Dermalogica Calm Water Gel for dry skin
High
- HighDry Skin Fit
- HighEffectiveness
- HighSafety
A great choice for dry skin; a few moisturizers fit it even better.
This fit is calculated for the concerns frequently associated with dry skin: flakiness, tightness, dehydration, fine lines, and wrinkles. 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
- Highly suitable for your dry skin, this product effectively addresses dryness and flakiness with humectants like glycerin and sodium hyaluronate, which draw moisture into the skin, complemented by dimethicone for emollient action to seal it in.
- The inclusion of Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate further enhances its soothing properties, making it a gentle yet effective choice for your skin.
- The safety profile is excellent, with no risks of irritation due to the absence of harsh ingredients and the presence of calming components.
How to apply
- Could be used as part of your AM or PM routine. Start using it 3 times a week and work your way up to daily use.
- Apply your moisturizer after your toner and before your sunscreen in the morning. At night, use it as the final step after your serum.
- Gently press a small amount of the moisturizer into your skin. Avoid rubbing to keep your dry skin happy.
- Apply the moisturizer on slightly damp skin to help lock in extra hydration. This is great for soothing dry and flaky areas .
- Avoid the sensitive eye area and do a patch test before your first use .
People Say
★4.6Overall rating based on 1.4k+ reviewsBased on a very large amount of data, users with very dry skin or living in colder climates often find it insufficiently hydrating on its own, requiring an additional serum or heavier cream.
Highlights
Soothes redness Mostly Mentioned
- “takes the red out of my cheeks”
- “cooling sensation feels amazing on irritated skin”
- “best thing for my reactive skin”
Lightweight gel Often Mentioned
- “melts into skin like water”
- “disappears immediately”
- “weightless feel”
- “no greasy residue”
Not hydrating enough Often Mentioned
- “skin felt tight after an hour”
- “need to layer a cream over it”
- “not enough for winter dryness”
- “disappeared too fast without hydrating”
Good under makeup Sometimes Noted
- “makeup sits perfectly on top”
- “doesn't pill under foundation”
- “smooth canvas for application”
- “keeps oil at bay during the day”
Non-comedogenic Sometimes Noted
- “doesn't clog my pores”
- “safe for acne-prone skin”
- “no new breakouts since using”
- “perfect balance for oily/sensitive skin”
Expensive for size Sometimes Noted
- “tube is very small for the price”
- “finished it in a month”
- “too expensive for a basic gel”
- “wish it came in a bigger size”
Caused irritation Rarely Noted
- “burned my sensitive skin”
- “caused tiny bumps”
- “made my face itch”
- “triggered a rash”
Sticky texture Rarely Noted
- “leaves a sticky film”
- “feels tacky to the touch”
- “hair sticks to my face”
- “weird texture until it dries”
Sources: lovi.care, ulta.com, sephora.com, dermstore.com, lovelyskin.com, spacenk.com, and more
Questions and answers
What makes Dermalogica Calm Water Gel a great fit for dry skin?
Dermalogica Calm Water Gel is a great fit for dry skin because it uses glycerin and sodium hyaluronate to draw in moisture, while dimethicone seals it in to help keep skin soft and smooth. It also contains soothing aloe leaf juice and dipotassium glycyrrhizate, and its gentle formula has an excellent safety profile with no harsh ingredients.
Which ingredients make this cream a good fit for dry skin?
Glycerin and sodium hyaluronate draw moisture into dry skin, while dimethicone seals it in to help keep skin feeling soft and smooth. Additionally, aloe leaf juice and dipotassium glycyrrhizate soothe the skin with a very low risk of irritation.
Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026
What does Aloe Vera Leaf Juice do for dry skin?
Aloe Vera Leaf Juice helps increase water content in dry skin to keep it feeling soft and smooth. It works well to boost hydration without changing water loss through the skin.
What does Hyaluronic Acid do for dry skin?
Hyaluronic acid draws moisture into dry skin, giving an immediate and lasting boost in hydration that helps smooth out fine lines and soften rough patches. It is very gentle and unlikely to cause irritation while improving overall skin smoothness and plumpness.
