Moisturiser vs. No Moisturiser: What the Evidence Shows

What the evidence shows

Moisturisers can improve skin hydration, and some formulations improve measurements of barrier function. For people with eczema, research supports benefits such as fewer flares and reduced need for topical corticosteroids. These findings do not establish that every cream works equally well, or that an ordinary moisturiser reverses skin ageing. [1]

Preventing eczema in babies is a separate question from treating existing eczema. Large trials have produced different results, including a positive US trial published in 2025. A blanket statement that moisturisers either always prevent infant eczema or never help would overstate the evidence. [6–9]

1. Hydration and the skin barrier

Researchers often compare treated and untreated areas on the same person. This helps control for differences between participants, but many such studies are small and short.

• Common moisturisers: a four-week forearm study had 20 participants with atopic dermatitis complete treatment. Hydration improved on the moisturised side, but the difference in water loss through the skin was not statistically significant. The authors described the study as underpowered. It supports a hydration benefit more clearly than a broad claim of barrier repair. [2]
• A ceramide-precursor formulation: a paired lower-leg trial found better hydration, less clinical dryness and reduced water loss after approximately four weeks of treatment compared with untreated skin. This is evidence for the tested formulation, not every product labelled “ceramide”. [3]
• Urea and glycerol: a four-week study in 49 adults with atopic dermatitis found that a urea/glycerol cream improved moisturisation and reduced the skin’s response to an experimental irritant compared with no treatment and comparator creams. The study received manufacturer funding. [4]
• After washing: a seven-day study in 60 participants with dry skin compared repeatedly soap-washed forearms, with moisturiser applied to one side after washing. The clearest protective effects occurred immediately after washing. This was a forearm model of washing, rather than proof of long-term prevention of hand dermatitis. [5]

Hydration readings and transepidermal water loss—the amount of water escaping through the skin—are useful measurements. They do not, by themselves, demonstrate lasting wrinkle reduction or every aspect of long-term skin health.

2. Moisturisers for eczema treatment

A 2017 Cochrane review included 77 studies and 6,603 participants, with an average study duration of about seven weeks. It found benefits for flare control and reported that moisturisers added to active topical treatment performed better than active treatment alone. However, certainty varied by outcome and comparison. [1]

Against no moisturiser, severity improved by less than the threshold for a meaningful difference, with low-quality evidence. The reported median time to flare of 180 versus 30 days belongs to that comparison, not a prediction for every patient. Broader pooled comparisons against vehicle, placebo or no moisturiser provided stronger evidence for investigator-rated severity.

The review found no reliable overall winner among moisturisers. Benefits and tolerability vary; moisturising complements prescribed eczema treatment.

3. Dry skin in older adults

A short clinical study of a 10% urea cream reported improvement in dry skin and itch after seven and 14 days. Its before-and-after design limits how confidently improvement can be attributed to treatment without an untreated comparison. [10]

Dry-skin research in older adults should therefore be read with attention to study design: comparing two creams, or comparing skin before and after use, answers a different question from comparing moisturiser with no treatment. The findings support the potential usefulness of moisturising formulations without establishing a universal best product.

4. Can moisturisers prevent eczema in babies?

The evidence is mixed, and the differences between trials matter.

• BEEP: this UK trial enrolled 1,394 infants with a family history of atopic disease. Eczema at age two occurred in 23% of the emollient group and 25% of controls, without a statistically significant difference. Skin infections were more frequent during the first year in the emollient group. [6]
• BEEP at five years: daily emollient use during the first year did not prevent eczema, food allergy, asthma or hay fever in that trial. Later follow-up relied on parental questionnaires. [7]
• PreventADALL: the tested skin intervention, involving bath additives and facial cream, did not reduce infant atopic dermatitis. Its regimen differed from daily whole-body moisturising. [8]
• CASCADE, published in 2025: a US trial of 1,247 infant–parent pairs, not selected for elevated risk, found a lower cumulative incidence of doctor-diagnosed eczema by age two with daily full-body emollient use beginning by nine weeks: 36.1% versus 43.0% in controls (relative risk 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.73–0.97). No between-group difference in cutaneous adverse events was detected. [9]

CASCADE adds evidence of a possible preventive benefit under its study conditions. It does not resolve which formulation or routine is best for every infant, or establish prevention of food allergy. Different populations, treatment durations, regimens and methods of diagnosing eczema help explain why these trials should not be treated as interchangeable. Discuss a prevention routine for a baby with an appropriate health professional; treatment of existing dry skin or eczema remains a separate decision.

5. Wrinkles and anti-ageing claims

A moisturiser may make dry skin look and feel smoother. That cosmetic effect should be distinguished from evidence of lasting changes to established wrinkles.

A 12-week open-label study of a multi-ingredient anti-ageing moisturiser reported improvements from baseline in 37 women. Without a suitable control group, it cannot isolate moisturising itself from other ingredients, changes in routine or expectation effects. [11]

An eight-week randomised study found that a stabilised 0.1% retinol moisturiser improved lines and wrinkles more than its vehicle—the base formulation without the retinol. This supports the added retinol formulation in that study, rather than showing that ordinary moisturising alone reverses wrinkles. [12]

The studies discussed here provide limited evidence for long-term anti-ageing claims about ordinary moisturisers. Hydration benefits should not be turned into promises of collagen rebuilding or age reversal.

How to interpret the findings

• Many barrier studies lasted only days or weeks, and measured instrument readings rather than long-term outcomes.
• Small samples, incomplete blinding and missing control groups reduce confidence in some findings.
• Manufacturer funding warrants attention, but study design and results still need to be assessed individually.
• Research on one formulation does not validate every product with a similar ingredient or marketing claim.
• “No moisturiser”, a placebo and a vehicle are different comparators; a vehicle may itself moisturise.

For dry skin and eczema, moisturising has useful evidence, especially for hydration and flare management. For ordinary anti-ageing claims, expectations should be modest. For infant eczema prevention, the current evidence is conflicting rather than settled.

This article is general information, not individual medical advice. Seek advice from a doctor or pharmacist for persistent skin problems, suspected infection or a product reaction. Tanrub’s product guides are shopping introductions and do not establish a product’s medical benefit.

For pack sizes, formats and shopping details, explore our Moisturisers guides. Tanrub earns from qualifying purchases through affiliate links; read the disclosure.

Sources

1. Van Zuuren et al. Emollients and moisturisers for eczema. Cochrane, 2017.
2. Leshem et al. Common over-the-counter moisturisers and skin barrier function. Dermatitis, 2020.
3. Simpson et al. Ceramide-precursor moisturiser in atopic dermatitis. Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2013.
4. Danby et al. Different emollient creams and skin barrier physiology. Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2022.
5. Samadi et al. Moisturisers during regular washing with soap bars. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 2021.
6. Bradshaw et al. Emollient application from birth: the BEEP RCT report. Health Technology Assessment, 2024.
7. Bradshaw et al. Five-year findings from BEEP. Allergy, 2023.
8. Skjerven et al. PreventADALL trial. The Lancet, 2020.
9. Simpson et al. Emollients to prevent pediatric eczema: CASCADE. JAMA Dermatology, 2025.
10. Lacarrubba et al. 10% urea cream in senile xerosis. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2021.
11. Herndon et al. Open-label trial of a multi-ingredient anti-ageing moisturiser. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2015.
12. Tucker-Samaras et al. Stabilised 0.1% retinol facial moisturiser versus vehicle. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2009.