As a beauty editor who has tried thousands of products over the years, there’s one category that I’m surprisingly passionate about: foot creams.
It’s easy to spend so much time focusing on our facial skincare routines that we often forget to give our feet a little TLC, especially in winter when our feet are tucked into socks and boots. I find that spending the extra 30 seconds on my feet makes them feel better and make my pedicures last longer.
As a beauty editor (and nail tech), my best advice is to keep your foot cream by your bedside and keep a pair of big, snuggly socks nearby too. Slather on your foot cream—and cuticle oil for good measure—in a generous layer and then pop your socks on while you catch up on your favourite book in bed or have a TikTok scroll. Then by the time you’re ready to turn the lights out, your cream has had time to soak in and get the benefits of the extra moisture while you sleep after you've taken your socks off.
When it comes to choosing a formula, it's overwhelming, I get it. There are lots of foot creams that are great for various reasons, but a little like sunscreen, the best foot cream is the one you’ll actually enjoy and therefore use. Still not sure where to start? My ever-passionate for foot cream self has rounded up some of the best on the market.
1. Caudalie Vinotherapist Foot Beauty Cream
This is the crème de la crème of foot creams (and yes, there is such a thing). The citrusy scent is both refreshing and calming and is my favourite aspect of the cream; making me actually look forward to using it—and how often can you say that about a foot cream? It's a thick cream texture but soaks into heels surprisingly fast while still leaving a thin hydrating coating, which gets to work as you sleep. I can't fault this cream and it's what initially got me using a foot cream daily.
2. Beauty Pie Footopia Super Softening Foot and Heel Cream
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Particularly wonderful in the warmer summer months is Beauty Pie's foot cream, which has a light minty scent that soaks in fast. It's ideal if you don't love thicker creams, I like to think of this one more as a maintenance lotion rather than needing a hefty balm in an emergency cracked-heel situation.
3. Eucerin Urea Repair Foot Foam
I turn to Eucerin when I want to get the job done—and done well. This is a fantastic alternative to a balm or cream product, which I know not everyone loves. Instead, it's a foam formula that comes in a can. A little goes a very long way and it can be massaged down into a very thin consistency that feels completely weightless on the feet. It's fantastic if your feet need some serious TLC and you're struggling with severe dryness and cracked heels, which is thanks to the inclusion of deeply nourishing urea.
4. L'Occitane Shea Intensive Foot Balm
L'Occitane nails hard-working yet luxurious products. This is an ideal in-between as a product that feels like a treat and is a joy to use, yet really does its job well. It's a very thick, creamy balm texture that leaves a moisturising film on the feet to work throughout the night. Because of this, you won't love it if you want to walk around right after using it. However, I love to use this as a thick layer all over my feet right before I'm about to turn the lights out. After slathering it on, I pop on a very thin pair of socks to soak up all of the moisturiser while I sleep. It's ideal for the winter months when wearing a pair of soaks to bed doesn't feel gross. After just one application, you'll notice a huge difference in the condition of your feet.
5. Flexitol Intensely Nourishing Foot Cream
Flexitol is the go-to for many nail techs when treating clients with severely dry skin on their feet. It might not be the most glamorous brand out there, but it really does work—and when it comes to an emergency TLC foot moment, that's all that matters. The formula contains 10% urea, which is very hydrating, as well as lanolin and lactic acid to work on improving the condition of the feet. Although it's an intensive balm, it does soak in well considering how thick it is.
6. Leighton Denny Well Heeled Foot Masque
This option from Leighton Denny is fantastic at both hydrating and exfoliating the feet, making it ideal if you haven't got time for a pedi. The inclusion of papaya and pineapple extracts help slough off dead skin cells whilst the glycerine and aloe vera deeply hydrate. It has a strong minty fragrance, which I don't mind but it isn't my favourite, so this is something to bear in mind if you prefer slightly more luxurious scents. Truthfully, when it works as well as it does, the scent isn't something I mind.
7. CeraVe SA Renewing Foot Cream
Another formula that exfoliates as it hydrates, this CeraVe foot cream contains both ceramides and salicylic acid. This combination makes for one hard-working foot cream that never fails to deliver results. The cream is thicker than you might expect but it soaks in really quickly. It's unscented so isn't particularly fancy but it works brilliantly.
8. Ameliorate Intensive Foot Therapy
I first used this foot cream years ago and haven't found anything similar since. It's one of the most hydrating of the bunch and leaves a noticeable difference after just one use. It's a thicker texture to others on the list, but still soaks in well. To get fast, visible results, I do recommend sitting with the cream on for a while with socks on so that it really penetrates the hard skin. The scent is unique, too. It's a lot like baby lotion, which I personally quite like, especially if I'm applying other, more scented body products in the evening.