Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser for sensitive skin
Sodium Hyaluronate
Glycerin
Hydroxyethyl Urea
Caprylyl Glycol
Tocopherol
Average
- HighNormal Skin Fit
- AverageEffectiveness
- HighSafety
Works for sensitive skin; other moisturizers fit it better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with sensitive skin: redness, stinging, and reactions to new products. For scores and recommendations based on your full skin profile, including your 12D face scan results and any goals or preferences you have, please use the Lovi app.
Page built Nov 8, 2026How the Fit score works
Lovi Assistant explains
- Offers moderate moisturizing for your normal skin, as glycerin and sodium PCA hydrate and enhance barrier resilience without causing irritation. Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid further supports hydration, addressing your concerns of redness and irritation.
- This formula provides general skincare benefits, including hydration, which is beneficial for maintaining skin comfort.
- The product is safe for your sensitive skin, containing no harsh or prohibited ingredients that could cause adverse reactions.
How to apply
- Use this soothing AM and PM routine every day to keep your normal skin calm. Always remember to apply SPF in the morning after your moisturizer.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner in the morning, and after your serum in the evening. This step locks in hydration and protects your skin.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer evenly across your face. Avoid rubbing to keep your sensitive skin happy and calm.
- You can apply this gentle formula on dry or slightly damp skin for the best comfort. It works wonderfully on clean skin to soothe redness and irritation.
- Do a patch test before your very first use to check your skin's reaction. Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 2.4k+ reviewsThis moisturizer is highly regarded by users with oily, combination, and sensitive skin for its lightweight, oil-free formula that hydrates without causing breakouts or irritation. Based on a very large amount of data, this should be definitely taken into account.
Highlights
Lightweight and fast Mostly Mentioned
- “sinks in seconds”
- “feels like water”
- “disappears instantly”
Gentle and non-irritating Often Mentioned
- “no stinging”
- “calmed my redness”
- “safe for acne-prone skin”
Non-greasy finish Often Mentioned
- “no sticky residue”
- “matte finish”
- “doesn't look oily”
Good makeup base Sometimes Noted
- “foundation sits perfectly”
- “no pilling under makeup”
- “great primer substitute”
Not enough moisture Sometimes Noted
- “skin felt tight again”
- “need to reapply often”
- “not enough for winter”
Poor pump design Sometimes Noted
- “hard to get last bit”
- “pump stopped working”
- “wasteful packaging”
Small bottle size Rarely Noted
- “finished in 2 weeks”
- “expensive for amount”
- “tiny bottle”
Watery consistency Rarely Noted
- “too runny”
- “spills easily”
- “feels like a serum”
Sources: lovi.care, hollandandbarrett.com, lookfantastic.com, superdrug.com, cetaphil.com, amazon.com, and more
Questions and answers
How well does Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser work for sensitive skin?
Cetaphil Daily Hydrating Moisturiser works well for sensitive skin by offering moderate hydration and helping to calm redness without causing irritation. It is safe for this skin type, though products that fit sensitive skin better usually need soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, Cica Ceramide, and nourishing oils to strengthen the skin barrier.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026
Which ingredients make this moisturizer a good fit for sensitive skin?
Glycerin, sodium hyaluronate, and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid help hydrate and calm sensitive skin without causing irritation. This moisturizer needs soothing ingredients like fermented Centella Asiatica, cica ceramide, and nourishing oils to better strengthen the skin barrier and manage redness.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for sensitive skin?
Hyaluronic acid helps calm and hydrate sensitive skin while supporting the skin barrier to keep it soft and comfortable. Clinical studies show it improves surface moisture and reduces dryness, roughness, and redness without irritation.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2025Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2018
What does Glycerin do for sensitive skin?
Glycerin helps keep sensitive skin soft and deeply hydrated while supporting the skin barrier. It is unlikely to cause irritation and may protect against dryness and roughness.
The British Journal of Dermatology, 2008Acta Dermato-venereologica, 1999
Where does it go in a skincare routine for sensitive skin?
This moisturizer goes in the evening routine as the final step after your treatment, and it needs hydrating ingredients like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate along with barrier-supporting components to keep sensitive skin calm and comfortable.
