The Elm Biosciences Night Cream Is the Only Thing Saving My Dry, Eczema-Prone Skin This Winter

My skin is pissed. It's currently colder than Alaska outside, the space heaters in the office at working overtime, and the ol' epidermis cannot fight the battle against dehydration without some serious backup. That means my search for the best moisturizers and hydrating serums is currently in full force. To add insult to injury, after 36 years as a person who didn't struggle with eczema on her face, I finally—and very reluctantly—joined the club last month. As soon as I landed back in the Midwest for the holidays, dropped my bags, and entered the bathroom to set up my various products that made the trip from Brooklyn, I spotted it: a duo of rosy red patches blooming across the front of my cheeks. Atopic dermatitis had finally made its way north from my hands onto my complexion.

Cut to me a week later frantically calling my dermatologist, Dr. Marisa Garshick, for assistance when the spots (which I had tried, and failed, to tackle with over-the-counter acne products) hung around much longer than expected. She took one look over Zoom at my inflamed face and wrote me a prescription for a topical steroid to fight the eczema flare. That's all well and good for targeting the majority of the skin irritation, but my face was still crying out for extra moisture. So, I did what any dedicated beauty editor would do and I opened a lab sample of new moisturizer that had come across my desk, the Elm Biosciences A3O™ Elemental Night Cream.

Now, I don't always recommend trying out a new skincare product when you're already dealing with irritation and dryness, but I had sampled the jar on the backs of my hands a week prior and noticed how soft and soothed they felt, even an hour later. What could it hurt to give the formula a try? (Desperate times, my friends). Here's how it went.

The Formula

If you're not already familiar with Elm Biosciences, the brand was co-founded by Dhaval Bhanusali, MD, and Martha Stewart. (Yes, that Martha). And while celebrity beauty brands are a dime a dozen these days, I trusted her dermatologist co-founder enough to give the first launches—an antioxidant serum and supplement—a try, with very glowy results. Now, the newest formula is concentrated on firming and hydrating the skin in addition to boosting elasticity, which gives your skin that youthful "snap back" quality.

"We added our A3O™ Complex which helps with the moisturization of the skin, adding antioxidants and smoothing benefits," Dr. Bhanusali tells me. "We also added ectoin—an effective ingredient to provide a protective hydration layer to help maintain the skin moisture barrier." He also notes that the added Carnosine, a naturally occurring peptide that is thought to serve as an antioxidant, acts as an anti-glycation agent, "a critical ingredient that helps prevent excess sugars from binding to important proteins [like] such as elastin and collagen, and helps break them down." Coupled with the added lipids (natural healthy fats and oils that keep your skin plump and moisturized), and you've got quite the moisturizing powerhouse.

The real shocker for me, however, was the realization that this cream utilizes a retinoid derivative called Trifarotenyl Caprylate, which helps to improve skin texture without causing the irritation that can accompany more traditional forms of retinoids like retinaldehyde or tretinoin. As Dr. B tells me, this "fourth generation retinoid" is a stabilized retinoid derivative that "allows us to deliver consistent benefits, such as improved skin texture and radiance [and limit] dryness and irritation."

Truth be told, my skin was looking rougher and more uneven than ever before I started to use the cream, so I was eager to see if I would experience both the hydrating and the smoothing benefits without stressing out my skin even further.

The Application

During the winter, my nighttime skincare routine isn't that dissimilar from icing a seven-layer cake. There are multiple steps in place to help ensure my skin's moisture barrier makes it through the night without drying out completely. But I'm happy to report that this cream was beyond easy to swipe on and blend into my skin with just a light massage. After cleansing with a gentle cream face wash (Farmacy Green Clean is my go-to), applying my nighttime serum (Dr. Barbara Sturm Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum) and a hydrating eye cream (Alastin Restorative Eye Complex) I used a pea-sized dollop on my forehead, chin, each cheek, nose, and neck—because more is more in this type of dry weather.

The Takeaway

After just three days of using this cream, I was shocked to see that the bumpy red patches on my cheeks had completely calmed down. Granted, I was 2.5 weeks into using my steroid cream, but the change was drastic enough that I couldn't help but give the new addition some credit as well. Plus, the silky soft finish I had initially enjoyed on my hands definitely carried over to my face and neck. My skin felt more hydrated in the morning than it typically did (I still used a slugging occlusive, like Aquaphor or Vaseline, over the cream to go to sleep and lock in even more moisture) and the hormonal breakouts that have been plaguing me over the last few weeks seemed to calm down as well. Perhaps forgoing retinol since Thanksgiving so as to give my dry, stressed skin a rest had backfired; what I really needed was a formulation that was a bit gentler than my usual prescription retinoid in order to keep the skin renewal process churning.

Of course, there's only so much a night cream can do on its own—a serum is going to give you the most skin benefits for your buck most of the time—but I'm more than happy to keep this cream as a part of my regular winter and spring rotation. Dry complexion? Sorry, I left her in 2025.

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