10:18
- Too Faced Peach Mist Hydrating Setting SpraySkipped itWatch at 18:36
- Garnier Oil-Infused Cleansing WaterSkipped itWatch at 5:14
- Vaseline Original Healing JellySkipped itWatch at 3:31
- Tatcha Kissu Lip MaskSkipped itWatch at 1:13
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel ConcealerRated itWatch at 11:03
- Laneige Lip Sleeping MaskRated itWatch at 1:21
- Skin Rocks Rich Moisturizer Face CreamRated itWatch at 8:24
- Naturium Biolipid Restoring Body LotionRated itWatch at 3:49
- CeraVe Moisturizing CreamRated itWatch at 1:09
- The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5Rated itWatch at 10:43
- L'Oreal True Match Nude Hyaluronic Tinted Serum FoundationRated itWatch at 6:03
- e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Face CreamRated itWatch at 4:53
- Abib Rice Probiotics Overnight Mask Barrier JellyRated itWatch at 10:05
- Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Gel TintRated itWatch at 13:05
- Ole Henriksen Banana Bright Vitamin C Eye CreamRated itWatch at 2:03
- NYX Face Glue Gripping PrimerRated itWatch at 7:25
- e.l.f. Thirst Burst Pore Perfecting TonerRated itWatch at 9:05
- Fenty Beauty Skin Butter Drop Shimmering Whipped Oil Body CreamRated itWatch at 4:21
- Elmus Dynamic Resurfacing Facial PadsRated itWatch at 7:37
- Beauty of Joan Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50Rated itWatch at 20:54
- Jung Saem Mool Essential Skin Nuder CushionRated itWatch at 9:12
- Dr. Jart+ Vital Hydra Solution Hydrating Lip MaskRated itWatch at 11:21
- COSRX Centella Toning MistRated itWatch at 57:06
About this expert
See everything Robert Welsh has reviewed
Expert rankings
Related guides
This guide reflects what Robert Welsh said across his videos about 27 products for dry skin, aggregated by The Guru Index. Sponsored takes are excluded. The approval rate is the share of these products he approved. It is general information, not medical advice.