You might not be getting the care your skin needs if you’re picking up any old lotion from the grocery store. The best moisturizer for black skin knows how to balance hydrating and healing ingredients to undo any damage from your old skin care products.
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Bevel Face Moisturizer (Our Top Pick)
Bevel’s founder, Tristan Walker, is a black entrepreneur who’s fed up with products that just don’t know how to treat black skin and hair.
His face moisturizer tackes dryness from an inventive angle. With algae extract, manuka honey, and vitamin C, it focuses on repairing damaged skin and locking in your natural moisture. Algae is known for hydrating; manuka honey is antibacterial; and vitamin C spurs collagen production. Together, they’re an out-of-the-box trio that prevents dryness, skin infections, and wrinkles.
You won’t find a face moisturizer as creative as this one anywhere else. If you need lotion and a mini-adventure, Bevel is the way to go.
Pros:
• Absolutely crazy ingredient list. No other brand is using such inventive natural ingredients in their moisturizers.
• Not only treats dryness, but also repairs skin damage and fights signs of aging.
• A safe bet: Bevel is owned and operated by a black entrepreneur.
Cons:
• Be especially careful to check the ingredient list for things you might be allergic to.
SheaMoisture Balancing Moisturizer
Shea Moisture is another company owned and operated by black entrepreneurs, and designed for black skin, but their biggest sales pitch is their mastery of shea butter.
Shea butter is just unmatched in how hydrating it is for your skin. It’s a heavy ingredient, so I wouldn’t recommend it to just any guy. But if you constantly need help with cracks, flakes, and persistent dryness, shea butter can soften you up in no time. It’s even good for skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
I also like to highlight the fact that SheaMoisture is all-natural. You wouldn’t believe it if you had to judge strictly from how long their ingredient list is, but they pack all of their products with gentle, nice-smelling, hydrating ingredients.
Pros:
• Extremely hydrating. Shea butter will clear up all sorts of dry skin damage.
• Good for sensitive dry skin. Feels luxurious while you’re applying it.
• All-natural and ethically sourced.
Cons:
• NOT good for normal or oily skin. It’s heavy and thick, so it’s best for dry skin. This means if your face gets oily all of a sudden, check out our top picks for best men’s face moisturizer for black men instead.
Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer
Sometimes dryness and irritation is linked to sun damage. Why not get a moisturizer that not only heals sun damage, but also protects you from UV light?
Jack Black does both with their Double Duty Face Moisturizer. They’re not a black skin care brand, but they are a men’s brand, and their moisturizer in particular is a good fit for black skin. It’s a misnomer that you don’t need to wear sunscreen if you already have tan or dark skin. So get your SPF and dryness-cure all in one.
Best of all, combining the sunscreen with the moisturizer gets rid of all those icky things that make sunscreen uncomfortable. It’s a thick lotion, but it has a nice texture, a good smell, and it won’t leave behind any white residue.
Pros:
• All the best parts of sunscreen and moisturizer wrapped up into one bottle.
• Thick lotion with a satisfying texture and a generic but good smell.
Cons:
• More pore-clogging than other moisturizers, because of the SPF. Be sure to cleanse daily so that you don’t suffer from a breakout.
Marlowe Face Moisturizer
To be candid, Marlowe’s face moisturizer is a basic b*tch product, but sometimes that’s exactly what your skin needs. If you want a standard, easy-to-travel-with, long-lasting, nondescript, reliable moisturizer, Marlowe’s is just that.
I say ‘easy-to-travel-with’ because sometimes it’s best not to bring your expensive skin care products out of the house with you. Marlowe still provides a high-quality experience, without looking flashy or worthy of teasing.
It’s a clean, thin lotion that smells exactly like regular lotion and absorbs quickly, so it won’t leave behind any residue or greasiness. For the average guy, Marlowe’s is the perfect skin care product.
Pros:
• Reliable, standard, nondescript moisturizer.
• Easy to travel with if you need to reapply.
• I consider it the average guy’s moisturizer. It’s not flashy or overpromising. It’s a lotion and it does its job.
Cons:
• Not a “manly” product, even though it is a men’s skincare brand.
Era Organics Face Moisturizer
Era Organics is great for combination skin. For those of you who have to deal with oiliness, eczema, psoriasis, damage, or irritation on top of dry skin, their moisturizer is a great fix-it-all. It’s gentle but persistent.
The brand is also frequently featured by reviewers and publications that deal with skin conditions, especially sensitivity. If you just can’t find a moisturizer that doesn’t lead to a breakout, Era Organics is a safer bet than most brands. They’ve even been picked up by big box stores like Target and Ulta, so they’re reliable and easy to find.
The only small downside is that they’re not a men’s brand, and Era Organics is not specifically made for black skin. Still, great moisturizer.
Pros:
• Good for dryness for all skin types, even combination skin.
• Natural ingredients make the moisturizer gentle and sensitive-skin friendly.
• Nice package design. Easy to control the amount you’re using so that you don’t waste any product.
Cons:
• Not a luxury product, and not formulated specifically for black skin.
How Do You Keep Black Skin Moisturized?
If you just can’t find a product that’s keeping your black skin moisturized all day, then the key is to reapply, and use an oil once a day to lock in that moisture on your skin.
Some guys lose moisture faster than others, regardless of skin type. Though, some studies suggest that black skin may lose moisture faster than other types of skin. Even if you buy the heaviest, creamiest, thickest tube of product, it just might leave you unsatisfied (that’s what she said).
Instead, focus your efforts on finding a good on-the-go moisturizer that softens your skin and is easy to reapply (theoretically, this can even help with getting rid of stretch marks, but no promises). Putting on an oil after that moisturizer will make sure that it stays on your skin as long as possible.
Also, don’t forget to wear sunscreen. Too much sun will dry your skin out, and even black skin needs protection from UV light and dryness. Just because you can’t see the sun damage doesn’t mean it’s not there.
Is Coconut Oil Good For Black Skin?
Coconut oil is as good as any other moisturizer for black skin. The reason it gets all the hype is because it’s a triple threat: it smells good, is eco-friendly, and works like a charm for moisturizing and protecting your skin.
Oils in general are known as sealants. After you apply a lotion or butter, you can slap an oil on top to keep the product from evaporating, thus keeping your skin hydrated for longer.
Coconut oil is as good as any other sealant. It can prevent skin cracking and irritation.
Frank Edwards
Frank Edwards is a men's grooming & style expert who is "internet famous" for being able to simplify complicated grooming routines into easy, yet effective rituals any man can do. As a professional analyst, he has spent years researching the biggest brands, products, experts, best practices, and breaking news in the space. He takes this analysis, tests it out on himself, and then documents everything in his writing. As a result, his experience-based articles are considered by some to be the gold standard in men's grooming and men's style.
