We obsess over finding the perfect serums for our faces and slather our bodies in luxurious lotions, but when it comes to the best foot cream…where to start? They’re often an afterthought—until you suddenly notice those cracked heels and think, damn. “The skin on the soles of our feet is up to five times thicker than other body parts. That thickness provides essential protection and cushioning, allowing feet to handle pressure and friction daily,” says Anne M. Sharkey, DPM, a podiatrist at North Austin Foot and Ankle Institute in Cedar Park, TX. But even though our feet are built tougher, “the skin on our feet shouldn’t be overlooked,” she says.
“Your feet withstand a lot of trauma, from standing, running, walking, and through friction in shoes,” adds Amy Freeman, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Schweiger Dermatology Group in Millburn, NJ. But there’s only so much your soles can take. “Neglecting foot care can lead to dry or cracked skin; once the skin barrier is compromised, it becomes easier for fungal or bacterial infections to develop. Plus, well-maintained skin is healthier and simply more comfortable,” says Dr. Sharkey.
Our Top Foot Creams
- Best Overall: Prequel Foot Rescue Advanced Restorative Treatment, $18
- Best Multiuse: Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer, $9
- Best Scent: Koba Skincare Bottom Up Foot Cream, $45
- Best Night Cream: O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Night Treatment Foot Cream, $18
- Best Drugstore: Dr. Scholl’s Dry, Cracked Foot Repair, $7
- Best for Odor Prevention: Earth Therapeutics Foot Repair Balm, $10
- Best for Tired Feet: Aveda Foot Relief Moisturizing Creme, $28
- Best Quick-Absorbing: Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream, $26
- Best Foot Peel: Baby Foot Original Exfoliation Foot Peel, $25
Whether your feet need a full-on rehab or you want to show them some TLC, the right foot cream—formulated to be richer, specifically for the thicker skin on your soles—can transform dry, rough heels to feel baby soft. (Want extra credit? Pair your cream of choice with a foot scrub.) From rich, buttery formulas to refreshing peppermint-infused products that feel like a mini spa treatment, Allure editors tested the best foot cream (and sought experts who know them best) that leave you ready to put your best foot forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Overall: Prequel Foot Rescue Advanced Restorative Treatment
Prequel
Foot Rescue Ointment
Why we love it: All of these foot creams deliver hydration, but Prequel’s Advanced Restorative Treatment ups the ante with gentle exfoliation built right in. Salicylic acid sweeps away the surface layer of rough, dead skin cells to reveal fresher, baby-smooth skin underneath, while urea gently exfoliates and boosts the skin’s ability to bind and retain moisture—key for tackling dry, scaly heels. What’s more, Foot Rescue also contains malic acid, a naturally-occurring alpha hydroxy acid found in fruit, to loosen the bonds between dead skin cells, while doubling as a humectant. The result is a multitasking formula that exfoliates buildup, floods skin with hydration, and seals it all in—so your feet look and feel repaired, smooth, and even sandal-ready.
Tester feedback from commerce editor Sarah Han
“I love wearing flats and booties for a reason—they cover my (subjectively?) gross, dry feet and I rarely get pedicures, which is something I feel self-conscious about sometimes. (Even though, who cares?) With that context out of the way, may I present my feet’s saving grace: Prequel Foot Rescue. When I actually remember to use it, boy, does it make a difference. I’ve long heard of urea’s benefits when it comes to foot care. I mean, it acts as a gentle exfoliant and humectant drawing in moisture—it doesn’t get better than that! And, because my heels are extra rough—my primary exercise living in NYC is walking, let’s be real—the salicylic and malic acids really complement the urea, ridding my entire feet of scales. She’s balmy and a bit thick, which is why I apply it at night—ideally, at least 30 minutes before I go to bed so I can let them ‘soak in’ a bit, because I sensorially can’t stand wearing socks while I sleep!” —Sarah Han, commerce editor
- Key ingredients: glycerin, 5% salicylic acid, 15% urea, 2% malic acid
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Multiuse: Bag Balm Skin Moisturizer
Vermont’s Original
Bag Balm Original Skin Moisturizer
Why we love it: Sometimes the hardest-working products are also the simplest. Case in point: Bag Balm’s Skin Moisturizer, an affordable, ultra-thick balm made with a handful of no-frills ingredients, including petroleum to lock in moisture and lanolin to soften and smooth skin. Created in the 1800s to soothe dairy cows’ udders (true story), the formula hasn’t needed a revamp since. Its moisture-locking power is so good that it quickly became a staple for humans.
