“We chose products that contained not only science ingredients, you know ingredients of the future, but some natural ingredients such as avocado or essential oils," says Karen Rauen, Chemistry Director, Good Housekeeping Institute.

A panel of volunteers evaluated the products in a “real world” environment simply for their impressions of effectiveness, and Kiehl’s Ultimate Strength Hand Salve got the highest marks overall.

“I tested four creams and this one just seemed to be very thick and kind of soothing on my hands,” says one tester.

“It was just the creamiest," adds another woman. "I want something that’s thick, that I really have to rub in as opposed to something that will spread all over my hands and get kind of watery."

But casual impressions were only part of the testing. “Along with the real world testing, we tested products in the laboratory and what we found was that some of the results we got from the people in their home environments didn’t correlate with the results that we got in the laboratory," says Rauen.

"Our testers like the Kiehl’s ultimate strength hand salve because it had a good texture on their hands, they felt it to be very moisturizing and they like the way it felt over time. In our lab test, we found that the Quench Rapid Repair lotion performed better in long-term moisture retention.”

And finally, there’s the “fragrance factor.” “Some of them had more of a perfumy scent," says one tester. "Some of them were citrusy in scent.”

Since it was a close call between the two products, it may just come down to your preference in fragrance. And another tip: Good Housekeeping says women should try different hand moisturizers to see if they experience any sensitivity using them. Some products may cause some skin irritation.

For more health and beauty tips, check out the August issue of Good Housekeeping or visit www.goodhousekeeping.com.