Is It Worth Splurging on a Moisturizer? We Checked the Scores
The question behind every moisturizer aisle standoff is whether the expensive jar is doing something the cheap one cannot. We put the highest-rated budget moisturizer up against the highest-rated luxury one and let the Guru Score answer it, and the gap turned out to be smaller than the price tags suggest.
- The budget champion, Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer, holds a Guru Score of 89% across 8 reviewers.
- The luxury pick, SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream, scores 91% across 13 reviewers. The best budget moisturizer scores within 2 points of the priciest one. For a moisturizer, the experts say save your money.
- The lesson the gurus keep repeating: with moisturizers, the formula and how you use it matter far more than the price on the box.
Dr. Shereene Idriss · 8 reviewers, 89% said yes
Dr. Aleksandra Brown · 13 reviewers, 91% said yesSo is it worth splurging on a moisturizer?
The best budget moisturizer lands within two points of the priciest one. Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer holds a Guru Score of 89%, while SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream sits at 91%. That is a rounding error compared to the difference in what they cost.
So for a moisturizer, the pattern across the gurus points one way, and that way is save. The experts who reviewed both landed in much the same place, which means that spending up here buys very little extra approval.
What do the experts say about the budget moisturizer?
Eight experts weighed in on the Aveeno Calm + Restore Oat Gel Moisturizer, and enough of them came away happy to put it at a Guru Score of 89%. That puts it in the same conversation as products several shelves up.
A budget price does not mean a weak moisturizer, and this is a tidy illustration of why. The gurus score what a product actually does on skin, not what it rings up as, so an inexpensive moisturizer that keeps people comfortable earns the same stamp of approval as an expensive one that does.
When is a splurge moisturizer actually worth it?
None of this makes SkinBetter Science AlphaRet Overnight Cream a poor buy. Thirteen experts reviewed it and it earned a Guru Score of 91%, the highest of any luxury moisturizer here. A pricier moisturizer can genuinely suit someone who loves the texture and the ritual of using it, or who has a specific skin need that a particular product happens to meet.
The one thing to keep in mind is that price alone tells you nothing, so it is worth checking the Guru Score on the single product you are curious about rather than assuming the tier does the work. And whichever way the decision goes, anything new is best patch-tested first, especially for those with easily irritated skin.