‘It’s going to drop to -20C, make sure to pack thermals!’
My eyes popped when WhatsApp delivered this message days before a cruise around the Arctic Circle, where we’d dog sled, crab fish and spend nights outside stargazing in search of the Northern Lights. (You can read more about that here.)
I was ecstatic to be exploring the icy wilderness, but less enthused about what it would do to my skin, which had just emerged from a bitter UK winter, dry, cracked and riddled with spots.
I couldn’t risk a reversal, but with payday approaching, I didn’t have much to splash on expensive skincare. And so I headed to Reddit to find consensus on the best budget moisturiser for cold weather.
There was no science behind my investigation. I simply followed the crowd, tallying up the most commonly mentioned products and discounting any that cost more than £20. That left me with four options, including a long-standing personal favourite I was pleased to see people rave about.
And lastly, just so we’re clear, this is not an ad: I paid for each product myself.
Arctic weather is brutal. Low humidity and penetrating wind chill leaves skin dry and tight, with a weakened barrier that makes your face rough, red and itchy. That’s why a decent moisturiser is essential to lock in hydration and keep it protected.
It’s also notoriously unpredictable. And, despite the Whatsapp warning, we arrived in early February in the middle of a heatwave that locals said they hadn’t seen in 30 years. In place of the promised -20C, we were treated to tropical lows of -7C (though my weather app did say it felt like -15C).
So which fared best in the polar chill?
Weleda Skin Food (£11)
First up was Weleda Skin Food, a cult favourite that Reddit tells me is one of the best budget moisturisers you can get your hands on. Hailey Bieber and Victoria Beckham are fans.
I’d previously used Skin Food Light, a lighter formulation that absorbs quickly, but in the unforgiving climes of northern Norway, notches needed to be stepped up. If it’s good enough for Hailey Bieber, it’s good enough for snowmobiling beside the Barents Sea.
This is a seriously rich product. Thick and creamy, it oozes slowly from its squeezy bottle. It has a light, herby fragrance (ingredients include rosemary and lavender), which some Redditors said they were put off by, but didn’t bother me.
What did bother me, however, was the time it took to sink into my face. I was on the kind of military schedule only found on army bases and hop on, hop off cruise ships; there were fjords to be photographed and auroras to be gawked at.
Ten minutes after applying a pea-sized amount of Skin Food to my face, I was still sitting on the side of my cabin bed, gingerly touching my cheeks to check if it had absorbed enough for a layer of SPF.
I didn’t love the heaviness, but it did stop my skin getting dry in the cold. At just £11, it’s a bargain worth trying.
Overall rating: 7/10
Where to buy: Superdrug, Boots, Amazon and Cult Beauty
Avene Hydrance Aqua gel balm (£18.93)
Of the four moisturisers I tested, this was the lightest, with the most attractive packaging.
The screw-top pot made me nostalgic; it reminded me of the Ponds face cream armies of British mothers used in the late 90s.
I could tell on sight that this wasn’t the ideal consistency for polar temperatures. The gel is light and jelly-like; it felt thin between my fingers compared to the other products.
After a day of wear, my forehead was tight and dry, though I did spend a lot of time indoors on the ship due to a storm.
The dehydrating effect of recycled air and central heating must be taken into account, but this is one I’d leave at home next time.
Overall rating: 6/10
Where to buy: Boots, Amazon and CultBeauty
Eucerin Urea Face Cream (£19)
It felt somewhat unfair to this face cream to wear it on an excursion to Nordkapp, the most northerly point of mainland Europe often referred to as the end of the world.
Here, the cold is bone-chilling, with an Arctic wind that penetrates even the best quality thermals like a dagger.
Against such extremes, I didn’t expect this cream to do much — the branding is rather old-fashioned, and a whip around my girls’ WhatsApp groups confirmed that none of my skin-savvy friends had ever used it.
But I was pleasantly surprised. The cream applied smoothly and acted as an excellent base for my beloved Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter (IYKYK). The hydration lasted all day, and the packaging belies a genuinely effective product. Unscented and fuss-free, this is a straight-talking moisturiser I’ll be buying again.
A fellow writer who had no idea I was testing skincare even complimented my complexion as we gazed out over the ocean, eyes squinting toward the North Pole.
‘Your skin looks really dewy,’ she shouted over the 35mph breeze. ‘Thank you,’ I roared back, making mental note to tell everyone that this £19 buy punches above its weight.
Overall rating: 9/10
Where to buy: Amazon, Boots, Superdrug, Sephora UK and LookFantastic
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast (£18.99)
In the unforgiving chill of Kirkenes, a Norwegian mining town a ten-minute drive from the Russian border, this La Roche-Posay classic had its work cut out.
Cicaplast is a multipurpose balm that promises to protect and soothe irritated skin. I’ve used it for years, but would it keep my face fresh while dog sledding and skiddooing across frozen fjords?
The short answer is yes, even after a night spent chasing the Northern Lights until 2am (though it did nothing to keep rosacea at bay, as a series of photos of my roaring crimson cheeks can confirm).
But as a longtime fan of this product, I was a little disappointed that my skin looked fresher after a day of the Eucerin cream. It’s worth noting that while the wind was more intense on the excursion to Nordkapp,
Overall rating: 8/10
Where to buy: Boots, LookFantastic, Amazon, Cult Beauty and most independent pharmacies
The verdict – which budget moisturiser was best?
All in all, it was Eucerin Urea Face Cream for the win.
More Trending
Redditors had nothing but praise for this product — comments include ‘I can’t speak highly enough of it’ and ‘it’s a blessing, always raving about this stuff’. I get what they mean, but what’s the science behind it?
The ingredients are pretty straightforward. There’s water, the most common skincare ingredient of all which acts as a solvent for other ingredients that don’t like to dissolve in oil-based creams.
Then there’s urea, which yes, if you’re about to Google it, is the same thing found in pee. It’s actually a highly effective natural moisturising factor called NMF. All you need to know is that it helps skin hold onto water, which – in skincare terms – means it improves your skin barrier function.
Other star ingredients include glycerin – another natural moisturiser found in our skin – and sodium lactate, which helps to regulate pH and keep bacteria at bay.
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