Sure, it’s great for cracked heels and stubborn calluses, but we also reach for it to rescue chapped lips, peeling cuticles, dry hands, and just about any rough patch in need of extra care. It’s the kind of multitasker we keep on our nightstand, slather on before bed, and wake up to noticeably softer skin.
“Sometimes mom really does know best. Recently, I was spending time at home, and my mom gave me a tin of this Bag Balm. Typically, my heels are scaly and flaky just one week after a pedicure. This balm has resolved that completely. I have been using it every morning on my soles. I take a dime-size amount and massage it into my heels, then throw on a pair of socks. A side benefit is that my cuticles on my hands are also peeling less. Now, this foot cream was formulated on a dairy farm, so it does smell a bit medicinal, but it gets the job done. Next up I will be spreading it all over my knees and elbows.” —Jessica Cruel, editor in chief
- Key ingredients: petrolatum, lanolin, paraffin, water, 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Scent: Koba Skincare Bottom Up Foot Cream
Koba Skincare
Bottom Up Foot Cream
Why we love it: In a category dominated by unscented or straight-up medicinal formulas, Koba’s Bottom Up Foot Cream is a total standout and makes the idea of applying foot cream way more appealing. (Yes, really.) Massaging it in feels like a mini spa moment, thanks to an enticing warm, woody, and slightly spicy scent, laced with notes of rose and vetiver. Of course, the ultra-nourishing blend of safou oil, sweet almond oil, shea butter, and allantoin does the real heavy lifting; check back in a few hours, and those rough, cracked heels will be noticeably softer, smoother, and baby-smooth.
“My feet are never ashy with this foot cream in tow. I’m in love with the light botanical scent and the thick texture is deeply moisturizing without leaving my feet greasy and slippery.” —Annie Blay-Tettey, associate beauty editor
- Key ingredients: safou oil, shea butter, sweet almond oil, allantoin
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Night Cream: O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Night Treatment Foot Cream
O’Keeffe’s
Healthy Feet Night Treatment Foot Cream
Why we love it: Sometimes, a lightweight cream just won’t cut it, especially when your feet are seriously cracked, dry, and downright angry. The O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet Night Treatment Foot Cream is a rich, heavy-duty formula of shea butter, glycerin, and deep conditioning oils your heels have been waiting for. It absorbs well but has a lot of slip, which makes it the perfect intensive overnight treatment. As you snooze, it locks in moisture, smooths rough patches, and helps restore softness. What’s better than waking up to happy feet?
“This may be TMI, but the skin on my heels gets so dry that I could literally crack off little pieces. So when a foot cream throws around phrases like ‘intense renewal,’ ‘softens extremely dry, callused feet,’ and ‘guaranteed relief,’ I’m already adding five to my cart. I’m a huge fan of O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Night Treatment, and this foot cream is just as thick and decadent—it slathers on nicely without making my feet dangerously slippery. The lactic acid gives it a gentle exfoliating edge, and after a few nights, my heels looked way less like crocodile skin.” —Christa Joanna Lee, contributing commerce writer
- Key ingredients: glycerin, shea butter, silicone
- Fragrance-free: yes
Best Drugstore: Dr. Scholl’s Dry, Cracked Foot Repair
Dr. Scholl’s
Dry, Cracked Foot Repair
Why we love it: Sometimes you want a chic, nicely-scented foot cream that earns a spot on your vanity—and other times, you need the no-nonsense stuff that has a permanent spot in your medicine cabinet. Enter Dr. Scholl’s Dry, Cracked Foot Repair. When painfully cracked heels call for serious intervention, this thick, affordable ointment gets straight to work—without the luxury price tag, we might add. The formula blends urea (a moisture-pulling humectant), softening beeswax, epsom salts to help ease discomfort, lactic acid to slough off dead skin, and essential oils like lavender and peppermint to soothe, refresh, and restore stressed skin. Apply it to clean, dry feet, focusing on your roughest areas, and throw on a pair of socks to lock everything in—no slipping around on the floors, just noticeably softer, happier heels come morning.