The Journal of Dermatological Treatment, 2022Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Can I use this moisturizer with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this moisturizer with retinol by applying your retinol first, letting it sink in, and then putting on the moisturizer. This helps keep your skin calm and comfortable while reducing the dryness and redness that retinol may cause. Sensitive skin of this type needs soothing ingredients like ceramides and centella asiatica to further strengthen the skin barrier against irritation.
Cutis, 2006Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
How often should I use it?
You can use this moisturizer daily in your evening routine and whenever your skin feels dry, as it helps keep sensitive skin comfortable and hydrated. Applying a moisturizer regularly supports skin barrier strength and may reduce dryness and irritation.
Can this moisturizer clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for sensitive skin?
This moisturizer is safe and unlikely to cause breakouts or purging on your sensitive skin, as it contains no harsh or prohibited ingredients that trigger adverse reactions. Sensitive skin works best with products that provide gentle hydration and barrier support without heavy oils.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
You can use this moisturizer around your eyes and on your body, as it has a safe profile with no harsh ingredients that might cause irritation. Because skin is very thin around the eyes, a product of this type needs gentle hydrators like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to keep the area comfortable.
Is this moisturizer fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
Yes, it has no fragrance and no drying alcohol. Cetyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol, which soften the skin.
What the research says
A single application of a moisturizing fluid containing hyaluronic acid 1%, glycerin 5%, and Centella asiatica stem cells extract significantly increased skin hydration by 29% and reduced transepidermal water loss at 24 hours compared to baseline and an untreated control site in twenty healthy women.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Profhilo treatment led to significant improvements in superficial skin hydration and transepidermal water loss over time in Chinese females, while demonstrating good product tolerability.
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 2026A preservative system containing 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol showed no delayed Type IV dermal sensitivity reactions in 200 subjects when tested as a 15% mixture in carbomer gel and in a cosmetic formulation.
Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology, 2009Topical application of 0.1% hyaluronic acid formulations of different molecular weights led to significant improvements in skin hydration and elasticity, with low-molecular-weight formulations also significantly reducing wrinkle depth in seventy-six female subjects compared to a vehicle control.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011Topical application of hyaluronic acid in conjunction with free gingival graft significantly reduced donor site postoperative pain until day 7 compared to normal saline, with no significant differences in graft dimensions or patient satisfaction.
Clinical Oral Investigations, 2022Treatment with a hyaluronic acid-containing mouth rinse or topical gel led to significant lesion reduction, pain relief, and normalization of lesion color in adult patients with minor recurrent aphthous stomatitis, with the gel formulation showing an earlier healing onset at 3 days.
BMC Oral Health, 2019The emollient V0034CR significantly reduced TEWL compared to vehicle and vehicle plus glycerol, and significantly increased corneometry scores compared to vehicle and vehicle plus petrolatum in healthy volunteers with dry skin, demonstrating combined barrier function improvement from petrolatum and hydration improvement from glycerol.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Ten days of treatment with a cream containing 20% glycerin significantly increased skin hydration measured by corneometer values in 17 healthy volunteers compared to a placebo cream, but showed no influence on transepidermal water loss or skin sensitivity to an irritating surfactant.
International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2001Niacinamide/glycerin body moisturizers provided better rapid and prolonged improvement of cosmetic xerosis through functional improvement of stratum corneum barrier function compared to no treatment and conventional moisturizers in female subjects.
Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2012Topical application of an antioxidant serum containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented particulate matter-induced degradation of extracellular matrix components, inflammation, and oxidative stress in the skin of 15 female volunteers compared to untreated controls.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2025Dermatological products containing d-alpha tocopheryl acetate showed non-comedogenic potential with less than a 50% increase in microcomedones in 12 healthy male subjects compared to octyl palmitate.
Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 2021Topical application of an antioxidant mix containing 15% ascorbic acid, 0.5% ferulic acid, and 1% tocopherol prevented PM and UV-induced skin barrier perturbation, lipid peroxidation, inflammatory markers, MMP9 activation, and Type I collagen loss in 15 healthy females compared to untreated exposed skin.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2024
Ingredients
Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Hydroxyethyl Urea, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Acrylates C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Caprylyl Glycol, Cetyl Alcohol, Erythritol, Glycine Soja Oil, Homarine Hcl, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Phenoxyethanol, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Pca, Tocopherol
Behind this fit score
Lovi calculates every fit score from the full ingredient list with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sofía Perea Pérez, MD, MSc
Medical Board
Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
How does it fit your skin?
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