Dermatology and Therapy, 2021Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, 2011
Where does this cream go in a skincare routine for dry skin?
This cream goes towards the end of your routine, right before sunscreen in the morning and as the final step in the evening. Using a moisturizer helps lock in hydration and is very unlikely to cause irritation on dry skin.
Can I use it with retinol, and in what order?
You can use this product with retinol by applying it either before or after your retinol treatment to help keep your dry skin soft and calm. Using a moisturizer with barrier-enhancing ingredients alongside active treatments like retinol supports your skin tolerability and helps reduce potential irritation.
How often should I use this cream?
This cream is a great fit for your dry skin and helps keep it soft and comfortable when used daily. Its gentle ingredients draw in moisture and seal it to effectively manage dryness and flakiness without irritation.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020Health Science Reports, 2021
Can it clog pores, cause breakouts or purging for dry skin?
This product is unlikely to clog pores or cause breakouts on dry skin, as it has an excellent safety profile without harsh ingredients. Its soothing components also help keep irritation at bay.
Can I use it around the eyes or on my body?
Yes, you can use this moisturizing treatment around the eyes and on your body because its gentle formula features ingredients that draw in moisture and seal it in. It is safe for use across different body areas, though the skin around the eyes is much thinner and benefits from products with a very high safety profile.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2002Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2017
Is this cream fragrance-free and alcohol-free?
It has no drying alcohol and contains fragrance (linalool and limonene).
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, 2017A topical formulation containing panthenol, niacinamide, and dipotassium glycyrrhizate increased skin hydration by 74.1% and reduced transepidermal water loss by 13.5% at 28 days compared to baseline and untreated control in 35 individuals with xerosis.
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2026A cream combining propolis, tea tree oil, and Aloe vera reduced erythema scars, acne severity index, and total lesion count better than erythromycin cream in sixty patients with mild to moderate acne vulgaris compared to placebo.
Clinical Pharmacology, 2018Topical aloe vera gel significantly accelerated split-thickness skin graft donor-site healing compared to placebo in 12 patients, but showed no significant difference in pain relief.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018Topical application of Aloe vera cream reduced postoperative pain at rest and during defecation, accelerated wound healing at two weeks, and decreased analgesic requirements in patients after open hemorrhoidectomy compared to placebo.
Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2010Topical 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, 2012Wearing an N95 mask alone compared to using dimethicone cream or hydrocolloid dressing caused more adverse skin reactions among 73 military health care workers, with no significant differences in fit test failure rates between groups.
Military Medicine, 2024Treatment with a moisturizer containing dimethicone and glycerine increased epidermal thickness by 0.019 mm, improved barrier function by decreasing transepidermal water loss by 13%, decreased melanin intensity, and induced keratins 6 and 16 in fifteen women with moderately photoaged forearms.
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 2007Combining 755 nm alexandrite laser with topical licorice gel significantly reduces terminal hair counts compared to alexandrite laser with placebo in women with idiopathic hirsutism.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015Licochalcone A activated Nrf2 signaling, elevated cytoprotective enzymes, increased the reduced-to-oxidized glutathione ratio, and decreased reactive oxygen species in human fibroblasts and neutrophils, while a LicA-rich licorice extract lowered UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo.
Experimental Dermatology, 2015Bioactive glycyrrhizic acid and oxymatrine ionic liquid self-assembled nanomicelles significantly promoted the transdermal permeation, subcutaneous retention, and anti-photoaging efficacy of palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 in cellular and animal models compared to unformulated peptide.
Advanced Science, 2025
Ingredients
Water, Glycerin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Pyrus Malus Fruit Extract, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diethylhexyl Carbonate, Opuntia Ficus-Indica Stem Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia Flower Extract Lavender Flower Extract, Stearyl Heptanoate, Cetyl Peg Ppg-10 1 Dimethicone, Hydroxyacetophenone, Sea Salt, Dimethicone Crosspolymer, Stearyl Caprylate, Lauryl Peg-9 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Potassium Sorbate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Disodium Phosphate, Linalool, Limonene
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
-

Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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