Best hand cream 2020: creams for dry, sore and cracked hands

This is a slightly pricier option, but the accolades that come with it might just make it worth your while. Over the last few years, the L'Occitane Shea Butter hand cream has won best hand cream awards from Bella Magazine, Woman's Own, Red Magazine and Harper's Bazaar, which also put it on its 2011 Beauty Hot 100 list. It smells great, it feels great and it even looks great – that vintage style tube will look great in your bag or on your desk.

You may know of chic brand Le Labo from its fragrances. It also produces soaps, creams and other gorgeous products – and this lotion is exactly what you need if you want to keep your hands smelling great all day long. Made with sweet almond oil and safflower oil, the fragrance is inspired by the forests of Japan. A lovely way to introduce some luxury into your day.

There's a reason this Eucerin intensive hand cream often tops 'best of' lists – because it's really, really good. Designed for super dry skin, the cream will soften your hands. One reviewer described the "dramatic changes" she saw in just one week of using the product. It's also very wallet-friendly, which doesn't go amiss either.

Alright, so this is a less luxurious option. The packaging isn't quite as sleek as some of the other products on the list. But if you want the job done, you really cannot go wrong. With a high concentration of glycerin and allantoin, the lotion creates a barrier on your skin, boosting moisture and keeping it in.

Elizabeth Arden's Eight Hour Cream is an absolutely classic beauty product – one of those cult items that never seems to go out of fashion. It also makes a hand cream, and it's just as good.

If you want a hand cream that will make your hands look as well as feel good, this is for you. Avocado oil, grapevine and shea butter keep hands feeling soft and protected, and brighten your skin tone – so if you have dark spots on your hands and you want to hide them, this will do the trick.

Diptyque's candles are world famous – but did you know it also has a luxury body and bath range? This hand cream uses almond and argon oils and shea butter for intense moisture, and leaves what the brand describes as a "delicate scent". Apply when burning a candle for maximum relaxing effect.

Non-greasy and non-scented, this is a good neutral option for hand cream. It's rich and intensive, and is full of natural products – botanical oils and wax. It's even suitable for extreme weather conditions, so a good winter staple too.

This balm contains mandarin rind, rosemary leaf and cedar atlas to provide a fresh, cleansing balm for your hands. It's particularly good for targeting often neglected areas like between the fingers or the cuticles – and Aesop is a fantastic brand, so it would be a great little gift too.