“I must just be a heavy walker because my feet are gnarly, y’all. The type that’s perpetually threatening to crack. The type that doesn’t respond to body lotion alone. The type that can’t be tamed with a standard pedicure here and there. I need high-octane exfoliation and even higher-octane hydration to keep things looking…inoffensive. Dr. Scholl’s provides both with its foot cream formula, which contains lactic acid to slough off dead skin cells, vitamin E for repair, and beeswax and lanolin to lock it all in. I like to take it a step further by slathering Vaseline on top of it before slipping on my thickest socks and letting it all soak in for a couple of hours. I can feel the difference in softness every time I take ’em off.” —Nicola Dall’Asen, senior news editor
- Key ingredients: 25% urea, epsom salts, lavender oil, peppermint oil
- Fragrance-free: no
Best for Odor Prevention: Earth Therapeutics Foot Repair Balm
Earth Therapeutics
Foot Repair Balm
Why we love it: Tea tree oil does the grunt work in Earth Therapeutic’s Foot Repair Balm—and thank goodness, because it’s a natural antiseptic known for knocking out odor and helping prevent athlete’s foot. If your feet spend a lot of time in sneakers, gym locker rooms, or basically anywhere that traps sweat, consider this part of your new nightly ritual. It’s essentially a two-in-one: deodorizer and moisturizer. Aloe vera and chamomile step in to calm irritation and help repair dry, overworked skin, leaving feet soft and smooth. The rich balm melts into skin quickly without feeling heavy, and because a little goes such a long way, one jar lasts ages—even with regular use.
“I’ve never really been a foot cream girlie, but then I took this lotion home on a whim—and I’m so glad that I did! The formula itself is thick, creamy, and smells like a mix of Mentholatum (IYKYK) and a tea tree oil toner. I love it! My favorite way to use it is right before bed after I’ve showered; I slather a very generous dollop (or two or three) into the palm of my hands before going to town, covering the tips of my toes to the heels of my feet. Then I quickly cover them with long socks because, yes, I am a sock sleeper! Come at me, non-sock sleepers, I dare you.” —Sarah Kinonen, associate beauty director
- Key ingredients: tea tree oil, aloe vera, chamomile
- Fragrance-free: no
Best for Tired Feet: Aveda Foot Relief Moisturizing Creme
Why we love it: Amy Ling, founder of nail salon Sunday Studios, swears by Aveda Foot Relief for tired, overworked feet. Infused with peppermint and tea tree, it delivers an invigorating, cooling sensation—perfect for anyone who’s been on their feet all day. Jojoba and castor oils soften and smooth dry skin, while lavender and rosemary help keep odors at bay. Ling recommends it for daily use or mid-shift pick-me-ups, making it a must-have for nurses, teachers, or anyone whose feet need a little TLC.
- Key ingredients: peppermint, tea tree oil, jojoba oil, castor oil
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Quick-Absorbing: Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream
Ahava
Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream
Why we love it: We’ve long relied on the Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Hand Cream to resuscitate our dry hands back to life, and the matching foot cream equally works wonders on scaly, cracked feet. Packed with the brand’s signature blend of Dead Sea minerals, it deeply hydrates, softens, and rejuvenates even the roughest heels. Witch hazel, menthol, and tea tree oil deliver a calming, cooling sensation (while giving your senses a little zing). And rich, nourishing oils like avocado help lock in moisture. “I love Ahava Dead Sea Water Mineral Foot Cream for deep moisture treatments, particularly in winter,” says Dr. Sharkey. “I apply it with socks before bed for the ultimate skin-softening treatment—the scent is divine, too.”
- Key ingredients: witch hazel, Dead Sea water, aloe vera
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Foot Peel: Baby Foot Original Exfoliation Foot Peel
Baby Foot
Original Exfoliation Foot Peel
Why we love it: While Baby Foot isn’t technically a foot cream, it’s a must-have for anyone on the quest for super-smooth feet. After cleansing, slip on these pre-filled booties with “a potent formula that contains fruit acids and lactic acid to exfoliate and eventually peel the skin,” says Dr. Freeman. All you have to do is kick back and relax for an hour while the formula breaks down calluses, rough patches, and dead skin you didn’t even know was there. The calming lavender scent adds to the spa (in a plastic sock) vibes. After you rinse it off, you’ll feel smoother right away, but the real magic happens a few days later when your feet start to peel like a snake in a weirdly satisfying way, revealing baby-soft skin beneath. Be warned, if you have sensitive or open skin (hi, blisters!) Dr. Freeman says you should avoid this one.
- Key ingredients: lactic acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid
- Fragrance-free: no
Best Balm: Pedestrian Project Cracked Heel Repair Foot Care Balm
Pedestrian Project
Cracked Heel Repair Foot Care Balm
Why we love it: This budget-friendly balm combines the moisturizing power of African shea butter, which deeply hydrates, with mango butter to smooth and replenish your feet for lasting comfort. Packed with essential fatty acids, blackcurrant oil nourishes and strengthens your skin’s barrier. And the best part? Its convenient stick format makes it a breeze to use. “Pedestrian Project Cracked Heel Repair Foot Care Balm is like a giant, mess-free Chapstick for your heels—just swipe and go,” says Dr. Sharkey, perfect for throwing in your bag for on-the-go relief from dry, cracked skin—without having to use your hands, either.
