I Tried Rhode’s Barrier Butter For 3 Weeks During Cold Weather Season

While I love that winter allows me to bundle up in cozy sweaters and spend evenings sipping on hot cocoa, my skin is not as much of a fan. It’s typically dry all year round, but the cold weather season is especially brutal, leading to dullness, peeling, and overall roughness on my face. This isn’t just uncomfortable; it makes putting on makeup a less-than-enjoyable activity.

No matter what moisturizer I apply, concealer and foundation will often settle in my dry patches, ruining an otherwise unmarred base. Even when I go makeup-free, I haven’t found a face cream that’s thick enough to get rid of the stubborn peeling on my nose without looking like I’ve slathered on oil — until now.

Enter: Rhode’s Barrier Butter.

One of Hailey Bieber’s latest launches had my attention ever since it went viral following its October drop. Weary of trying new products, I held off on testing out the thick cream, but the hype finally convinced me in recent months. Makeup maven and influencer Toni Bravo said, “It’s beautiful. It’s stunning. It’s amazing,” and that was what I needed to put it into rotation.

Below, you’ll find out whether my three weeks of testing made this moisturizer my dry skin savior.

BDG product reviews and recommendations are written and conducted by writers and editors with expertise in their fields. Testers often have specific experience with the situation or product at hand, and/or their review or recommendation is provided in consultation with experts. You can learn more about our standards here.

Fast Facts:

• Price: $38 for the big size (5 oz); $22 for the little size (1.35 oz)
• Who is this best for: Those who deal with dry skin and are interested in intense long-lasting hydration.
• What I like: I love that the formula is super thick and really penetrates the skin. It leaves a glassy finish without feeling too heavy or looking greasy.
• What I don’t like: No notes. Period.
• My rating: 5/5

Rhode’s Barrier Butter:

The Barrier Butter is an intensive moisture balm with a thick formula. It promises deep hydration and is marketed as a nighttime moisturizer. The heavy butter consistency of the cream is said to strengthen and seal your skin’s moisture barrier overnight and for up to 24 hours after application. The result is meant to be soft, smooth, and bouncy skin.

The Packaging:

The formula comes in Rhode’s traditional slate gray packaging, and isn’t too flimsy or complicated.

The Ingredients:

• Hyaluronic Acid Complex: Using 5 molecular weights of HA, this complex advances hydration above and below the surface of your skin.
• Polyglutamic Acid: This humectant offers intense hydration that helps lock-in moisture.
• Murumuru Butter: An emollient that’s rich in fat, this ingredient helps seal in hydration and prevent transepidermal water loss.
• Ceramide NP: This lipid can revitalize the skin’s barrier function.

How To Apply

You can apply the Barrier Butter wherever your body is in need of moisture. This includes the face, elbows, knees, feet, and all other body parts. It is recommended that this be applied at nighttime as the final moisture-sealing step before bed. You can focus it on your dry spots or spread it all over the body.

My Skin:

If I didn’t already state it enough, let me reiterate: I have very dry skin, especially in the colder seasons, so I decided to focus the use of this moisturizer on just my face.

First Impressions:

After squirting a dollop of the thick white cream into my palm, my first thought was that this would end up leaving a white cast on my skin, but it blended in very smoothly. Because of how heavy this cream is, though, it requires lots of rubbing to ensure it doesn’t leave a cast or appear too oily.

The Results:

It gave the full glass skin effect. Other moisturizers tend to appear too greasy or aren’t hydrating enough, but the Barrier Butter found the perfect sweet spot. Skin that immediately feels nourished and looks reinvigorated? You love to see it.

Due to my skin type, I opted to use this in the morning and at night. During the day, I got so many compliments on how radiant my complexion was. I had never used a moisturizer that made my skin look so illuminated, feel so soft, and that erased any sign of dryness. My face was baby smooth. Plus, the hydration truly does last all day.

Before bed, I washed my face and reapplied the product. I woke up with skin that was even more supple than it was before.

Bonus: Due to its soothing properties, it makes for the ultimate makeup base. All of my products laid so smoothly overtop with no pilling or separating in sight. Forget using a primer because this does the trick.

Is It Worth It?

The Barrier Butter is without a doubt worth the $38 price tag. It does everything that it promises to do, which is a huge win in my book.

The Final Verdict

Three weeks have gone by, and I can confidently say that I am completely obsessed. I will absolutely be making this moisturizer a mainstay in my skin care routine. It worked wonders for my dry skin and peeling. After a just few days of use, my skin was soft, bouncy, and beyond hydrated — and it’s stayed that way ever since. Mrs. Bieber ate down.

About Me:

Despite being Bustle Digital Group’s Associate Beauty Editor, I don’t love trying new skin care products. As someone with dry, sensitive skin, most products tend to irritate my face or break me out. But the ones that do earn a spot on my vanity are simple, gentle, and effective.

When it comes to makeup, I learn toward maximalism with a love of glitter eyeshadow while also being obsessed with colorful nail art and fun hairstyles. I’m a mixed bag.