Having one of the best hand creams in your skincare stash is a must – all year round. Trust us when we tell you that your keeping your hands, nails and cuticles hydrated can make all the difference, especially if you want to keep your mani looking nice and fresh in-between salon visits.

For those with dry skin or sensitive skin, hands can be particularly prone to sore or chapped areas. “I apply hand cream as often as I can throughout the day,” says manicurist Georgia Rae, the woman behind Sofia Richie’s wedding nails. “On a busy day, I’ll at least use one with SPF in the morning and a rich, nourishing formula in the evening as the final step in my nighttime routine. I do the same for my clients, depending on the time of day I see them.”

We often forget just how much we put our hands through on a day-to-day basis – from washing and sanitising to cooking and cleaning. Add external factors like pollution, weather changes, and even UV lamps from manicures, and it’s clear our hands deserve some serious TLC. “We really should be reapplying hand cream with SPF throughout the day,” Georgia adds, “much like we do with our face, they’re the only two areas constantly exposed to the elements.”

Long story short, even if your facial skincare routine is flawless (moisturisers, cleansers, and face serums, included), your hands shouldn’t be left behind. Georgia’s go-to picks offer a roadmap: “For daytime, I love the Clé De Peau Beauté Hand Cream. It contains SPF, smells beautiful, comes in a handy smaller size for your bag, and is super hydrating without being greasy, perfect for on-the-go use. Most evenings, I reach for the iconic L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream. It’s deeply nourishing, and I always wake up with baby-soft hands. It’s a bedside table staple, and I keep minis tucked into every bag and pocket.”

To help you find the most nourishing (and non-greasy) hand creams out there, we’ve put together a guide of our top picks with formulas that will leave your hands, nails and cuticles in tip-top condition.

Meet the expert:

• Georgia Rae, International Manicurist who counts Sofia Richie as a client.

How we tested best hand creams

Between us, the GLAMOUR team has trialled more hand creams than we can count – from pharmacy staples to luxury launches – putting them through their paces across different skin types and age groups. For this guide, we whittled down the edit to only the formulas we’d happily reach for again and again.

Each cream was assessed not just on its ingredients list and price point, but also on the everyday experience: how easily it applies, how nourished our hands felt after both single and repeated use, and whether the scent (if there is one) felt uplifting or overwhelming.